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On July 29, 2022, on its Instagram page, the CrossFit HQ laid out the streaming and broadcast schedules for the 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games in Madison, WI. From August 3-7, fans can watch the Games online on the CrossFit app, YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, and the Pluto TV Sports Channel.
The Adaptive and Age Group divisions will have selective coverage. There will be more comprehensive looks at the respective Men’s and Women’s Individual and Team divisions. CBS Television Network will broadcast a two-hour portion of both Individual Finals on Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. Those who can’t attend the contest in person in southeastern Wisconsin will have plenty of options to fall back on to watch the Games from the comfort of home.
Fans will be able to enjoy some measure of live coverage on each of the five days of the 2022 CrossFit Games. Those who elect to catch the action on YouTube can choose from five languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Italian.
Below are the streaming times for when viewers will be able to watch the Games on the CrossFit Games app, YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, and Pluto TV. The two-hour time slot during both Individual Finals is exclusive to the CBS Television Network. Each of the listed times are in Eastern Standard Time.
Note: Viewers can find the schedule for their local time in the CrossFit Games app:
Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022 — 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. EST
Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022 — 10 a.m. – 7:15 p.m. EST
Friday, Aug. 5, 2022 — 10 a.m. – 8:15 p.m. EST
Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022 — 9 a.m. – 9:20 p.m. EST
Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022 — 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. EST
Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022 — 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. EST on CBS Television Network | Exclusive to CBS TV
The Individual and Team divisions will start the Games on Wednesday, Aug 3, 2022. Then there will be a short rest day before the rest of the competition from Friday, August 5, to the Finals on Sunday, August 7. The Games will begin with 40 Individual Men and Women each and 38 Teams. There will only be one significant cut of these athletes on Saturday, August 6.
By the time the Finals begin on Sunday, August 7, just 30 Individual competitors will remain for both the Men and Women, while only 20 Teams will be left standing. The Age Group and Adaptive divisions will begin on Thursday, August 4, and power through to the end of the weekend.
Some of the world’s best-conditioned and strongest CrossFitters over the four divisions — Individual, Team, Adaptive, and Age Group — will battle it out for their respective Fittest on Earth® title at the 2022 CrossFit Games.
Reigning five-time Fittest Woman on Earth® (2017-2021), Tia-Clair Toomey, will try to become the winningest individual athlete in the Games’ history. Toomey’s peer, the 2021 CrossFit Rookie of the Year Mal O’Brien, could challenge the elite athlete. Meanwhile, defending Fittest Man on Earth®, Justin Medeiros, will vie for a repeat title as he tries to fend off contenders like Guilherme Malheiros.
On the Team’s side, Mayhem Freedom is chasing its sixth title in eight years (2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021). Dutch athlete Joke Dikhoff, 72, will become the oldest athlete in the Games’ history as she competes in the Age Group division. The 2022 CrossFit Games will run from August 3-7 in Madison, WI.
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Mary Duffy has tried her hand at competitive powerlifting for over seven years. A recent strength accomplishment shows that the 73-year-old powerlifter might only be getting better as time goes on.
On July 27, 2022, Duffy posted a clip to her Instagram profile where she deadlifted 113.4 kilograms (250 pounds) raw with a trap bar that had 22.7 kilograms (50 pounds) in chains attached. Per Open Powerlifting, Duffy has only competed in the 56-kilogram weight class since the start of her career in April 2015. With that in mind, her deadlift training feat — where she wore a lifting belt and lifting straps — is 2.4 times her usual recent competition body weight.
Notably, Duffy’s recent trap bar deadlift is not the first instance where the powerlifter deadlifted around that weight. Approximately a month before this mark, in early July 2022, Duffy completed a raw deadlift of 111.1 kilograms (245 pounds) off weight plates while using a traditional barbell and sumo stance.
Duffy made her competitive powerlifting debut at the 2015 International Powerlifting Association (IPA) Connecticut Ironman Push/Pull Showdown. She came in first place during that contest. At the time of this writing, she has 11 sanctioned meets to her name and has only failed to finish in first place once in one age category. That result came during the 2016 IPA Connecticut State Championships, where she captured second place in the Amateur Open Division. (Note: Duffy has often competed in multiple age categories at each of her contests.)
According to Open Powerlifting, Duffy has competed in the Masters 70-74 raw age category since November 2019. In the 56-kilogram division, some of her notable achievements include the Raw bench press World Record of 57.5 kilograms (126.8 pounds), and the third heaviest totals in the Raw and Raw With Wraps categories (235 and 249.5 kilograms, respectively).
Per Duffy’s Instagram, she recently battled a case of COVID-19 in early June 2022.
Since then, Duffy has been capturing various noteworthy training figures. Shortly after her recovery, the powerlifter finished a 113.4-kilogram (250-pound) deadlift off weight plates. Then, in late June 2022, Duffy successfully notched a 102-kilogram (225-pound) raw back squat (with 15 extra pounds in band weight). A general glance of her social media would show that Duffy makes it a point to share similar training marks with regularity.
At the time of this writing, Duffy has not confirmed any plans for her next sanctioned powerlifting competition. However, whenever Duffy does compete next, it seems she’ll be ready to finish another stellar performance.
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Mattie Rogers will not be denied when it comes to setting new bars of weightlifting excellence.
On July 28, 2022, during the 2022 Pan-American Championships in Bogotá, Colombia, Rogers’ combination of overheadstrength and leg power was displayed again. During the contest, the 76-kilogram weightlifter captured a 141-kilogram (310.8-pound) clean & jerk to set a new Senior American Record. The mark surpasses Rogers’ previous record from the 2022 USA Weightlifting (USAW) National Championships Week by one kilogram (2.2 pounds).
Thanks to that new record clean & jerk figure, a 111-kilogram (244.7-pound) top snatch, and a 252-kilogram (555.5 pounds) total — Rogers took home three gold medals in the 76-kilogram division. It’s the American athlete’s second Pan-American title in three years (2020, 2022).
Check out a video of Rogers’ American Record clean & jerk from her Instagram profile:
Notably, between Junior and Senior competitions, Rogers’ victory means the weightlifter has now stood on the Pan-American podium for nine straight years.
Here’s a top stat rundown of Rogers’ complete performance at the 2022 Pan-American Championships:
Mattie Rogers (76KG) | 2022 Pan-American Championships Top Stats
Snatch — 111 kilograms
Clean & Jerk — 141 kilograms | Senior American Record
Total — 252 kilograms
Rogers’ total is her best ever from an international competition. It’s just three kilograms (6.6 pounds) of her National best from the 2021 USAW Weightlifting National Championships. Rogers unsuccessfully attempted a 114-kilogram (251.3-pound) snatch, which would’ve given her a new personal record (PR). Current 76-kilogram Olympic Champion Neisi Dajomes owns the Pan-American snatch record of 118 kilograms (260.1 pounds).
In Rogers’ Instagram post, she reflected on what went into her latest achievement. She also looked ahead to coming potential challenges in her future.
“Definitely not exactly according to plan today, but a valuable experience to prep for Worlds this year, also in Bogotá [Colombia],” Rogers writes. “I worked out the kinks (i.e., maybe let’s not lose three kilograms upon arrival again, or I don’t know … remember how to clean without a WWE smackdown choke holding myself). I’m ready to keep this upward trend moving. Time to bid a sad, sad farewell to the 76-kilogram weight class once again and start our Olympic qualification in the 81-kilogram class.”
As Rogers alludes, the weightlifter will likely shift to the 81-kilogram division at the upcoming 2022 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships. That contest will also occur in Bogotá, Colombia, sometime in December 2022. At the time of this writing, the IWF organization has not announced a definite date for the contest.
Rogers’ shift in weight class is necessary for her long-term ambitions because the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will not include the 76-kilogram division in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Rogers will attempt to successfully qualify for her second straight Olympic Games in the coming years. (Note: Rogers finished sixth in the 87-kilogram weight class in her first Olympics during Tokyo 2020.)
Rogers, 26, has moved around divisions at intermittent points throughout her career. She has experience in the 81-kilogram division, as she won her first Senior Pan-American Championship in 2020 in that division. The American athlete also took home gold in the 81-kilogram weight class at the 2021 USAW Weightlifting National Championships.
With the 2022 Worlds acting as a significant initial step in qualifying for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris — Rogers and other American athletes will have to feature in the division they plan on competing in France. Whether Rogers can translate that same success in the 81-kilogram division to future contests remains to be seen. Given her past high-level precedent, it wouldn’t be an unlikely development.
