Is 100 Kettlebell Swings A Day Enough? A Certified Personal Trainer’s Answer

Doing 100 kettlebell swings a day can noticeably improve a beginner’s fitness.

However, the same 100 swings may not be enough for experienced individuals. Particularly if they want to achieve optimal health and significant physical transformations in the long run.

Your body adapts to exercise, and it will do the same with 100 kettlebell swings. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t swing. This exercise holds countless benefits, and can be progressed in many different ways!

As a professional trainer, I’m here to guide you toward perfect kettlebell swing technique and share the awesome benefits of 100 swings a day! We’ll also discover whether it’s enough for your fitness goals or not.

Let’s make those kettlebells dance with style.

What are kettlebell swings?

Related: Full Body Workout Every Other Day

Kettlebell swings are full-body, power-building exercises that work the hamstrings, erector spinae (spinal stabilizers), core, glutes, calves, and upper back. 

You perform them by hinging the hip back and swinging a rounded cast-iron weight with a handle on top between the legs. You then drive your glutes forward to get the kettlebell up to shoulder height.

This ballistic exercise builds power, pumps up your heart rate, and burns fat!

How To Do the Kettlebell Swing

Related: From Skinny To Buff

You are moving a heavy weight with high speed to perform kettlebell swings. This can be dangerous when done incorrectly. Especially when you are going for high reps, like 100 swings.

In these cases, muscle fatigue can increase the chance of a rounded back, leading to back strain and other injuries. So, here are some coaching cues to help you execute the exercise correctly. 

Method:

• Start with your feet shoulder-width apart and the kettlebell between your ankles. 
• Pick up the kettlebell by hinging at the hips with your back straight, arms extended, and knees slightly bent.
• Grip the kettlebell firmly with your hands next to each other and your biceps squeezed together, shoulders pulled back.
• Stand up straight with the weight; this will be your starting position.
• Start with a slight swing by pushing your hips back and lowering your torso until parallel to the ground.
• Your hips should be higher than your knees throughout the swing.
• Swing the kettlebell between the legs, then drive your glutes forward by thrusting and extending the hips and knees.
• Build up the momentum as you swing the kettlebell until you reach your full range of movement (kettlebell travels up to chest/shoulder height).
• Keep the movement minimal on your knees, and don’t squat during the downward swing.
• Maintain momentum – don’t lift the kettlebell, swing it. 
• Breathe in during the downward swing.
• Repeat for the desired reps and sets.

How many kettlebell swings should I do?

The amount of swings you should do depends on your current fitness level. This is extremely important to consider to prevent injuries. You must stay within a rep and set range that allows you to kettlebell swing with good form. 

This doesn’t mean you should stay in your comfort zone, but maintain good quality before you aim for quantity. 

Therefore, I would advise beginners to start with lighter weights and perform three to four sets of 10-15 reps with a 60-second break in between. 

As you gain experience, do 20 reps for five sets with 30-60 seconds rest to reach a hundred swings.

One hundred swings can be a good starting point for a challenge. Once you’ve become acclimated to 100 swings, you can start to aim for 200 to 400 kettlebell swings.

Is 100 Kettlebell Swings a day enough?

Even though kettlebell swings are an amazing exercise, a good workout should consist of more than just 100 swings. Feel free to add them into your regular gym or home workout routines. 

The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic activity (or a combination of both), preferably spread throughout the week.

If we break these numbers down, it would be five sessions consisting of 30 minutes of exercise, plus a one-hour session with 15 minutes of stretching and warm-up.

Doing 100 kettlebell swings can take around seven minutes, assuming you complete it as one set. We see that for overall health benefits, it is nowhere close to the recommended amount of exercise.

So yes, doing 100 kettlebell swings daily is a great challenge to help keep you consistent and motivated. But to gain visible results, build muscle, maximize strength, and lose weight, you may need to up your game! 

This may mean you need to do more than 100 swings (if you can do it safely with good form). You can also increase the weight you use, or combine them with a 20-minute walk or bodyweight exercises. 

Also note that those who weigh more, are beginners, or are new to exercise in general, may experience greater changes. That’s because the fitter you are, the more it takes to burn the amount of calories that you did when you started.

The body always adapts. That’s when you need to progress the weight, reps, length, sets, or reduce the rest time.

What happens when you do 100 kettlebell swings a day?

If you are a novice, beginner, or just new to kettlebells, you can experience some great benefits with 100 swings daily.

First, you will master the technique. After a week, your muscle endurance becomes better, your fitness level improves, and you may lose a pound or two! 

After a month, you might notice a significant increase in your strength, a rounder and stronger bum, and a robust hamstring.

How many calories burned in 100 kettlebell swings?

Doing around 100 kettlebell swings can take five to seven minutes and burn an estimated 90-120 calories. Where you sit on the spectrum will depend on your weight and fitness level.

