10.000 Swings Experience/Review

[kywy]

I did the 10.000 swings challenge. The key takeaways are in the TLDR, the longform review is below.

(I’m not native English. But I tried)

|TLDR|

• It’s hard. Especially on the grip.
• Depending on the strategy it’s mentally hard or boring. Choose one.
• You’ll improve your technique, grip and cardio. No strength gains (for me)
• You’ll lose/maintain/gain weight depending on your calorie balance. This is not a magical fatburning program.
• Depending on your fitness level: ease into it. There are no medals at the finish line.

History

I did crossfit from 2017 to 2020. My box closed due to covid and all the other good CF gyms were too far away. I did powerlifting in 2021 and 2022. Even did some local meets. It was fun, but also a bit boring. The other powerlifters were overly hyped young kids and I didn’t feel at home. What’s the point of going to a meet if everybody is wearing headphones “to get into the zone”?

In 2023 I did a lot of program hopping. All strength programs, but didn’t stick to anything. I kept a lot of my strength despite this.

Cardio: I walk a lot. I like trail running, but my knees just can’t handle it. If I want to run 2 times a week for 30 minutes I need to prehab/rehab my ankles/knees/hips almost every day for 20 minutes. Not worth it. I also like cycling in the summer, but it takes up a lot of time.

Why I did it

I want to boost my cardio without losing too much strength. And I want to challenge myself mentally.

I also became a dad recently and needed something simple to do.

Prep work

I read most reviews on reddit and other websites. I landed on this rep scheme:

5 Rounds:

• 40 swings
• 3 pull ups or 5 squats or 5 push ups
• 30 swings
• 2 pull ups or 3 squats or 2 push ups
• 20 swings
• 3 pull ups or 5 squats or 5 push ups
• 10 swings

For me it’s mentally easier going down in reps rather than the 10-15-25-50 reps Dan John suggests.

The first and last workout will be only the swings as fast as possible. No pull ups, squats or push ups. I want to set a benchmark and retest at the end of the challenge.

I will alternate workout days and rest days. Maybe some extra rest if needed. I’d rather finish the challenge in 6-7 weeks than not finish it because it’s too hard.

I also became a dad 2 months ago. So planning workouts is not easy.

I will use a 24KG kettlebell for everything.

|WORKOUT LOG|

Workout 1 - Benchmark

This was my test run and I didn't do any strength exercises in between. Only the swings as fast a possible.

Time: 36m 40s | HR average: 149 | HR max: 184

I tried the 40-30-20-10 scheme, but it was too hard. I divided it into sets of 10 with 5-10 seconds rest in between.

I had a callus that tore and a blister on an other fingers. Not a great start.

Workout 2 - Swings and pull ups

I taped my calluses and tried some gloves and grips. Lost some time with this.

Pull ups were brutal because of the grip.

Doms in my legs and back was manageable.

Time: 47m | HR average: 151 | HR max: 171

Workout 3 - Swings and Goblet Squats

Arms/grip felt better. Had to do some work on the blister and callus. With some blister-bandages and weightlifting tape it was manageable. Going away on a 3-day trip so I hope the wounds will heal.

Goblet Squats are a pain in the ass because it means you have to chose to do the squats right after/before the swings. Or you have the clean the fucker each time. If the weather allows it I’m switching to barbell squats (my power rack is outside and no roof).

Time: 43m | HR average: 145 | HR max: 186

Workout 4 - Swings and Push ups

Blister not fully healed, but I taped it up. Was the easiest of the 3 strength movements. Noticing some cardio improvements. Only a minute slower than the benchmark, but I also did 50 push ups in between. And lower HR. (Benchmark was only the swings.)

Time: 37m | HR average: 146 | HR max: 169

I’m not going to a write up every workout. Only if I have something to new to mention. Normally it will be a bit boring from now on.

I learned

• how to protect my hands
• how to pace
• that goblet squats suck and that i’m going to do barbell squats when possible

Workout 5 to 10

Progress comes fast and in all sorts of ways:

• Went sub 30 minutes on workout 7 (500 swings and 50 push ups)
• Went sub 25 minutes on workout 10 (500 swings and 50 push ups)
• I can do sets of 40 swings. Not for all the rounds, but it’s getting there
• My average HR is dropping

I keep changing up the way I do my 40-30-20-10 swings and I try to experiment with the pacing. Starting a round every 7 or 8 minutes is the most “relaxing” way to do it. You can power through a round in 4-5 minutes and rest for the remaining 2-3. Rinse and repeat 4 times. Or you can go slow and steady and just keep going at the same pace.