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On July 26, 2022, the CrossFit Games Instagram profile highlighted Joke Dikhoff — a 72-year-old competitor from the Netherlands — by sharing one of her June 15 videos where she completes a legless rope climb. In the same post, Dikhoff rolls through barbell snatches, GHD sit-ups, and does bench presses for reps.
The upcoming 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games will see Dikhoff perform as the oldest athlete in the entire field and the oldest in the contest’s history. She will be amongst the Age Group CrossFit competitors in the Women’s 65+ division on August 3-7 in Madison, WI.
While many eyes will be on five-time reigning Fittest Woman on Earth®, Tia-Clair Toomey, and defending Fittest Man on Earth®, Justin Medeiros, in the coming weeks — Dikhoff’s presence is noteworthy.
This edition of the CrossFit Games will be Dikhoff’s third appearance in the staple competition (2014-2015). In 2014, during her Games debut, Dikhoff took home an eighth-place result. The following year, she finished in 13th place. (Dikhoff competed in the Masters Women 60+ division in both years.)
Thanks to a season where Dikhoff finished in 23rd place during the 2022 CrossFit Open, 14th place during the virtual Quarterfinals, and sixth place during the Age Group SemiFinal, Dikhoffreturns to the Games after a seven-year absence. Notably, Dikhoff never attained anything less than a 12th-place result during the six Semifinal workouts.
In the caption of her Instagram post, Dikhoff expresses gratitude for her qualification. She issues words of thanks to her son, Marc. Then she follows that with an appreciation for her CrossFit NewStyle contingent — a CrossFit gym in Utrecht, Netherlands.
Per the CrossFit athlete, her son and her CrossFit peers at home played instrumental roles in training and preparing her for these Games.
“Special thanks to my son, Marc Dikhoff, the brains behind this master plan,” Dikhoff writes. “I would also like to thank my CrossFit NewStyle community, as they have always been there to support and cheer me on. I’m proud to be a CF NewStyle athlete.”
The Age Group segment of the 2022 CrossFit Games will begin on Thursday, August 4. The Fittest on Earth® title will be awarded on Sunday, August 7. Unlike the Individual and Team portions of the contest, there will be no rest day for the Age Group competitors. At the time of this writing, the CrossFit organization has not announced the events for any of the divisions.
Dikhoff could be a contender for her first-ever podium result if she can maintain her recent consistency.
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On July 26, 2022, Derek Lunsford took to his YouTube channel to share what the reigning 212 Olympia champion called a “strength-building” chest workout. Lunsford’s demanding morning routine is a small sneak peek into his ongoing training for the 2022 Mr. Olympia on December 16-18 in Las Vegas, NV.
While he’s hard at work preparing for the Olympia, Lunsford sits in a fascinating position.
In a mid-July production of OlympiaTV on YouTube, Chief Olympia Officer Dan Solomon suggested that the reigning 212 Olympia champion is “nowhere near 212 [pounds] at this point.” If that is the case, Lunsford will have to potentially join a fellow 212 peer in Kamal Elgargni and make the leap to the Men’s Open division at December’s prestigious contest. (At the time of this writing, Lunsford has not addressed Solomon’s comments, and it is not clear which division he’ll compete in.)
That development would track with what Lunsford’s coach, Hany Rambod, alluded to in a May 2022 episode on his YouTube channel. When discussing Lunsford staying in the 212 category at the Olympia, Rambod said, “It’s going to be difficult, it’s super difficult.”
Notably, Lunsford did step in at the last minute for two-time reigning Mr. Olympia Mamdouh Elssbiay (2020-2021) to guest pose during the 2022 Pittsburgh Pro in May — and was alongside fellow Men’s Open athletes such as Brandon Curry, Hunter Labrada, and Nick Walker. However, with that being a last-minute decision, Lunsford apparently had less preparation for the guest pose than in an official competition.
Whatever division Lunsford does end up competing in December, it doesn’t seem like he’ll have much of an issue with his mass-building and conditioning. If this multifaceted chest routine says anything — he’ll be ready for any obstacle ahead.
Here’s an overview of Lunsford’s latest chest workout:
Incline Machine Chest Press
Before he dives head-on into his full workout, Lunsford warms up with a few sets on an incline chest press machine. Lunsford stresses this portion isn’t meant to be anything strenuous. It’s more about preparing his chest muscles.
“I’m just going to do these two sets to get the blood flowing,” Lunsford says. “Just to get a deep stretch in my chest and prepare myself before I go and do the dumbbell presses. This is just purely a warm-up. This isn’t an exercise I count.”
Incline Dumbbell Press
Lunsford’s first “real” working sets focus on heavy weights and low reps with an incline dumbbell press. He begins with 70-pound dumbbells before closing with 150-pounders and 18 reps on his last set.
“I’m trying to keep the reps 10 to 12 right now,” Lunsford notes. “I have a bad habit of doing like 12 to 15. I’m really trying to make sure that if I want to gain strength.”
Plate-Loaded Chest Fly
Once Lunsford powers through his heavy weight, low-rep incline dumbbell press, he quickly transitions to powering through some chest flyes on a plate-loaded fly machine. The bodybuilder appears to have one 45-pound plate adorned on both sides.
Lunsford complements his machine flyes with the cable version of the exercise. The athlete emphasizes that positioning the cables and his elbows is paramount to an upper chest focus with this movement.
“We want to keep the cables high, about shoulder high, or maybe a little above,” Lunsford starts. “And keep the elbows high and arms high and hit the upper chest. It’s a little different from what we did on the plate-loaded flye.”
Chest Dips
After challenging his upper chest, Lunsford next takes to some chest dips. These vary from tricep dips in that leaning forward focuses more on the chest muscles while a straight torso position emphasizes the triceps.
Sometimes, with exercises like these, I go a little too fast. I really gotta slow it down. It felt good.
Cable Chest Fly
As Lunsford moves to close the workout, his lower chest muscles are next on the agenda with cables. This time around, he slightly lowers his arms and has them pointed toward the floor to work the lower part of his pectorals.
Lunsford’s chest workout comes full circle on the standard machine chest press. With it being the end of his chest routine, Lunsford notes that this final segment is more about stretching his muscles to help build flexibility and strength.
“I’m trying to get as big of a stretch I can get on this too because, as I said, this is about building strength and size,” Lunsford says. If you don’t have a good range of motion or flexibility, then I would recommend you guys really make that a priority in your training too.”
Leg Raise
Like the recent workout of another elite bodybuilder, Chris Bumstead, Lunsford decides to throw in some leg raises to crunch and stretch out his abs.
“I’m kind of stretching here, opening up my chest, and on the way down, I’m crunching,” Lunsford explains. “At the same time, I’m bringing my legs up. It’s one of my favorite ab exercises.”
The coming months could be significant for Lunsford’s bodybuilding career. If he does stick around in the 212 division, he will go for a second straight title at the Olympia in December. If he makes the transition to the Men’s Open class official, it wouldn’t be a stretch to consider him a viable contender to stand on the podium.
The 2022 Mr. Olympia will occur on December 16-18 in Las Vegas, NV.
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Maxime Boudreault has pieced together much of his elite strongman reputation around stellar overheadstrength and proficiency. On July 27, 2022, the Canadian strongman showed why with a 195-kilogram (430-pound) log press during a training session that he posted to his Instagram profile.
According to the caption of Boudreault’s post, he referred to the massive log press as “final tuning” for the upcoming 2022 Shaw Classic. The Log Press is one of the staple events on the final day of the competition. That contest will occur on August 13-14 at the Budweiser Event Center in Loveland, CO.
Boudreault pressing heavy logs overhead is nothing new for the Canadian athlete. According to Strongman Archives, his all-time competition best was a 205-kilogram (451.9-pound) press during the 2021 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) Final, which was enough to tie him for second with Trey Mitchell and Bobby Thompson during the event. That log press also made Boudreault the official Canadian World Record holder. He eventually finished third overall in that WSM contest to Brian Shaw and Tom Stoltman, respectively.
The 2021 WSM and that log press weren’t the only noteworthy milestones for Boudreault during that calendar year. Later, in November 2021, Boudreault notched the first victory of his professional career by winning the inaugural Magnús Ver Magnússon Strongman Classic in locations all over Iceland.
Some of Boudreault’s more recent competitive results include a fifth-place finish in the 2022 WSM and a fourth-place result at the 2022 Giants Live Strongman Classic.
Now, Boudreault will attempt to improve his Shaw Classic history next month after competing in each of the first two editions (2020-2021). He captured an eighth-place result (of 10 athletes) in 2020 and another eighth-place finish in 2021 (of 16 competitors).
At just 29 years old, Boudreault is still seeking to build an acclaimed strongman career. The Canadian athlete is off to a strong start, but he could turn many heads in the strength sports world with an excellent performance at the 2022 Shaw Classic.
