How to progress your swing (and break through the plateau)
Welcome, welcome, welcome to another episode of things that I find particaularly interesting…
Today we’re talking about how to systematically break through plateaus and progress your kettlebell swing!
Warning: a basic understanding of maths is required here (if my dumbass can work this out, you most definitely can).
I’ll keep this brief and to the point to avoid confusion and maximise gains!
If you missed my previous post about the general nature of this program, visit this link to get all the info you need to get stronger and move better.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to progress kettlebell swings for the S+S program we’re currently running at the gym!
But before we begin let’s recap on the goals for the program…
The idea behind Simple and Sinister (or S+S for short) is to increase the volume and intensity of swings and get-ups over a period of time to capture general qualities that make us better athletes for the long haul.
Raw strength
Cardio output or capacity
General mobility (the ability to move freely and easily)
If you’re new around here or even if this isn’t your first rodeo, progression through this simple program can sometimes stall out.
Particularly if you’re trying to break through to a new bell size!
So, how do we move forward if we hit a plateau?
With smart programming tools, duhh…
Read on for the step-by-step guide!
How to break through with your swings:
Step 1: Get started
A good starting point for newbies or for athletes that are moving up to a new bell size is perform 50 reps (two-handed) without any pressure from the timer in sets of 10.
This should be fairly manageable (about 5-6/10 hard) and should allow room to add volume in the coming sessions.
Perform this for a couple of sessions to ensure you have the right bell size.
If it’s to hard or easy, move up or down the bells to find your correct size.
Step 2: Add reps
Session by session add 10 reps (20 reps for a sharp increase in difficulty) until you reach the desired number of 100 reps.
Your workout will look like this: 10 sets of 10 two-handed swings.
Make sure you’re not totally busting ass, you should still have some gas in the tank after each session.
Step 3: Transition to One-Handed Swings using “Asymmetrical Reps”
If you can perform 100 swings, you most definitely can perform 100 one-handed swings.
However, you’re grip might not want to cooperate.
To combat this, rather than straight sets of 10, split them up!
Your workout will look like this:
Set 1: 6 reps left, 4 reps right = 10 total
Set 2: 4 reps left, 6 reps right = 10 total
Set 3: 6 reps left, 4 reps right = (you guessed it, 10 total)
Do this until you hit 100 reps total!
Step 4: Shift the reps…(the magic step)
Once the above step feels strong, shift the reps creating a larger bias on one arm then the other.
For example:
7 reps left, 3 reps right…
then,
8 and 2…
9 and 1…
then finally sets of 10!
Step 5: Add in the timer
Once you own 100 one-handed swings, slowly decrease your rest breaks until you can perform 10 reps every 30 seconds for a total of 100 reps in 5 minutes!
Use a timer to keep you honest and to track your progress.
Once you can do this easily, start at the top the guide and begin again.
Rinse, lather and repeat until stupid strong!
And there you have it! Let me know if this is helpful for you!
If you want to learn more about our classes and programs, head on over to rest of the website.
There’s a tonne of juicy strength goss here to help you get moving!
