Yesterday, May 17, 2025 I completed my take on the 10,000 swings challenge.
(10,128/10k to be exact)
I did not read up on Dan John’s original “as written”, and did it simply how I felt.
So I used the “wrong” weight, rep scheme, frequency, range of motion, and likely more.
Note : I still haven’t read up on “as written”…my choosing purposeful ignorance here.
Mostly I used a 16kg hardstyle bell, did one arm swings with many hand transfers, and used “horrible form” of a very low to at most medium swing height (on the light bell volume ones, the handful of heavier sets were okay swing height, as were the first couple day’s workouts) , a shallow to very shallow hinge, and did the largest part of the volume with my hand internally rotated.
This hand position felt most comfortable.
The bulk of my swings were some frankenstein’s monster like amalgamation of hardstyle and girevoy forms fit to my proportions and not “by the book” pretty looking at all.
At the start I used a 16kg comp bell.
Without chalk and in the outdoor humidity (even getting rained on for some of the sessions) I switched to a cast iron bell and that kept blisters from becoming a problem.
The hardstyle bell was grippier.
One set with hand transfers was done with a 24kg comp bell.
Some of the sessions were done with a 20kg cast iron bell.
I did exactly one set of 2h swings with a 40kg cast iron bell, three sets of oasw with the same, and a single rep with “44kg” (my other 40kg bell with a 10lb plate taped to it…before exploding the tape with a dropped flip, the single swing having been momentum precursor to a juggling attempt).
One session was double swings, with 20kg and 16kg mismatched cast iron pair.
…..
Work capacity of my lower back definitely improved.
The 16kg and 20kg sessions saw much more volume before feeling lower back fatigue as the challenge went on.
My ability to stick to nose breathing improved noticably.
I probably nose breathed 80 to 85% of the entire challenge, and the large bulk was done with light single bell one arm swings with lots of hand transfers, and…horrible, terrible, no good, form police unapproved form…
Kinda like that clip of Bud Jeffries 1000 reps into a set or something.
Which leads me to again observe that though the comments related to that video often lit up “how badly” he swung, that THAT form, on paper terrible in every way, can in fact have great training effect.
I’d say based on the pumps and activation that I got a bit of hamstring hypertrophy out of this + probably a tad of forearm hypertrophy.
I feel like grip strength wise I can lock onto a thick handle better now (though it was good before).
Unless I was very fatigued (fatigue/recovery, more mental than physical – but both, from day to day doing this was annoying, some of the sessions took me til after dark to make happen), I’d get great pumps out of long sets with just 16kg/20kg and very very short/shallow/low swing height range of motion.
…..
Take Aways :
Doing it this way, for me, not caring about anything resembling proper swing height but pushing the sessions to x1000+ total one arm swings, with many hand transfers and minimal rest, at the end of the challenge doing a few sets of 200 to 250 at the start before dropping to the rest being sets of 100 to 150…
I got what I wanted out of it.
Firstly a conditioning training effect, with something I’ll do (largely as I don’t own a Concept2 rower – oh how I miss thee)
This, setting a timer of 20:00 to 40:00 and just doing as much oasw as you can in that time all Bud Jeffries like worked great for that, and is something I’ll do.
(the only other thing being step ups really, I may train daily, but a weakness of mine is almost completely refusing to do all but the simplest of setup/breakdown)
I alternated between despising swings, counting down til the challenge was completed…but then discovered “runner’s high” or maybe something girevoy people experience doing my sets past 100 reps.
I’m willing to do these timed swing sessions NOW.
Three weeks ago I wouldn’t have been, though a decade back I’d done similar when just about the only equipment I happened to have in my apartment was a 20lb vinyl covered bell.
(that experience long before actually kettlebell training)
Then was super extended tabata intervals, switching hands at the beep, and with similarly terrible swing height.
Train for training effect, and you’ll do much “wrong”, yet for you it will be right.
The glute pumps, and even moreso the hamstring pumps were good for me.
An increase in grip is never a bad thing.
I wasn’t sure if finishing the 10k in seventeen days of doing something daily (ranging on any given day from just one set to over 1000 reps total) would see me stop daily swings or continue.
I may make the month of May be swing’s month.
Today’s the 18th, and I did one set of oasw, 25x40kg with transfers while wearing the halloween werewolf mask.
So we’ll see at the end of the month.
If I continue daily. What the month’s total ends up being.
My favorite kettlebell swings are the sets like this at 40kg/48kg with lots of hand transfers, well minus the werewolf mask.
The werewolf mask is a comical annoyance.
Be strong y’all.
…..
Rep Totals At Bell Weights/Styles/Variants :
1212 x OASw w/16kg comp
7414 OASw w/16kg cast
1185 x OASw w/20kg cast
42 x OASw w/24kg comp
140 x mismatch dbl 16kg & 20kg cast
122 xOASw w/40kg
12 x 2h w/40kg cast
1 x OASw w/”44kg” cast (40kg bell tape and plate + 10lb plate)
May 1, 2025 to May 17, 2025
eighteen swing workouts in seventeen days
10128/10k
least reps in a day : 37
most reps in a day : 1205 (one session)
All these reps were through yesterday, the video below was today, and increases the month’s count.
Seen On Reddit First :
"Done Far From As Written" : Seventeen Days Makes For The Completion Of My 10,000 Swings Challenge – May 2025
byu/J-from-PandT inkettlebell
talking video live in like forever (though it’s uploaded)
