Kettlebell 5k Challenge

The 5,000 Kettlebell Swings Challenge

This challenge is inspired by Dan John’s 10k Swings Challenge. I’ve attempted the challenge several times over the years and never finished for a number of reasons. The workouts took too long, the volume was too much for my hands, or I just got extremely bored and wasn’t seeing results I wanted. This plan is for the intermediate to advanced strength training enthusiast with a solid mastery of the single-arm kb swing.

What and How

Intention: The Kb 5k is meant to be a more approachable, organized and concise version of the legendary challenge by Coach John. Is it as hardcore? Not by half. Is it as effective as ten thousand swings? I don’t know, I never made it that far. But I believe this plan is still challenging enough to improve body composition and athleticism, while only taking 40 minutes per workout, five days per week. If consistency is king, then a ‘meager’ one-thousand swings each week for five weeks will still kick-start a ‘what the hell’ effect in body composition and performance gains.  

Execution: The 5k consists of five weeks, each with five to six workout days. Each workout is time-based, so it shouldn’t take more than 30-40 minutes to complete a session. The only gear you’ll Need is a single, swinging-weight kb. If you have it, you’ll get your money’s worth from a pull up bar and dip station as well, maybe a lighter kb or db if you want some options. 

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The Workouts

Every workout runs the same way:
Warmup- 5:00 (joint circles, dynamic stretching, air squats and hip bridges)
Every 2:00 x 10 rounds- each round you’ll do 20 single-arm swings, paired with 5-10 reps of another strength move. See the spreadsheet for that write up.
Cooldown- 5:00 (foam rolling followed by static stretching)

That’s it! The whole darn thing is just 30 minutes, not accounting for ‘fuck around’ time between sections.

Now, if you really want to get crazy and add some extra strength work you absolutely can. I'd recommend adding heavy lifts twice a week on the "short" workout days, ahead of the swings. Front squat, bench press, weighted chin ups and power cleans or deadlifts are excellent options. Stick with heavy weights and low reps. I really like 2-3-5 reps, add weight, then another 2-3-5 reps as seen in Dan John's Mass Made Simple model (can you tell I'm a fan?).

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If you're a calendars and grids person, you can download spreadsheet with the timing format, recommended movements 

kettlebell_5k_-_sheet1__1_.pdf
File Size:	53 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

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Pro Tips

• You can use two-handed swings if you prefer, but the single-arm swing provides more for your unilateral strength, develops your abs and lats more and acts as an upper-body isometric pull.
• Regardless of which swing you use, YOU MUST MASTER YOUR SWING before attempting this 
• If you're going to add additional strength work, I would recommend heavy barbell lifts for low reps. I'd also suggest you keep these heavy, technical movements to the "light" swinging days and do the heavy lifting before the swings.
• Speaking of light days, I actually really like doing two sets of 50 swings instead of the ten-round emom. It's tougher and faster!
• HAND CARE! I can't stress this enough; you need to address the callouses. A bic razor blade, medium grit sandpaper or pumice stone and hand lotion is all you'll need to brand new palms. Carefully shave the hard packed callous, sand down the rough spots and lotion up. Brand new!
• Get a coach! If you're unsure if this is right plan for you, or you're interested but aren't confident in your technique or just want someone to keep you on track while you slay these gains, you should hit the Get Started button at the bottom of this page, or reach me via email or on my socials. I'm here to help!