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If your body was a rock band, your triceps would be the bass player. Your legs would be on drums, biceps would be lead guitar, and calves would be the roadie, but that’s all beside the point. The fact is, few people seem to pay attention to the triceps, but they’re hard at work in nearly every lift and they’re essential for almost every goal.
Often neglected and underappreciated, your triceps can have a dramatic impact on both your physique and your performance. It doesn’t take a ton of work to build bigger, stronger tris, but it does take some smart training. Here are the best movements to put this muscular background player on centerstage.
The classic flat bench press is a staple in many lifters chest workouts. When you bring your grip slightly inwards, you can shift the emphasis away from your chest muscles and make your triceps the primary mover. (1)
Pressing with a closer grip not only increases triceps recruitment and decreases relative chest activation, but it can also reduce strain on your shoulder joints because they are placed in a stronger mechanical position with less stretching. This makes it an effective bench press alternative for lifters dealing with joint pain.
How to Do the Close-Grip Bench Press
Lie on a flat bench with the barbell in line above your eyes. Grab the bar using a palms-down (pronated) grip with your hands and wrists directly above your shoulders. Gripping extremely doesn’t significantly affect triceps recruitment and can increase strain on the wrist and elbow joints.
Plant both feet flat on the ground. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and grip the bar tightly. Press straight up to unrack the bar from the support pins. Lower the bar while keeping your elbows relatively close to your body, not flared out to the sides. In the bottom position, the bar should be near your lower chest. Pause briefly before pressing straight up to lockout. Keep your glutes touching the bench throughout the entire repetition.
Benefits of the Close-Grip Bench Press
This bench press variation allows the triceps to be worked with potentially heavy weights, making it ideal for building triceps strength.
The overall joint position of this exercise allows lifters to train the bench press movement pattern with reduced shoulder joint stress.
EZ-Bar Skull Crusher
The skull crusher is a basic and effective exercise for isolating the triceps with limited activation of the chest or shoulders. Using an EZ-bar changes your hand position and allows a semi-supinated, or angled, grip. This makes the exercise more accommodating for lifters with poor wrist mobility who can’t maintain a fully supinated (palms-down) grip, and it helps to reduce strain on the wrist and elbow joints.
The EZ-bar skull crusher is one of the most fundamental triceps exercises, requiring only a flat bench and an EZ-bar. This makes it an ideal option for lifters with limited equipment, such as training in a basic home gym.
How to Do the EZ-Bar Skull Crusher
Sit on a flat bench while holding an EZ-bar with a moderate-width, palms-down grip on the angled handles. Lie back while “kicking” the bar into a straight-arm position above your face. Your arms should be angled slightly toward your head, not completely vertical, to maximize muscular tension.
Place both feet flat on the floor and tense your abs as you stabilize the weight in a locked out position. Bend at your elbows to lower the weight towards your forehead. Keep your elbows stationary while lowering the weight. Straighten your arms to lock the weight above your head.
Benefits of the EZ-Bar Skull Crusher
The EZ-bar reduces wrist and elbow joint strain, making it a good triceps exercise for lifters with joint pain.
You can increase the intensity of the exercise by increasing the range of motion. Lower the weight to the bench at the top of your head instead of stopping near your forehead. While this will require moving your elbows, the longer range of motion can increase overall muscle activation.
The EZ-Bar skull crusher can be superset with a close-grip bench press using the same bar for a quick and effective high-intensity technique.
Barbell Kickback
This old-school bodybuilding exercise has seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years. Once considered a high-tension triceps-builder, it fell out of favor for no valid reason. The triceps undergo a long time under tension using only free weights, with no cable stations necessary.
While the exercise is often performed with a slightly rounded back, the spine isn’t put under any direct stress because the weight is supported through the arms. If your hamstring mobility needs improvement, maintaining the bent-over position may be uncomfortable and you may need to bend at a higher angle or choose an alternate exercise.
How to Do the Barbell Kickback
Begin standing while holding a barbell with a palms-down grip behind your back. Bend forward at the waist and allow the bar to slide down the back of your legs. Pull your elbows up near your ribs. The bar should be near your knees or upper calves, depending on your arm and leg length.
Straighten your arms by pressing your hands backwards. Keep your elbows pinned in place during the exercise. With your arms locked out, the bar often ends up above your tailbone. It’s not uncommon to feel your triceps cramping hard in the locked out position when the muscle tension is greatest. Lower the weight under control and avoid hitting yourself behind the knees with the bar.
Benefits of the Barbell Kickback
The barbell kickback delivers a significant muscle-building stimulus with relatively light weight, making it ideal for lifters using limited equipment or those who are unable to lift heavy weights.
The triceps are put through a long time under tension, specifically with a long peak contraction, which creates a significant muscle-building stimulus. (2)
This exercise is one of relatively few isolation (single-joint) triceps exercises that can be performed with a barbell, making it a useful addition for lifters with limited equipment.
Dumbbell Overhead Extension
Performing triceps exercises with your arms overhead is essential for maximum triceps growth due to the unique positioning of the triceps heads across the shoulder joints. (3) The dumbbell overhead extension is one of the most basic exercises to address this type of exercise.
The dumbbell overhead extension can be performed standing with your feet together, standing in a split or staggered stance, tall kneeling, half-kneeling, seated with an unsupported back, or seated with a back support. Each of those variations will work the triceps the same. The only difference is descending levels of core and lower back recruitment, so choose the stance that best suits your body.
How to Do the Dumbbell Overhead Extension
Hold one dumbbell with two hands, placing the pinkies of each hand against the inside of the top weight plate. Extend the dumbbell directly overhead with straight arms. Bend your arms to lower the weight behind your head. Keep your elbows pointed up as the weight moves, don’t allow them to sink down towards your shoulders.
Resist the temptation to nod your head forward “out of the way” of the dumbbell. Lower the weight under control to avoid contacting your head or neck. When you feel a significant stretch on the triceps, return to the overhead position.
Benefits of the Dumbbell Overhead Extension
The overhead extension is an efficient way to recruit all heads of the triceps muscle.
Because you’re lifting with both hands, you can move heavier weight than training unilaterally (one arm at a time). This makes it a useful exercise for building strength.
This exercise emphasizes the stretched position, which has been shown to improve muscle-building. (4)
Two-Dumbbell Kickback
While the single-arm kickback is more commonly associated with “toning”-type workouts, the two-dumbbell kickback combines the focused muscular tension of the single-arm kickback with improved coordination and total-body tension of a two-arm movement.
The two-dumbbell kickback also allows lifters to rotate their wrists during the movement for a more natural range of motion with less stress on the wrist and elbow joints.
How to Do the Two-Dumbbell Kickback
Stand upright while holding a dumbbell in each hand. Bend as far forward at the waist as is comfortable and slightly bend your knees. Pull both elbows to your ribs and bend your arms to a roughly 90-degree angle. Keep your elbows pinned to your sides during the entire set.
Using a relatively slow speed to minimize momentum, straighten your arms by driving your pinkies towards the ceiling. In the locked out position, your arms should be in a straight line pointed toward the wall behind you. Experiment with a neutral-grip (palms facing your body), a pronated grip (palms facing the wall behind you), and a supinated grip (palms facing your shoulders) to determine which feels most comfortable.
Benefits of the Two-Dumbbell Kickback
The two-dumbbell kickback allows significant triceps tension with relatively light weights, making it ideal for lifters with joint pain or limited equipment.
This movement simulates a cable triceps pushdown without the need of a cable pulley station.
Neutral-Grip Dumbbell Bench Press
Much like the close-grip bench press is a triceps-dominant version of the classic movement, the neutral-grip dumbbell bench press is a triceps-dominant variation of the standard flat dumbbell bench press.
The neutral-grip allows the elbows to remain close to the body, which reduces stress on the shoulder joint while increasing triceps muscle recruitment. (5) The pressing position also allows the use of relatively heavy weights. Many people will press as much or more weight than with a chest-focused dumbbell bench press grip, making the movement an excellent option for building size and strength.
How to Do the Neutral-Grip Dumbbell Bench Press
Sit on a flat bench while holding a pair of dumbbells resting on your thighs. Lie back while kicking the weights into a straight-arm position locked above your chest. Plant your feet flat and slowly rotate your hands to face each other.
Stabilize the weight and lower the dumbbells towards the outside of your chest. Slide your upper arms along your ribs and keep your elbows pointed towards your feet. When your hands are at chest-level, press straight up to lockout.
Benefits of the Neutral-Grip Dumbbell Bench Press
This dumbbell press variation allows the use of fairly heavy weights with reduced joint strain.
