Back to Dumbbell Swings

“Swing lifts are very popular in France,” wrote weightlifter and barbell master Alan Calvert in 1911. But while the snatch grew in popularity, eventually leading to the two-handed barbell lift featured in CrossFit and today’s Olympics , swings are something you can only find in vintage weightlifting books. And I say that we must return it.

History of dumbbell swings

Mahi is the lifting of dumbbells. You may have done this in miniature when you lifted the dumbbells to your shoulders to press on them – it would be more correct to call it a “chest swing”. The dumbbell full swing involves swinging the dumbbells in an arc at arm’s length from a position between the legs up overhead. You can do this with one dumbbell or two at the same time.

Before load-bearing barbells became common, many strength exercises were performed with one arm, often with large dumbbells. It looks cool if you put a massive dumbbell over your head, whether you can snatch it, swing it, press it, or do the notoriously difficult bent press .

Today, one-arm weightlifting is largely unknown outside of a few circles of kettlebell lifting enthusiasts. The dumbbell versions have fallen by the wayside in favor of bodybuilding-style work that is meant to pump muscle rather than surprise viewers with feats of strength and balance.

I suspect one of the reasons swings have fallen out of fashion is that, as Calvert points out, there is a natural limit to how hard you can handle them. Humanity is still pushing the boundaries of other lifts such as the deadlift (Haftor Bjornsson pulled 1104 lbs in 2020 ) and the snatch (Lasha Talakhadze pulled 492 lbs in training in 2021). But dumbbell swings require you to counteract the arc of the kettlebell with your own weight. Calvert writes that “a 150-pound man swinging a 140-pound dumbbell would be the star of this particular exercise.”

How to do dumbbell swings

First, decide if you will be swinging with one dumbbell or two. One-handed swings look cooler, but two-handed swings work more (in a good way) for your core and legs. Both are good to learn.

If you are going to swing one bell, you will need to swing the bell between your legs. If you’re going to do a double swing, you can either swing with kettlebells between your legs or with kettlebells at your sides.

Let’s hear how Calvert describes it:

The lifter stands with their feet about 12″ or 15″ apart and places the dumbbell in front of them so that the kettlebell is parallel to their legs [i.e. one side or “sphere” in front of the other from the lifter’s lift point). view]. …the hoist will reach down and grab the bell with one hand just behind the front sphere. Then he swings the kettlebell back between his legs to give momentum, and then makes a huge effort and swings the kettlebell forward and up, keeping the lifting arm strictly straight.

The simultaneous straightening of the back and legs and the swinging movement of the arm will bring the dumbbell to the level of the athlete’s face, and then he will have to make a sharp lowering of the legs, as in a “snatch”. in order to get under the bell.

In other words, you stretch your hips and knees to lift the kettlebell as high as you can, and then bend down to get under it. The path of the bell is similar to the letter “C”, starting from the swing through the legs and ending over the head. From there, you support the bell with your straightened arm and can stand up and show everyone that you have it under control.

There are several ways to catch. Calvert describes dropping under the kettlebell in the squat position and adds that some lifters prefer the side hinge. It is also possible to catch a dumbbell swing in a lunge position, much like a snatch in a splits .

The first time you try the backswing, you will probably find it difficult to fully extend and quickly change direction to fall under the bell. Either you do a proper extension but catch it with straight legs, or you are in such a hurry to catch the gong low that you shorten your extension. Record yourself on video and play the video in slow motion, this will help you understand what you need to work on.

Safety Note: You must not lose your grip on this exercise. Use the chalk as needed ( liquid chalk is great if you work out at Planet Fitness or elsewhere) and be careful where you point the dumbbell. If you let go of the heavy bell, it will fall straight down, so it’s not as dangerous as you might think , but it’s still worth taking precautions. And if you’re loading up with an adjustable dumbbell for this, make sure the collars are secure.

Benefits of dumbbell swings

Besides looking cool, what are dumbbell swings for? A lot, it turns out.

First, it is an explosive movement. If you want to train for increased strength and speed, snatches and cleanups are some of the best options for doing this in the gym. But if you don’t have access to a bumper gym, kettlebell and dumbbell exercises are a great alternative. Kettlebell swings and dumbbell snatches have long been favorites; dumbbell swings combine elements of both.

Dumbbell swings require explosive hip and knee extension, which means they work your quads and glutes while also honing your coordination. The back lean needed to lift the weight up engages your core and pulling back muscles such as your lats. And finally, stabilizing the kettlebell over your head engages your arms and shoulders. The asymmetrical loading of single arm swings challenges core muscles such as the obliques.

Go with double dumbbells and you can increase your overall load. It’s hard for me to swing one 60-pound dumbbell; this is about my max. But two 30-pound dumbbells seem light enough that I can easily swing them for reps.

With the double swing we have a full body movement that you can make light or arbitrarily heavy. You can train it as a strength movement, or you can use it for conditioning. It’s a great alternative to burpees, or you can even pair it with burpees for a particularly hellish workout. The devil press is the only common use of the dumbbell swing in modern weightlifting that I know of: it’s just a burpee that replaces the jump with a double dumbbell swing. (Catching the crouch is often omitted, but otherwise it’s the same move.)

And if you want to do the really old style dumbbell swings—heavy weights, chasing records and winning competitions—you can turn to the US Weightlifting Association . USAWA maintains many of the old events (disclaimer: I compete and volunteer for this organization) and run competitions where single and double swings are still played .