The Swing: Body Awareness for Hip Extension

One of Jeff Martone’s favorite drills is a hip-flexor stretch followed by vertical jumps and kettlebell swings.

“You’ll feel a difference. You should be a lot more explosive,” he says. “A lot of times people say that the weight feels lighter.”

And the drill not only applies to the sport of kettlebell but also to Olympic weightlifting and powerlifting, Martone says. By the time people reach the swing at the end of the drill, their backs should be straight with no backward lean.

“If your hip flexors are tight, it’s like trying to drive with your parking brake on,” he says. “Just by doing that drill, it frees it up, gives you more speed, endurance and power.”

Martone recommends always performing the standing vertical jump after the hip-flexor stretch to ensure a vertical torso.

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Additional reading: Kettlebell Basics: Drills for Improving Your Swing by Jeff Martone, published Nov. 1, 2006.