Subgoals for the second half of the challenge:

• Do 5 rounds of 40-30-20-10 swings all unbroken sets
• Add more weight to the bar for the squats. I’m on 40kg now, but 50-60 should be doable

Workout 10 to 15

Although I try to keep it interesting it’s getting a little boring. The progress I made:

• HR keeps lowering. Not as much, but this is as expected.
• Used 50kg for the squats
• I managed to do all sets unbroken. 5 rounds of 40-30-20-10. I did take a little more rest and finished the workout in 38 minutes.

I have 4 workouts to go before my re-test. Some mini goals to keep it interesting:

• Go sub 24 or 23 minutes on the workout with push ups.
• Use 60 kg for the squats
• Just do the one with chin ups. I hate this one because it’s just suffering for the grip and forearms.

After these 4 I’m going to take 2 or 3 days off to recover. The goal is to go sub 20 minutes. (only the swings)

Workout 16 to 19

Workout 16 and 17 went great. Went sub 23 minutes on the push up workout.

But I got the flu right after workout 17.

Didn’t train for 5 days to fully recover. Did workout 18 and 19 at a relatively slow pace.

Took one day off after this to recover for the retest.

Workout 20

Was nervous because I just recovered from the flu. The plan to go sub 20 minutes was still there though. My strategy was to do 12 rounds of 90 seconds consisting of 25 + 15 reps.

Normally I can finish these reps in 60-70 secondes, which leaves 20 seconds rest.

After the 12 rounds I would be at 18 minutes and 480 reps. Which gives me 2 minutes for 20 reps.

After round 5 I switched to 18+12+10 reps. The 3 second mini breaks really help with the grip.

After round 8 I took a full minute to rest.

I finished the workout in 19 minutes and 35 seconds.

|RESULTS|

Here you can find the complete spreadsheet:

https://preview.redd.it/9qid46fcf2p...bp&s=888f8249f0822cff6b0166ad9846482570925f0d

Time

I went from 36 minutes and 40 seconds to 19 minutes and 35 seconds. Both were maximum effort workouts. Really happy with this result.

It’s a combination of cardio, grip and pacing improvements.

Cardio

This one bums me out. I wore a smartwatch for every training, but after workout 10 it went a bit crazy and didn’t record my HR correct in the first 5-10 minutes.

Despite this I can say my cardio has improved greatly. The workout got a lot easier and I noticed it when hiking or taking the stairs. Good stuff and a great alternative for running.

Grip

Besides cardio, this is mostly a grip training program. You forearms will hurt like a MF. I slowly build up to longer sets.

Also had a lot problems with blisters due to a bad kettlebell and/or bad technique. I taped up my fingers after this to be sure.

Strength

I didn’t notice much improvement with this. I also didn’t lose much either.

So this one depends on your starting point.

Body measurements

I maintained my weight. But that’s because I didn’t change my diet.

Okay-ish during the week. Not so okay-ish during the weekend.

Dan John mentions everyone loses weight with this program, but I thinks that mainly because they also altered their diet or they were new to training and didn’t eat more to compensate.

Either way: this is not a magical program to lose weight. You need to eat less to lose weight.

REVIEW / THOUGHTS

Positives

• I rediscovered my joy for training hard. You can say a lot of negative stuff about crossfit, but they make training hard fun. When training on my own I slowly spiraled into training easier. Maybe a bit too easy. I forgot that getting your ass kicked sometimes is necessary.
• I also liked figuring out all the tips/tricks too go faster and faster. I even had to set new goals because I kept reaching them too soon.
• It works! Your cardio will improve a lot (depending on you starting point).

Negatives

• It’s long and boring. 20 workouts doing the same thing is really monotonous. But that’s why it’s a challenge I guess?

It’s up to you to make it interesting by experimenting with pacing strategies and personalized goals in between.

• It’s a challenge and not a structured program. Don’t do it if you want an ‘optimal’ program. I don’t really care for optimal. I like to have fun. And as mentioned: it still works.
• The original way Dan John prescribes the challenge is too hard for beginners. My cardio was shit, but my strength and grip was decent. If you are completely new I would suggest:
  • Easing into the challenge with 1-2 workouts a weeks and slowly building up
  • Choosing a lighter kettlebell (I did it as prescribed: 24kg)
  • Doing less reps and building up to 500
  • A combination of the above

GOING FORWARD

Will I do this again? Probably not. Not in this way

But I will keep doing these types of workout in the future by mixing it with other programs.

Or doing a shorter version.

If you have any questions, shoot! If I don’t reply within 5 days please ask again. It probably slipped my mind.

 

[scottpryor]

@kywy

For me it’s mentally easier going down in reps rather than the 10-15-25-50 reps Dan John suggests.

Just FYI, Dan John has since moved away from this rep scheme since it's so brutal on the grip. Unfortunately the original article is too popular so it keeps showing up at the top of the search results.

Here's his 10000 swings revisited article from 2020.

