Save Your Back, Swing a Kettlebell!
Anyone who has ever swung a kettlebell or has seen someone else swing one knows that the swing is a high-powered explosive movement…when done properly. If I told you, “it’s great for your overall back health,” would you believe me? Now, by back health I mean a strong, powerful back, free of injury, which also possesses the endurance necessary to maintain a solid, strong posture, no matter the activity.
Let me explain to you why I believe that. I want to give you some perspective on my own experiences in regards to back health. I herniated L4-L5 a few years ago. It was one of the worst physical experiences of my life.
Back Pain Sucks…
The injury came with a radiating, sharp, stabbing pain in my back and down into my right glute and leg. At points, the pain was so severe, I would have to use my arms to lift my leg out of my car. Don’t even get me started about trying to sleep! It was impossible to find a position that would alleviate the pain. Virtually all normal functional activities became painful. Putting socks on, tying my shoes, or going up a flight of stairs were no longer painless tasks. The road to recovery was a long one. It had its bumps but, it was successful overall.
This is why I firmly believe that optimizing spinal position with training is the most important principal of exercising. Watch me get a drink from a drinking fountain and you’ll get my obsession with spinal position. I now understand how awful back pain is, but I feel it was a blessing and has made me a far greater CSCS/ATC because of it. Hence why optimizing back health is one of our Fundamental Principals at GPS Human Performance: Home of CrossFit Reilly and Grounds & Pounds Weightlifting Club.
Protect Your Back at All Costs…
Anyone who has ever been in our gym knows, glute activation is one of our primary goals each day. The reason for that is spinal positioning. We want to protect our backs at all costs, and you know what helps immensely? Your glutes. That’s why glute activation might be the most important ability a person can have to save their back. During my rehab, I could only do a short list of exercises that would alleviate my pain. This is where my love for glute activation came from. It was a steady dose of exercises to activate my glutes like, lateral band walks (CLICK TO WATCH), glute bridges (CLICK TO WATCH), clamshells, planks (CLICK TO WATCH), pull-ups and kettlebell swings (SEE BELOW).
If you’re curious whether or not your form is good enough, take a quick look at the above link of my most recent video to understand how to properly swing a kettlebell.
So why do I love it? The swing contributes to high levels of muscular activation in the posterior chain (aka your glutes and hamstrings), as well as abdominals. The hip hinging mechanics, neutral spine positioning, and powerful strength and conditioning benefits make it one of the most amazing movements we have to optimize and restore back health.
It’s Science…
Research has even proven that fat loss, explosive strength, elite-level conditioning, posterior chain development, VO2 Max enhancement and fashioning athleticism are all proven benefits of the kettlebell swing. Lets add another item to that list, overall back health and wellness. From now on lets consider the swing one of the greatest exercises that can be done.
Being a former back patient, rehabilitation professional, and strength & conditioning coach, I firmly believe that the properly performed kettlebell swing is crucial for developing a high performing, pain free back, when performed properly.
So get swinging!
Don’t have a kettlebell to swing….READ THIS, build one for super cheap!