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Swing for strength

THE GRIP
A bent wrist may strain during a lift. Straighten your wrist to better transfer force from your core to the bell.

THE HANDLE
The awkward positioning builds coordination.

THE BELL
On overhead lifts, don’t let the bell flip over and smack your wrist, warns Brown. Instead, when the weight is at eye level and upside down, quickly punch upward to make the bell rotate around without slamming into your wrist.

WHY THE KETTLEBELL?
There’s a reason this old Russian weight is showing up in gyms: “It’s user-friendly and doesn’t require as much wrist, shoulder or upper-back flexibility as barbells and dumbbells do,” says Jason Brown, creator of kettlebellathletics.com. And you can swing from one move to the next without stopping, making workouts more intense in less time. “You speed up your metabolism and burn more kilojoules while adding more total muscle,” adds Brown.

WATCH YOURSELF
Kettlebell lifts require a lot of movement, so it’s important to maintain good form in order to avoid injury and maximise muscle. Brown suggests doing the lifts in front of a mirror. The key points to monitor: for overhead presses and Olympic lifts, your elbows should always remain close to your body. And on all lifts, keep your shoulders tucked down and back by squeezing them together.

FIND YOUR FOOTING
“Keep your weight on your heels during almost all kettlebell exercises,” says Brown. Doing this recruits the muscles in your glutes and hamstrings, resulting in more strength, power and muscle gains.

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