Copyright © 2014 by Delaine Ross

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any
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Photos by Jes McGowan Photography, unless otherwise credited

 Introduction
Although kettlebell training has been around for hundreds of years (debuting in Russia in the 1600’s), over roughly
the past 15 years there has been a resurgence of this type of training – greatly thanks to Pavel Tsatsouline, formerly
with the RKC and now the co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Strong First.

Bandwagoners call kettlebell training a “hot new trend” but those of us who truly
understand it realize that kettlebells are not a fleeting, trendy training toy, but an
efficient, effective tool to allow us to use our muscles in the way our bodies are
supposed to work in day-to-day life.

Image courtesy of Drea James Photography

 My Story
When I found kettlebell training, I had no desire to become a fitness instructor, much
less a gym owner. I was living in San Diego and working in the construction industry
with 5AM - 5PM hours and no free time. I had waited tables in a two story restaurant
throughout college and was also on the dance team so I never felt the need to go to a
gym for fitness.

That all changed when I graduated and realized I would be doing a lot of sitting during
the day. At first, I started going to a large commercial gym, two hours a day, six days a
week, becoming obsessed with step aerobics, light dumbbell weight lifting classes and
the elliptical. With my work hours that schedule just wasn’t sustainable. I also bought
several books on general fitness but they all seemed to contradict each other. I kept
doing what I was doing because I thought I was “supposed to” but it didn’t make any
sense. I wasn’t picking things up the way I did in everyday life. And the ground didn’t
move outside when I ran on it, why would it do so in the gym?
Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net
 My Story
One day on the way to work, I heard the local radio deejays talking
about an ancient Russian weightlifting tool for training strength,
cardio, and mobility all at the same time. It was a type of training you
could get great results from by only training 45 minutes three times a
week. This was too good to be true, but it was interesting enough for
me to Google and find out the gym they attended – Sarah Lurie’s gym
Iron Core – was only two miles away. I had to check it out. Brett
Jones, now a Master SFG, met me at the door. It was a long time
before I realized what a big deal he was in the strength training
world, but I immediately knew he was different from the trainers I
had met at all of the other gyms I’d ever set foot in. He put me
through a quick swing workout and I was hooked immediately. It was
like heavens opened up and the answer appeared, “Pick up heavy Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

things and you get strong.” Who knew?

 My Story
Nine months later I did the RKC and never, ever looked back. One year
later I opened my own gym (Condition Kettlebell Gym in Atlanta) and
stayed heavily involved in the RKC community through assisting at
certifications, completing the Level 2 and CK-FMS certs, and later being
promoted to the leadership team who teaches these certs. When Pavel
separated from the RKC, I followed him to Strong First and am now one
of their Senior instructors. My two favorite things in the world are:

1. Teaching brand new people how to perform kettlebell basics in the

hopes that they will get even half the benefit I have gotten from this
training and the community, and

2. Teaching instructors how to better teach this type of training so that

we can make the kettlebell community bigger.
Image courtesy of StrongFirst, Inc.
 Safety 101
Safety is the number one concern in training. Safety first, always.

1. Always get medical clearance before starting any new type of exercise.

2. Train barefoot. Thick soles disconnect you from the ground which makes balance difficult and also throw off your
posture. We have more joints in our feet than anywhere else in our body and need to make sure our feet are strong.
Barefoot training ensures just that.

3. Make sure your space is clear of anything you can trip over.

4. Technique is just as important when picking up and setting down the kettlebell as when in the middle of a rep.

5. Be smart. Use your own good judgement.

 Safety 101
Note: If you are using this book to teach yourself kettlebells, please videotape
your exercises instead of looking in the mirror during the troubleshooting
section.

You may throw off your neck position and risk injury by looking in the mirror and
you want to rely on proprioception and how the exercises feel instead of the
visual cues you get from looking in the mirror.

