Legs · Kettlebell
Kettlebell Figure 8 Swing
How to do the kettlebell figure 8 swing, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Kettlebell
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Hinge
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Stand with feet wider than shoulder-width and a kettlebell between your legs. Hike the bell behind one leg, then weave it forward and around the front of the opposite leg in a figure-8 path, passing it hand to hand as it travels. Stay in an athletic hinge and keep the bell moving in a smooth, continuous loop.
- 1Power coming from your hips and glutes, not your arms
- 2A tight, braced core controlling the bell's path
- 3Your grip switching cleanly hand to hand on each pass
Common mistakes
- Rounding your lower back as the bell passes between your legs
- Standing too upright and losing the hip hinge
- Yanking the bell with your arms instead of guiding it
Muscles worked
The kettlebell figure 8 swing mainly works the glutes and hamstrings, with the forearms, lower back, lower abs, obliques, upper abs, quads, and adductors assisting.
- GlutesPrimary
- HamstringsPrimary
- ForearmsSupport
- Lower BackSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- QuadsSupport
- AdductorsSupport
- LatsMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- Mid TrapsMinor
- CalvesMinor
- Front DeltsMinor
Kovo programs the kettlebell figure 8 swing for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More glutes exercises
- How to do the agility ladder drill
- How to do the airdyne bike
- How to do the arc trainer
- How to do the assault bike
- How to do the medicine ball atlas stone lift
- How to do the b stance hip thrust
Last reviewed June 2026.