100 Kettlebell Swings a Day

[TRBeck]

You can do this for a month if you like, or until the end of 2014, or indefinitely.

I have done kettlebell swings regularly for a few years, usually somewhere around 75-100 on the days I did them. I believe Dan John says 75 swings 3x/week is the minimum dose, and I generally haven't bothered with fewer than 75 on a given day. Anyway, I hadn't done them in a couple of months, but I decided at the beginning of August to knock out 100 a day for the month.

When August was over, I decided my hips were feeling great, my running was going well, my glutes were firing appropriately, and I was looking more trim, so I'm going to keep it going.

I'm using a 24kg bell, two-handed swings, sets of 20. Some days I do these whenever I can fit in a set, other days I knock them out in succession resting 15 seconds between sets. I also do them between sets of other things when I do resistance training at home or in the weight room. For instance, last night I alternated between sets of 20 swings and sets of 10 pushups.

Swings are an efficient tool for fat loss, getting your glutes in gear, and getting in a quick workout when there's no time for anything else. A single bell and you're good to go. No need for a gym, a lot of space, or a lot of time. You decide whether you want to do two-handed or one-handed swings, sets of 10, 20, or more, etc.

So who's up for a hundred swings a day? I will make sure to post daily when I've done mine. Today that will probably happen after my kids are in bed for the night. Anyone care to join in?

[lauren_knows]

I'm not going to participate in your challenge, because I'm following my own Dan John program this month.  Dan John really is a bastion of great information.

I'm following his 40-day workout plan. http://danjohn.net/2013/12/the-forty-day-workout-again/   In summary:  Pick 5 simple exercises, do 40 workouts in as few days as possible (factoring in off-days).

• A large posterior chain movement (the deadlift is the right answer)
• Upper body push (bench press, incline bench press, military press)
• Upper body pull (pull-ups, rows, or, if you’ve ignored them like me, heavy bicep curls)
• A simple full-body explosive move (kettlebell swings or snatches)
• And something for what I call an “anterior chain” move (an abdominal exercise). I think the ab wheel is king here, but you can also do some other movements best suited for lower reps.

So, I'm doing deadlifts, bench press, ring rows, KB swings, and the ab wheel.  I've suffered from paralysis by analysis in the past with fitness, and this program focuses on just "doing it" instead of specific weights/reps.

Again, I love Dan John.  Good luck with your KB swings.

[TRBeck]

Dan John is indeed greatness. I did Even Easier Strength (a 40-day variant) a couple of years back and really enjoyed it. I may eventually ramp up the 100 swings to a higher number. If I have to take any time off from running in the future, I have my eye on a 10,000 swing challenge.

Anyway, enjoy the 40 days. It's a great way to approach things.

[joeh]

Hmm. Im pretty tempted. I am also eyeing the 10,000 swing challenge and would like to get ready for that. You

I currently do Simple & Sinister(http://www.strongfirst.com/kettlebell-simple-and-sinister/) workout 4-6 times per week, which includes 100 swings (along with 10 TGU). I don't see the harm in doing swings a few extra days/week =).

My S&S workouts are with 24kg too, but I do 1-handed swings. I may do 2-handed swings or use 16kg for the other swings.

[TRBeck]

Outstanding!

I did S&S for Jan.-Feb. of this year and really enjoyed it. I get a bit of exercise ADD sometimes, but that's a great program to run for an extended period.

I like one-handed swings, but I have some alignment "issues," so I'm sticking to two-handed for now. I will have to mix it up if I increase the volume any, do some one-handed or do some double KB swings (a 16kg in each hand is an eye-opener), but for now, this is fun.

[TRBeck]

And done. Did sets of overhead Kb press in between swing sets. Total of 100 swings. 30 presses with each arm. Got a batch of brownies baked for my son's kindergarten class in there, too.

35 days and running now.

[joeh]

Alright, got mine done today in my S&S workout! 50 1-handed swings x 2 sides w/ 32kg bell.

I'm going to keep track on lift.do (https://www.lift.do/app/plans/73423-100-kettlebell-swings-a-day). But I'll try to keep checking in here regularly too.

Mmm,  brownies. I just reheated some cauliflower, spinach, and ground beef...

Excited to get to 35 days. Good thing I am not traveling for awhile!

[TRBeck]

Thanks for the lift.do link. Going to join shortly.

