Russian vs. American Kettlebell Swings

Hey guys, I wanted to spend some time talking about the Russian and American kettlebell swing. I get a lot of questions about which one we teach here at FNA and which one is Rx. Well we teach both, and both are Rx in my opinion. The American kettlebell swing doesn’t always mean hardest. Now that being said it does offer a greater range of motion which is conducive to CrossFit methodology, but we are not always measuring difficulty or intensity. Remember that our formula is, Mechanics, Consistency, Intensity. If athletes are unable to demonstrate good mechanics and consistently good mechanics during an American swing, then we encourage them to do Russian kettlebell swing as it offers less range of motion and allows them to work more on their technique. A smaller range of motion allows for the movement of a larger weight which means that in terms of work output the Russian kettlebell swing can be just as effective as an American swing. So before you judge someone based on their swing, remember that we are not measuring range of motion, we are measuring mechanics and consistency. Remember kids, hard work always pays off.