Search Results (7)

Background: Previous research has examined the acute effects of high-intensity exercise on muscle contractility, revealing potential interference in reaching peak contraction. This study aims to evaluate the impact of a standardized kettlebell swing protocol on low back musculature contractility, measured by tensiomyography (TMG), and pain sensitivity, measured by pressure algometry. Methods: Forty participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: control, kettlebell swing, and kettlebell isometric hold. Pre-intervention TMG and pressure pain threshold (PPT) measurements were taken, followed by the intervention and post-intervention measurements. Results: Participants averaged 23.85 years (SD ± 2.73), 162.39 lbs (SD ± 28.69), and 174.29 cm (SD ± 12.45). Baseline ANOVAs showed no significant differences between groups for pre-intervention DM or PPT measurements, nor for demographics (p > 0.05). Although no significant within-group differences in TMG measurements were observed, the kettlebell swing group showed small mean differences in muscle displacement and contraction time for the gluteus maximus with effect sizes ranging from 0.09 to 0.49. Conclusions: The study suggests posterior chain muscles, such as the gluteus maximus, are involved in kettlebell swings. Also, despite the lack of significant TMG differences within groups, the kettlebell swing group exhibited small changes in muscle characteristics, enhancing the understanding of exercise-induced hypoalgesia and posterior chain involvement in resistance exercises. Full article

This study sought to identify the changes in ankle, knee, and hip joint kinetics with increasing load while performing the kettlebell overhead swing (OHS). Women (n = 18, age: 29.4 ± 5.3 years, 69.7 ± 8.9 kg) with a minimum of 6 months of kettlebell swing training experience performed fifteen repetitions of the kettlebell OHS with three different kettlebell masses (8 kg, 12 kg, 16 kg) in a counterbalanced order. Ankle, knee, and hip joint kinematics were captured within a 12-camera infrared motion capture space, while standing atop two force plates collecting ground reaction force (GRF) data. Post hoc results of statistically significant joint by mass interactions (p < 0.05) of the net joint moment impulse, work, and peak power revealed the hip demonstrating the greatest increase in response to load, followed by the ankle (p < 0.05). The knee joint kinetics changed very little between the masses. Pairwise post hoc comparisons between the joints at each mass level support the kettlebell OHS as being a hip dominant exercise, with the knee making the second largest contribution, despite contributions not changing across kettlebell masses. Collectively, these results provide practitioners with objective evidence regarding the mechanical demands and effects of load changes on the kettlebell OHS. Full article

The popularization and industrialization of fitness over the past decade, with the rise of big box gyms and group classes, has reduced the quality of the basic formation and assessment of practitioners, which has increased the risk of injury. For most lifting exercises, a universal recommendation is maintaining a neutral spine position. Otherwise, there is a risk of muscle injury or, even worse, of a herniated disc. Maintaining the spine in a neutral position during lifting exercises is difficult, as it requires good core stability, a good hip hinge and, above all, observation of the posture in order to keep it correct. For this reason, in this work the authors propose the prevention of lumbar injuries with two inertial measurement units. The relative rotation between two sensors was measured for 39 voluntary subjects during the performance of two lifting exercises: the American kettlebell swing and the deadlift. The accuracy of the measurements was evaluated, especially in the presence of metals and for fast movements, by comparing the obtained results with those from an optical motion capture system. Finally, in order to develop a tool for improving sport performance and preventing injury, the authors analyzed the recorded motions, seeking to identify the most relevant parameters for good and safe lifting execution. Full article

The purpose of this study was to determine the muscle activation and co-activation of selected muscles during the kettlebell single arm swing exercise. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study investigating the muscle co-activation of a kettlebell single arm swing exercise. Nine volunteers participated in the present study (age: 22.6 ± 3.8 years; body mass: 80.4 ± 9.2 kg; height: 175.6 ± 7.5 cm). The electrical muscle activity of eight right agonist/antagonist muscles (AD/PD, ESL/RA, ESI/EO, and GM/RF) were recorded using a surface EMG system (Myon m320RX; Myon, Switzerland) and processed using the integrated EMG to calculate a co-activation index (CoI) for the ascending and descending phases. A significant effect of the ascending and descending phases on the muscles’ CoI was observed. Post hoc analyses showed that the co-activation was significantly higher in the descending phase compared to that in the ascending phase of AD/PD CoI (34.25 ± 18.03% and 24.75 ± 13.03%, p < 0.001), ESL/RA CoI (34.97 ± 17.86% and 24.19 ± 10.32%, p < 0.001), ESI/EO CoI (41.14 ± 10.72% and 30.87 ± 11.26%, p < 0.001), and GM/RF CoI (27.49 ± 12.97% and 34.98 ± 14.97%, p < 0.001). In conclusion, the co-activation of the shoulder muscles varies within the kettlebell single arm swing. The highest level of co-activation was observed in the descending phase of AD/PD and GM/RF CoI, and the lowest level of co-activation was observed during the descending phase, ESL/RA and ESI/EO CoI. In addition, the highest level of co-activation was observed in the ascending phase of ESL/RA and ESI/EO CoI, and the lowest level of co-activation was observed during the ascending phase, AD/PD and GM/RF CoI. The co-activation index could be a useful method for the interpretation of the shoulder and core muscles’ co-activity during a kettlebell single arm swing. Full article