Meantime, day 36 is in the books. Just the swings, although I did run six miles this mornings on tap for ten miles tomorrow, which will be my first double digit day in almost 2 years.

[TRBeck]

Day 37, swings done in the evening.

[TRBeck]

Day 38 was last night. Did the swings in sets of ten, fifteen seconds rest between sets, done in five minutes.

[joeh]

Nice work, keep it up! I failed yesterday but got my S&S workout done first thing this morning.

Day 1...

[solon]

I didn't know you could make swings out of kilobytes, much less 100 of them a day!

[Jack]

Every time I scroll past this topic in the list, I first read it as $100K [portfolio] swings, then as 100 kilobytes, then finally as referring to kettlebell.

[TRBeck]

Ha ha! Fair enough. Maybe I can change the thread title.

Meantime, I did 100 again last night, day 39 in a row. I went with sets of 20, 30 seconds rest between sets, and finished in under 5 minutes.

[TRBeck]

Day 40. 100 swings interspersed with 30 pull-ups. Sets of 20 for the swings and 6 for the pull-ups. Felt good.

[joeh]

Nice work TRBeck! I got mine done this morning with the S&S workout, using my 32kg bell.

Day 3 for me...

And to be fair, I knew exactly what the title meant the first time I saw it =).

[TRBeck]

joeh, nice work. 3 days becomes 30 pretty quickly, and the 32kg bell...maybe one day. Out of curiosity, do you have a 28kg? Did you ever use a 28 as an intermediate step or did you jump straight from 24 to 32? Pondering a kettlebell purchase and trying to be smart about it.

Day 41: 5 rounds of 20 swings and 10 pushups

[joeh]

Haha ooops. Not sure where 32kg came from (maybe because I was also researching buying one). I am doing either 24kg or 16kg swings (always one-handed). 32kg is also one day for me too...

I am also pondering the jump. I will probably jump straight to 32kg but am more worried about the TGU than swings. I may start experimenting with different weights using my three current KB (12kg, 16kg, 24kg) in a few weeks.

I feel like the transition with swings is easier because you can start with two-handed swings. And if its too heavy - you just won't swing it high =).

What are you worried about with the jump? Being able to swing it or just grip/arm stuff?

[Penny Lane]

Are these good for girls, too??  I googled this and got warnings not to do this without coaching, etc; looks like something I'd like to try.  What weight is good to start?  For an over 55-er?

[joeh]

Are these good for girls, too??  I googled this and got warnings not to do this without coaching, etc; looks like something I'd like to try.  What weight is good to start?  For an over 55-er?

Yes, they are good for everyone! I think they are one of the best overall exercises because they work your largest muscles (hamstring, butt, back), otherwise known as your posterior chain. 50-100 3x per week is a great workout and can be done quickly.

I got my mom (65) doing them and she likes them. She started with a 12lbs kettlebell but finds it a bit light and it seems the usual starting weight for women is 18lbs - 35lbs. They have them in some sports stores/target/etc if you just want to see how heavy it feels, though its usually much easier to find better and cheaper ones online. And remember swings will be easier to do with heavier weight than just picking it up one handed.

While I would recommend someone to show you how to do them, they are a very safe exercise and fairly easy to learn on your own. There are a lot of resources online, but I've found the method found in the 4-hour Body book to be the most straightforward. You can find some here: http://fourhourworkweek.com/2011/01/08/kettlebell-swing/ and a video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zAkYWo_4ts but the full explanation is in the book.

The main key is just to learn how to "snap" your hips forward which can be a bit hard to understand at first. This will also ensure you are not putting your lower back at risk by hyperextending it. The easiest way to learn this is by doing glute bridges and learning to really push your hips up forcefully.

Let us know if you have any more questions!

Edit: This looks like a good tutorial on how to avoid the main risk of injury (lower back) with swings: http://www.girlsgonestrong.com/why-do-kettlebell-swings-hurt-my-back/

[TRBeck]

Haha ooops. Not sure where 32kg came from (maybe because I was also researching buying one). I am doing either 24kg or 16kg swings (always one-handed). 32kg is also one day for me too...

I am also pondering the jump. I will probably jump straight to 32kg but am more worried about the TGU than swings. I may start experimenting with different weights using my three current KB (12kg, 16kg, 24kg) in a few weeks.

I feel like the transition with swings is easier because you can start with two-handed swings. And if its too heavy - you just won't swing it high =).

