Ten thousand kettlebell swings in four weeks.
That's 500 swings per workout, five days a week, for an entire month.
Most people think it's impossible.
But it's one of the most effective conditioning programs ever created.
Dan John designed this minimalist program around a single kettlebell and five days of work per week.
No complicated equipment or confusing schemes.
Just swings paired with basic strength movements.
It builds serious conditioning, burns fat, and forges mental toughness in four weeks.
The Structure
500 swings per workout.
Five days per week.
Four weeks total.
That's 10,000 swings.
The volume breaks into circuits alternating swings with strength exercises:
The Circuit Pattern:
- 10 swings → 1 rep of strength exercise
- 15 swings → 2 reps
- 25 swings → 3 reps
- 50 swings → Rest 60-90 seconds
Repeat five times for 500 total swings.
That's 100 swings per circuit.
Strength Exercise Rotation:
- Day 1: Goblet squats
- Day 2: Push-ups
- Day 3: Pull-ups or rows
- Day 4: Military press
- Day 5: Your choice
The strength work maintains muscle while you focus on conditioning.
Use moderate weight and perfect form.
Total time: 30-40 minutes including warm-up.
Equipment:
- Men: 24-32 kg (53-70 lbs)
- Women: 16-24 kg (35-53 lbs)
Choose a weight you can swing for 50 consecutive reps.
Why It Works
Conditioning
500 swings per session builds cardiovascular endurance.
Your heart rate stays elevated throughout.
Week by week, your body adapts.
What felt impossible becomes manageable.
Fat Loss
High volume plus explosive movement equals substantial calorie burn.
Most people lose noticeable body fat as a side effect.
Technique Mastery
10,000 repetitions refines your swing through sheer exposure.
Bad habits get exposed and corrected.
You can't fake 500 swings per session.
Mental Resilience
The hardest part is showing up when your hands are torn and you're tired.
This builds discipline that transfers to everything else in life.
You learn what you're capable of enduring.
Who Should Try This
Prerequisites:
- Proper kettlebell swing technique
- Comfortable doing 100+ swings in a workout
- Solid cardiovascular base
- Healthy hands for daily grip work
Who Should Skip:
- Complete beginners without swing mastery
- Anyone with lower back issues during hip hinge movements
- People with hand or grip injuries
- Athletes in-season needing to peak
- Anyone unable to commit five days per week
Warning Signs to Stop:
- Sharp lower back pain
- Hand numbness that doesn't resolve
- Extreme fatigue interfering with daily life
- Form breakdown you can't correct
Start Here
Make sure you can perform proper swings first.
Choose a weight you can handle for 50 reps.
Commit to five days per week for four weeks.
Then begin.
Ten thousand swings sounds impossible until you finish swing 10,000.
Then it becomes the thing you did that changed everything.