New Workout Program: The 10,000 Swing Kettlebell Workout

Hey everyone,

Recently, we came across a really intriguing workout program, called the 10,000 swing kettlebell workout (http://www.t-nation.com/workouts/10000-swing-kettlebell-workout).  It was featured on the Strongfirst website and seemed like it would be challenging and effective.

One line at the outset of the article really caught our eye, "Every person who has completed this 20 workout plan has increased lean muscle mass while dropping body fat."  The thing that solidified our decision to try it was seeing that the author was Dan John.  He's a bit of a legend in the strength and conditioning world.  We figured, what did we have to lose if we tried it out for a month?  It seemed that we had a lot to potentially gain...

We have now completed several of the workouts.  In many ways, it is a simple program.  You perform 500 kettlebell swings per workout (aiming for perfect form).  After the first few workouts, we have also started to introduce other supplementary moves in between the sets (as described in the article).  For example, in the last workout, Alex performed sets of 5, 3 and 2 reps of wide-grip pullups.  Not only did this allow him to perform an extra 50 pullups throughout the workout, but it also became an extreme challenge for his grip!

Although we realize Dan John would not approve, we did modify the workout slightly.  Doing 50 swings in a row (as per his article) is very taxing on your grip.  To ensure we could complete the workouts safely (and using good form), we used this rep range: 15, 20, 25, 40.  We performed the five circuits with that pattern, for the total of 500 reps each workout.

Our initial observation is that this workout is tough!  500 reps is a lot, for any exercise.  We are timing our workouts, as suggested, and definitely seeing a decrease in the amount of time it takes to complete it.  The toughest workout is definitely the second day (you perform them on consecutive days).  By that point, your hamstrings, glutes, abs, and grip will be really sore and fatigued (especially after the first couple of workouts).  There is definitely a mental aspect to this program as well, since you have to push through the discomfort and keep focused on high quality reps.

We're excited to keep going and see the results that this program will bring.  We'll keep you updated as we go!

- Tannys & Alex