In a nutshell
- Challenge yourself with four weeks or five of intensive kettlebell swinging to test your grit and improve body composition;
- At the completion of the program, you will have done 10,000 kettlebell swings dispersed throughout 20 workouts. You’ll do 500 swings per workout;
- Between sets of kettlebell swings, do one of the following: chin-ups, goblet squats, dips, or overhead presses;
- Master your kettlebell swing pattern. It’s not a squat. It’s a hip hinge and a hip snap. Your arms should not travel above your shoulders.
Making progress with training
As humans, we thrive when we push our boundaries, reach goals, and beat our personal records. If we’re performing faster, fitter and stronger, we tend to feel more alive.
So, if you want to improve, you have to seek out new challenges, struggle, adapt and overcome.
The 10,000 kettlebell swing workout is a challenge that will rapidly transform your overall body composition in just four or five weeks.
The Program
In four or five weeks, the athlete is going to perform 10,000 proper kettlebell swings. These will be split over 20 workouts. That is 500 swings per workout.
Between sets of swings, the athlete performs a low volume, strength movement. Training either four or five days per week. Training two days on, one day off, then repeat.
- Men should use a 24kg kettlebell;
- Women should use a 16kg kettlebell.
Breaking it down. Swing clusters, sets and repetitions
Following this repetition scheme to reach 500 total swings per workout:
- Set 1: 10 swings;
- Set 2: 15 swings;
- Set 3: 25 swings;
- Set 4: 50 swings.
That is 100 swings completed, or one cluster. Repeat the cluster another four times and you will have completed you’re daily total of 500 swings. Between sets is where more conditioned or experience athletes can add a low volume strength movement.
The strength movements
Use a strength movement with low volume between sets of swings. Some of the best movements are:
- Overhead Press;
- Dips;
- Goblet Squat;
- Chin-up.
Other movements to consider could be a front squat, weighted pull-ups or even muscle-ups. This is where you can really personalise your program. I would stay with presses or pulls. It is fair to say that after 500 swings per day, you probably won’t feel like adding any extra hip hinge work.
Use a 1-2-3 repetition scheme for most movements. Here is an example using the overhead press:
- 10 swings
- 1 press
- 15 swings
- 2 press
- 25 swings
- 3 press
- 50 swings
- Rest for 60 sec.
For the strength movements, use your five repetition max weight. If you’re conducting dips, use a 2-3-5 repetition scheme.
If you choose to lift five days in a week, conduct strength movement on four of the days and pick a day where you will only conduct the swings.
You can use a different strength movement each workout, rotating through the movements mentioned earlier. My preference is to use two days of both overhead presses and pull-ups.
Only use a single strength movement each workout.
Rest
After each set of 10, 15 and 25 repetitions, rest for 60 seconds. After each set of 50 repetitions, extend your rest to three minutes. During this longer rest period, perform some corrective work. Conduct stretches as required, such as in the hips, or lower back. Add in some mobility movements to keep your body loose.
Here is what a sample week could look like:
Day 1
- 10 Swings
- Press 1 rep
- 15 Swings
- Press 2 reps
- 25 Swings
- Press 3 reps
- 50 Swings
- Rest 30-60 seconds; repeat 4 more times.
By the end of the workout, you’ll have completed 500 swings and 30 presses.
Day 2
- 10 Swings
- Chin-up 1 rep
- 15 Swings
- Chin-up 2 reps
- 25 Swings
- Chin-up 3 reps
- 50 Swings
- Rest 30-60 seconds; repeat 4 more times.
By the end of the workout, you’ll have completed 500 swings and 30 chin-ups.
Day 3 – Rest
Day 4
- 10 Swings
- Press 1 rep
- 15 Swings
- Press 2 reps
- 25 Swings
- Press 3 reps
- 50 Swings
- Rest 30-60 seconds; repeat 4 more times.
By the end of the workout, you’ll have completed 500 swings and 30 presses.
Day 5
- 10 Swings
- Chin-up 1 rep
- 15 Swings
- Chin-up 2 reps
- 25 Swings
- Chin-up 3 reps
- 50 Swings
- Rest 30-60 seconds; repeat 4 more times.
By the end of the workout, you’ll have completed 500 swings and 30 chin-ups.
Day 6 – Rest
Day 7 – Rest, or begin the cycle again
Swing Technique
There are several variations to complete the kettlebell swing. The two main variations being the American Swing, as seen in Crossfit workouts, and the Russian Swing.
The major difference between the two variations is that the Russian Swing is primarily a hip hinge movement with the kettlebell reaching to roughly chest height, and that the American Swing there is a secondary movement where the kettlebell is pulled overhead.
While there are uses for both variations of kettlebell swings, we will focus on the Russian Swing for this program.
The condition:
Swing the kettlebell between your legs and then in front of you up to chest level for repetitions.
The swing standard:
- Maintain the box-squat alignment during swings and when picking up or setting down the kettlebell:
- Keep your head up;
- Keep a straight – not to be confused with “upright” – back;
- Sit back, rather than dip down.
- Extend the hips and knees fully on the top: the body must form a straight line;
- The kettlebell must form an extension of the straight and loose arm(s) on the top of the swing.
What is next?
Firstly, congratulate yourself for completing this program. If done correctly, it can be quite the challenge. Well done.
You’ll most likely be in much better shape than you were four or five weeks ago and you should be ready for the next challenge.
Keep swinging.
David Marcato 