Why Kettlebell Swings Kinda Suck For Building the Glutes
And which kettlebell moves work BETTER for crafting a superior posterior
One of the oft-touted benefits of swinging kettlebells is “kettlebooty”.
That is, a nice strong and shaply set of buns to go with your all your hard efforts.
And while kettlebell swings *CAN* indeed make some improvements in those areas, the fact is that there are MUCH better tools for the job.
“What?! How DARE you, you jerkweed! I love kettlebell swings and here you are talking trash about them!”
Hold your horses there, pardner!
Swings are an excellent exercise — one of my all-time faves, in fact. But like any other exercise, they have a ‘shelf-life’ for how long they will continue to build your glutes before that margin of diminishing returns sets in.
Why?
Thus spake powerlifter-turned-bodybuilder and hypertrophy expert Paul Carter:
“…for glute hypertrophy they are not a good choice. It’s a momentum-based movement that doesn’t actually load the glutes effectively (you have a hip extension occurring against basically minimal load)”
So I’ll repeat: swings — just like a great many other movements — can indeed add some glute strength and size on you, particularly if you are a raw beginner. But for the amount of time, effort, and energy you need to put into them to get some noticeable gluteal gains, they’re not my first choice. Heck, they’re not even my 5th choice.
I’d say keep them in your regular rotation of movements for building up your explosive power, conditioning, and mental toughness, but choose a better tool for building size and muscularity.
What’s more, swings are no different from any other exercise: if all you ever do is swings, you eventually run into a wall where it’s hard to keep progressing.
Ironically, even if you don’t care about crafting a gorgeous set of glutes (weirdo!) and all you wanna do is keep beefing up your swings’ strength and explosive power, it helps to have some slow grindy-type movements in your routine to keep that gain train rollin’ into the station right on schedule for a long time to come.
So what slow, methodical movements WOULD I choose?
From the world of kettlebells, there are 4 moves that stand head and shoulders above the others (I like to call them The FantASStic 4 LOL). They are:
Done correctly, you’ll not only see even your HEAVIEST kettlebells starting to float like the lighter ones, but darn near every other exercise — both upper AND lower body — will probably start feeling easier, too.
And the cherry on top of all that is that you might even get compliments on your butt from your significant other, or at least stares of awe from your fellow townspeople around the pool/beach this summer.
You can get a dynamite glute training session in in just a few minutes a day. In particular, my 21-day challenge Superior Posterior shows you the ropes for building a brute-strong booty that looks as good as it performs.
Now, what to do about the rest of your body?
If you’ve got at least a kettlebell or two and 9 minutes to spare, my 9 Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge will show you my favorite full-body, no BS “non-exercises” to do to ratchet up your strength, boost your physical vitality, ramp up your resilience, and unlock your natural human movability — quickly, easily, and effectively.
Best of all, you don’t have to put your current workouts to the side; you just tack the 9 Minute Challenge on to the end of your training and BAM — you’ll be unlocking new and exciting levels of strength you never even knew you had in you in no time flat.
Check it out here => www.alekssalkin.com
Have fun and happy training!
Aleks Salkin
Aleks “The Hebrew Hammer” Salkin is a level 2 StrongFirst certified kettlebell instructor (SFG II) and an Original Strength Instructor.
He grew up scrawny, unathletic, weak, and goofy until he was exposed to kettlebells and the teaching and methodology of Pavel in his early 20s, and took his training and movement skills to the next level upon discovering Original Strength in his mid-20s.
He is currently based out of Omaha, Nebraska where he spends his time teaching students online and in person, as well as spreading the word of strength, movement, and healthy living.
He is the author of the popular free ebook The 9-Minute Kettlebell and Bodyweight Challenge as well as numerous articles scattered around the farthest-flung reaches of the web.
Find him online at www.alekssalkin.com
