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kettlebells and hiphinging

derek
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02/21/2010 - 4:46am
kettlebells and hiphinging
Hi, What is your opinion on kettlebell swings and hip hinging?  My own sense is that this is a great exercise to strengthen the muscles used for hip hinging, and to stretch them out as well.  Obviously there is some danger if improper technique is used.  Are there dangers, though, with proper technique? Here's a nice video of the move along with instruction for proper technique: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0jalJ-3e7U Derek
rudd777
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02/26/2010 - 10:43am
Hi Derek I was think about the very same thing. I train with Kettklebells and a well executed swing seems to have very similar mechanics to hip hinging. I would also be interested in hearing Esther's opinion.
Maya
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Hi Derek, The woman in the video is doing very nice hiphinging, yes. The only thing I would be a bit cautious about is the little "pop" with the hips at the end. Just make sure you don't tuck the pelvis. The woman is doing a great job of not swaying/arching her back, as well as avoiding rounding (which she talks about). So yes, this is a good exercise as long as you are making sure you are not rounding when you go down or arching the back to help swing the KB up, and you have to make sure you use the rhomboids strongly so you don't round the shoulders. This is not something I would recommend to someone who currently has back pain, but if you are pretty fit and your inner corset and back muscles are strong enough, and you are confident about your hiphinging technique, then go for it! Maya
jose
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12/09/2013 - 11:37pm

There's a very different style of kettlebells from what the opening post video has demonstrated. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr9Xmbcudpc

 

I'm interested in what Gokhale would say about that back, is it rounded or are the back muscles so large that it looks rounded?.

mirileh
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12/19/2013 - 6:52am

(not Esther, but to my eyes) his upper back seems rounded and his arms very much forward. I'm not surprised that a commenter said his physiotherapist told him to pull his scapulae (shoulder blades) back.

jose
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12/09/2013 - 11:37pm

Thank you for your reply mirileh, I greatly appreciate your input. I'm planning on taking this sort of training once I learn and have the  gokhale method as a habit. I think this slight distortion doesn't have an impact on healthy alignment because they lift heavy weights for many repetitions (100+) without stopping but it most likely has to do with a technique that is very nuanced.

 

Again, thank you so much for your input.

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