The 30-second article
• mSwing uses a single dumbbell – or
other object weighing no more than
5kg – and natural, flowing movements
to provide a fun and challenging
workout for groups or individuals
• The movements employ the
principles of load sharing, force
transfer, energy storage and elastic
release to allow a load to be safely
handled through a wide variety of
movement pathways
• mSwing improves cardiovascular
fitness, muscle strength and
elasticity, joint mobility, and skill and
co-ordination, and is safe for all ages
and fitness levels, pre- and
post-natal exercise, and for the pelvic
floor and bones and joints
• The moves are adaptable to people of
all abilities within the same group, and
everyone can work at their own pace.
to allow a load to be safely handled through
a wide variety of movement pathways.
Movement of the head and changing the
level and orientation of the body in mSwing
stimulates the vestibular system in a way that
improves movement precision, facilitates
skill development, increases attention and
improves balance reflexes and memory.
The combination of rotations, unloaded and
momentum-driven body positions safely
mobilises the nervous system, improves
joint compliance and disinhibits restrictive
muscle tension.
The equipment
Dumbbells work best, but you can use
anything you can hold onto and swing.
For example, you could use weight plates,
water bottles, sticks, garden gnomes,
vegetables… or even nothing at all. The
minimum load is nothing and the maximum
load is 5kg.
What are the benefits?
mSwing will make your participants better
movers because it:
• improves cardiovascular fitness
• improves muscle strength and elasticity
• improves joint mobility
• improves skill and co-ordination
• is safe for all ages and fitness levels
• is safe for pre- and post-natal exercise
• is pelvic floor safe
• is bone and joint safe.
16 | NETWORK WINTER 2017
Who is behind mSwing?
mSwing has been developed by Marietta Mehanni, an expert in
group exercise, and by physiotherapist Mark Davis. Marietta and
Mark have over 60 years of fitness industry experience between
them. They developed mSwing with the intention of making a
fun and effective movement experience accessible to as many
different people as possible.
mSwing classes are currently being conducted with a diverse range of participants,
including older adults, athletes, kids, intellectually and physically challenged, pre- and post-
natal, as well as regular gym goers, all in the same group.
So, what’s the ‘m’ in mSwing? It stands for mobile and momentum (and, yes, for Marietta
and Mark as well!)
Who can participate?
Anyone. The moves are adaptable to
everyone in the same group, so every level
is catered for. Everyone can work at their
own pace, and they can choose the intensity
that suits them best. In a nutshell, every
participant will get a great workout.
•
•
•
What are the key movements?
There are three key mSwing moves:
• Swings
• Pivots
• Rebounds.
Swings
•
• Keep the swinging arm nice and loose.
This allows you to work elastically and
transfer force with minimal effort.
• The legs track the path of the swinging
arm in a pendular arc. This arc makes
the path of a big smile – which is why
mSwing is called the smiling movement!
• When the dumbbell goes up, the legs
straighten – when the dumbbell goes
down, the legs bend.
Pivots
• Pivots ensure easy force transfer
whenever a swing moves through the
transverse plane.
In a pivot, the force travels with the
weight, instead of getting caught in your
back.
To pivot, simply allow the lower limbs to
follow your pelvis.
The pivoting leg will unload naturally as
you lift your heel and pivot off your toes
(the same thing happens with your
trailing leg at the end of a step in
walking)
Whenever the trunk turns, there is a
rotation. Whenever there is a rotation,
there will be a pivot.
Rebounds
• Rebounds occur when the load moves in
a down-up or up-down path, as
opposed to a pendular arc. The weight
moves as it would in normal resistance
training.
• mSwing classes incorporate whole body
movement. When the weight travels
down, the legs bend a little to go down
with it. This is the rebound action.
• Rebounds allow gravity to be worked
with. Rebounds also keep the movement
safe for your back.
THE PENDULAR ARC
UP
UP
DOWN