MONS Athletics
Kettlebell exercises

Dead-Stop Kettlebell Swing: One Clean Swing at a Time

Hike the bell from the floor, snap your hips once, and park it back on the floor. One explosive swing per rep, with a full reset in between.

2 min read

Why it works: Chapter 13, Why stretching your hamstrings will not loosen them

How to do it

  1. 1

    Set up behind the bell

    Bell on the floor 30 to 40 cm in front of your toes, feet a little wider than your shoulders. Push your hips back until you can reach the handle with a flat back. Tip the bell back towards you.

  2. 2

    Hike it back

    Hike the bell back between your legs, high and fast, forearms meeting your inner thighs.

  3. 3

    Snap the hips once

    Stand up hard and fast. Your hips throw the bell forward and your arms just hang on. Glutes tight, ribs down, one sharp breath out at the top.

  4. 4

    Park it

    Let the bell fall back, hinge, and set it down on the floor in front of you, where it started. That is one rep.

  5. 5

    Reset

    Stand up, take a breath, set your back flat again, then hike the next one. Every rep starts from a dead stop.

  6. 6

    The test

    Every rep has the same sharp snap and a moment of float at the top. When the snap fades, the set is over.

Watch for

  • Squatting it. Your knees push forward and your hips drop, so your legs lift the bell and your hips learn nothing.
  • Lifting with your arms. The bell feels heavy all the way up and your shoulders, not your glutes, do the work.
  • Rushing the reset. Grabbing the bell before your back is set flat turns a clean rep into a sloppy one.

Questions

What is a dead-stop kettlebell swing?

A swing that starts and ends on the floor. You do one swing, park the bell, and reset before the next. It has the same hip snap as a swing, without having to manage the bell's swing back down.

Dead-stop swing or regular swing?

Start with the dead-stop swing. When every rep snaps the same and your back stays flat, move up to the swing: the same snap, linked one into the next.

How heavy should a dead-stop swing be?

Heavy enough that you have to snap your hips to make it float, light enough that every one of the 5 reps is fast and your back stays flat.