5 x 5 Kettlebell Swings

Designed for ALL runners

Intensity

100% for every swing

Recovery

90” rest between sets

Exertion

8/10

Periodization

Specific Period

Context & Details

If you’re looking for an exercise to upgrade your global strength, posture, and hip mobility — consider kettlebell swings.

Kettlebell swinging is simple, relatively straightforward exercise runners can implement into their training program and see a lot of benefits.

Swings are a full-body exercise that engages abs, shoulders, pecs, glutes, quads, hips, hamstrings, and lats in a highly coordinated, dynamic motion.

The Kettlebell swing is designed to turn your body into a hinge with a kettlebell weight in your hands, your legs in a triangular stance to brace the movements, and your core engaged. It’s a convenient, foundational movement pattern that requires little equipment, is non-impact, and can improve strength, power, stability, and the cardiovascular system (as swings increase heart rate quickly).

Being a dynamic cyclical exercise, it also upgrades posture and stability — and important for runners — hip mobility. Every swing engages your glutes in turn relaxing the opposing hip flexor. The repeated contraction of the glutes and relaxing of the hips eventually help to “unlock” tight hips.

Also, kettlebells are highly efficient and can be performed multiple times a week, if not daily.

If you want to get better results by learning more about kettlebell training for runners, Join the Scholar Program for only $29 to get unlimited access to courses and real-world strength training workouts used by high-performance coaches runners.

Runners don’t need to use heavy kettlebells or do a lot of reps to be challenged and see benefits. Today’s workout is only 25 swings, but done 3 - 5 x per week for 1 - 2 months will yield significant benefits. You can do them after a run, as it will only take roughly 4 - 6 minutes to perform today’s swing workout.

The focus should be on getting every swing by performing it with maximum intent and focus.

Here’s a great video that introduces the basics concepts of the swing movement:

Any questions? Direct Message me on twitter.
Thx. | jm

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3 Good Books on the benefits of Kettlebell Swings

Kettlebell Simple & Sinister by Pavel Tsatsouline
Enter The Kettlebell!: Strength Secret of the Soviet Supermen by Pavel Tsatsouline
Athletic Development by Vern Gambetta