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 What’s the Magic?
NOTHING!
Yes, you heard me. There is nothing magical about the kettlebell. It is not a “magic
bullet” that will melt your fat away by just looking at it. It is, however, a very
convenient tool that you can use to load the basic human movement patterns. You
will get some extra stability benefits due to its off-balance nature, and the shape and
size makes ballistic exercises a little easier to perform than, say, a dumbbell, but it’s
all about what your body is doing. The kettlebell is just a tool to load your basic
movements. Now, don’t think I’m not sold on kettlebells – I have a tattoo of one for
goodness sakes – but it isn’t MAGIC. There are plenty of other styles of training that
Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net
work very well but, for example, try throwing a barbell in the back of a car and going
to the park to train. It’s just not convenient. And try to swing a dumbbell. It’s just
plain awkward. The kettlebell is my personal favorite heavy tool to pick up to get
strong. “Pick up heavy things and you get strong” is the secret.
 The Next Step?
This book is an introduction to Swings and Get-ups. The point of this book is to get you – or help you get the people
you train – to be able to perform the Swing and the Get-up safely. The correctives in this book only scratch the
surface of what needs to be fine tuned for a close to perfect Swing and Get-up. After someone can perform the
Swing and the Get-up safely, they should then practice these lifts. The next step would be to attend a Strong First
Kettlebell User Course where you get even deeper in these lifts (as well as the Press and the Squat.) After a user
course, the Strong First Level 1 Kettlebell Certification would be the next step – even if for a personal goal.
 How to Swing

Remember back in the “What’s the Magic?” section when we talked about how kettlebell training is about human
movement?

Well, the Swing is a dynamic Deadlift, and the Deadlift is a hinge pattern.
How to Swing
To deadlift, line the handles of the bell up with your ankles.

Look straight ahead (eyes on the horizon in the “ready position” as if you are about to
catch something) and squeeze your shoulders back like you are pinching a pencil
between your shoulder blades.

I like to tell people to imagine they are really proud of the logo on their shirt and want
everyone to be able to see it.

Sit back like you are reaching for a chair that someone pulled out from under you and
you can’t quite get to it.
How to Swing
Place two hands on the handle of the bell and stand up.

When you stand up, glutes are tight, abs are tight, kneecaps are pulled up to tighten
the quads, shoulders are back, and your face and arms are relaxed.

Sit back again and repeat.

The Deadlift has two distinct positions: sit back and stand up.
How to Swing
The Deadlift is step one in learning the Swing because the Swing is simply a Deadlift
performed more quickly and powerfully.

If someone cannot deadlift, they should not be swinging yet.

To help train the Deadlift with someone who can’t reach the bell in good form, raise
the bell and bring it to them. As they progress, slowly lower the starting position of the
bell until they progress to safely deadlifting from the ground.
How to Swing
To start the Swing, instead of the handles lining up with your ankles as in the Deadlift,
place the bell slightly in front of you.

You begin with that same “sitting back” hinge position as in at the bottom of the
Deadlift and slightly tilt the handle towards you.

This setup ensures that everything is connected from the beginning giving you a good
position from which to throw the bell behind you.
How to Swing
From this hinge position with the handle already
tilted toward you, throw the bell back and stand
up tall.

Just as when you were deadlifting in the section

earlier, you are sitting back and standing up tall
but much quicker this time. The hands are like
ropes and the arms are like hooks; your posterior
chain is powering the movement.

A Swing is not a Squat + a Front Raise. It is a

loading of the hips and an explosion that drives
the bell up in front of you (no higher than chest
level) until right when the bell starts to fall and
you hike it back to reload and repeat.
How to Swing
After your last repetition of the Swing, reload
the hips as if you were going to do one more rep,
but instead of exploding out of it to swing again,
safely park the bell on the ground.

Catching the weight with the hips protects your

back from injury.
Common Mistake #1
The Squatty Swing
A squatty swing looks more like a squat than it
does a hinge.

Instead of sending the hips back to load and

explode out of the hinge position, there is a squat
with the legs and sometimes a pull with the arms.
Common Mistake #1
If someone has a squatty swing, place the balls of
their feet on a 2x4 and have them perform a few
swings.

Unless they have extraordinary ankle mobility,

their hips will be forced back due to the
restriction of the ankles.