The unique hand position makes the neutral-grip dumbbell bench press one of the few dumbbell exercises to safely and efficiently train the triceps with heavy weight.
The exercise is an effective variation for lifters who cannot perform the flat dumbbell bench press due to shoulder or elbow joint pain.
Single-Arm Skull Crusher
This exercise is performed nearly identical to the barbell or EZ-bar skull crusher, with the obvious exception that it’s performed using one arm at a time. This unilateral focus allows lifters to address development discrepancies and muscular imbalances between sides.
The single-arm skull crusher also allows lifters to manipulate their wrist with more freedom by rotating during the movement, which can alleviate wrist discomfort caused by maintaining a pronated (palm-down) grip on a barbell.
How to Do the Single-Arm Skull Crusher
Begin lying with one dumbbell locked out above your chest. Use your non-working hand to gently hold the triceps of the working arm. This can increase the mind-muscle connection and improve growth. (6)
Lower the dumbbell towards the same-side ear at a slow and controlled pace. Keep your elbow aimed at the ceiling and don’t allow it to move. When your arm has reached its maximum stretched position, reverse direction and lockout your arm.
Benefits of the Single-Arm Skull Crusher
This exercise allows extremely focused training on the triceps of each arm.
The single-arm skull crusher delivers a significant muscle-building stimulus with relatively light weight.
The unilateral performance allows lifters to address common muscle imbalances between arms.
Dip
The dip is one of the most effective bodyweight exercises to train the triceps because it allows you to lift a significant amount of weight without needing a full gym setup. Whether it’s wearing a weighted vest, a dip belt with random weight plates, or a backpack full of soup cans, the weighted dip allows you to emphasize the triceps while working the entire upper body.
Dips can also be performed to emphasize the chest instead of the triceps, but very simple technique adjustments can keep the triceps prioritized.
How to Do the Dip
Hold a set of dip handles with your hands slightly outside shoulder-width. Jump into the top position and lock your arms out straight. Stabilize your upper body and eliminate any lower-body swinging. Bend your arms while aiming your elbows at the wall behind you.
Maintain an upright torso position with your head and shoulders in line with your hands. Lower your body at a controlled speed until you feel maximum stretch in your shoulders. Pause briefly in the bottom position before pressing up to lockout.
Benefits of the Dip
The dip is one of the few bodyweight exercises that allows the addition of significant load for long-term progression.
You can begin a set with the triceps-emphasizing technique and, when muscular fatigue sets in, change focus to incorporate the chest muscles — during the descent, lean your upper body forward and allow your elbows to flare out to the sides. This is a high-intensity technique to increase overall muscle stimulus.
Close-Grip Push-Up
While the standard push-up is often the first bodyweight exercise — or even the first exercise, in general — many lifters perform. However, the close-grip variation is an effective way to emphasize the triceps without any training equipment at all.
The close-grip push-up, similar to the close-grip bench press, shifts the focus away from the chest muscles and makes the triceps the predominant muscle group.
How to Do the Close-Grip Push-Up
Start with your hands planted on the ground roughly chest-width apart. Straighten your legs and maintain a stable line from your neck to your feet. Lower your entire body until your chest nearly touches your hands.
As you descend, keep your elbows tight to your body and aimed towards your feet. Pause briefly in the bottom position before returning to full lockout.
Benefits of the Close-Grip Push-Up
The close-grip push-up has been shown to activate the triceps significantly more than standard push-up technique. (7)
This exercise can be performed anywhere, at any time, without the need for any special equipment.
Medicine Ball Push-Up
Medicine balls are often for throwing or adding resistance during workouts. With this push-up variation, it’s doing neither. The medicine ball is used as a support for your hands and encourages a close-grip position.
The medicine ball also slightly elevates your upper body, which alters your leverage and reduces the amount of body weight lifted during the exercise. This may sound like it makes the exercise “easier,” but it’s offset by the increased challenge from the grip-width and instability.
How to Do the Medicine Ball Push-Up
Place a sturdy medicine ball on the ground — the weight of the ball doesn’t affect the exercise. Place both hands on the ball and support your body with straight arms and straight legs. Stabilize your entire body and don’t allow the ball to roll or wobble.
Lower your chest towards the ball, being sure to control any instability provided by the ball. When your chest contacts the ball, press up in a controlled pace until your arms are locked.
Benefits of the Medicine Ball Push-Up
The instability from the medicine ball is an efficient way to strengthen shoulder stabilizing muscles.
The medicine ball provides a consistent reference point for grip-width, rather than focusing on chest-width or closer-than-shoulder-width, making the exercise more simplified and effective.
Medicine ball push-ups can be quickly superset with medicine ball throws for a power-building workout.
Tiger Bend Push-Up
At first glance, the tiger bend push-up might appear to be some kind of yoga-meets-gymnastics combination. In reality, it’s a relatively advanced push-up variation that emphasizes the triceps by requiring an extension-type movement more than an actual push-up.
The tiger bend push-up is considered a somewhat advanced exercise because your triceps are required to move the majority of your body weight without assistance from your shoulders or chest. However, there are specific regressions to adjust the challenge for any lifter.
How to Do the Tiger Bend Push-Up
Kneel on the ground with only your forearms, elbows, knees, and shins supporting your body. Place your palms on the ground. Set your elbows beneath your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips. Lift your body by pressing through your palms. Maintain a neutral spine as you move.
To make the exercise more challenging, move your knees farther from your elbows and eventually support yourself off your knees, with a straight line from your shoulders to your feet. To make the exercise less challenging, set your knees wider.
Benefits of the Tiger Bend Push-Up
This exercise is one of the few isolation (single-joint) bodyweight exercises to work the triceps, which adds to overall exercise variety.
It provides a significant challenge without added weight, making it ideal for experienced lifters with limited equipment.
Rope Pushdown
The triceps pushdown, sometimes called a pressdown, may be one of the most common exercises seen in any gym. It’s simple to perform, effective at targeting the triceps, and adaptable to beginners as well as the most experienced lifters.
Using a rope handle allows a neutral (palms-facing) grip which can reduce wrist strain compared to a straight bar which requires a palms-down grip. The rope can also be manipulated throughout the set, by bringing the handles apart in the bottom position to increase the range of motion or keeping the handles touching for improved leverage to perform additional reps.
How to Do the Rope Pushdown
Begin with a rope handle attached to a high-cable pulley. Grab the rope with both hands and bring your elbows next to your ribs. In the starting position, your hands should be near chest-level.
Without moving your elbows, straighten your arms. Pause briefly in the locked out position before returning your hands to the top.
Benefits of the Rope Pushdown
The pushdown can be performed by lifters of any experience or strength level.
This cable exercise offers continuous tension, which increases the total time under tension and improves the muscle-building stimulus.
The rope pushdown helps to reduce joint strain by allowing more comfortable joint angles.
Single-Arm Pushdown
The single-arm pushdown combines the focused benefits of unilateral training with the high-tension muscle-building of cable training. By working each arm individually, you’re able to address discrepancies in muscular development and strength without compromising any muscle-building stimulus.
This intense pushdown variation can be performed with a variety of handles and grip positions. Using a single “D” handle is most common, either with a palm-up or palm-down grip. Experiment with using a rope handle (holding one or both sides of the rope in one hand) as well. The different hand and wrist positions may feel more comfortable and won’t affect the triceps recruitment significantly.
How to Do the Single-Arm Pushdown
Attach a handle to a high-cable pulley. Grab it with one hand and bring it into the starting position with your elbow near your ribs and your working hand near chest-level. Your free hand can brace against the pulley station away from the cable.
Straighten your arm and press down to full lockout. Don’t allow your elbow to move and don’t allow your torso to lean sideways towards the working hand. Pause briefly in the bottom position before returning to the top.
Benefits of the Single-Arm Pushdown
The single-arm pushdown emphasizes each individual arm without significant core work due to the stability of the cable station, making it ideal for lifters with lower back pain.
The exercise can be performed with a variety of grips to accommodate lifters with grip strength issues or wrist pain.
This pressdown variation can also be performed “crossbody-style” — standing sideways to the cable stack, with the non-working side of the body closest to the cable, and bringing the working hand from the opposite shoulder to the same-side hip. The unique angle changes the range of motion and may reduce shoulder joint strain.
Single-Arm Standing Cable Skull Crusher
This unique exercise uses a cable pulley to mimic the motion of a single-arm dumbbell skull crusher. The increased tension from the cable allows a strong muscle-building stimulus with relatively light weight and less overall joint strain.
Whether it’s simply for training variety or as a high-intensity triceps finisher at the end of any workout, this movement zones in on the triceps with maximum efficiency and no assistance from other muscle groups.
