The 10,000 swings Challenge

I’m a sucker for challenges. Sure, sometimes they won’t make any sense and I’d be contradicting myself when it comes to “safe exercise protocols”, but there really is something about challenges that gets me moving. I know I’m not alone. This is why my gym has a workout of the week and a challenge of the month. Your body needs a good beating every once in a while. Please take note that I said “every once in a while” and not every time. That’s just foolish.

I am also a sucker for kettle bells. I believe that every gym should have an abundance of these wonderful tools. I’ll be bold to say that if your gym does not have kettle bells, transfer to another one that has. You will be missing out on a very important exercise tool.

So when one of our coaches in 360 informed me about Coach Dan John’s 10,000 kettle bell routine, I was intrigued. I tried it out that same day and as expected, I was smashed. My sweat was all over the place and my arms felt like they were about to fall off. Now I’m the same guy of course who said that you should look for the maximum effects from the minimum intervention. But as I said, I love kettle bells and I love challenges, so please forgive me.

Coach Dan John is a well respected strength coach and I had the privilege to listen to him talk when I attended the Perform Better Functional Training summit last August. He knows his stuff. This program was an experiment that he conducted recently and I was intrigued with the results that he was getting:

• Improved athleticism

• Lower body fat

• More visible abs

• More lean muscle

• Increased Endurance

• Improved Glute(butt) physique and performance

The program is simple, deceptively simple. You would think, “hmm, I could do that.” Which I did, and of course, you will be smashed. You will be doing 500 kettle bell swings per day for 20 training days. Guys will use a 24kg kettle bell (or 2 12s per hand) and girls will use 16kg (or 8s per hand). The 500 swings will be divided into 5 rounds of 100. Each round will go as follows:

1. 10 swings

2. 1 rep of a strength exercise

3. 15 swings

4. 2 reps of a strength exercises

5. 25 swings

6. 3 reps of a strength exercise

7. 50 swings

You will rest for 3 or more minutes depending on your condition and do some corrective exercises for the hips, back, shoudlers, and forearms. Translation: stretch them, because they will be sore. Simple math will tell you that you will need 20 total training days to reach 10,000 swings.

For the strength exercises, Coach Dan suggests the following: Pull ups (you may add weight), military press, front or goblet squats, and weighted dips. I think that you can actually add to this selection, although I did stick to his exercises for the purpose of experimentations. You will use weight that you think you can carry for 5 reps, and nothing more. Each training day, you will switch strength exercises that will go along with your swings.

Now, I wouldn’t recommend this if you’re not versed with kettle bell swings already, but even if you are already, here are some reminders of proper kettle bell swings:

• It’s not a squat, it’s a hip hinge. The movement should be hip-powered.

• Forearms should touch the thighs

• Push with your hips and end in an upright position

• Clench your glutes and abs in this upright position. It’s easy to cheat this so don’t

• Don’t go beyond chest level

For the training schedule, you can either go 4 a week or 5 a week. If you go 4 a week like me, you will go 2 straight days, rest for 1 day then 2 straight days again. If you will add a 5^th day, you will NOT do any strength exercises during that day and just finish the 500 swings. The program ends once you’ve done a total of 10,000 swings. Like I said, simple.

So far I’m on my 6^th day and early results are promising. I’ve lost 3 pounds and my body fat went down by 2%. I’ve also gone faster with each day and I feel that I have more in the tank when it comes to my basketball games. So far so good.

I’ll update more in my home blog as I go along, but if you feel that you want to try this, I’d say go ahead. Here are some tips for those brave enough to try it:

• Don’t get stuck with the recommended weight, if 24 or 16 are too heavy, start lighter and build up to the recommended weights

• Drink a lot of water, you will sweat a lot

• Start with some core and glute activation before the workout like mini-band routines, planks and bridges. This will ensure proper abdominal and glute activity during the workout

• Track your workout times and see it go down every session. It’s a good motivator

• Take a before and after picture. Because there really will be a difference.