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10,000 Swings Kettle Bell Challenge

T-Nation devised this challenge: 500 total reps of swings per workout; 
10 reps
1 rep of strength movement
15 reps
2 reps of strength movement
25 reps 
3 reps of strength movement
50 reps
Rest 3 minutes
Repeat 4 times to get a total of 500 swings

 Between sets of swings add a low volume strength movement (e.g. barbell overhead press, dip, goblet squat, chin ups, pistol squat, front squat, handstand push up, wide grip pull up, muscle up)

 For the 1-2-3 rep lift use 5 rep max weight
For things like dips do 2-3-5 rep scheme

 If you do the workout 5 days a week one of those days only do the swings (no strength in-between)
If you do the workout 4 days a week use the strength movements every workout 
You may use a different strength movement every workout, rotating between them

 It was all going so well...

 Firstly I wanted to do this challenge as i'd never embarked on one before and Josh is always having a go at them, so I thought why not give it a try. My goals were to improve my upper body strength, strengthen my posterior chain and get a little more lean. 

 This challenge claims that after 10,000; EVERYONE who took part

  • Increased their lean muscle mass & conditioning 
  • Decreased their waist size by an inch+
  • People had more visible abs
  • Core lifts improved e.g. deadlifts
  • Glute strength improved greatly
  • Coaches made visual muscular improvements
  • Grip strength improved 
  • Increased work capacity 

If these claims are true, it's perfect for my goals. So I gave it a go...however I slightly adapted it to me as i'm not a massive lifter so I chose strength movements that I found challenging for me so I could improve on them.

 Day 1: The 1st 500 swings were a breeze, I'd previously done a lot of KB swings in my workouts, so it was nothing new to me. I used a 16kg KB and did negative push ups in-between sets as I can't do a full press up yet.The only thing I really noticed throughout was how challenged my grip strength was, my forearms were burning!! I was puffing throughout so getting great CV work too. The workout took me 40 mins and I made sure I did a thorough stretch afterwards.

 Day 2 (1000) - I did pistol squats as my strength movement. This time it wasn't so easy, damn those DOMS! I also noticed that I had bruises all along both of my hamstrings, never had that before and I know that's not a good thing! But stupidly I did the workout anyway. The swings didn't feel as easy and I was definitely feeling it in my hamstrings and also my core but I managed to complete it in the same time as the day before. Again I thoroughly stretched everything out afterwards. 

 Day 3: Rest day. Boy did I need it. I expected to be sore (hamstrings, glutes, core, back, forearms) and just ensured I stretched regularly and kept the muscles warm. 

 Day 4 & Day 5: I couldn't bring myself to do the workout on both of these days - I felt like my hamstrings were going to snap! So I listened to my body and let it settle down. 

 Day 6: I tackled the workout again, but did KB clean & presses for the strength movement. I could still feel the tightness in my hamstrings but my grip strength didn't feel anywhere near as bad as before and I actually completed it in 35mins, so I'd gotten quicker. However after this time I could feel my lower back was being a bit teasy also. 

 Day 7: 500 swings again, but after this workout I just felt like I was compensating massively throughout the movement and form was compromised, my hamstrings have never felt so horrific and my lower back just wasn't feeling right...

 So sadly I decided to abandon this challenge for now :( I maybe should have chosen a different challenge to start with. I have suffered with SI joint problems previously and although I felt capable at the beginning, considering the amount of KB work I do anyway, my core and glutes just weren't strong enough to begin with and my hamstrings and back took the brunt of it. So i'm stepping away from it and going back to working on my weaker areas for now. 

 I think before you embark on a challenge such as this you have to have a really good fitness base and be free of any injuries/niggles as these can be exacerbated purely by the high volume of repetitive movements. 

 I haven't been defeated yet, I will be back and 10,000 swings will be mine :)!!!!


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