How to Do the Single-Arm Standing Cable Skull Crusher
Grab a single handle attached to a high-cable pulley. Face away from the weight stack and press the weight straight in front of you. Use your non-working arm to support the working-side elbow, which should remain stationary throughout the set. Slowly bend your arm and bring your hand back towards your face. When you feel a maximum stretch, slowly extend your arm to full lockout.
Benefits of the Single-Arm Standing Cable Skull Crusher
This exercise delivers a significant time under tension, which is beneficial for muscle growth.
The single-arm standing cable skull crusher allows the triceps to be trained with minimal strain on the shoulder and elbow joints.
The Triceps Muscles
Understanding the triceps muscle and its related joints will lead to a better understanding of how and why certain exercises and training methods are effective.
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Here’s a closer look at this critical arm muscle and how it works.
Triceps Brachii
The “tri” in triceps refers to three separate but related heads of the muscle. The medial head and lateral head both attach at the upper arm bone and elbow joint. The long head attaches at the elbow and shoulder blade.
All three heads work to straighten the arm at the elbow. However, because the long head runs over and across the shoulder joint, it is also activated when the upper arm moves. (8) This is why triceps exercises performed at a variety of angles — with your arms overhead and/or perpendicular to your body — are essential for overall muscle activation and development.
How Often Should You Train the Triceps
Because all three heads of the triceps attach at the elbow joint, excessive training volume or frequency may aggravate (or create) joint pain or tendonitis. The triceps are significantly worked during the majority of chest and shoulder exercises, which needs to be a factor when programming triceps training.
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Generally, directly training the triceps one to two days per week with relatively low volume per workout (five to 10 sets split up between one to three exercises) can be sufficient for building size and strength. The overall details of your training program such as exercise choice, training intensity, and volume (total sets and reps) will be factors in designing a triceps workout.
To make your triceps a training priority, reduce the frequency and volume of pressing in your chest and shoulder workouts. This will help to reduce the overall stress on the triceps muscle and related joints. Training your triceps and biceps in one workout is another highly effective method, especially when using alternating sets or supersets, which have been shown to improve power and strength while reducing overall fatigue. (9)
How to Progress Your Triceps Training
Triceps workouts can be approached and progressed like any other body part. Work consistently and gradually increase the training volume (more repetitions) and/or increase the training load (more weight). The decision to increase volume or load will be determined by your goal, as well as the specific exercises being used.
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Isolation (single-joint) exercises like the two-dumbbell kickback or single-arm pushdown don’t typically accommodate very heavy loads because proper technique becomes unmanageable. A focus on increasing volume is typically more effective for those types of exercises.
Compound (multi-joint) exercises like the close-grip bench press and dip do allow you to safely and efficiently work up to heavier loads eventually, as long as you never sacrifice form for the sake of more weight.
How to Warm-Up Your Triceps
Warming up the triceps is about preparing the muscle for the stimulus of the workout. It’s also about preparing the joints, specifically the elbow joints, because they will be significantly worked in each exercise.
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Light weight, high-rep isolation exercises are one effective way to prepare your elbows for intense triceps training. Focus on warming up with exercises which don’t put the arms into an excessive stretch. As the warm-up progresses and your arms are better prepared, gradually increase the range of motion and variety of exercises.
For example, warming up with rope pushdowns for one to two sets of 20 reps can be safer and more joint-friendly than performing the dumbbell overhead extension for the same sets and reps.
Don’t Tri Too Hard
Triceps training shouldn’t overwhelm your workout program, it should complement it, like a solid bass line in any great song. It might be understated and simple, but it delivers the goods and keeps you on track. If you dial things up too hard and hit the tri’s with too much work, you’ll invite potential injury, compromise the rest of your plan, and your name might as well be Mud.
References
Lockie, Robert & Moreno, Matthew. (2017). The Close-Grip Bench Press. Strength and Conditioning Journal. 39. 1. 10.1519/SSC.0000000000000307.
Burd, N. A., Andrews, R. J., West, D. W., Little, J. P., Cochran, A. J., Hector, A. J., Cashaback, J. G., Gibala, M. J., Potvin, J. R., Baker, S. K., & Phillips, S. M. (2012). Muscle time under tension during resistance exercise stimulates differential muscle protein sub-fractional synthetic responses in men. The Journal of physiology, 590(2), 351–362. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2011.221200
Kholinne, E., Zulkarnain, R. F., Sun, Y. C., Lim, S., Chun, J. M., & Jeon, I. H. (2018). The different role of each head of the triceps brachii muscle in elbow extension. Acta orthopaedica et traumatologica turcica, 52(3), 201–205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aott.2018.02.005
Oranchuk, D. J., Storey, A. G., Nelson, A. R., & Cronin, J. B. (2019). Isometric training and long-term adaptations: Effects of muscle length, intensity, and intent: A systematic review. Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports, 29(4), 484–503. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13375
Lehman G. J. (2005). The influence of grip width and forearm pronation/supination on upper-body myoelectric activity during the flat bench press. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 19(3), 587–591. https://doi.org/10.1519/R-15024.1
Oshita, Kazushige. (2021). Effect of internal focus of attention with touching cue on the agonist muscle activity during exercise. 10.14198/jhse.2021.16.Proc2.04.
Kim, Y. S., Kim, D. Y., & Ha, M. S. (2016). Effect of the push-up exercise at different palmar width on muscle activities. Journal of physical therapy science, 28(2), 446–449. https://doi.org/10.1589/jpts.28.446
Tiwana MS, Sinkler MA, Bordoni B. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Triceps Muscle. [Updated 2021 Aug 6]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK536996
Robbins, Daniel W; Young, Warren B; Behm, David G; Payne, Warren R Agonist-Antagonist Paired Set Resistance Training: A Brief Review, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: October 2010 – Volume 24 – Issue 10 – p 2873-2882 doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181f00bfc
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Kettlebells are a fantastic tool that had a resurgence in the lifting world over the last 20 years, after well over a century of use around the world. They’re versatile and can be used to get stronger, put on size, improve athletic performance, and even develop iron-clad conditioning.
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The kettlebell swing is likely the most well-known kettlebell exercise — and for a good reason. It is an excellent movement to improve power; it’s an efficient way to build endurance and burn fat; and it’s a great teaching tool to learn the hip hinge pattern (strengthening the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back). Here’s how to perform a perfect kettlebell swing and everything you need to know about this exercise.
Coach Justin Lind shares an extremely detailed explanation and demonstration of the kettlebell swing. Watch the video in its entirety before, or after, reading the full article to see the movement put into action and highlight the details of its performance.
The kettlebell swing is a dynamic movement that develops lower body power. Because it requires explosive output, you should always pay attention to proper technique to avoid injuries and reap the intended benefits.
Step 1 — Get Into the Starting Stance
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Place a kettlebell on the ground and stand in front of it with a slightly wider-than-shoulder-width stance. Hinge at the hips while keeping your knees slightly bent. Your back should be flat with your torso almost parallel to the ground.
Keep your hips relatively high without dropping into a squatting position. There shouldn’t be a lot of bend in your knees. Shift your weight onto your heels. Grab the top handle of the kettlebell firmly with both hands in a palms-down grip.
Form tip: When you’re hinging at the hips, the kettlebell should be almost directly beneath your eyes. If it’s too close to your body’s centerline, you won’t be able to get it moving efficiently to begin the first repetition.
Step 2 — Pull the Weight Behind Your Legs
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Flex your lats (back muscles) and forcefully pull the kettlebell back between your legs in a dynamic fashion while keeping your elbows slightly bent. Try to feel tension in your hamstrings and glutes as they stretch in the hinged position.
Keep your torso bent forward. Allow the weight to reach behind your legs. At its farthest position, the weight should be under or past your glutes.
Form tip: The kettlebell swing is a hinge, not a squat. There should be more horizontal movement than vertical. Done properly, the exercise recruits your posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings, and lower back) for maximal power.
Step 3 — Drive Up Explosively
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Simultaneously contract your glutes while extending your hips and knees to drive the weight forward and up. Maintain straight or slightly bent arms throughout the rep. In the top position, your body should be straight and tall, with the weight stopping naturally around shoulder-level or slightly below.
Grip the weight hard, brace your core, and flex your quads to maintain balance and control at the top of the movement. Don’t allow the weight to pull you forward.
Form tip: The weight should be lifted by the driving force of your glutes and hips, not by actively lifting with your arms. Think of your arms as “ropes” holding the kettlebell — they are mainly used to guide the weight on its path upwards, not to assist the lift.
