Kettlebell Swing
Muscles worked: Glutes (assisted by hamstrings, back).
How to do it
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, a kettlebell on the floor in front of you.
- Hinge at the hips and grab the handle with both hands.
- Hike the bell back between your legs, then snap your hips forward to swing it up.
- Let it float to chest height with straight arms - the power is all hips, not arms.
- Ride it back down into the next hinge and repeat.
Coaching cues
The two cues IronPack shows on this exercise's card mid-workout:
- It's a hinge, not a squat
- Snap the hips - the arms are just rope
Logging it
IronPack suggests working in the 10 to 20 rep range, progressing in 4 kg jumps when you own the top of the range. Records are tracked automatically at every rep count from 1 to 12. Check your estimated 1RM from any hard set.
Related exercises
- Deadlift - back, glutes
- Sumo Deadlift - glutes, quads
- Trap Bar Deadlift - quads, glutes
- Back Extension - glutes
Track the kettlebell swing properly
IronPack logs every set, tracks your records at every rep count, shows these form photos mid-workout, and turns the training into a card game you play with your mates.
Get IronPack free on the App StoreFree download, iPhone. Currently on the New Zealand App Store, wider rollout to follow.
Photos and steps: free-exercise-db (public domain). Cues, muscle weighting and logging guidance are IronPack's own app data. Last generated 2026-07-17.