A report on the legendary 10,000 kettlebell swing challenge, a month-long, super-simple, brutal set of 20 workouts of 500 kettlebell swings each with one accessory movement and prescribed rest.
Week 1: 2,000 swings down
First two workouts were with 14kg bell at around 22 mins; third upgrade to 16kg bell at 25 mins and fourth with 16kg shaved down to 23:40.
Soreness is real, localized in my hamstrings and erector spinae, though sometimes that low back/sacral area is lit up too. I’ve done cryo after every session, and it’s helped, I think. The workout itself is fun, mental as much as physical, but cool in that way. I also got that euphoric high in my 25 swings on the fourth workout, which was a lovely surprise.
Pro tip: find music with the right beat. I will 100% swing to the beat.
Week 2: Halfway! 5,000 swings down, 5,000 to go
I made my accessory lifts harder and—no surprise—my time got slower. But I’m pretty sure that’s what you’re supposed to do… I said to my handsome humanitarian warrior that one of the things that always gets me is how something different about the workout is hard each day even though it’s the same workout. Sometimes it’s grip strength, or lower back soreness, or motivation, or bad jams with bad beats, but it’s definitely a slog that feels like it’s teaching you something powerful about powering through.
Plus, it’s just 22 minutes.
Week 3: 7,500 swings, wait am I just getting slower?
3/4 of the way done with this challenge and I’m getting slower? I’m doing heavier weights – strict pressing 95# and doing chinups – between sets so hopefully it’s that, but it still feels like I’m going the wrong way. I also do not appear to have gone down a whole waist size … but despite these disappointing factors, I will push through! This is, after all, the point of a challenge.
FINISHED! 10,000 kettlebell swings!
And I don’t feel anything? It was a bit of an anti-climatic finish with my partner in crime in the field, so I just finished my swings in under 22 minutes and snapped this pic and was done.
Am I happy I did it? Absolutely. The consistency was super helpful as PT tapered but I wasn’t fully cleared to play sports. It put me back into a routine, and showed me how helpful it is to workout in the mornings when I can, because it sets me up so much better for a happy day. All good things!
No visible or pant-size weight loss, though. :/ I am impressed with myself, however, for getting to and repping with my previous strict press max…
What now?
T-Nation recommends Wendler’s 5/3/1, which I’ve tackled before and don’t particularly enjoy—the emphasis on bench, squat, and press doesn’t excite me. I want power cleans! Dynamic, explosive movements! But I DO need a program… eventually.
In the meantime, I’m gonna let playtime guide me back from the injury. Leftover classes at Orange Theory Fitness? On my way! Climbing again with my brother? Count me in! At the end of the day, I’m excited to be back into moving my body, experimenting with different ways to push it, while maintaining an ego-free sense of what’s right for an athlete with a surgically-repaired tendon.