Fundamental Kettlebell Exercises and Technique Cues
Exercise families
This domain covers the foundational lifts and the cues that make them safe and effective. The exam expects you to distinguish the deadlift, swing, clean, press, squat, snatch, and Turkish get-up, and to match each cue to the intended movement.
Core rules
- Two-hand swing: hike the bell back like a football snap, keep arms relaxed, snap the hips, and let the bell float to chest height. The bell is a pendulum, not a front raise.
- Clean: the bell travels close to the body; the elbow bends late, and the bell lands in the rack without banging the forearm. “Tame the arc” is the common cue.
- Press: start from the rack, keep the forearm vertical, squeeze the glute and brace the abdomen, and finish with the biceps near the ear and the bell over the shoulder joint.
- Goblet squat: hold the bell at the horns, keep the chest tall, track knees over toes, and use the elbows to gently push the knees out.
- Turkish get-up: move slowly through each checkpoint; keep the loaded wrist neutral and the shoulder packed.
Worked example
A client’s swing turns into a squat and the bell stays low. Reasoning: the hips are dropping rather than hinging, and the arms are lifting early. Cue “push the floor away and hike the bell between your thighs”; drill the hinge with a dowel behind the back. If the bell still stays low, reduce load and rehearse the float to chest height before adding reps.
Traps
- Cueing “lift with your arms” in the swing.
- Letting the clean crash onto the forearm.
- Pressing with a bent-back wrist.
- Rushing the Turkish get-up checkpoints.