Hinge, hike, and float the bell all the way overhead.
Power the bell up with your hips, not your arms. The arms just guide it overhead.
Like the standard swing, the power comes entirely from the posterior chain, hamstrings loading on the backswing and glutes snapping the hips to launch the bell. The overhead finish extends the arc, which demands a bigger hip drive and more control as the bell decelerates above your head. It earns its place in conditioning work where the longer range means more work per rep, provided your shoulders have the mobility to finish overhead without leaning back.
The Russian swing stops at chest height and is the safer default for building hip power. Go American only if you have clean overhead mobility and a reason for the longer range, usually conditioning workouts that standardise the overhead finish.
No, the hips launch it and the arms just guide the bell along the taller arc. If you feel your shoulders straining to finish the rep, the hip snap is underpowered or the bell is too heavy.
Usually tight shoulders or lats force your ribs to flare so the bell can get overhead. Fix overhead mobility first and swing Russian style in the meantime, arching the lower back under a moving bell is a bad trade.
