Swingbell Exercises

A swingbell is essentially an inverted barbell. Where a barbell has the bar for gripping in the middle and the weights on the outside, a swingbell puts the weights in the center and has bars for gripping on either side of the load. As a piece of free-weight equipment, it was most popular among bodybuilders during the '60s and '70s. The swingbell has seen a resurgence this decade, much like kettlebells came during the 2000s.

  1. Appropriate Exercises

    • The structure of a swingbell makes makes balancing and controlling the weight easier than with a less compact barbell. Unlike other dumbbells and kettlebells, though, they're only appropriate for exercises using both hands. The same structure that makes it easier to balance with two hands makes a single-handed grip hard to manage.

    Swingbell Curls

    • Swingbell curls work exactly the same as dumbbell curls. You grip the bar with your arms extended in front of you, then raise the weight by bending your arms until you reach the top of the lift. The main difference is the centered weight, which places more load on the biceps and less on the smaller stabilizing muscles.

    "Skullcrushers"

    • This triceps exercise gets its name from the fact that you spend much of it with a weight directly above your face. As with the barbell version, you lie down on a flat bench with the swingbell in both hands. Start with it directly above your eyes with your elbows pointed toward your feet. Bend your arms slowly, allowing the arc of the motion to pass the weight above your head, then extend to bring it back to the original position. Be careful not to hit your head with the weights as it passes by -- the structure of the swingbell makes this more likely by putting the load right where your head is, instead of to either side like with a barbell.

    Wrists and Forearms

    • You can work out your wrists and forearms in both directions with a swingbell. In both cases, you grip the weight with your palms down and use the muscles in your forearms to rotate the swingbell's bar. Rotate away from your body to to focus on the bottom portion of your forearms, toward the body to focus on the top portion, or employ both for a full workout. Unlike doing this with barbells -- which you can do from a standing or seated position -- you should sit down with your elbows resting on your knees when using a swingbell. Otherwise, the weights will be directly in your groin, which can be uncomfortable.

    Kettlebell Swings

    • A quick Internet search for "swingbells" will bring up a lot of results for kettlebells, especially kettlebell swings. This is a common error, stemming from both terms having the word "swing" in them. Don't be confused by this information.