How To Do a Kettlebell Pistol

Trying to learn how to do Kettlebell pistols is a fairly humbling experience. I wish I had better notes but it took we approximately three months of doing them with assistance before I was able to do them without any help.

I used a pillar to teach myself but there are other ways. Here's how I used the pillar. I grasped it with as little pressure as possible as I lowered myself and then tried like the dickens to not use it on the way up. As I mentioned, it took approximately three months for me to get rid of this crutch. My limiting factor was average balance.

Kettlebell pistols require excellent coordination, balance, stability,flexibility and power. Done correctly there may not be a more complete lower body exercise. Few people do it because not many people are able to do it on the first attempt. Too many folks say "Hey, I'm not the right body type" etc and that's just a bunch of stuff. It's worth the practice required to master this movement.

To perform the movement start my lowering yourself "butt to hamstring" on one foot. Extend the non-working leg out in front of you. If you push your rear back as you lower yourself and lean forward a bit to balance yourself at the same time you will keep your weight back on your heel. You really want your weight back on the heel. If your heel comes off the ground, most likely you didn't push your butt back. Failure to lower yourself both "back and down" can put unnecessary pressure on your knees as well.

Here's a few things to keep in mind before you lower yourself. Squeeze your glutes to really get them ready to work. Exhale before the movement and hold your breath "hardstyle" as you lower yourself. Create as much tension as you can and pull yourself down into the whole. As you lower yourself,pretend that you are lowering yourself onto a razor and make yourself as skinny as possible. Extend the kettlebell out and away from your body as a counter balance. And when you reach bottom, you will pause slightly, crush grip the kettlebell to create the desired tension and drive up through the bell. Check out this video.