Step 4 — Allow the Weight to “Fall” Under Control
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Let gravity do the work and allow the kettlebell to return to its position behind your legs. Keep your arms loose and your grip tight. Maintain a neutral spine as you hinge forward while the weight is falling. The weight should end up near your glutes.
From this stretched position, you can transition into the next repetition by repeating step three and using the momentum accumulated during the fall of the kettlebell.
Form tip: Be sure to hinge with a neutral spine as the weight returns to the bottom position, as this will properly load the powerful target muscles. Do not squat down because stress will shift to your shoulders, arms, and quadriceps.
Kettlebell Swing Mistakes to Avoid
This movement requires a cocktail of speed, balance, and coordination, so it’s easy to make a mistake. Whether you’re experienced with swings or you’re a complete beginner, review these common problems to make sure you’re not doing them.
Squatting Instead of Hinging
Some people have difficulty separating “hinge at the hips” from “reach down and touch your toes.” Those are two very different movements. Some lifters are also naturally more dominant in the anterior chain (the quadriceps). When lifters’ hips move up and down rather than front to back, it negatively affects muscle recruitment.
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This is a problem because “squatty swings” will not only shift the workload away from the hamstrings and glutes, but will also result in lifters using their relatively weaker arms and shoulders to elevate the kettlebell.
Avoid it: Do not be afraid of bending forward while keeping a neutral spine. Keep a slight bend in your knees and think of your hips moving horizontally and not vertically, like you’re trying to touch the wall behind you with your butt.
Overextending Your Lower Back
The swing naturally involves the lower back muscles because they help extend the hips, especially to achieve an upright standing position.
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However, overextending at the top of the movement (leaning too far backwards when standing) puts a lot of unnecessary stress on your lower back. Your entire spine should remain neutral without any bending during the lift.
Avoid it: Squeeze your glutes as much as possible at the top of the movement. They are the prime moving muscle and focusing on their activation will prevent you from shifting the workload onto the lower back. Brace your core by flexing your abs as much as you can.
Driving Up With the Arms
When people pay too much attention to “lifting the kettlebell,” they sometimes start using their arms and shoulders before their hips have fully extended. This is a problem because it sacrifices lower body power. It also puts unnecessary stress on the shoulder joint by relying on smaller shoulder stabilizers instead of much stronger glute muscles.
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This issue can also occur when using lighter kettlebells which are “easier” to lift incorrectly (with the arms) or when people perform swings slowly, which defeats the purpose of the exercise because it’s always meant to be done explosively.
Avoid it: Make sure you are correctly performing an explosive hip hinge and properly engaging your glutes and hamstrings. Don’t over-focus on making sure the kettlebell reaches shoulder-level, let it occur naturally.
Benefits of the Kettlebell Swing
The kettlebell swing looks basic, maybe even “easy,” but this straight-forward movement packs a lot of benefits no matter what your goal is.
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Whether you’re a performance-focused lifter, a competitive athlete, or looking to build your physique, the swing delivers results.
Explosive Power and Strength
Power is seen in sports when accelerating in a sprint, jumping, and throwing implements. Many types of athletic movements involve a hip hinge, which is optimized by training the swing. Swings also improve the explosive power of your lower body muscles. (1)
The swing has also been shown to be as effective at building strength as other training methods. (2) Sure, you use less weight than with a deadlift or a squat, but the dynamic performance of the swing improves intermuscular connection, continuous muscular recruitment and acceleration, as well as contraction speed. All of those factors help your nervous system become more efficient at using your muscles, so you end up becoming stronger.
Conditioning and Fat Loss
This exercise can be an efficient tool for improving cardio-respiratory fitness and has been shown to be as effective as other types of cardio exercise. (3) Because the kettlebell swing must be done explosively and cannot be performed at a low intensity, it is best used as part of a training circuit or for HIIT (high-intensity interval training). Swings are also very low impact and won’t irritate your knees when done properly.
Muscle Mass
The swing is not the first exercise that pops in our head when we think of hypertrophy, but its explosive nature — meaning great muscle recruitment — coupled with the potentially long time under tension make it a good candidate for building muscle mass. If you want to maximize hypertrophy, make sure to gradually increase the weight you use over weeks and months, but don’t go too heavy or you’ll lose the explosive mechanics.(4)
Grip Strength
The handles of most kettlebells are relatively thick and sometimes smooth, both of which challenge your grip strength as you apply explosive movement to the weight. A good swing workout may leave your forearms sore temporarily, but you will eventually develop a stronger grip and more muscular arms.
Muscles Worked By the Kettlebell Swing
The swing is a complete exercise that will recruit nearly every muscle in your body in some capacity. Nevertheless, its main objective is to improve the posterior chain.
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Proper swings require strong contractions of your glutes, hamstrings, and core throughout each repetition.
Glutes
Like any hip hinge, the glutes are heavily involved in the swing. The gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus are a group of three large muscles that govern hip movement. In the swing, their main role is to extend the hips — bring the body from a bent-over position to an upright posture.
Try to squeeze your glutes as much as possible at the top of each repetition. This will shift the workload away from your lower back, promote maximal hypertrophy, and allow maximum power output.
Hamstrings
Your hamstrings are a series of posterior muscles that flex or bend the knees. The hamstrings also help extend the hips in conjunction with the glutes. In the swing, your hamstrings assist the glutes in driving the weight up from the bottom position by extending the hips.
If you have trouble feeling your hamstrings working during the exercise, focus on driving through your heels when raising the weight. Shifting onto your toes can reduce your hamstring recruitment.
Erector Spinae
Sometimes called the spinal erectors, this is considered the “lower back,” when it’s actually a length of muscle that goes from the pelvis up to the base of the skull. This postural muscle helps keep the spine in place and also contributes to hip extension. It will work a lot to stabilize your upper body in the swing.
If your back rounds over during the swing, you put the erector spinae into a more active role and increase the risk of injury. You don’t want to use them as the exercise’s prime mover.
Abdominals
The abdominals work together with the erector spinae to form the “core” and provide a stable upper body. The abs control torso rotation and flexion (bending forward), as well as resisting extension (leaning backward).
During the swing, your abs are highly active to maintain a neutral spine position, particularly in the bottom position when the weight pulls back between your legs. If your abs aren’t fully engaged, you’re more likely to follow the weight back, down, and through your legs.
Back
Even though you’re not pulling with your upper body, the other back muscles contribute to the lift. The latissimus dorsi (lats), the biggest back muscle, will be engaged to ensure spinal stability and maintain a strong arm position.
Across your upper back, the traps, rhomboids, and rear deltoids all work in conjunction to protect your shoulder joints and guide the kettlebell along its path.
Forearms
Your forearm muscles (wrist flexors and wrist extensors) are responsible for your grip strength, which is a big part of the kettlebell swing. Kettlebells typically have thicker handles than barbells or dumbbells, which challenges the grip more significantly.
The explosive nature of the swing also requires a strong grip to control the weight in the top position and prevent the kettlebell from flying away like the “cannonball with a handle” it appears to be.
Who Should Do the Kettlebell Swing
Anyone can do this exercise as long as they can perform it correctly — which is the vast majority of lifters. If you want to get stronger, more fit, and more muscular, find room in your program for the swing.
Functional Fitness Fans
Whether you’re a CrossFit athlete or someone that wants to be a jack of all trades, the kettlebell swing is a great addition to build several physical qualities at the same time. It will improve total-body strength, grip strength, power, conditioning, and build some muscle as well.
The swing is a great tool for people that need variety in their training because it can be programmed in many different ways. It can also be done virtually anywhere and any time, so if you just want to squeeze in a quick workout, swings are the perfect fix.
Strength Athletes
Competitive powerlifters and strongmen/strongwomen can benefit from an improved conditioning and recovery, as well as increased power and strength. The swing trains the hip hinge pattern, which carries over to many competitive events and builds stronger, more explosive hips.
Strength athletes don’t need to be able to run for miles, but withstanding a minute-long set or having improved conditioning to better recover between sets will certainly help in their training.
Beginners
If you’ve just started your fitness journey, the kettlebell swing is a great tool to practice and master the hip hinge, which carries over to countless exercises. The swing is also an efficient way to pack muscle onto your frame, while increasing your strength, power, conditioning, and coordination — all at the same time.
Endurance Athletes
Contrary to popular belief, endurance athletes have to do more than just running, biking, or swimming if they want to perform well and remain injury-free. The swing is a great strength exercise for endurance athletes, like marathon runners or triathletes.
The swing requires posterior chain mobility and strength, which is key to being comfortable in power positions on a bike. It is also a great exercise to recruit and develop the glutes for a more balanced physique, as runners and cyclists often have anterior chain (quadriceps) dominance which puts them at risk for knee pain.
