I'm a total swinger!
| filed under: Kettlebell Training, Kettlebell Swings, Kettlebell, Kettlebells, Kettlebell Workout, Kettlebell Swing
I am doing two-handed kettlebell swings exclusively these days. While I started only a few days ago, I feel like it's both sustainable and enjoyable.
Two Poods of Kettlebell Goodness
Now that I am no longer in my own way and getting my swings in, I added my 32kg kettlebell to the mix and I swung it for the first time today. And it wasn't so bad. I am a strong guy, it turns out. I retired the 12kg competition bell from the lineup so now I start with the 16kg pood bell to warm up, then on to swinging my 20kg bell for as long as I have the gumption, then to the 20kg, and finally to the 24kg. One-and-a-half poor gold standard.
Until today, I would just keep on swinging the 24kg for as many sets as I have time for with as many minutes as comes between them. I generally stop the moment it's time to shower. I'm not actually going to shower until, like, 5pm, today—a little under 45-minutres from now—so I have been swinging for most of the afternoon, since after lunch.
Today, however, I added the two-pood big boy into the mix. 32kg I think I only got in ten or so swings before I started this blog post; however, I think I am going to get a couple more sets in before 5 or so (I need to go grocery shopping for some nice olive oil to go with the chicken and broccoli tonight).
That bugger is very heavy and I can't imaging doing anything more than deadlifts and two-handed swings with the two-pood hardstyle cast iron kettlebell. And she's not the biggest I have, either. I do have its biggest brother, a 40kg cast iron bell. But, as far as I know, swinging that guys is weeks or months off. Or, maybe not. It's amazing out the body adapts.
For now, the 40kg bell is deadlifts only. But, she's nice to have: 88.2lbs is a very dense weight all wrapped up in a relatively little ball of cast iron, not unlike a cannonball. She intimidates the hell out of me.
Ok, that's the report. Here's what I do:
- Grab the 16kg bell
- Swing it with two hands until I want to stop (this is training, it's not testing)
- Put the bell down and either rest or do something else for a few-ten minutes.
- Grab the 20kg bell
- Swing it with two hands, being sure to keep my head up, my back straight, my hips hinging.
- Put the bell down and rest for a little while
- Grab the 24kg bell, making sure I respect the weight: don't manhandle the bells, this is a momentum/interia exercise
- Put the bell down, get some rest between sets
- Repeat with the 24kg bell for a few sets over time
- Crown the routine with the 32kg bell with the goal of burning it out
- If you have any gas left in the tank to spare, do as many swings with the 32kg bell as you can muster
- Be very careful and respectful with the 24kg and the 32kg bells because they're heavy enough to hurt you.
My routine is sloppy and untracked and unlogged and uncounted. I do this because if I start to care about numbers, logging, tracking, or counting, I will hesitate and it will become more about the act of recording what I am doing than the act of actually doing it. It's sort of my M.O., ask anyone (please don't ask anyone, it's too true).
Thanks for dropping by. I am off now since I have about 30 minutes between now and 5pm and I really want to get in a couple more sets of the 32kg bell before I hit the shower and then head out of my groceries. Do you have any recommendations for olive oil brands?
