Start with the kettlebell directly between the heels. A common mistake is to have the bell in front of the heels so make sure you have the bell deep between the heels. Let the handle line up or be slightly behind your ankle bones. It is very important to pick up the bell from between the heels and put it down in the exact same spot. This alone is the beginning of learning to understand how to load your hips, hamstrings and glutes. Proper shoulder and arm position is important too because this teaches the client how to pack their shoulders and engage their lats. The shoulders and always down and back as you pry the chest open.
Engage the between-the-heels deadlift by starting in the finishing position. This means before the very first rep you stand up tall and straight with all the appropriate locks engaged as if you just finished a rep with a heavy bell. By "locks" I mean, lock your legs fully straight with kneecaps lifted, contract your glutes as if crushing a walnut between your cheeks, brace your midsection as if preparing to be punched, shoulders down and away with chest lifted.
I initiate movement by pointing my fingers to the bell with arms locked fully straight. Start the lift by pulling your hips behind you, not squatting your ass downward! This is a learned movement pattern that will probably take some time for you to get right. If you are doing it right you should feel a deep stretch in your hamstrings as you get to the bottom portion of the pickup. Remember to keep your shoulders higher than your hips and hips higher than your knees.
After the pickup we are using the touch-and-go method for the next rep. This means that you put the bell down (right from where you picked it up, between the heels!) and let the bottom of the bell just barely kiss the ground. Don't collapse in the bottom, stay tight! The touch-and-go method is preferred to the reset-each-rep method because it keeps you in position, again staying tight!
I use this lift not only to teach the client how to hinge at their hips but also to build strength through the range of movement we will be using for the swing. Before we do our first swing I make sure the client , both male and female, is capable of deadlifting the 48kg for 5 sets of 5 reps with good form. Strength wise this is not such a big feat for anybody over 100 lbs bodyweight but it can be a problem for a person with movement issues or a very large belly in the way. I will keep these folks on the BTH deadlift until their movement improves or they lose some bellyfat!
As a side note I should add that I don't as my very overweight clients to swing. The swing is frustrating enough and I want clients to feel successful, not beaten down after every session. For these clients I start doing double bell deadlifts to challenge their musculature and tendons. I also make it very clear that if they don't want to diet all of the training in the world wont make a difference.
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