How to Program the Kettlebell Swing
Because it is a dynamic power movement, you cannot go too heavy with the swing or you change the mechanics of the exercise. With excessively heavy weights, the range of motion is compromised and the weight can’t be accelerated as quickly. It is best used with moderate-to-high rep schemes.
Heavy Weight, Moderate Repetitions
This is the best rep range if you want to focus on a balance of strength and size. Three to five sets of five to 10 repetitions, close to technical failure, will do the trick.
Keep in mind that “heavy weight” doesn’t mean super-heavy. You still have to be able to accelerate the kettlebell with speed. If your range of motion becomes limited, you’ve gone too heavy.
Moderate Weight, Moderate Repetitions
This approach focuses on speed and explosive power. Five to eight sets of five to 10 repetitions is an excellent scheme for power, but you must avoid muscular failure at all costs.
You want to be exert maximum speed with each rep — the last rep of the set should feel as quick and snappy as the first. Use relatively lighter weights and keep some gas in the tank.
Moderate-to-Light Weight, High Repetitions
This type of plan is for those who really want to improve conditioning. And, if you approach failure, you can trigger some muscle growth as well. Begin with three to five sets of 10 to 30 repetitions.
Eventually, get crazy with much higher reps or even train for time instead of repetitions. For instance, do five sets of maximum repetitions in one minute. One effective way to train for time is to use an equal work-to-rest ratio. If you perform reps for one minute, take one minute rest between sets. Or 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off, etc.
The 10,000 Swing Workout
If you want a challenge well-beyond your comfort zone, try the 10,000 swing workout. Created by legendary strength and conditioning coach Dan John, this four-week plan will make you leaner, stronger, more muscular, and a generally tougher human.
Each training day will have you do 500 swings as well as a basic strength exercise. It follows a “two days on, one day off” schedule throughout the week, which ends up at a total of 10,000 swings spread across four weeks. Every workout, perform a total of 500 swings with this plan:
Set 1: 10 reps
Set 2: 15 reps
Set 3: 25 reps
Set 4: 50 reps
That’s 100 total swings in a round. Repeat four more times for a total of 500 swings per workout. Rest 30 to 60 seconds between sets and up to three minutes between rounds.
One strength exercise is performed after each set of swings using low repetitions and relatively heavy weight. Perform three sets using a 1, 2, 3 or 2, 3, 5 repetition scheme with basic, multi-joint exercises like the overhead press, dip, goblet squat, or chin-up. Single-joint exercises like curls or chest flyes are relatively easier and aren’t as effective. So one full round of the workout could look like:
Set 1: 10 swings, 1 press, rest 30 seconds.
Set 2: 15 swings, 2 presses, rest 30 seconds.
Set 3: 25 swings, 3 presses, rest 60 seconds.
Set 4: 50 swings, rest three minutes.
The recommended weight is a 24-kilogram (53-pound) kettlebell for men and a 16-kilogram (35-pound) kettlebell for women. For progression, push yourself to complete the workout faster each week instead of adding reps or using heavier weight.
Kettlebell Swing Variations
There are several ways to tweak the swing to focus on certain benefits of the lift. When you feel like the traditional swing has no secrets for you anymore, try one of these variations.
Double Kettlebell Swing
This is pretty much a standard swing, except that you hold a kettlebell in each hand. You might need to widen your stance a little bit to remain safe when the weights pass between your legs. If you want to train heavy but don’t have access to heavy kettlebells, this is the way to go.
This exercise is a great tool for strength development and grip training because you can go twice as heavy. It also requires more core and back bracing power to stabilize each shoulder and arm because the pair of weights are moving independently.
Banded Kettlebell Swing
As the name implies, this variation requires a resistance band. Loop it around the kettlebell and secure the ends under your feet to form a triangle. The added resistance of the band requires you to drive harder through your hips to build the speed and power needed to get the weight near chest-level.
It’s also a good way to induce more hypertrophy because the band actually pulls the kettlebell back during the descent, resulting in an accentuated eccentric phase (when the weight comes down). This eccentric stress can result in more muscular hypertrophy, especially in the hamstrings, which are a muscle group particularly receptive to eccentric contractions. (5)(6)
Single-Arm Kettlebell Swing
By holding the kettlebell in only one hand, you add a unilateral component to the exercise. This forces the back, shoulder, and arm to work more on the side that is holding the weight. The single weight requires your body to fight against rotation and flexing to the side.
This is a great movement for targeting your core and lower back stability. The single-sided challenge also recruits the oblique muscles of your core.
Kettlebell Swing Alternatives
If you don’t have a kettlebell, you can still train your explosive hip hinging and work your posterior chain. Here are some kettlebell-free alternatives.
Dumbbell Swing
Sometimes you really want to swing, but there are no kettlebells. Just grab a solid dumbbell by the head and start swinging. Be careful because the weight distribution of the dumbbell is different and its head is more awkward to grab since you’ll be using your fingers more than your entire hand.
Instead, tou could use both hands to hold the handle of the dumbbell. The weight will be more evenly balanced, compared to a kettlebell’s center of gravity being farther from your hands, which makes the exercise relatively easier. This method may be uncomfortable if the dumbbell handle is too small to fit both hands.
Broad Jump
Nothing beats the simplicity of bodyweight plyometrics for developing power and speed. You don’t even need equipment. With the broad jump, be sure to emphasize a forward jump for distance, not an upward jump for height.
When you perform this exercise, think about rep quality, not quantity. Keep your repetitions low and your rest periods long, so that each series is pristine.
Romanian Deadlift
This leg exercise is a staple for developing size and strength in the glutes, hamstrings, and back. Performing it with heavy-to-moderate weights for low-to moderate repetitions is an excellent substitution for the swing.
To take the power-building up another notch, loop a resistance band around the barbell and anchor it with your feet. Perform each repetition with maximal speed and avoid reaching muscular fatigue. This type of band training develops the speed component even more. (7)
FAQs
I worry about the kettlebell hitting between my legs and doing some serious damage. Any advice?
The key is to make sure that your hips are driving the movement. Lifting with your back might cause your spine to be hyperextended, which will cause the kettlebell to end up higher on your thighs.
Maintain a neutral back and don’t be afraid of bending forward at the hips to let the weight go behind you. At the lowest point of the swing, your forearms should be in contact with your inner thighs. Use this cue to swing safely.
What weight should I use?
When learning any new exercise, you should always use a light weight so that you get the feel of the exercise and develop proper technique. As a dynamic exercise, swinging a kettlebell that is too light won’t allow that proper exertion of force and power production. It’s one reason why you can’t throw a snowball as far as you can throw a baseball.
If you’re a beginner, aim to start with around 10% of your one-rep max deadlift. When you feel you have mastered the exercise and can do 15 good repetitions with perfect form, you can try going heavier.
Is it normal that my lower back hurts when doing kettlebell swings?
Back pain is not normal. Some back soreness, however, should be expected due to the stretched position and explosive movement. Soreness should dissipate in a matter of days, while serious pain can last longer. Soreness is typically dull, while pain can be felt in sharp bursts from sudden movements.
If you’re sure you have pain and not muscle soreness, double-check that your form is pristine and then check with a medical practitioner for any underlying condition. Otherwise, it could be because of a simple technical flaw. Hyperextending your back at the top will result in more stress on the lumbar spine.
The same is true if you lead with your back coming out of the bottom stretch, which uses your erectors as prime movers instead of as core-bracers. You have to ensure a proper hip hinge by squeezing your glutes as much as possible and keeping a flat back. Think of the lower back as a “bracing” muscle to keep your upper body stable.
Got Bell, Must Swing
The kettlebell swing isn’t just one of the most fundamental and generally useful kettlebell exercises. It’s one of the most fundamental and generally useful exercises of all time. You certainly don’t need to be a kettlebell specialist or compete in any strength sport to benefit from the swing, it delivers benefits for any lifter. Find a place in your training plan, program it properly, and start building a powerful posterior.
References
Lake, Jason P.; Lauder, Mike A. Kettlebell Swing Training Improves Maximal and Explosive Strength, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: August 2012 – Volume 26 – Issue 8 – p 2228-2233doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e31825c2c9b
Maulit, Matthew & Archer, David & Leyva, Whitney & Munger, Cameron & Wong, Megan & Brown, Lee & Coburn, Jared & Galpin, Andrew. (2017). Effects of Kettlebell Swing vs. Explosive Deadlift Training on Strength and Power. International Journal of Kinesiology and Sports Science. 5. 1-7. 10.7575/aiac.ijkss.v.5n.1p.1.
