Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Kettlebell Swings Anyone? How About 10,000?

So I was browsing Tony Gentilcore's blog post about kettlebells a few weeks ago and somehow stumbled upon this post. It's called the 10,000 Swing Kettlebell Workout.



10,000 KB swings? That sounds a little intimidating. And it's meant to! Dan John, the author of the post, claims that after completing this challenge, you can expect to see a drop in pants size (or two), visible muscular improvements, increased grip strength and athletic conditioning, as well as improvements in your regular lifting program. Who doesn't want that?

So after about two weeks of nagging, Judah finally agreed to try this program with me after the wedding. :D

The Program

Men are supposed to use a 53 lb. KB and women use a 35 lb. KB. Unfortunately our gym only has 25, 30, and 40 lb. kettlebells so we had to modify.

You complete five "clusters" of 100 reps, with four sets in each:
     Set 1: 10 reps
     Set 2: 15 reps
     Set 3: 25 reps
     Set 4: 50 reps

In one workout, you complete 500 reps. Since there are 20 workouts total (500x20), you get the 10,000 Kettlebell Swing Challenge :D You are supposed to complete two workouts, then take a day of rest, and repeat until you complete all 20 workouts.

If you have no idea what a kettlebell swing is, this video is EXTREMELY helpful in explaining proper form and technique so you don't get injured.

Our Experience

Judah and I have completed three days of this challenge.

Day One kicked our butt!! He has used the 40 lb. kettlebell and I attempted to use the 30 lb. but was not prepared for that. We felt exhausted by the end of the workout, not even able to complete the sets as suggested (by the fifth cluster I was doing sets of 10, 15, 20, 25, & 30). Needless to say, the next day we were sore. My entire back and traps were tight, but I also felt it in my abs and my arms. Judah said his legs hurt the most. We decided a rest day would be more effective than trying to gut through 500 more reps.

The following day we completed workout #2 and it went considerably better! I used only the 25 lb. KB and was able to complete all the clusters and sets correctly. We also have completed workout #3 but we have been taking a day of rest in between each workout. In the third workout I completed the first three sets of the first two clusters with the 30 lb. KB (using the 25 lb.  KB for the 50 rep set) but then my back began to tighten up, so I used the 25 lb. for the remaining clusters.

We will try to complete the rest of the program as intended now that we have been through the initial soreness and adaptation phase. In our defense, we each took about ten days off working out for our wedding and that's bound to make any new workout more challenging!

The program does allow you to add in strength exercises between your sets, for an added bonus. The author recommends the overhead press, dip, goblet squat, and chin up. I'm not sure if we will incorporate these extra moves or not.

Benefits So Far

Despite how intimidating this challenge may sound, it's extremely effective and you'd be surprised how quickly your body adapts to this new workout. Neither Judah nor I had completed KB swings prior to this challenge, and as I've said, by workout three we both were noticing significant improvements and our bodies were better adapting to the exercise. The body has muscle "memory" so that it can learn and remember new movement patterns. With the high number of reps in each workout, the body gets a lot of practice and that's why we are seeing such quick improvements. If you only performed 10 kettlebell swings a day, it may take two or three weeks before you notice great improvement.

The kettlebell swing truly is a total body workout. You feel it everywhere! The primary action of the KB swing is hip extension, but still need your core (abs and back), arms, and legs to make the exercise work. And although we are completing five clusters of 100 reps, Judah and I have taken less than 40 minutes to complete each workout. Not to mention, when you are doing 50 reps at a time, you will notice some heavy breathing! Meaning, not only does the KB swing condition your muscles, but also your heart and lungs!

For any stay-at-home moms reading this, maybe I've convinced you to purchase a kettlebell? ;) I'll discuss kettlebells more extensively in another post, but for the at-home exerciser, they are one of the most versatile tools you can have! And the kettlebell swing is merely one example of the countless possibilities.

I'll keep you all updated as we continue with the program and discuss our results at the end.


Readers: Have you ever used kettlebells? Have you done kettlebell swings? What is your favorite high-intensity workout?

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