Advanced Kettlebell Windmill

Execution

1. Lock the shoulder and elbow of the kettlebell arm, and keep your eyes on it the whole set to confirm the arm stays vertical overhead.
2. Push the hip on the kettlebell side back and out to that side, letting the same knee soften slightly while the opposite leg stays nearly straight.
3. Hinge your torso down along the front leg, sliding the free hand down the front of that thigh and shin without letting the hips rotate forward.
4. Go down until the hand reaches the instep or as far as you can control, with the kettlebell staying locked straight overhead the whole way.
5. Exhale, brace the far side of your core and pull back up to standing by driving the hip back under you, not by yanking with the low back.
6. Finish the set, lower the kettlebell under control, then switch sides and repeat with the other arm.

Quick cues

• Eyes stay on the kettlebell.
• Push the hip back, don't just bend.
• Lock the arm like a pillar.
• Slide the free hand down the leg.
• Brace the far side to protect the spine.

Common faults

• Fault: The kettlebell elbow bending partway through

  Fix: Drop the weight and lock the elbow out fully before starting to hinge.

• Fault: The hips rotating forward instead of shifting sideways

  Fix: Rehearse the move with no weight in front of a mirror, hands on hips to feel the correct sideways direction.

• Fault: Eyes leaving the kettlebell to look down at the floor

  Fix: Keep your eyes locked on the kettlebell the whole time — it is how you check the shoulder is still stacked correctly.

• Fault: The front knee locking out hard and aching at full depth

  Fix: Keep a soft bend in that knee throughout and only go as deep as you can keep the back flat.