Hulsey CR, Soto DT, Koch AJ, Mayhew JL. Comparison of kettlebell swings and treadmill running at equivalent rating of perceived exertion values. J Strength Cond Res. 2012 May;26(5):1203-7. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3182510629. PMID: 22395274.
Rønnestad BR, Egeland W, Kvamme NH, Refsnes PE, Kadi F, Raastad T. Dissimilar effects of one- and three-set strength training on strength and muscle mass gains in upper and lower body in untrained subjects. J Strength Cond Res. 2007 Feb;21(1):157-63. doi: 10.1519/00124278-200702000-00028. PMID: 17313291.
Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn DI, Vigotsky AD, Franchi MV, Krieger JW. Hypertrophic Effects of Concentric vs. Eccentric Muscle Actions: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. J Strength Cond Res. 2017 Sep;31(9):2599-2608. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001983. PMID: 28486337.
Ataee J, Koozehchian MS, Kreider RB, Zuo L. Effectiveness of accommodation and constant resistance training on maximal strength and power in trained athletes. PeerJ. 2014 Jun 17;2:e441. doi: 10.7717/peerj.441. PMID: 25024910; PMCID: PMC4081144.
Hey folks. Board-Certified Health Coach — and Primal Health Coach Institute’s Coaching Director — Erin Power is here to answer your questions about weight loss, diet culture, and health at different sizes. If you’re wondering how these fit into a Primal approach to eating and lifestyle, read on! Have a question you’d like to ask our health coaches? Leave it below in the comments or over in the Mark’s Daily Apple Facebook group.
Tamara asked:
“Can you settle a debate between my sister and me? I am so sick of diet culture and fat shaming. Yes, I’m a large-sized woman by some standards, but I feel fine and am otherwise healthy. My sister insists that can’t be the case and keeps telling me to lose weight or go to the doctor. This infuriates me and makes me feel like crap about myself. Please weigh in: Can you be overweight and still be healthy?”
I have immense empathy for anyone struggling with fat shaming or the painful, harmful effects of mainstream diet culture. I’m so sorry you’ve experiencing this, Tamara. Shaming, stigmatizing, or stereotyping someone about their body size or other aspects of physical appearance is never okay. It’s also the exact opposite of what usually encourages a meaningful and productive approach to achieving health and wellness.
Having this come from a sister or other family member is especially rough. Family dynamics tend to be long practiced, deeply triggering, and difficult to shift. Plus, it’s just not as easy to walk away from a relationship when it’s with a family member. It’s never comfortable to be in relationship with someone who oversteps boundaries and comments on or criticizes your body or weight. Many people unfortunately experience such treatment from family members, partners, friends, colleagues, or even strangers on the Internet.
Again, this is never okay. Good for you for recognizing that and seeking backup.
Before we get to your question, I do want to encourage you to let your sister know how her words are affecting you. Rather than point out what she’s “doing wrong,” you might calmly and honestly explain that while she may mean well, her commentary is painful, leaves you feeling bad about yourself… or whatever wording rings most true to you. Approach this as setting a boundary, rather than as lodging a complaint, which could cause her to become defensive and shut down.
It’s incredibly important for you to speak what it was that bothered you, why, and how you wish to communicate about this topic moving forward (if at all). Let her know that if you want her advice in the future, you will specifically ask. Otherwise, request that she kindly refrain from bringing up your body weight.
Now onto your question…
Health at Any Size?
It’s really important for me to disclose that while there are many experts on this topic (and while the anti-diet approach is one that is growing increasingly interesting to me as a coach), I am not a leading expert in the Health At Every Size (HAES), body neutrality, fat acceptance, intuitive eating, or anti-diet space. For that, I would direct you to someone like Stephanie Dodier, who we hosted on our podcast, Health Coach Radio. She studied under Evelyn Tribole who is considered the leader in this space.
I also want to mention that this topic is highly polarizing, and emotions run high. If you’re feeling bothered, triggered, or upset by anything in this article, I invite you to take a few deeps breaths and explore what specifically is troubling you about this topic before you head into the comments section. Sometimes the language around this topic becomes needlessly hurtful to the people around us, as evidenced by Tamara’s question here. Let’s practice compassion and kindness, and have a good, productive conversation about it. This is the coach approach.
So, can you be healthy at any size? And, is there a correlation between body weight and health?
Sometimes, yes. Specifically, excess body fat (as opposed to muscle) and obesity are often correlated with widespread modern diseases such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type II diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver (even in kids)1, obstructive sleep apnea, and most cancers.2 These usually go hand-in-hand with chronic inflammation and a weakened immune system.
In other words, excess body fat and obesity does seem to factor into our state of health and wellness, at least from a correlative perspective. There is some question in the Health At Every Size space as to whether this correlation is strong or important enough to make widespread judgements about the health of fat people. I’m here to say: making widespread judgements about the health of anyone whose health status you don’t know is generally a terrible idea. So let’s all agree to stop doing that.
Being overweight can also, for many people, place extra strain on joints and internal organs, limit mobility, and contribute to feelings of low energy or fatigue. Some, all, or none of this may be true for you: an individual with a unique, lived experience inside a unique body. You, more than anyone, know how YOU feel in your body, both physically and mentally. If you truly feel your most vital, healthiest self, that’s a fantastic sign. We are quick to dismiss the subjective, lived experience of being in a body, instead rushing to judge it against the cultural norm, or against the hastily-formed health and medical opinions of acquaintances, loved ones, and internet strangers. If you feel good, that’s good.
If you don’t feel good, or if you suspect there might be room to feel a little better, that’s a really strong and powerful “come from” to consider implementing some changes to your food, movement, or lifestyle.
A checkup with a medical professional can provide extra information, too. Gather the objective data from a health care professional that you can match up to the subjective experience of living in your body. If going this route and if accessible, I recommend searching for a functional medicine doctor trained in metabolic health and using a range of treatment modalities, including lifestyle and dietary guidance (not just pharmaceuticals).
Health Beyond Size
You didn’t mention your eating or lifestyle habits, but as a coach, I ask about those first and foremost. They are the biggest health and vibrancy dial-movers, after all. Regardless of body size, folks who do not eat a nourishing, nutrient-dense diet or follow the other 10 Primal Rules often tend to struggle with lack of vitality, unmanageable energy, brain fog, low moods, and other symptoms that just don’t feel good.
And this goes way beyond body size. I’ve had overweight, underweight, and “healthy weight” clients who’ve expressed this lack of vibrancy.
Almost anytime a client moves toward eating a Primal diet made up of high-quality animal protein and dairy, healthy fats and oils, veggies, fruits, and moderate amounts of nuts, seeds, and dark chocolate, they feel better, seem to slow or reverse their accumulation of body fat, and eventually step into the energetic vitality that has always been their birthright.
If they’re eating Primal and still struggling with excess body fat or other unfavorable health markers, I look to the other Primal Rules:
(Even after 15 years of Primal living, I’m always struck about how these rules just make sense. They reflect how our bodies and minds have evolved to live and thrive.)
To be clear, none of this is about blaming, shaming, or stigmatizing. It’s simply pointing to the evidence and part of my role and responsibility as a coach. Clients hire me to do exactly this (a much different scenario than someone giving unsolicited “advice” or commentary on another person’s body or health).
When working with a skilled, thoughtful, compassionate coach, the focus is on helping you figure out what’s going on and what you most need to feel your best. This requires connection to the objective (data and facts) and subjective (how does it feel) aspects of having a body of any size.
This enables us to slowly extract ourselves from diet culture by aligning with our mind, emotions, and biology to support wellness, longevity, and feeling really good.
Back to You
Body size, food, and health are extremely personal, multilayered issues that go way beyond what’s on our plate or what size pants we wear. It takes an entire lifetime to get where we are with food, eating, and body image, and there are many factors at play.
In the end, you are your number 1 caretaker and know best how you feel. As individuals, we each have a responsibility to get really honest with ourselves, make supportive choices, and live in ways that allow us to be as healthy as possible within our personal set of circumstances. That, plus checking in with a medical professional when needed and accessible, is a far more accurate predictor of health than unsolicited commentary.
By the way: it’s not always easy. Part of taking individual responsibility is knowing when to ask for skilled, caring support. This sort of support does NOT come from “fat shaming” or “diet culture.” It does come from meaningful conversations about your goals, the experience of living in your body, and your vision of health and happiness.
Having external perspective and accountability will help you know whether you’re on track with health at any size. Working with a coach can help you put solid strategies in place for dealing with well-meaning but unhelpful family and friends. Visit myprimalcoach.com to learn more and get started.
Do you struggle with mainstream diet culture? Or have someone in your life who offers unsolicited health “advice”? Let it out and drop other questions for me in the comments!
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