What are you worried about with the jump? Being able to swing it or just grip/arm stuff?

More worried about grip than anything. I know my swing volume would take a hit either way, but if it just takes a hit because of increased hip demand, no biggie, it'll come around. I hate having grip be a limiting factor is all; not sure how my grip would be after 50-60 swings. OTOH, two-handed swings are easier in that regard.

I imagine I'll wind up with a 28 and a 32 eventually, and I really have a hard time seeing myself going much beyond that, but who knows?

[TRBeck]

Are these good for girls, too??  I googled this and got warnings not to do this without coaching, etc; looks like something I'd like to try.  What weight is good to start?  For an over 55-er?

Yes, they are good for everyone! I think they are one of the best overall exercises because they work your largest muscles (hamstring, butt, back), otherwise known as your posterior chain. 50-100 3x per week is a great workout and can be done quickly.

I got my mom (65) doing them and she likes them. She started with a 12lbs kettlebell but finds it a bit light and it seems the usual starting weight for women is 18lbs - 35lbs. They have them in some sports stores/target/etc if you just want to see how heavy it feels, though its usually much easier to find better and cheaper ones online. And remember swings will be easier to do with heavier weight than just picking it up one handed.

While I would recommend someone to show you how to do them, they are a very safe exercise and fairly easy to learn on your own. There are a lot of resources online, but I've found the method found in the 4-hour Body book to be the most straightforward. You can find some here: http://fourhourworkweek.com/2011/01/08/kettlebell-swing/ and a video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zAkYWo_4ts but the full explanation is in the book.

The main key is just to learn how to "snap" your hips forward which can be a bit hard to understand at first. This will also ensure you are not putting your lower back at risk by hyperextending it. The easiest way to learn this is by doing glute bridges and learning to really push your hips up forcefully.

Let us know if you have any more questions!

Edit: This looks like a good tutorial on how to avoid the main risk of injury (lower back) with swings: http://www.girlsgonestrong.com/why-do-kettlebell-swings-hurt-my-back/

+1 to everything joeh said. I also recommend that you look at some of Tracy Reifkind's stuff on YouTube or her blog. Here's a good introductory video.

My wife has been doing kettlebell swings for several months now and enjoys them.

[Penny Lane]

Thanks, you guys!!  I do 10-12 # free weights for biceps, triceps, shoulders but will keep in mind the difference momentum would make and look at heavier weights.  Thanks for the videos-- I did find some but they seemed to contradict each other (one said don't squat, another said start from squat?)  This looks very efficient in terms of benefit per time spent!

[TRBeck]

From Dan John: "The swing is not a squat."

Dan has some good videos for the swing, too, and is my go-to source for information on form with these.

Day 42 last night: 3 rounds of 20 swings and 8 overhead presses, then two more rounds of swings

I'm keeping my running mileage steady, too, and will hit 40 miles again this week if tomorrow's 10-miler goes as planned. The swings and running seem to complement each other really well, something I've noticed going back 3-4 years now.

[TRBeck]

Days 43-44 were pretty basic. Just swings. Sets of 20. Completed between kitchen tasks while prepping dinner the last two nights.

[TRBeck]

And that makes 45 days. 5 sets of 20 interspersed with yard chores. More outdoor work to be done now...

[TRBeck]

Day 46, sets of 10 swings with 15 seconds rest between sets. Done in under 5 minutes.

[joeh]

Nice! My goal is always around 5 minutes with the 16kg swings.

I did day 9 this morning. Its been all S&S workouts. Sometimes 16kg sometimes 24kg. But whenever I do it with 16kg I just do two sets of 25 swings/hand. Gets my heart going!

[TRBeck]

Outstanding! I will have to dig into S&S again sometime when running goes on the back burner. The 24kg really impresses me. I used it for TGUs only a couple of times, and it was brutal for me. I know that means I need to do it more, but I'm out of practice and shape when it comes to getups. So, last night I added them to the brief workout:

5 rounds of: 6 pullups and 20 swings
Then
3 TGUs per side

Swings were 24kg. TGUs were 18kg. I'll work up to 5 TGUs on each side quickly, then start doing some of them with the 24kg. Probably only going to do get-ups 2-3 times a week, though. We'll see what happens.

47 days and counting...

[TRBeck]

Day 48. 5 rounds of 20 swings and 10 push-up plus (aka push-up w/scap push-up at the top).

