10,000 Kettlebell Swing Workout Starting Today - Join Me

jimmmer, I read as much as I could before I get sick of the banter. However, I did ready the top of page 2 from your suggestions. Anyone who is serious about doing this workout correct needs to read it.

Here is it, just in case you don't want to go to the site. http://www.davedraper.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/32029/tp/2/

09-30-13 01:36 PM - Post#783846


Two things that didn't make the article:
Focusing on one aspect of technique
The swing, being ballistic, can’t be thought through as you go. It is a powerful, dynamic move and the harder you work, the better things will be, but you will go absolutely nowhere from all your hard work! That’s why I love it: it trains the most important human movement in sports performance (the hinge), roasts the metabolism and you don’t move an inch.

So, we focus on a technical idea each set.

• On the tens, we focus on the aggressive “Hike Pass,” the part where you throw the bell at your zipper.

• On the fifteens, we focus on the aggressively forward “throw” of the bell. If there is one overlooked corrective for swings, this is it. The idea is to think of launching the bell forward, but don’t. This is the tackle in football and the delivery in throwing sports. This will also straighten the arms, pack the shoulders down, and generate the right mental focus. It will also make it clear why doing swings correctly keeps the bell from floating up too much and protects the whole back.

• On the twenty-fives, we focus on the plank. Drive the heels to ground, snap your glutes, drive the top of your head to the ceiling. The harder you throw the bell forward, the more float you get on the bell, but you are striving to NOT let it happen. When Steve Rowe did his historic 10,000 swings in a day, his heels hurt the most the next day.

• The Fifties are hard on the grip, so we focus on the breathing. Count out loud every rep. Now, I find that sixteen is “sssss” and seventeen is “seeeeesssss,” but this is fine. Practice your matched breathing technique here.

This leads us to the great GAG of Swings: Glutes, abs and grip.

On the tens and fifteens, we are working hard on the glutes as the big engine driving the movement. On the 25s, we will experience the abs. I teach how the abs work with a simple drill. In my training language, a “heartbeat” is when you grab the kettlbebell by the horns and hold it on your chest, now explosively snap the weight out and back like a bench press from a gun.

Good. Now, drop into the deep position of the Goblet Squat and repeat the heartbeat. That quick cramping of your abs is how they are supposed be trained …like the fast twitch muscles they are and not by slow, high rep crunches!

The 25s teach the abs to be abs again.

The 50s show us what I learned when I first met kettlebellers: I asked them simply, if KBs were to disappear, what would you miss? The answer: the grip work. There are plenty of ways to train your grip, but this way also cuts fat and makes you a better athlete.

Equipment Needs

One Kettlebell that is the right load for you.
Bare feet or “minimal shoes.” No heels at all!

Suggested:
Heart Rate Monitor
Clock (to really just keep you on track)
A whiteboard or some method to check off the sets.


Determining the Right Bell

Although one could make a sweeping statement that men should use the 24K and women work with the 16K, many trainers are under or over belled. In a training group, one person is sprinting and one person is walking with a “one size fits all approach.” Because we are looking at 500 reps a day, Heart Rate is an interesting way to determine the right bell size.

Generally, though, the 24 and 16 recommendations are pretty good, but these two tests can really give some insights.

First, I have a complex way. You need three friends to help and one of them, at least, has to be a competent instructor.

Put on a chest strap heart rate monitor. Assistant number one will stand behind you the whole time and monitor your heart rate holding the watch. The HR monitors we use have a chest strap and a wrist watch that gives you the information. During swings, I don’t want you stopping and looking at your wrist.

Assistant Number One will be looking for two numbers:

When your HR hits 180-age, this person will give the command to stop swinging. Assistant number two will now note the time.

When your HR hits 160-age, assistant number one will give the command to begin swinging again. Assistant number two will note the time.

For those who don’t understand this, 180-age is to take your age (you should know this) and minus it from 180. If you are 30, this will be 150.

Assistant number three is the key (and it rhymes). This is the experienced person. You will do three swings and then assistant three will start hitting the bell down towards your zipper in what are called “Spike Swings.” Don’t “guess” what you think this is, by the way. Have someone who has been taught to do this and understands it. The additional ballistic hit is stunning to the movement and the HR goes up a lot.

Stop the test when the swinger doesn’t come back down to the 160-HR number for a minute and a half or two minutes. This is vague, but it depends on so many factors.

Too complex? The following is almost exactly what most people find to be the same as this:

Two hand swings for 15 reps. Be SURE to attack both the hinge and the plank.
You need to finish this set either exactly at 15 seconds or a shade under that time.
Rest 15 seconds
Two hand swings for 15 reps.
Rest 30 seconds
Two hand swings for 15 reps.
Rest 45 seconds
Two hand swings for 15 reps.
Rest 60 seconds
Two hand swings for 15 reps.