Immediately have them perform 5 more reps with

their feet on the ground to dial in that feeling.
Common Mistake #2
Pulling With
the Arms
If someone is swinging the bell higher than chest
level on the upswing , it’s a tell-tale sign that they
are pulling with the arms and not powering
predominantly from the hips.
Common Mistake #2
For someone who is pulling with the arms, have
them rotate the handle of the bell 90 degrees and
snake a hand towel around the handle. Cue them
to swing just as explosively as before while
holding onto the towel, asking them to choke up
on the towel as close to the handle as possible. If
they are pulling with the arms, the bell will toggle
and be very jerky. If they are not pulling with the
arms and doing the swing correctly, the bell will
form a straight line with the towel and be very
smooth.
Cue them to relax their arms and have them
continue to towel swing until the movement is
smooth, then immediately have them swing with
no towel.
Incorrect Towel Swing Correct Towel Swing
Common Mistake #3
Rounding Shoulders

Especially in populations who sit all day long, you will commonly see people whose
shoulders round forward.
 Common Mistake #3
For people who round their shoulders, I have them hold a bell behind them and
hinge back into it. It forces their shoulders back and they can feel what it’s like to
have their chest open.

While they have the bell behind them, cue them to pinch their shoulders back so
they can feel what it’s like to actively get into that position.

Afterwards, have them mimic that feeling when performing the Swing.
Common Mistake #4
Not Being Explosive
This is a 3 part corrective series because there are several
fixes that will help the common mistake of not being
explosive. This often happens to people who are used to
training in cushy sneakers. They just can’t connect to the
ground and are all over the place.

1. Without a bell set up for a broad jump. Get into the

position you would if someone said, “Set up to jump as far
in front of you as you can. Now jump without leaving the
ground. You won’t come off the ground if you think about
jumping through your heels. That is how explosive you
should be when swinging.”
 Common Mistake #4
2. Get into a plank position with your hands on the ground. Think through this plank. It should feel strangely similar to when
you stand up in your Swing. Your shoulders are pinched together, your abs are tight, your glutes are tight, your spine is
neutral and your face is relaxed. Now stand up and swing.

Once you load the hips, IMMEDIATELY get into a plank position and hold it until the last second (play chicken with yourself),
then get out of the way only to plank right when you’re reloaded. The Swing can be framed as a moving plank.
Common Mistake #4
3. The band rooting drill.

Have a friend put a resistance band around your waist. Swing a bell a few times
to get your bearings. Then have the friend give you various amounts of resistance
in various directions while you concentrate on rooting into the ground.

You are trying to get as connected to the ground and drive as much power
through your heels as you can.

Then take away the band and mimic that hard drive into the ground with your
heels as you swing.

Your Swing should feel more connected and powerful.

 How to Get-Up
To do a get-up on the right side: start with the bell on your right side, and roll into the fetal position.
How to Get-Up

With two hands, roll the bell to your chest and press it to the sky.
 How to Get-Up

Bring your free hand out 45 degrees, parallel with your straight leg.
How to Get-Up

Roll to your elbow.

How to Get-Up

Roll to your hand.

How to Get-Up

Lift your hips high enough to get out of your way.

Bring your knee by your hand, so your hand, knee, and foot are in line.
How to Get-Up

Come to a half-kneeling position.

How to Get-Up

Straighten your legs like they’re on train tracks.

How to Get-Up

Stand up.
How to Get-Up
Reverse the movement.

If you can’t remember, the leg you can touch is the one that steps back.

Make a long lunge back – if it’s not a right angle it’s a wrong angle!
How to Get-Up

Windshield wiper the back foot.

How to Get-Up

Trace your thigh to reach directly to the side.

Again, your hand, knee, and foot make a line.

 How to Get-Up

Support your weight in your hand and planted foot and kick through.
How to Get-Up

Roll to your elbow,

then one shoulder,

and then two shoulders.

How to Get-Up
Meet the handle of the bell with your free hand.
How to Get-Up
Bring the bell down with two hands.
How to Get-Up
Roll the bell off to the same side.

*Note: When switching

sides, bring the bell
behind your head not over
your face or chest.
How to Get-Up
Once you own the movements and steps of the Get-up, try balancing a shoe on your
fist (or even a half-full cup of water to really make you pay attention!). It will slow
down the Get-up and ensure that you are in control of every piece of the exercise.

