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Kettlebell Two-Arm Swings Only?

PTM

Level 4 Valued Member
I have an old injury from a bad fall that affects my left shoulder and upper thoracic region. A chiropractor has advised me against doing one-arm swings. It does give me a lot of trouble. I noticed Dr. Prentiss Rhodes describes a similar situation for himself in Kettlebell AXE. Has anyone else dealt with something like that? When running a plan like S&S, AXE, or Q&D, how would results be affected by leaving out the one-arm swing?
 
PTM said:
I have an old injury from a bad fall that affects my left shoulder and upper thoracic region. A chiropractor has advised me against doing one-arm swings. It does give me a lot of trouble. I noticed Dr. Prentiss Rhodes describes a similar situation for himself in Kettlebell AXE. Has anyone else dealt with something like that? When running a plan like S&S, AXE, or Q&D, how would results be affected by leaving out the one-arm swing?
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I had spent many months with the 2 arm swing once. I was enjoying heavy 40kg 2 hand swings and explosive pushups.

I will say when I returned to the 1 arm swing, that torque resistance wasn't there, at first. my shoulder came forward, and my sternum pivoted to one side when I went back to the 32kg bell.

I regained my strict form after a few sessions, getting reacquainted with the bell's antics... YMMV
 
Whenever you can't do a movement due to injury you just compensate by doing something else. In this case, two hand swings are better for power and force production, one hand swings recruit more muscle fibers, so you'll just have more of a power based focus in your training, that's all.

The only program I see an issue with is S+S, if you wanted to hit simple or sinister the requirements are one hand swings, but the others are doable with two hands. But even in S+S, Pavel states you should continue to do two handed swings after learning one hand to maintain power.

There's plenty you can do with the two handed version, I think you're fine.
 
Agree with everyone - there is a lot of utility in two-arm swings.

Can I also throw out double kettlebell swings for consideration? I’ve recently been playing with them for the first time (after a couple of years only incorporating two-arm and one-arm swings into my programming) and feel like I’m seeing some benefit in terms of power output. It may be something to do with the different distribution of load (or just new variable in training). I’m considering including Neupert’s One programming into my next block for conditioning work.

Obviously, with your thoracic/shoulder considerations, get clearance from an appropriate health practitioner first.
 
2 handed swings work fine with SS Just do 20 instead of 10l + 10r and maybe use a heavier bell than you would for singles. Dan John is not a big fan of 1h swings and says most people don't have great form with them causing problems. With no coach, I often find advice like this valuable.
 
I have elbow tendinitis that tends to flare up, mostly from BJJ but also from snatches and 1H swings. I’ve run Q&D a number of times with only 2H swings and the push-ups. I found I build more power this way and don’t think I’ve lost much at all.
 
I never do 1h swings. I simply don't like them, spend far too much time trying to control a too heavy bell on the way up and with a too light bell, it flops. I can't get the connection with my legs and hip-drive either.
I prefer double swings, if anything. 2H swings though are brilliant. You can go heavier than 1h, you can generate more tension through your body and you can regulate your speed better (I only run Q&D with 2hSwings+Pushups, for instance)

If you want to pair unilateral work to swings, do some snatches or some suitcase carries alongside your 2h swings.
 
TedM said:
Where can I find the Q&D protocol?
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PTM said:
I have an old injury from a bad fall that affects my left shoulder and upper thoracic region. A chiropractor has advised me against doing one-arm swings. It does give me a lot of trouble. I noticed Dr. Prentiss Rhodes describes a similar situation for himself in Kettlebell AXE. Has anyone else dealt with something like that? When running a plan like S&S, AXE, or Q&D, how would results be affected by leaving out the one-arm swing?
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I have been doing AXE since November. I wasn't confident moving to one arm swings when I maxed out on the 36KG double handed swing. I have moved to 2x24KG (I thought this was more versatile / sensible than buying a 48KG) for double swings. It is working well after adjusting to the extra weight.

Technically, this could count as a double one-arm swing, but each arm supports lower weight. The main difference is that my legs are further apart to accommodate 2 bells.

At some point I will go back and try one arm swings, although my right arm/shoulder does seem a lot weaker than my left.
 
I am step loading the 28KG bell into my S&S practice. Currently doing 2 sets with the heavier weight on H2H swings. I find doing 10 sets of 5 H2H swings easier to manage then trying to do 10 1-arm swings in a row. I am able to keep better form and my grip doesn't suffer.
 
PTM said:
I have an old injury from a bad fall that affects my left shoulder and upper thoracic region. A chiropractor has advised me against doing one-arm swings. It does give me a lot of trouble. I noticed Dr. Prentiss Rhodes describes a similar situation for himself in Kettlebell AXE. Has anyone else dealt with something like that? When running a plan like S&S, AXE, or Q&D, how would results be affected by leaving out the one-arm swing?
Click to expand...
Not a direct answer to your question, but the one-arm swing is the foundational movement of StrongFirst in my mind. As such, I'd encourage you not to give up on it but rather find the right weight and a good teacher and, together, see if you can improve your one-arm swing to the point where it helps you deal with your past injuries rather than aggravates them. My goal, as a teacher, is to see everyone swing in a way that's safe and provides benefit, and that is achievable even with the less-than-stellar form some of my students show.

I began teaching kettlebells more than 20 years ago, albeit part-time only, and I cannot think of a single student who I couldn't help achieve a safe, effective one-arm kettlebell swing. I know I don't know your specifics (nor do I know Prentiss') but I still hate to hear someone give up on the one-arm swing.

-S-
 
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