@nipun I would agree with @Brotendo88. Keep going until it is easy. I would also suggest that while also adding more volume or doing the 10,000 swing challenge, adding complexity in the form of one handed swings. You could also start incorporating suite case carries (one sided farmer carry if I am using the wrong term) and other such accessory exercises.
You can also DM me if you want to discuss programming more.
@nipun Just make sure to do things gradually and just use slow and steady increases of reps. Please for the love of god warm up well before every workout. Us 40+ people need to be a little more carful.
@nipun You should see some solid results. Not sure how out of shape you are at this point but it’s probably smart to ramp up to 300 reps instead of starting there if you’ve been sedentary for a while. Maybe start with 100 and go from there, if you’re fresh the next day maybe add 50 reps, if you’re sore and tight the next day add less. I’m a pretty big advocate for swings as a weight loss tool but I would suggest trying to work in other movements as well if you can.
You might already know this but the 300 swings a day thing is pretty well tried and true. It’s something Dan John and Pat Flynn promote as an achievable level of output on a regular basis.
@josipa Thanks for this - I got the idea from Pat Flynn and Dan John. What I’m asking here is: is 300 swings/day ENOUGH, or should I be doing more on top of that?
@nipun I'm struggling to understand exactly what you're looking to learn here, but here's a couple thoughts:
It seems like you probably know this based on other posts, but if the goal is to lose weight then 0 swings is enough, just eat less. My most productive weight loss happened with minimal activity and I lost 30 lbs over the course of one summer by limiting alcohol, cutting snacks, having the same 250 calorie breakfast every day, and never getting seconds. However, the same diet will certainly help you lose more weight if you do 300 swings every day than if you don't.
If your goal is to develop a habit of exercise, then 300 swings is probably enough to help you get going but that depends more on your personality and ability to stick with it than anything.
If your goal is to gain muscle, then my follow up question would be: Which muscles? Swings are great for strengthening your posterior chain but that's not typically what people (especially men) are looking for when they say they want to gain muscle. If you want to add upper body muscle you need to do your body work.
I came away thinking “huh, that seems like a good challenge.” I am now wondering “did he mean do 300 swings and ONLY 300 swings? Or is this on top of whatever the fuck else kettlebell trainers do all day?”
I mentioned where I’m coming from: 6’2”, 265 ish and strong but out of shape. I’m cutting portion sizes, snacks, barely drink in the first place. Will 300 swings/day help me lose the roughly 30 pounds of fat I’ve gained between 2 years of sedentary plague and a year of Southern Grief Food from church?
@nipun So swings aren't magic. It takes a caloric deficit to lose weight, so your diet will be the biggest determinant of how quickly you lose weight. You need a food scale and a way to track calories like apps like Cronometer or Macrofactor.
The reason why swings help with fat loss is the same as why any resistance training helps with fat loss: it's a signal to your body to hold onto the muscle tissue since you're using it. Any sort of strength training will help here, in conjunction with a high protein diet that puts you in a caloric deficit. Aim to get 1-1.25 grams of protein per pound of your goal body weight.
The goal is largely to drop fat (first priority) gain muscle (second priority) and gain cardio/endurance (third priority)
Given this from another comment, you need to get a food scale to track your calories and a scale for tracking your bodyweight changes. Track your weekly average weight to see if you're going in the right direction.
If you're willing to do a bit of reading, the first two volumes of the Tactical Barbell books will teach you how to reach your goals. They teach you simple programming that will help you get stronger and faster with better endurance. The diet is what will get you leaner.
You keep asking if it's "enough" but insisting you understand that you need to be in a caloric deficit regardless of how many swings you do. If I may make an analogy, it feels like you're asking if 28 points is enough to win a football game, and when everyone tells you that it depends on how many points the defense gives up you say "Yeah I know that but is 28 points enough to win?"
@nipun I mean, if that's all you have time and/or determination for then it has to be enough. More would be better, I do 500 swings most days with over 300 of the reps being a 32KG+ bell and do more work on top of that but last year at this time that was too much commitment so I was basically just doing the 300 swings and calling it a day. Am I getting better results with more, heavier swings and other work than just 300 swings? Of course, but I'm spending about triple the time working out and it's pretty taxing. Also the results of 300 swings were there, just not as good as what I'm doing now.
Regardless I think a short term goal of ramping up from next to nothing to 300 swings is a good start. If you get there, get comfortable with it and have the time, add more. If that's all you can really muster then you're going to have to accept the results you get from it.
@nipun Look, if you need, 2200 calories a day to be in deficit and lose weight, and you'll be eating 2400 then 2400 - 300cal from swings will put you into the weight loss spot. But if you will be eating 2600 -300cal from swings, that's weight gain zone. All numbers are made up to illustrate the point, but you get the idea.
@nipun What's the goal? Exercise is a great way to be healthy. You don't need to do a ton of it as a matter of a lifelong habit of staying fit and getting most of the health benefits available. Most folks on an exercise forum on the internet are trying to do something a bit more than that.
It's an interesting question, though it's perhaps not YOUR question, whether 300 swings/day would be a good base for lifelong health. I suspect it might!
@nipun I think priority should go to whatever will best help you get back in the habit. If 300 swings a day gets you going and you won't get so bored of it you'll want to skip days, then I think it's a great way to get back into things. You'll probably want to graduate to something else to gain muscle, but if swings gets you back in the habit, just keep an eye out for the next thing while you're doing that!
I would incorporate some stretching/mobilizing pretty strictly—just swings can really tighten you up. And you have to mind your eating. More exercise can make more hungry. Folks often say weight loss is all about what you eat, not exercise. That's overstating it, but for sure calorie discipline is critical!
@nipun You can easily just walk on a treadmill/7-8 incline at 2.5-3.0 mph for 25-40 mins a day and achieve that same goal. Especially since you already have residual muscle on your body. You just need to shed some fat. Swings are good but they aren’t the end all be all. If your shoulders and knees are good id highly suggest walking and “Dry Fighting Weight” program that focus on overhead presses and squats over 300 swings a day.
Regardless of what you do, just gotta do something before things spiral out of control. Good luck to you brother, I have nothing but the utmost faith in you!
@nipun There’s nothing magical about swings. If your goal is to lose weight this plan might work okay but it would be better to do a few different exercises or mix in activities like walking, yoga, bike, dancing, whatever.
Maybe you just love swings? I for one just don’t understand why people unnecessarily limit themselves to an exercise. Do some other stuff too and your fitness will be better. You’ll also probably enjoy it more.
@nipun The 10,000 swing challenge has been mentioned at least once already, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend that at this point. However, Dan John (inventor of the challenge and sage of all things strength) recommends five of what he calls fundamental human movements.
Push
Pull
Hinge
Squat
Loaded Carry
The swing is a hinge. Mix in the other four and you’re on the right path. In this article Dan describes the 10k challenge, but also offers a variation where the other movements are mixed in through 250 swings. Consider option three, the “one stop shop” approach from this article, perhaps modified to fewer swings. https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/the-10000-swing-kettlebell-workout-revisited/
There is other good advice in this thread and some that isn’t as good. It all depends on your goals. You might also try the Dry Fighting Weight remix from the r/kettleballs wiki which adds clean and press and front squats and has swings on an A-B day schedule.
