For years, kettlebell instructor Missy Beaver has been placing a set of swings between sets of everything else. She has had great success with her students who range from professional athletes and fighters to celebrities. All have seen impressive improvements in performance and body composition.
Missy Beaver advocates the swing sandwich.
Or consider Master SFG Dan John’s hit workout that calls for alternating very low rep sets of “grinds” and high, up to fifty, rep sets of light swings. Among its many benefits is training one’s ability to quickly recover from many brief alactacid efforts aerobically — a valuable asset for fighters and team sports athletes.
The Science Behind the Success of the Swing Sandwich
This “swing sandwich” has also built a reputation for rapidly improving one’s body composition. It builds the muscles targeted by the exercises done between swings and burns fat at the same time. The hypertrophy seems to be the result of a hormone spike promoted by the swings.
Some Russian sports scientists, such as Prof. Victor Selouyanov, advocate sandwiching sets of full-body exercises like squats between sets of upper-body muscle building exercises to benefit from this spike. Kettlebell swings appear to have the same effect.
How to Properly Prepare a Swing Sandwich
If strength is important to you, do not train this way exclusively. There is no way of avoiding multiple heavy low rep sets with plenty of rest between them. Keep up this type of pure strength work once or twice a week and add “swing sandwiches” on two or three more days.
On your heavy days press a 75-85% 1RM bell for many sets of 1-5 reps and a plenty of rest. Total 25-75 reps per arm. Ladders are strongly recommended. In other words, it is the heavy day from the Rite of Passage from Enter the Kettlebell!
On your swing sandwich days press a lighter, 60-70% 1RM, kettlebell for sets of 4-6 reps, totaling 25-50 reps per arm. Keep the rest periods down to a minimum. It is up to you to select the swing loading parameters: one- versus two-arm, weight, reps, rest periods.
Some options for your weekly military press and swing schedule:
1
2
3
Mon
Swing Sandwich
Heavy Military Press
Heavy Military Press
Tue
Swing Sandwich
Swing Sandwich
Wed
Heavy Military Press, Swings
Thu
Swing Sandwich
Medium Military Press
Fri
Swing Sandwich
Swing Sandwich
Sat
Swing Sandwich
Sun
Option #1 is the least effective — but most efficient. Note that on Wednesday you have a swing session following the presses. As an option, feel free to add an additional swing workout on Saturday.
Option #2 adds an extra swing sandwich day for those prioritizing muscle building. You may swing after your presses on Monday.
Option #3 is the preferred one for most experienced gireviks. On the medium press day do what you did on the heavy day but reduce the volume by not climbing your ladders as high — the ROP medium day. Feel free to add an additional swing workout on Saturday and perhaps another one on Wednesday.
Enjoy your sandwich!
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