Stop. Now: Check HR every 30 seconds. If it comes back to 160-HR
Under 30 seconds: Seriously? Grab a real bell. Just kidding, but most people are underbelled by a lot for swings.
60 seconds: You might need to go probably four kilos or so more on your bell. Test again soon.
90 seconds: For now, you are right “there.” This is the bell for you.
120 seconds plus: Don’t die. You went “over” on your weight choice.
Never Let Go.

Daniel John

Okay guys, I just finished my second kettlebell workout. I decided to use the 25 pounds for the entire workout and it was just short of BRUTAL! Because I switched to the 25 lbs, it took me 45 minutes. I used the same routine as last time, but I did not do any exercise in between sets. Rather than performing low rep strength training between sets, I used the foam roller on my lower back and shoulders. I believe that I would not had been able to finish the workout otherwise.

Here is how it went down.

I am still sore from the first workout, and it took a tremendous amount of warming up to loosen everything.

I started my first set and really focused on bending at the hip minimizing knee bend (This is not a squat!!!), and keeping my lats pushed down. I also focused on my abs to prevent my lower back from fatiguing too much.

Set 2 felt more like cardio, because my muscles were fresh and I was just knocking them out. After set 2 the oxygen started moving and I got past the "first mile".

In set 3 my lower back started bothering so I really started thrusting my hips more, focused on a perfectly straight back, and slowed down slightly to keep good form and prevent injury.

In set 4 my grip was starting to suffer, so I had to constantly adjust my hands to prevent slippage. Set 4 was slow and brutal. It no longer felt like cardio. My heart rate was high, but my breathing was normal. In other words, I was not panting. At this point, my grip, lower back, and glutes are starting to suffer. What is really interesting is when I hit the set of 25 in the 4th set, my focus began changing to perfect form. My muscles are becoming so fatigued that I feel like the smallest degradation of form will cause me to injure myself. Set 4 was the hardest session of the entire workout.

At the end of set 4 I felt some accomplishment because I just completed 400 kettlebell swings at 25 pounds resulting in 10,000 pounds of weight moved!

Set 5 was was very interesting, because no workout has caused me to do this. I had to take the full rests during set 5. Set 5 was purely form focus. Everything went into account in each swing. My last 100 swings were probably the most perfect kettlebell swings I have ever performed.
Starting at the bottom, with maximum hip bend and minimal knee bend, a perfectly aligned back with tight abs especially in the pelvic region a hip thrust and pull straight toward my crotch started the explosive movement. My lats stayed tight and pushed down preventing the weight from ever moving above parallel to the ground regardless of force. By the end of the set, I could barely stand because of the fatigue in my glutes. What is also interesting about the last session was all feeling of lower back strain was gone. It seems that a deeper movement actually distributed the weight more evenly across my body.

This is a great workout! Wanna get good at something? Do it 500 times in row.

I just completed my third day of this. I decided to change it up and do the Spartacus workout yesterday morning, but I added 2.5 time the amount of weight as usual. It killed me on the cardio, was Awesome!

Anyway, today was far EASIER than the previous days. My body is getting used to doing proper swings with 25 pounds. I shaved 4 minutes off of my time today, which is cool. I believe I will be increasing to 35 lbs after one more 25 pound workout to ensure that I don't shave too much time off. Either way, I see that some of you have started doing it as well. Post your results!

Today I have officially moved 37,500 pounds!

How much experience and how long had you trained with kettlebells before starting this program? I have only been working with them for a couple of weeks and didnt know if i should attempt this or wait until i have more experience and improve my form.
Thanks

Basically what jimmmer said. If you have been working with Kettlebells for a couple of weeks, then you will probably be fine. I would say if you think you have your form down correctly, Then do the workout once without worrying about the conditioning part, and focus on form the whole session. If you have to rest longer than a minute, then do so.
Pay special attention to 3 very distinct things:

1. Abs - Keep them Tight! They will begin to loosen up once you get fatigued, and you will have to force them tight.
2. Lower Back - No matter what part of the swing you are in, your back should always be perfectly straight with its natural arch. Tight abs will ensure it remains straight.
3. Shoulders - Believe it or not, while it may not seem you are working your shoulders, you can certainly strain them from the swings. Keep them down by keeping your lats tense. This is pretty difficult to do, and will only come with practice. Tight lats support your shoulders and will ensure the weight does not go too high without you having to forcefully stop the upswing.

Something I have learned with Kettlebell swings is that you need use proper weight. With most exercises, you can under-size until you get good at it. However, due to the force with kettlebell swings, you might actually injure yourself by going too light. The first workout REALLY sucks.So I would do 2 or 3 before deciding to continue.

Trust me, it becomes a grind by the end. Most people who bail on it before finishing are going to do it because either a) they injured themselves, or: b) they died of boredom.

I don't really get bored. I watch myself, in the mirror to help keep form, and listen to talk radio. I know, weird.