The Hard Style Swing and a Big Deadlift

The hard style kettlebell swing is undoubtedly a staple for building a big deadlift. When performed correctly it has the best carryover to the barbell deadlift. It checks the boxes for accomplishing many other things, but we will stick with the deadlift. The hard style swing is considered a ballistic hip hinge movement. In order for it to increase your deadlift, the swing should be done as explosively as possible using the posterior chain via a hip hinge movement. The swing teaches the body to produce power in the hamstrings, glutes, and quads. These are the main drivers of the movement and the main drivers for lifting a heavy barbell off the ground.

Yup, strong hamstrings, glutes, and quads are developed with the hard style swing. However, there is another hidden benefit of the swing when it comes to deadlift transfer--isometric contraction of muscles to protect the spine. In order for the swing to be properly performed by the main drivers mentioned earlier, something must connect them to the kettlebell. The erectors (low back), mid traps/rhomboids (mid back), and latissimus dorsi (large muscle under your arm pit) muscles all work together to generate tension and stabilization of the spine. Therefore, there is no leakage in the force transfer from the main drivers to the kettlebell, so it actually swings. Wouldn't you know it, but the deadlift demands the same thing. If you search deadlift videos you will see people trying to pull a heavy deadlift and their body is moving instead of the barbell. Yes, the weight might just be too heavy. However, if you watch a person fail a deadlift off the ground while generating tension, they most likely pull for about 3-5 seconds but nothing moves. This is a successful fail. They were able to generate enough tension to stabilize the spine but just didn't have the horsepower to move the bar, yet. But they are on the right path.

The hard style swing also teaches the body inter-muscular coordination. This is the ability of the right muscles to produce the right force at the right time. It's pretty much how well the muscles work together to get the job done. In the same video search for deadlifts, you might see an athlete look really good as the bar comes off the ground, but when it gets to about the knee, the body screams, “MAYDAY,” and they contort and jackhammer the bar up their leg to try to finish the lift. This is especially true if they are like me and deadlift using a conventional stance. What's actually happening at that point is the load is large enough to exploit a gap as the angles of the joints are changing; the hamstrings and quads finish up handling most of the weight and the glutes start to do more. It's kind of like a baton hand-off between two sprinters in a relay. Now, at no time are any of the muscles completely switched off. Their roles simply change. Because the swing produces this pulse-type firing of the muscles, they get very good at switching on and switching off at the right times. Magic.

Heavy swings have their place. However, if you are already actively deadlifting, then moderate/light power swings are what you will need for effective transfer. It can be difficult to find the right load. There have been many methods to figure this out. What I have found to be the sweet spot is a load that you can swing 10-15 times without a drop in power. This means you stop right before you start to feel a pump. The swings should also be actively stopped in the standing plank and pulled down into the hike position. If you cannot generate enough power to achieve this you are mostly likely just using momentum and the bell is too heavy.

Swing hard. Lift big. Be happy.