The Kettlebell Swing: An Effective Exercise to Tone the Butt, Hamstings and Back

In my experience in fitness most people come to the gym to look better.  A common body part that many would like to improve is the butt.  A great exercise to train the butt (Along with the hamstrings and back) is the Kettlebell Swing.  It is time efficient, can tone those muscle groups as well as raise the heart rate.  It is also a great exercise to improve muscular power which most people don't train at all. Finally, because most people sit all day at work and then focus mainly on exercises like push-ups (Chest), biceps curls (Biceps) and crunches (Abs) while at the gym, the muscles in the back of the body rarely get trained.  The Kettlebell Swing is a great exercise to take care of this problem.

The video describes how to properly do a RKC Style Kettlebell Swing.  This variation is the most effective to target the muscles described above.   

Key Points:  Pay attention to Meredith's shoes on while she is demonstrating the exercise.  When doing it try to wear shoes with minimal heel elevation (i.e. Chuck Taylor's, Wrestling Shoes, New Balance Minimus, Nike Free, Vibram Five Fingers, etc.) as elevated heels will cause excessive arch in the low back causing more shear[1].  In fact it may be best to do the exercise in bare feet.  Also, it is important to avoid bringing the bell over shoulder height as it can cause impingement at the shoulders leading to future injury[1].

References:

1. Tsatsouline, P.  2006.  Enter the Kettlebell.  Dragon Door: St. Paul MN.