I'm trying something new. I know, novelty is the enemy of progress. But this is not some bright, shiny thing that will distract me from my goals. This is as back-to-basics as it gets: swings. Lots of them. To make Master of Sport, I need to improve my overall endurance, my grip endurance, my leg strength and endurance, and my mental toughness. I'm old enough that I can't beat myself up with heavy weights too often, or I won't recover. Enter the swing. Bud Jeffries has a series of articles out about his experiments with ultra-high rep swing sessions. He's lost over 110 pounds, while keeping his strength high enough to press 150 with one arm, and do rack pulls over 1,000 pounds. His secret: pick up a kettlebell and swing the heck out of it. If I'm not mistaken, he's done 2,000 with a 24k kettlebell, and 500 with a 40k, nonstop. That's some serious swinging. More strength, endurance, and old-school toughness? Yes, please.
I've done three sessions so far. First, I did 300 with the 16k, then 450. Today I did about a thousand with 12k. I've timed my pace to between 33 and 35 reps per minute, so I count reps by time, not by counting each rep. Today I did 30 minutes, switching hands every 30 seconds. When I first started, the 12k felt so light that I thought I had made a mistake. The last 3 minutes felt like I was swinging the 24k.
Lessons Learned
I've learned a couple of things so far about high rep swinging. First, technique. I use the sport style or fluid style swing, as compared to "hardstyle". If you want endurance, this is the only way to keep moving long enough to get that "third way" cardio. I can tell that my technique is improving through the sheer volume and the necessity to be efficient.
I know now what a lower back pump feels like. It hurts. A lot. But it's just a pump. It's not low back pain, and it's no reason to stop swinging. I've had a soft tissue injury in my lower back, and I know when to stop. Just because it hurts, does not mean it's injured.
The body is a lot tougher than the mind. I stopped at 30 minutes because it was my goal, but I could have kept going. Whenever I wanted to quit, I realized I'm just bored, or in pain. If you can keep your mental discipline, you can do what you set out to do.
Goals
I'd like to hit 1,000 with 16k. That's not really a lot. I've seen videos online of a guy about my size doing over 1,000 with 24k. But remember, the swing is not a lift, it's an exercise. I'll do it to get closer to my goals, but if it starts taking more than it gives, I'll drop it faster than a Rico Suave record (subtle 80's reference, to show my age). I'm also working in heavy swings, which are done for lower reps (sets of 5), and are performed hardstyle.
I've done three sessions so far. First, I did 300 with the 16k, then 450. Today I did about a thousand with 12k. I've timed my pace to between 33 and 35 reps per minute, so I count reps by time, not by counting each rep. Today I did 30 minutes, switching hands every 30 seconds. When I first started, the 12k felt so light that I thought I had made a mistake. The last 3 minutes felt like I was swinging the 24k.
Lessons Learned
I've learned a couple of things so far about high rep swinging. First, technique. I use the sport style or fluid style swing, as compared to "hardstyle". If you want endurance, this is the only way to keep moving long enough to get that "third way" cardio. I can tell that my technique is improving through the sheer volume and the necessity to be efficient.
I know now what a lower back pump feels like. It hurts. A lot. But it's just a pump. It's not low back pain, and it's no reason to stop swinging. I've had a soft tissue injury in my lower back, and I know when to stop. Just because it hurts, does not mean it's injured.
The body is a lot tougher than the mind. I stopped at 30 minutes because it was my goal, but I could have kept going. Whenever I wanted to quit, I realized I'm just bored, or in pain. If you can keep your mental discipline, you can do what you set out to do.
Goals
I'd like to hit 1,000 with 16k. That's not really a lot. I've seen videos online of a guy about my size doing over 1,000 with 24k. But remember, the swing is not a lift, it's an exercise. I'll do it to get closer to my goals, but if it starts taking more than it gives, I'll drop it faster than a Rico Suave record (subtle 80's reference, to show my age). I'm also working in heavy swings, which are done for lower reps (sets of 5), and are performed hardstyle.
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