In this YouTube video we’re moving on from the side rockets, we’re gonna go into the side swing. You’ve done this exercise before in level one; we did the sagittal plane normal swing, going from front to back. Your normal sagittal plane swing goes from front to back. With the side swing, we’re going to go across the front of the body. Anything with a side in the name means we’re getting the frontal plane, and that’s one of the things I love about club bell training. The elongated weight makes it a lot easier to move the club across the front of the body going from side to side. You can do these exercises with a kettlebell, but it just doesn’t feel the same. You’ve also got the chance of cracking your knee as you’re passing across the front of the centerline, which isn’t going to be good. The shape of the club lends itself perfectly to moving that clubbell around across the front of the body in different movement planes without hitting yourself. The side swing is exactly the same as the sagittal swing. The only difference is we’re going in a different plane of motion.
With this exercise, we’re going to set up with our feet shoulder-width apart. Force is generated like a traditional swing; force is generated from the posterior chain, from the glutes, from that hip drive. Exactly the same with a side swing. The only difference is we’ve got a 45-degree hip hinge. Instead of going just backwards, we’re going 45 degrees backwards. There are very few exercises where you can train this movement pattern. Usually, if you’re doing a hip hinge with a traditional strength training exercise, like a deadlift with a barbell, it’s just sagittal plane—front and back. Kettlebell swing, sagittal plane—front and back. The great thing about clubs is we can move hip hinge in different angles. Just remember, with the side swing, the force is generated from that hip hinge movement, not from the arms. Your arms are just connected to the club. They’re just an extension of the club; they’re not actually moving the club.
What we’re going to do is pick up the club, forearm lock. I’m going to have my left hand married to the pommel and my right hand over the top on my first set. On the second set, just make sure you change grips, keeping it even so you’re doing both sides. If I’m going to swing the clubbell to my right, I’m going to have my right arm as the long arm. My left hand is married to the pommel, right hand over the top, full elbow lock, shoulders are down and packed down. I’m going to cast that club to my left at 45 degrees. I’ve shifted my weight onto my right as the club moves across the front of the body. I drive the hips forward, come up to shoulder height, and my midline stays facing the club. My eyes look at the club as well. Just making sure I’ve got full elbow lock, shoulders down and packed down. I come back the way I came and then shift the weight onto that opposite foot again. Drive the hips forward, come up to shoulder height, and then back down. Just with this one, make sure that you don’t hip hinge, or drop your knees forward as the club’s passing across the front of the body. Otherwise, you’re going to crack yourself in the side of the knees.
Just do a few reps to show you what that looks like. Left hand against the pommel, right hand over the top, shoulders down and packed down, elbows locked out. I can feel the stretch in my hammers, float up that posterior chain, gonna cast the weight to the left and drive. As you can see, all that force is generated from that hip drive on the way through. Stay looking at the clubbell all the way through the movement pattern. Once you’ve done the two-handed side swing, we can do the single side swing. Exactly the same movement again, just remembering we’re not moving from the arm. Your arm’s just connected to the club, all the power is coming from the hips.
What we’re going to do is cast that club out. As I cast it to my left, I’m going to shift the weight to the right. As it passes the centerline, I’m going to drive those hips forward. I’m not extending through the hips until my arm has passed my body. I don’t want to be driving forward too soon, and I don’t want to catch my knees on the way through. As I come through, I extend those hips, arm comes up around shoulder height. From here, just follow that same path down to the side. As I’m passing across the front of the body, I’ll hinge at 45 degrees again. I’m going to do a few reps real quick. Feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointing forward, going to point that clubbell down and extend. Big snap on the hips to drive that clubbell up towards shoulder height. That’s your single side swing.
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