TacticalBarbell.com

Hi friends,

I have a question for TB-ers who love KB swings.

How and why do you switch from 2H swing to 1H swings? Or you don't?
What is pro/cons between those two types of swings?

I hope J-Madd will comment. His swings are scary ones

Thanks!

Just to qualify the following statements, I run a kettlebell gym [have done for 7 + Years], trained personally with Kettlebells for over 10 years [Good ol' Stan the Man back in the UK made my my first ever KB]...did my first KB Instructor cert in 2009.....then earned my KB instructor cert with Dan John and Pavel at Strongfirst [well why not, two of the biggest names and when I saw they were running the KB intructor cert in SLC, it had to be done]

So I have a wee bit of experience........

My answer.................. It Depends

Actually, if you look at the KB, unless you have really small hands, typically you end up with 'pinkies' out on a 2H Swing..... or your fingers are crammed inside the handle.

A 2H swing is a foundational move, and there is really nothing wrong with it, [its great for power production, great for building the posterior chain including muscular endurance] other than what has been said above....... however if you have the 2H swing down, [Hip hinge, shoulders packed, Hip extension at the top and breathing] then moving to 1H is very simple, and I would recommend that most people give it a go...... with a couple of pointers to remember.

- If you can swing a particular size KB 2H, then you can usually swing it with 1H [You may not swing it as high, but it's the hips / posterior chain that provide the momentum..... and you still use both of them in both 2H and 1H.....so don't think that because it's a 1H swing you have to go a lot lighter]..... however be sensible with this.... swinging the beast 2H.... may not be the most sensible for swinging 1H for reps

- However, before proceeding, ensure the shoulder remains 'packed'....... ensure the shoulders stay square, don't do a big rotation.... the 1H swing is an awesome anti-rotational exercise.....it works the grip more as you are now holding with 1H [and the momentum generated on the downswing element is of course quite that much more than the weight of the KB ]

- Remember the hip hinge, full hip extension at the top of the swing [think Plank position], packing the shoulder and breathing.

Once you have given the 1H swing a go, and get comfortable with it, it is a great boost to the arsenal....... then you can get fancy and do H2H swings [Hand to Hand]...great for coordination, great for working that anti rotation, and keeps things interesting when you have sets of 10 - 20 to do.

Andrew Read is a great guy, and if you google him he has some great articles on the 1H Swing [as well as almost every other facet of training - indeed it was AR who was one of my biggest influencers on Aerobic training over the last couple of years. [which was then reinforced by KB]

Hope that helps?

Train_Hard_Live_Easy wrote:Just to qualify the following statements, I run a kettlebell gym [have done for 7 + Years], trained personally with Kettlebells for over 10 years [Good ol' Stan the Man back in the UK made my my first ever KB]...did my first KB Instructor cert in 2009.....then earned my KB instructor cert with Dan John and Pavel at Strongfirst [well why not, two of the biggest names and when I saw they were running the KB intructor cert in SLC, it had to be done]

So I have a wee bit of experience........

My answer.................. It Depends

Actually, if you look at the KB, unless you have really small hands, typically you end up with 'pinkies' out on a 2H Swing..... or your fingers are crammed inside the handle.

A 2H swing is a foundational move, and there is really nothing wrong with it, [its great for power production, great for building the posterior chain including muscular endurance] other than what has been said above....... however if you have the 2H swing down, [Hip hinge, shoulders packed, Hip extension at the top and breathing] then moving to 1H is very simple, and I would recommend that most people give it a go...... with a couple of pointers to remember.

- If you can swing a particular size KB 2H, then you can usually swing it with 1H [You may not swing it as high, but it's the hips / posterior chain that provide the momentum..... and you still use both of them in both 2H and 1H.....so don't think that because it's a 1H swing you have to go a lot lighter]..... however be sensible with this.... swinging the beast 2H.... may not be the most sensible for swinging 1H for reps

- However, before proceeding, ensure the shoulder remains 'packed'....... ensure the shoulders stay square, don't do a big rotation.... the 1H swing is an awesome anti-rotational exercise.....it works the grip more as you are now holding with 1H [and the momentum generated on the downswing element is of course quite that much more than the weight of the KB ]

- Remember the hip hinge, full hip extension at the top of the swing [think Plank position], packing the shoulder and breathing.

Once you have given the 1H swing a go, and get comfortable with it, it is a great boost to the arsenal....... then you can get fancy and do H2H swings [Hand to Hand]...great for coordination, great for working that anti rotation, and keeps things interesting when you have sets of 10 - 20 to do.

Andrew Read is a great guy, and if you google him he has some great articles on the 1H Swing [as well as almost every other facet of training - indeed it was AR who was one of my biggest influencers on Aerobic training over the last couple of years. [which was then reinforced by KB]

Hope that helps?

Thank you THLE! That is a great comment and something I was looking for!

Great answer THLE.

I have nothing to add to the technical information in THLE's excellent post.

When I'm using heavier KBs I tend to used 2H for conditioning (e.g., Apex, BOO, Fobbits, Meat Eater 1 and 2) and 1H when I want to focus more on strength. In the former case, I'm usually doing my swings in a fatigued/stressed situation, so I think there is great risk of technical error. Thus, I opt for the more stable, 2H swing. In the latter case, I'm doing smaller sets in a more rested state, so I go with the technically more difficult option (which I also think builds better strength). When I use lighter KBs for conditioning, I go with 1H.

As far as how do I know when it's time to go from 2H to 1H for a particular KB, I think S&S guideline is perfect. When you can hit 100 1H swings with 1-1 work-rest, then start adding in some smaller sets of 1H swings with that same KB.

J-Madd wrote: When I'm using heavier KBs I tend to used 2H for conditioning (e.g., Apex, BOO, Fobbits, Meat Eater 1 and 2) and 1H when I want to focus more on strength. In the former case, I'm usually doing my swings in a fatigued/stressed situation, so I think there is great risk of technical error. Thus, I opt for the more stable, 2H swing. In the latter case, I'm doing smaller sets in a more rested state, so I go with the technically more difficult option (which I also think builds better strength). When I use lighter KBs for conditioning, I go with 1H.
.

Brilliant.

J-Madd wrote:I have nothing to add to the technical information in THLE's excellent post.

When I'm using heavier KBs I tend to used 2H for conditioning (e.g., Apex, BOO, Fobbits, Meat Eater 1 and 2) and 1H when I want to focus more on strength. In the former case, I'm usually doing my swings in a fatigued/stressed situation, so I think there is great risk of technical error. Thus, I opt for the more stable, 2H swing. In the latter case, I'm doing smaller sets in a more rested state, so I go with the technically more difficult option (which I also think builds better strength). When I use lighter KBs for conditioning, I go with 1H.

As far as how do I know when it's time to go from 2H to 1H for a particular KB, I think S&S guideline is perfect. When you can hit 100 1H swings with 1-1 work-rest, then start adding in some smaller sets of 1H swings with that same KB.

Thank you!

I primarily do one-handed swings just because my experience with KBs is more kettlebell sport oriented. I've done two-handed swings in the past, but honestly I just like one-handed now.

grouchyjarhead wrote:I primarily do one-handed swings just because my experience with KBs is more kettlebell sport oriented. I've done two-handed swings in the past, but honestly I just like one-handed now.

Thank you.

If you do "20 1H" for instance.. does that mean "10" each hand?

It depends to be honest. When I did my SE circuits I did the required number of reps per hand, but for my upcoming modified BB I'll be doing sets of 10 per hand.