Vertical Swing

Execution

1. Inhale, hinge your hips back and bend the knees slightly to hike the dumbbell back between your thighs, lower back flat.
2. Exhale sharply and snap the hips forward hard, sending the dumbbell straight up along a path close to the body.
3. Let the momentum from the hips carry the dumbbell overhead, arms just guiding direction rather than pulling from the shoulders.
4. As the dumbbell starts to fall, inhale and absorb the force by hinging the hips and knees again, guiding it back between the legs.
5. Flow straight into the next rep without pausing at the bottom.
6. End the set at the bottom: after the last rep let the dumbbell swing down between your legs, then hinge and set it on the floor rather than stopping it overhead. If your grip slips or the dumbbell gets away from the path, let it go out in front of you and step back.

Quick cues

• The hips snap, the arms don't pull.
• Keep the path close and vertical.
• Soft knees absorb the dumbbell falling.
• One sharp exhale per snap.
• No pause at the bottom, flow through.

Common faults

• Fault: Muscling the dumbbell up with the shoulders and arms instead of letting the hip snap drive it

  Fix: Drop the load and drill the hip snap to chest height alone before allowing the dumbbell to travel overhead.

• Fault: Squatting deep to lift the weight instead of hinging the hips

  Fix: Rehearse with no weight, resting a hand on the hip to feel it hinge back rather than the knees bending deep.

• Fault: Losing control of the path at the top, the dumbbell drifting behind the head

  Fix: Drop the load and cap the swing height at shoulder level until the vertical path is under control.

• Fault: Trying to muscle the dumbbell to a stop mid-swing when it feels out of control

  Fix: Let the dumbbell keep traveling down between the legs and absorb it with the knees rather than fighting to hold it still.