Combined with a healthy diet, you can make the most of these burnt calories and get rid of some belly fat.

If you want to burn more, try to perform 400 kettlebell swings and burn around 400 calories, which is roughly the same calorie content of a healthy breakfast.

100 Kettlebell Swings a Day for a Month Results

Some of you may be considering starting these swings as a monthly challenge. Let’s break down the expected weekly outcome of doing 100 kettlebell swings a day for a month.

Week 1 Results

You will need a sweatproof top in the first week, as we expect this to be tough. That’s normal, as your body will be shocked by swinging a weight a hundred times daily. 

If you have to stop a few times and take a break while performing the swings, don’t worry; you will soon be able to do it without any breaks. 

You should remain injury-free with perfect form. If you need help with your technique, come back anytime to re-read my instructions and watch the video.

Depending on where you started, you might lose a pound this week. If you’ve done kettlebell swings along with a full workout routine and a diet plan, you may have even lost more.

If you need help gaining muscle or losing fat while doing 100 kettlebell swings a day, try our Advanced Macro and Calorie Calculator. This can give you a good idea of how many calories and what macro distribution is right for you.

Week 2 Results

Week two will pass by quickly! Have you noticed that you need a heavier kettlebell? That’s because your muscles can endure higher effort and longer swings without a break by now. 

Your glutes and hamstrings may have become stronger, too.

Make sure to get out of your comfort zone, and move up the weight if the exercise is becoming too easy.

Week 3 Results

This week may feel like a little struggle. Your motivation may drop and you may become impatient waiting for more visible results. 

Don’t give up, warrior; training and results are about consistency. If you keep going now, you will notice physical changes. I call week three a breaking point in training! That’s the stage you must pass to make exercise a habit and even a joy. 

Still, the exercise is much easier compared to your first week. You can now swing 100 times without a break. You may even up your numbers! Your endurance and strength have skyrocketed, and you may be a few more pounds lighter. 

I advise you to take a closer look at your hamstrings and glutes. That’s where you will see the most visible muscle gain. Sometimes, we don’t notice it ourselves, so taking photos can help you reflect on how far you’ve come.

Week 4 Results

Congratulations, you’ve got some incredible power in your buttocks, a more robust and leaner lower body, and maybe weigh a few pounds less.

Your muscle endurance has significantly improved, and you can’t wait to swing those bells again. At this stage, the exercise can start to feel fun.

Benefits of 100 Kettlebell Swings a Day

As we mentioned above, doing 100 kettlebells has countless benefits. Here are the reasons why we love them so much. 

Full-Body Workout

While kettlebell swings primarily engage the post-chain muscles, the whole body is highly involved in the movement.

The muscles kettlebell swings work include:

• Hamstrings

The hamstrings extend the hips. They’re also activated when you swing the kettlebell between the legs, especially while keeping the movement on the knees minimal.

• Glutes

The glutes perform the thrusting motion and hip extension to power the kettlebell forward.

• Erector spinae

These muscles are our spinal stabilizers that help maintain a neutral spine and avoid rounding.

These muscles are engaged especially while the torso is parallel to the floor and the kettlebell is between the knees. 

That’s because the weight tries to pull us down and forces us to round our back, which of course, strong erectors help avoid.

• Calves

The calves serve as an assistant to our hamstrings during kettlebell swings. They help stabilize our knee joint and keep it above the ankle during the downward swing.

• Upper back 

The upper traps, rhomboids, and lats keep our shoulders in a healthy “pulled back” position, preventing it from rounding.

Increased Power

KB swings work the post-chain muscles like the glutes and hamstring, which allows us to generate high amounts of forces required for jumps, change of direction, and sprinting. These are necessary for athletes. 

One study followed two groups of athletes. The first group followed their normal eight-week training program, while the other group followed an eight-week glute-focused program. At the end of the eighth week, the glute-focused group enjoyed significant increases in vertical jumps and other powerful movements.

Therefore, kettlebell swings can be a great exercise to increase explosive power.

Increased Strength

Kettlebell swings strengthen the back, lower body, and core. By increasing the weight and performing the movement over and over, your strength will increase significantly. 

Cardiovascular Conditioning

Performing 100 kettlebell swings with little to no rest between reps and sets will increase your heart rate and help you burn calories while improving your cardiovascular fitness.

Fat Burning and Weight Loss

The intensity, elevated heart rate, and full-body work kettlebell swings provide will burn calories (increased calorie expenditure) and result in fat and weight loss.

Improved Posture and Stability

Kettlebell swings work your postural muscles like erector spinae, trapezius, rhomboids, glutes. These muscles have to counteract the force of the kettlebell pulling you forward, preventing your back from rounding.

Enhanced Core Strength

During kettlebell swings, you brace the core to avoid rounding and lead the movement. The exercise works the rectus abdominis (six pack muscle), external and internal obliques (side core muscles), and erector spinae, which is considered a deep core muscle, too.

