Kettlebell Swinging For Time and Reps!

I swung the 24kg (53 lb) kettlebell for time the other day. As a matter of fact I executed double-arm swings with the bell for 3 solid minutes! If you have never done this then you have no idea as to what level of cardio you are getting. It was the longest 3 minutes of my life and the next time I’m jumping it up to 4 minutes. The point being that by executing a strength endurance related movement you will yield 10 times the cardio rather than riding on a stationary bike for 2 hours.

There have been many studies done as to the amount of crossover or transfer on strength and endurance training with kettlebells to other aspects of physical feats. The transfer is amazing. Many people can perform their endurance sport with much greater ease when having the right kettlebell conditioning program in place. Volume and intensity are your 2 main variables that will yield a great amount of cardio fitness within your scope of training.

For instance, if you really want to develop superior cardio conditioning then try executing a particular lift for time. For a designated amount of time don’t worry so much about reps, just start a clock and start swinging. I mentioned that I performed swings for 3 minutes and this was done not long after I had battled bronchitis for a week and a half. I was shocked at the amount of endurance I sustained even after having a respiratory infection for a significant amount of time. The other thing that I didn’t tell you was that I also did a workout with the kettlebell doing overhead snatches. I did reps, but I kept strict on my rest time by giving myself a time limit. After being sick I was still able to do 90 overhead snatches in under 5 minutes! Now I’m not trying to sit here and brag on myself, I’m just merely trying to make the point that I was able to sustain a superior amount of cardio through sickness. If I can do this then there is no reason you can’t.