The 10,000 Swing Challenge: A Report From the Halfway Point
Testing is not training
Testing is not training, and a challenge is neither.
A challenge is something very different. It is not “reasonable” by definition. If it is going to be a meaningful challenge it must be “nearly too much”. And 10,000 swings in a month is very nearly too much.
In fact, the challenge as written was too much for me. I hated it. My skin was tearing and my motivation was nil. I had challenged myself though and needed to find a way to succeed.
I settled on a mixed approach: mostly two-hand swings with a minority of snatches, one-hand swings and cleans to mix it up. I wanted to keep some presses and squats in the mix but the total workload doesn’t leave a lot of room. I saved them for days when I was feeling fresh. My days are not balanced, but that is the nature of a challenge.
5,095 Reps Down
Today I crossed the halfway point. I am two-and-a-half weeks in, which means I am on pace to finish in five weeks. I would like to finish faster and I’ll be glad when I am done. These past few weeks have made me tougher and more disciplined but also left me longing for more variety and intensity along with shorter sessions.
I will have a lot more to say once I am done with this. For now, remember that a challenge is not training, but it does have a lot of value.
Blake Nelson
Testing is not training
Testing is not training, and a challenge is neither.
A challenge is something very different. It is not “reasonable” by definition. If it is going to be a meaningful challenge it must be “nearly too much”. And 10,000 swings in a month is very nearly too much.
In fact, the challenge as written was too much for me. I hated it. My skin was tearing and my motivation was nil. I had challenged myself though and needed to find a way to succeed.
I settled on a mixed approach: mostly two-hand swings with a minority of snatches, one-hand swings and cleans to mix it up. I wanted to keep some presses and squats in the mix but the total workload doesn’t leave a lot of room. I saved them for days when I was feeling fresh. My days are not balanced, but that is the nature of a challenge.
5,095 Reps Down
Today I crossed the halfway point. I am two-and-a-half weeks in, which means I am on pace to finish in five weeks. I would like to finish faster and I’ll be glad when I am done. These past few weeks have made me tougher and more disciplined but also left me longing for more variety and intensity along with shorter sessions.
I will have a lot more to say once I am done with this. For now, remember that a challenge is not training, but it does have a lot of value.
Blake Nelson