This means your core – or as I call it, your natural waist trainer – will get stronger!

Increased Grip Strength

You constantly have to control the kettlebell by gripping onto it firmly so it doesn’t fly out of your hands. This will strengthen the forearm muscles over time, especially while using heavy kettlebells, developing a stronger and more enduring grip.

Time-Efficient

You can burn a ton of calories in a short workout by doing kettlebell swings, making it suitable for busy professionals, parents, and anyone else who’s short on time.

Easy To Use On the Go

Kettlebells are incredibly portable. You tote a kettlebell with you and swing anywhere you like, from hotel rooms to the local park.

Scalability

You can adjust the difficulty or intensity of kettlebell swings to suit your fitness levels or goals.

For example, you can reduce the weight or perform lower reps as a beginner. As you advance, you can swing a heavier load. 

Additionally, you can choose kettlebell swing variations for your level, such as:

• Double-handed kettlebell swings (Beginner)
• Single-arm kettlebell swings (Intermediate)
• Hand-to-hand passed kettlebell swings (Intermediate)
• Kettlebell swing to Clean (and press) (Intermediate)
• Kettlebell snatch (Advanced)
• Swing two kettlebells at the same time (Advanced)

No matter your experience level, there’s a version of this exercise that’s suitable for you.

Improved Muscle Endurance

Doing kettlebell swings for high reps daily will put your endurance through the roof. You will be able to withstand and sustain high-effort activities longer without getting tired.

Mind-Body Connection

You have to focus on maintaining balance during the swings, and that requires mental focus. Also, you’ll need to coordinate the arm swings with the torso and hip movement. This will improve your mind-body connection and coordination!

Pro Tips for Doing 100 Kettlebell Swings a Day

Kettlebell swings are one of the best exercises to get into the habit of training and begin a new lifestyle. As we know now, they’re versatile and incredibly effective to tone up, increase strength and endurance, and burn fat.

Here are some additional tips that I’ve gained throughout my professional career. Take these with you and get the most out of your 100 swings a day challenge!

Start with Proper Form

Revise your form as many times as you need to. It allows you to train safely and progress while staying away from injuries.

Use a mirror to check your form, if possible. Some common mistakes I see are: 

Rounding the back

Your back should stay in a neutral position at all times. 

Squatting instead of hinging

Kettlebell swings are hip-dominant exercises. You should aim for a hip hinge rather than a squat. 

Your feet rocking as you swing

Keep your feet planted firmly and evenly into the ground. 

Overarching the back on the upward swing’s end range

Brace your core and squeeze the glutes when you reach full hip and knee extension. This will prevent your back from overarching, causing stress fractures or other injuries.

Gradually Increase Repetitions

One rep at a time! When the exercise becomes extremely easy, up your reps to a degree where you can still maintain perfect form.

Choose the Right Weight

To enhance the power and effectiveness of your swings, consider incorporating additional weight. This gradual progression in stress applied to your muscles and nervous system can be beneficial in avoiding overtraining and injuries. 

Warm Up and Cool Down

Warming up increases your body temperature, improves joint mobility, and ramps up muscle activation, reducing the risk of injury.

Meanwhile, cool-downs reduce your body temperature gradually and can speed up your recovery. This can help you be ready for another 100 swings the next day!

Maintain Proper Breathing

By breathing properly and rhythmically (breathing in on the downward swing and out on the upward swing), you maintain consistent oxygen flow to the muscles. This can aid in better performance and reduced fatigue. Rhythmic breathing also improves focus and concentration.

You will also create intra-abdominal pressure, which I call our natural weight lifting belt. It stabilizes the spine and protects it from injuries.

Take Rest Days

No challenge is more important than your health. Listen to your body and take rest days when you need them. 

Track Your Progress

Capturing your progress with before-after pictures and taking measurements weekly and monthly can be truly eye-opening. 

Witnessing your transformation by looking at the pictures after a month will leave you amazed. It will also serve as a powerful motivator.

100 Kettlebell Swings a Day – The Bottom Line

Whether 100 kettlebell swings a day are enough depends on your fitness level and goals, as well as how quickly you want to achieve them.

Beginners will notice increases in their fitness level. Advanced athletes may need more stimulus to feel or see the same changes.

However, kettlebell swings can still improve muscle endurance, power, strength, and cardiovascular fitness while toning up your body! 

As a versatile exercise, you can increase intensity by increasing your weight and reps and performing different types of swings. 

Although, to experience any of these benefits, you should always maintain good form so you can stay injury-free.

While 100 swings a day is a fun challenge, for maximum results I recommend adding them to your regular gym workout routine, while also following a healthy, balanced diet.

Let us know how you found kettlebell swings if you take on the challenge! 

Frequently Asked Questions