Do It Right!

Do it right!

Here's a look at the correct form for some favorite workouts.

If you’re not taking the time to set up properly for your kettlebell swings, you’re setting yourself up for a potential disaster. Here are some easy fixes:

Keep the kettlebell flat on the floor

The problem with this is that you are starting with a bend in your wrists. In the swing, you want to think about the kettlebell being an extension of your arms where there is no bend from your shoulders to the top of the kettlebell. The idea of the swing is to project power forward, but if your wrists (or elbows) are bending, you will dull that force production dramatically!

Not having the bell out in front

Our first inclination is to hover over the bell to pick it up, similar to the deadlift. If you do it this way the swing will often look like a half swing with a rounded back. This is no good! Step away from the bell, approximately 6-12 inches depending on your height and arm length, and think of yourself as a shortstop in softball fielding a ground ball. This will put you in a much better hinge and athletic position to initiate the first swing.

Having a rounded back

When people feel swings in their backs, it’s almost always because they are rounding their spine as they swing the bell between their legs (also if they don’t squeeze the glutes and get into a standing neutral posture at the top position). Set up with a flat back. This will also help you to sit further back into your hips so that your glutes and hamstrings are supporting the weight of the kettlebell, rather than your spine.

Fix your renegade row

From a push-up position, with your hands on dumbbells, you alternate rowing one arm at a time. Seems simple, but maintaining a neutral core can be very difficult if you do not pay attention to your hips. In the photo on the top, you can see that as I row the weight up, I let my hips open and my feet roll onto their sides. This causes excessive rotation of the lower back, which can cause pain. It also shows that there are many energy leakages happening, and it may be wise to practice one-arm planks unloaded before progressing to the renegade row. The photo on the bottom shows what we want to see in a renegade row. My hips stay square to the ground as I pull the dumbbell up using my upper back. This hips-square position demonstrates control and mastery of the movement.

Lat pulldown mistakes

Lat pulldowns are a great exercise to strengthen your pulling muscles; in particular the lats and middle back muscles. The problem is that we often use too much weight or simply don’t understand how to keep the shoulders down and back. When performing the lat pulldown, use only enough weight to be a challenge while strengthening your lats and middle back muscle to support healthy posture. Be sure not to arch your back, get your shoulders down and back and keep your core (abs and glutes) tight and engaged.

Mini band walk breakdowns

The point of lateral band walks is to strengthen the muscles on the outside of your hips in order to improve hip and knee stabilization. However, when you allow your knees to cave in and your hips kick out to the side when performing band walks, you won’t get the full benefit of the exercise! As demonstrated in the photo on the right, we want to see the feet pointing forward and the knees remaining out over the mid foot. This positioning will actually engage the muscles that will aid in stabilization, and will often help to decrease discomfort in the knees!

Don’t make this squat mistake!

Goblet squats are a great way to gain awareness of what your knees are doing! When you're pushing your knees out properly, you'll be able to feel the insides of your upper thighs with your elbows. If your elbows end up on top of or your thighs, you will most likely cause the knees to cave in like I am in the picture to the left.

There are various reason that this knee valgus could be occurring. Sometimes it's simply an awareness/movement competency issue, but other times it could be associated with weak hops and glutes of tight ankles. If you can't correct yourself out of this positioning, we would recommend seeking out a coach who can help you work on the root issue.