He's also talked about other rep schemes like doing 15, 35, 15, 35. In this variation you could also do the 15 with a heavier bell and the 35 with a lighter one.

 

[kywy]

@scottpryor You are right. I didn't made that clear enough!

I was indeed referring to the original rep scheme. I read (almost) everything about the challenge and ended op on the 40-30-20-10 scheme.

Which was only like this on paper and for keeping track of the reps.

Most of the time it was 25-15 --> 18-12 --> 20 --> 10

 

[iamcliff]

@kywy Also, your non-native English is better than most English-only speakers I come across.

 

[kywy]

@iamcliff Thanks!

 

[nickybol]

@kywy 1) awesome write up probably the best I've ever seen on this program

2) I am seriously impressed you did this while being a new dad (congrats!) ... From memory there was one other poster who was a new dad who ran the program ...

3) given your weightlifting background I'm curious how you would have felt if you had a few heavier bell

4) I'm also curious if you would run (and post details) a very different type of program: "busy dad program" basically 4 20-minute burpees sessions a week (6 count Navy seals, and 4 count burpees) plus 10 pull-ups a day... May want to check it out

 

[kywy]

@nickybol

1. Thanks!
2. I usually workout at 6 AM. So the baby and my wife were just getting up by the time I was finished. But I'm dialing back the morning sessions. By friday I was a wreck.
3. I have a 32kg kettlebell. I some use it for low rep swings. Don't think it did more than 10 in set. Might give that one a go (but not for 10.000 reps!)
4. I came across that program a while ago. I seems even tougher mentally to me. Maybe some day.

 

[hunter101]

@kywy Great read! You've just inspired me to finally run it leading up to ABC April.

I don’t really care for optimal. I like to have fun. And as mentioned: it still works.

This is a great mindset to have for your training in general. Fun -> consistent, hard training -> gains.

In general you'll also get way better results by doing something that works, and sticking with that until it stops, rather than constantly searching for something that's like 5% better.

 

[kywy]

@hunter101 Good luck man! The hardest part is the middle when you realize how you already did and how much you still need to do.

And totally agreed on the 5%. It's not worth it if you don't enjoy it.

 

[hunter101]

@kywy Thanks a lot! I've done a similar volume of swings before, but I think the new goal is to do it in 20 days straight and heavier, and really focus hard on progressing day to day.

Another point on the last 5%: let's say you have something good that you can run for 2 years - the alternative may be to do a bunch of mediocre training for those 2 years while searching for the last 5%. I think there's a good chance you'll not only have less fun (unless you enjoy the search), but will also make less progress.

 

[dawes]

@hunter101 ABC April? What am I missing out on here? Links?

 

[hunter101]

@dawes We have an annual competition on r/Kettleballs: sets x weight in 5 minutes, scaled to bodyweight. Here's last year's thread.

All you have to do is pick a flair on the subreddit and post your bodyweight, weight used and a video to document it. It's just 5 minutes, how terrible could it be?

 

[dawes]

@hunter101 Ah yes! For some reason I thought it was a combo of abc and 10kswings, like 30' abc daily non stop!
5 mins is nothing!!! Bring april on!

 

[hunter101]

@dawes Ha, I like the spirit! 30' of ABCs is a brutal workout.

 

[dawes]

@hunter101 Amrap yes!

 

[juancarlos]

@kywy Solid write up! Thanks!

 

[taurho]

@kywy Good detailed write up. This year will be my 3rd consecutive year doing it at the end of summer before I really ramp up my trail running in the fall, and it works wonders for it. Each time Ive done it, I'll still average 15-20 miles of running during the week while doing the program, and even after just the first week, I can tell a difference on the trail. IMO, the 10k swing challenge is the ultimate reset. I just feel so much better going into another program with squats and C&P's after doing the 10k.

Ive experimented alot with rep scheme. What Ive found works pretty well, at least for me, is I do the first 2 sets of 100 with a rep scheme of 6 sets of 15 reps with minimal rest, and then a set of 10. Sets 3 and 4, I do a rep scheme of either 5x20, or 4x25. Then, for the last one, depending on how I feel, I do a 2x50, or go back to the 6x15 and 1x10. I find with this overall rep scheme, I'm not so fatigued by the end. Plus, changing up the rep scheme frequently just helps with the mental aspect.

 

[evilarm]

@kywy Great work, impressive improvement! And great write up, all solid points. Agreed powerlifting is too boring, you should try strongman or kettlebell sport!

 

[kywy]

@evilarm We often had strongman training at my crossfit and I really liked it! Too bad there are no gyms nearby that offer this.

Might look into kettlebell sport. Are there online competitions?

 

[evilarm]

@kywy There are online gs competitions, I’ve done a few and I use this link to find them: https://www.kettlebellworld.org/