After you can do a Get-up without dropping the shoe on the ground, try it with
something light. A light weight will not be dangerous but will give some necessary
feedback on what is going right and wrong in the exercise.
 How to Get-Up

There is definitely a place for light Get-ups and there is also a place for
heavy Get-ups. It’s the yin and yang of the Get-up. Please do both.

Light Get-ups are great for mobility and heavy Get-ups are fantastic for
strength. Each has a place in the training world.

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 How to Get-Up
I often get the question, “How fast do I need to perform the
Get-up?” The answer is slowly and deliberately.

I use the analogy of driving a Ferrari over a pothole at 90 miles

an hour. There is a problem in the road but you can’t feel it
because of the speed you went over it.

You can mask issues in your body regarding mobility and

stability by using momentum to speed through your Get-up.

By performing the Get-up slowly and in control you will learn a

lot about your body and what may need work.
Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net
 Get-up Tip #1

The wrist should always be locked and the elbow

should be straight.

That way the bell is resting on your skeletal

system instead of being supported by the small
muscles that can fatigue very quickly.

This is a safe position This is an unsafe position

 Get-up Tip #2
During the Get-up you should look at the bell for the
duration of the entire exercise with the exception of
the kneeling and standing positions.

Looking at the bell until you get to kneeling helps

ensure that your elbow is locked and your arm is
perpendicular to the ceiling. Continuing to look at
the bell in the kneeling and standing positions can
mask shoulder mobility issues and can also cause
you to move from the lumbar spine instead of the
thoracic spine.

Proper get-up head and spine position Improper get-up head and spine position
 Get-up Tip #3

If your head comes up first or your

straight leg jackknifes it simply means
that you using your neck or hip flexors
instead of your abs.
Get-up Tip #3

You can force yourself to use your abs by having someone push against your foot with
their foot. As you push back, your abs will activate. If you have no one, you can be
active and push against the wall.

The start of the Get-up will be more difficult but will feel more stable and connected.
 Get-up Tip #4
Remember when I told you I was working in
construction industry when I found kettlebell
training? At every point in the Get-up, ask
yourself if you are in the position of the most
structural stability.

One of the most common mistakes in the Get-up

is reaching back instead of sitting into the hip and
bringing your hand to the side in line with your
knee and foot.

Reaching back puts you in a compromised

position where you are collapsing into the end of
the Get-up instead of supporting your weight and
Proper get-up position owning the last pieces.
Improper get-up position
Get-up Tip #5

At any stopping point in the Get-up you have the opportunity to

re-adjust your foot position.

For example, if you didn’t step back far enough and are lacking
that good right angle, you can move your front foot forward to
give you room to shoot the back foot through.
 Get-up Tip #6

When doing a Get-up, it is just as important to have the

down shoulder packed as the shoulder holding the bell.

Rolling onto or supporting your weight plus a bell on an

unpacked shoulder is very dangerous!

Good shoulder Bad shoulder

 Get-up Tip #7

The windshield wiper piece is integral to the Get-up. By windshield wipering the back foot, the back can remain straight
under load. If the windshield wiper piece is missing, the back goes into flexion under load and that is just not safe.

If the surface is very hard and/or rough, Master SFG David Whitley came up with a great method of simply moving that
front foot instead of grinding the knee of the back foot in order to open your hip up.

You can see a video of David Whitley’s method here: http://bit.ly/1qKKUL4

 Thank You
Thank you for taking the time to read through this book. It’s my goal to help anyone
who wants to train with kettlebells do so safely and to help every trainer who trains
people in kettlebells give the best and safest instruction to their students so that more
and more people can be exposed to this efficient and effective style of training.

Remember, once you have the basics down and want to go even deeper, the next step is
a Strong First Kettlebell User Course held all over the world. More details can be found
at www.StrongFirst.com

If you need some follow-a-long training sessions, you can pick up my DVD, Kettlebells for
Image courtesy of StrongFirst, Inc
the Busy Professional on Amazon.com.

Train Hard, but Train Smart!