Kettlebell swings are great for toning your arms, shoulders, and legs but they're easy to botch — here's how to do this full-body exercise perfectly

• The kettlebell swing is a full-body exercise that strengthens your hamstrings, lats, and shoulders.
• To get the most out of the move, avoid common form mistakes like squatting instead of hinging.

With movements like the snatch, goblet squat, and farmer's carry, there's a variety of exercises to do with a kettlebell. Most popular, however, is the kettlebell swing, an exercise that works your entire body.

Kettlebell swings are a great exercise for anyone regardless of fitness level or strength. They can be made more challenging with heavier weights or scaled down with lighter bells for beginners or anyone working on their form.

They're particularly great at working your posterior chain (i.e. your glutes, hamstrings, calves, lats, and shoulders). This is especially important to people with lower back pain, as a strong posterior chain helps protect your spine.

"Each time you activate the posterior chain muscles you create a protective casing around your spine," says strength and conditioning coach Reda Elmardi, founder of The Gym Goat. "Knowing how to engage these muscles when you move reduces the risk of injury."

Below are a few helpful tips on how to do a proper kettlebell swing, as well as the most common mistakes to avoid and some useful insight from strength coaches.

How to do a kettlebell swing

When first attempting a kettlebell swing, make sure to use a weight you can comfortably lift. This will help you keep a solid grip on the kettlebell and avoid injury.

When picking out a kettlebell for the first time, it's recommended you visit a gym or sporting goods store to test different weights, instead of just ordering what looks good online.

According to personal trainer, RJ Cincotta, "if you don't have a solid foundation of muscle mass already or experience using a kettlebell, aim for a 20- to 25-pound [12 kg] kettlebell for a female, and a 30- to 35-pound [16 kg] bell for a male."

He adds that "for those experienced with a kettlebell and have been using one 1-2 times a week already, females could opt for a 30- to 45-pound [16 to 20 kg] bell and males for a 40- to 50-pound [20 to 24 kg] kettlebell."

Strength coach, Pete McCall, says that for lower body movements (like the kettlebell swing), "heavier is better" and that it forces you to use better form and technique.

But this doesn't mean grabbing the heaviest kettlebell possible. If a 20- or 30-pound kettlebell seems too heavy, it's fine to pick something light and work your way up.

Here's how to do a kettlebell swing:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.

2. Shift your hips back and with a slight bend in your knees, lift the weight off the ground with both hands, palms facing down and thumbs under the handle yet over fingers.

3. With your feet planted and your head straight and gaze forward, keep your arms straight, soften your knees, and shift your hips back.

4. Hinge at your waist as you swing the kettlebell back and between your legs, keeping your arms straight but loose.

5. Next, drive your feet into the ground and explode your hips forward to create momentum to bring the bell back through your legs and up in front of your body.

6. Continue swinging the weight until it reaches at least shoulder height, keeping your arms extended in front of you.

7. Finish the rep by squeezing your glutes and engaging your core with the kettlebell at the top of the swing in front of you.

8. Keep your back straight and your core engaged as you hinge your hips and swing the kettlebell back between your legs.

Common kettlebell swing mistakes

While kettlebell swings are an accessible exercise for folks of all fitness levels and training ages, there are a few mistakes people tend to make with their technique and form, which can lead to injuries like wrist discomfort, bruising, and back pain.

Here are the most common mistakes:

1. You squat (instead of hinging)

If you remember one thing about the kettlebell swing, make it this: The kettlebell swing is a hinge — not a squat. Elmardi says that the momentum is initiated by your hips shifting back like what you'd do during a hinge, not from your butt dropping back like when you do a squat.

Note: Rather than thinking about lowering your butt to a chair, think about bumping a wall behind you with your butt.

2. You initiate the movement with your arms (instead of your hips)

Your hips and glutes should be what generate the power that propels the kettlebell to swing forward and back. If you feel your shoulders fatigue before your hamstrings, it's likely you're using your arms and upper body to swing the weight around instead of your lower body.

Your arms should simply guide the weight as it floats overhead, says head strength coach and owner of AIM Athletic, Jake Harcoff.

3. You're not fully engaging your center core muscles

If done correctly, your back should not be sore after doing kettlebell swings. If it is, chances are you're not bracing your core throughout the entire duration of the movement.

To keep your midline tight, think about inhaling when the weight is between your legs and exhaling when it's at your shoulders or overhead while keeping your belly button up and in toward the spine.

Kettlebell swing variations

There are two main variations of the kettlebell swing that can be done by both beginners or seasoned lifters, each of which works different muscles and delivers slightly different results.

There's the endurance-building American kettlebell swing and the strength-building Russian kettlebell swing. The set-up and basic movement patterns are similar but what differs is how high you bring the weight before allowing it to swing back between your legs, says Harcoff.

Here's how they vary:

• Russian kettlebell swing: When you perform a Russian kettlebell swing, you use your shoulder and core strength to stop the bell at shoulder height.
• American kettlebell swing: When you perform an American kettlebell swing, you continue swinging the weight until it's over your head, at which point you'll immediately change directions to bring it back down in front of your body and between your legs. This variation relies on shoulder strength and stability to change directions mid-air.

Although anyone can do either variation, Elmardi says that the American kettlebell swing requires greater shoulder stability than the Russian kettlebell swing, and therefore people typically need to use a lighter weight.

As such, the American kettlebell swing is generally better for building endurance, while the Russian kettlebell swing is better for building strength and muscles.

Best kettlebells for your home gym

Bring kettlebell swings into your home workout routine with a pick from our guide to the best kettlebells.

• Best overall: Everlast Vinyl Dipped Kettlebell, from $15.99 at Everlast and Target
• Best budget: AmazonBasics Vinyl Kettlebell, from $14.94 at Amazon
• Best adjustable: Bowflex SelectTech 840 Kettlebell, from $149 at Amazon and Target
• Best soft-sided: Bionic Body Soft Kettlebell, $27.22 at Amazon and Walmart

Insider's takeaway

Kettlebell swings are a great exercise for folks of all fitness levels and ages, so long as you're using a weight you can comfortably lift. The move works a number of muscles along your posterior chain such as your glutes, hamstrings, lats, shoulders, and calves.

But it's important to follow the proper kettlebell swing technique to avoid injuries and to get the most out of the exercise. Always remember that it's a hinge movement, not a squat, and to initiate movement with your hips instead of your arms.