I did 100 kettlebell swings a day for a week – here’s what I learnt

ActiveI did 100 kettlebell swings a day for a week – here’s what I learnt700 swings later, this full-body move had me aching in all the right placesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

700 swings later, this full-body move had me aching in all the right places

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Bowflex)

Fit young women performing one-handed kettlebell swings in a room with brick walls

(Image credit: Bowflex)

I can clearly remember the first time I picked up a kettlebell 15 years ago. Kettlebells were fairly new to the UK back then, so I’d been sent to a gym to try a class and find out what all the fuss was all about.

I’d heard rumours I wouldn’t be able to walk the next day after the session, so when my instructor asked me, ‘How much pain do you want to feel?’ and ‘Do you want to boil, sizzle, or do you want to be destroyed?’, I told him I wanted to be able to walk as I had plans for the weekend. Needless to say, he destroyed me, my weekend was ruined, and I still had trouble sitting down unaided four days later, such was the pain in my hamstrings and glutes.

You would think, therefore, that I would approach the challenge of doing 100 kettlebell swings a day for a week with extreme caution. But no. Even though I haven’t used a kettlebell for a few years, I love this dynamic bit of kit, so I was actually looking forward to it. So, after finishing my50 squats a day for a monthchallenge, I thought it was time to switch things up a bit and focus on functional muscle building. Did it help meget fit for 2023? Here’s how it went.

Want to try the challenge for yourself? Then you’ll need one of thebest kettlebells. T3’s fitness editor Matt also tried doing something similar a couple of years ago; you can read about it here:I tried the 10,000 swings kettlebell challenge, and here’s how it went.

What are kettlebell swings?

In-depth:How to do kettlebell swings

Kettlebell swings work the legs, glutes, hip flexors, core and shoulders and form the basis of many other kettlebell exercises, including trickier single-arm kettlebell swings. Therefore, it’s essential you master the swinging technique before progressing to other moves.

Essentially, they involve swinging a kettlebell between your legs before raising it to shoulder height and repeating the action. Sounds easy, but good form is key to avoiding injury and maximising the effectiveness of this full-body exercise. Get them right, and you’ll soon belosing belly fat,building muscle, improving your posture andboosting your metabolismin no time.

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How do I do kettlebell swings?

4 things I leanred from doing 100 kettlebell swings a day for a week

Kettlebell swings are great for your posture

Kettlebell swings target your hamstrings, glutes and back, including the erector spinae – a group of muscles that run up your spine. Together, these muscles help to form your posterior chain (the muscles at the back of your body) and strengthening your posterior chain helps you to stand tall, power movements like walking and running, improve athletic performance, reduce the risk of injury to your back, hips and knees, and counteract the effects of a sedentary lifestyle if you spend a lot of time sitting down or slouching.

After a week of doing 100 kettlebell swings a day, one of the biggest improvements I noticed was in my posture. My chest felt more open; I felt more able to pull my shoulders back and stand tall, and – after my body got over the initial shock - my lower back, shoulders, and neck felt less achy after hours sat at my computer.

Kettlebell swings gave me a better butt

I’ve always suffered from ‘lazy glutes syndrome’, so I usually kickstart all my workouts with a few sets of glute bridges to get my butt firing on all cylinders and help me avoid putting any extra strain on my hips, back and knees. This step, however, was rendered entirely pointless when I did 100 kettlebell swings a day.

That’s because the glutes are one of the main drivers of kettlebell swings, not to mention that you need to squeeze your glutes at the top of the movement to help stabilise the body and control the momentum of the kettlebell. I might not have noticed a visible difference in seven days, but my butt did feel firmer and stronger, and I also noticed an improvement in my running performance.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Young fit woman carrying two kettlebells in her hands in the gym

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Kettlebell swings sent my heart rate souring

You get a lot of bang for your buck with kettlebell swings. Despite being low-impact, they’re high in intensity because your heart has to work hard to push oxygenated blood to the majority of the muscles in your body to power the movement.

Kettlebell swings can get boring

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