The windmill is the movement most often cited when describing kettlebell training as "yoga with weights." A look at this clip should tell you why.
Click here for the video of Windmill with 24 kg (53 lb.) kettlebell
Notes about the windmill:
1. Keep the hip on the lifting side slowly and steadily moving backwards and to the side. Look at the cinder blocks behind me to see how far my hip moves. The most common mistake I see is too much bending at the waist - notice how, except for a slight bend near the bottom, the torso gets closer to the ground only by folding at the hip, not at the waist.
2. The leg below the weight is straight - the knee is completely locked throughout the movement. The windmill feels like a one-legged Good Morning or other weight-bearing hamstring stretch. The foot of this leg should be pointed slightly in the direction you will bend, e.g., if the weight is in your right hand, your right foot will point slightly to the left because you will be bending to the left.
3. The other leg is "soft" - it may be straight or slightly bent but weight should rest primarily on the lifting side. The non-lifting foot should be turned out much more but still in the same general direction as the other foot. The bearing leg is almost straight ahead; this leg should be almost turned to the side.
4. The lifting arm is straight - the elbow is completely locked throughout the movement. The shoulder will rotate naturally during the course of the movement but should not be raised at any time - a conscious effort to keep the shoulder firmly in its socket while simultaneously pushing the weight up is best.
5. In order to keep yourself properly balanced, look at the weight at all times. That's important so I will repeat: look at the weight at all times.
6. Before starting to lower, kick the bearing hip out to the side as I do in the video. This makes it much easier for the hip to have the room it needs for you to get your torso forward without bending your waist.
7. The movement is of great benefit in many ways and need not always be done with a heavy weight. I use everything from no weight at all up to a 32 kg (70 lb.) kettlebell. The movement may also be performed with nothing in the raised hand and a weight resting on the floor inside of the non-bearing foot - lower yourself towards the ground, grasp the weight inside your foot without removing your gaze from the hand above your head and squeeze your glutes to return to an upright position. The two positions of the weight can be combined as well, starting with a weight overhead and picking up another from the ground.
Click here for the video of Windmill with 24 kg (53 lb.) kettlebell
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