[TRBeck]

Day 49 was a pretty good one.

4 rounds of:
- 20 swings
- 8 overhead kettlebell press each side

Then 20 more swings to finish it off. Today's a milestone of sorts. Will post when they're done.

[TRBeck]

Didn't post it last night, but the swings got done. 10 sets of 10, 15 seconds rest between. 4:44 to finish.

50 days done. To go...?

[TRBeck]

Day 51: 5 sets of 20, 30 seconds rest between sets.

[joeh]

Wow, 50 days! I just finished day 14...

Still mostly doing S&S workouts but had two days of rest last week where I just did swings (after tearing up my hands climbing).

[Penny Lane]

Well, I got started on a 15 pound one, and I love it!  Such an interesting hamstring effect I would not have anticipated.  Thanks for getting me going!

[joeh]

Well, I got started on a 15 pound one, and I love it!  Such an interesting hamstring effect I would not have anticipated.  Thanks for getting me going!

Nice work Penny Lane!

It is definitely a workout on the hamstrings (especially if you have a desk job)! Keep it up, let us know if you have more questions.

I got mine done this morning with a 24kg S&S workout. Half way to 30 days!

[TRBeck]

Penny, nice work! It can be addictive: have fun with it!

Joeh, nice work on the S&S workouts and the continued march toward one month. Things have flown during this second month. Days 52 and 53 in the books here. 40 miles a week running right now, too. Pretty vanilla the lsttwodays, just getting the swings done.

[TRBeck]

Days 54-56 flew by. I had little time so didn't post until now, but the dream is still alive.

[terrier56]

Just found this thread,

I am in starting today.

SWINGS 4 LYF~!!!!

[joeh]

Just found this thread,

I am in starting today.

SWINGS 4 LYF~!!!!

Welcome terrier56! Excited to have another person doing this.

I'm on day 19 today. Still doing mostly S&S. But I made a huge mistake on Wednesday and forgot to do swings in the morning. I went climbing for two hours that evening. Then I had to do the swings when I got home and barely had any grip strength left... I got 'em done, but they were small sets.

[TRBeck]

Glad to have some more company in this thread. Hope everyone is still on board. I hit day 59 today, and my hips are thankful. Pretty vanilla the last few days, but hoping to do some more strength training along with the swings this week.

[TRBeck]

Days 60 and 61 knocked out. Looking to bump up volume, intensity, or both soon.

[TRBeck]

Three more days, 300 more swings.

I did some additional strength training on Wednesday and will do some today, too. I have also continued running: 46 miles this week. I'm eyeing a marathon in mid-February, barring injury. We'll see...

[joeh]

Nice. I did half of day 26 this morning and I'll finish this afternoon.

Been climbing a lot so taking it easier on the S&S workouts, just 1-2x a week. Climbing is a load on the shoulders too!

I also started doing the "daily reset" from Original Strength book (http://originalstrength.net/) and have been feeling good after that, 5 days in a row for that.

[terrier56]

Just found this thread,

I am in starting today.

SWINGS 4 LYF~!!!!

Been a slow start for me but I'm sure I will pick it up. I hadn't done kettles in about a year (or any other exercise for that matter) so after the first round I crashed. Did them twice since then with much better pace so I will move into everyday with 20kg from today before moving up to 24kg in about 1 week.

Difference that I feel is incredible. I cut 15 seconds of my time/km while running in such a short time.

[TRBeck]

Last night was day 67, but it may have been the last for a while. I am having issues with my abdominal muscles on the right side due to alignment problems, and I may have to nurse the injury a bit. Something's gotta give, and running is going to stay put in the routine as long as it can. We'll see how it feels later tonight...

[TRBeck]

Did 'em last night. 68 days now.

[TRBeck]

70 days in a row. Ab strain seems a bit better. I'm going to keep swingin'. Who is still with me here? Any new takers?

[joeh]

I traveled a bit and fell of my streak - I think I got to 29 days.

I'm home for a few days then gone again this weekend. But I will keep trying to do them every day at home!

Sadly a 55lbs KB is a bit hard to fly with...

[TRBeck]

Yeah, travel throws a wrench into this, but I have done none and have none planned. Nevertheless, at some point, life will intervene. No big deal.

I am now at 75 days and still swinging. And running. About to sign up for a Feb. 15 marathon, after which I'll rest a bit from everything. I would be approaching 200 days at that point. A man can dream...