Smoothing is one of the fundamental procedures in functional data analysis (FDA). The smoothing parameter $\lambda$ influences data smoothness and fitting, which is governed by selecting automatic methods, namely, cross-validation (CV) and generalized cross-validation (GCV) or subjective assessment. However, previous biomechanics research has only applied subjective assessment in choosing optimal $\lambda$ without using any automatic methods beforehand. None of that research demonstrated how the subjective assessment was made. Thus, the goal of this research was to apply the FDA method to smoothing and differentiating kinematic data, specifically right hip flexion/extension (F/E) angle during the American kettlebell swing (AKS) and determine the optimal $\lambda .$ CV and GCV were applied prior to the subjective assessment with various values of $\lambda$ together with cubic and quintic spline (B-spline) bases using the FDA approach. The selection of optimal $\lambda$ was based on smoothed and well-fitted first and second derivatives. The chosen optimal $\lambda$ was $1\times {10}^{-12}$ with a quintic spline (B-spline) basis and penalized fourth-order derivative. Quintic spline is a better smoothing and differentiation method compared to cubic spline, as it does not produce zero acceleration at endpoints. CV and GCV did not give optimal $\lambda ,$ forcing subjective assessment to be employed instead. Full article

Previous research has shown that kettlebell swings (KBS), utilizing the hip-hinge technique, exhibit similar lower-limb muscle activation patterns to sprint running. This study investigated whether the inclusion of KBS in the warm-up enhances sprint performance. Moderately trained males (n = 12) and females (n = 8) performed KBS and a control (CON) condition (passive rest) in random order before performing three 20-m sprint trials separated by 4 min. No condition (KBS versus CON) effects, time effects or condition by time interactions were found for sprint times at 5-m and 10-m. A significant time effect was found for sprint time at 20-m with faster sprint time at 12 min compared to 4 min (p = 0.022). No condition effect or condition by time interaction was found for sprint time at 20-m. Small to moderate correlations were found for change in sprint time (CON minus KBS) and KBS load at 4, 8, and 12 min. It appears the KBS is not effective for potentiating 20-m sprint performance; however, any potential benefit from the inclusion of KBS as a preconditioning exercise for sprinting may be influenced by individual strength capabilities with KBS. Full article

This study compared the physiological, perceptual and mechanical responses to kettlebell swings at different loads and swing speeds. Following familiarization 16 strength trained participants (10 males, six females, mean age ± SD = 23 ± 2.9) performed four trials: 2 min kettlebell swings with an 8 kg kettlebell at a fast cadence; 2 min kettlebell swings with an 8 kg kettlebell at a slow cadence; 4 min kettlebell swings with a 4 kg kettlebell at a fast cadence; 4 min kettlebell swings with a 4 kg kettlebell at a slow cadence. Repeated measured analysis of variance indicated no significant differences in peak blood lactate or peak net vertical force across loads and cadences (P > 0.05). Significant main effect for time for heart rate indicated that heart rate was higher at the end of each bout than at mid-point (P = 0.001). A significant Load X cadence interaction for rating of perceived exertion (RPE) (P = 0.030) revealed that RPE values were significantly higher in the 8 kg slow cadence condition compared to the 4 kg slow (P = 0.002) and 4 kg fast (P = 0.016) conditions. In summary, this study indicates that the physiological and mechanical responses to kettlebell swings at 4 kg and 8 kg loads and at fast and slow cadence were similar, whereas the perceptual response is greater when swinging an 8 kg kettlebell at slow cadence. Full article