I’m pretty sure the first time I ever did this workout it was with my buddy Erik Blekeberg of Squat More. That was probably like 10+ years ago, but this super simple combination has always had a way of creeping back into my routine anytime I wanted to get more conditioning work in a short period of time.

The original iteration was kettlebell swings until you felt you were getting tired, then immediately switch to jumping rope until you could do more kettlebell swings. Repeat these two for 12 minutes, getting as much work done as you can out of the two exercises without getting so sloppy that you wreck yourself with the kettlebell swings. And if you did wreck yourself, transition to kettlebell deadlifts to do more work.

Fun times. On a few occasions I think I actually experienced a “second wind”, but most of the time I was just sucking wind.

You can still do it that way if you feel like punishing yourself, but I’ve made some adjustments using a heart monitor that help me to focus more on building some aerobic work capacity as opposed to red lining myself as much as possible.

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Kettlebell Swinging at Maximum Aerobic Function

Using a heart rate monitor, (I like this heart rate monitor from Polar) you can alternate between exercises and resting to keep your heart rate below your Maximum Aerobic Function. To determine your heart rate for Maximum Aerobic Function use the Maffetone formula of 180 minus your age. During this workout you will take a break anytime you reach that number until you recover by about 20 beats per minute.

If you don’t have a reliable heart rate monitor you can also focus on breathing only through your nose. The limited breathing will force you to keep your intensity lower since you won’t be able to breathe through your mouth, keeping you at a similar intensity as the MAF.

Jump Rope

Begin by jumping rope for 10 minutes at a pace that you can sustain. You can skip or jog with the rope if that is easier for you to keep your heart rate under your MAF. Anytime you exceed your calculated heart rate, take a break but keep moving until your heart recovers by 20 beats per minute. Continue this for 10 minutes.

Swings and Push Ups

Immediately following the 10 minutes of jumping rope begin adding in the kettlebell swings. Perform as many swings as you can until your heart rate again exceeds your calculated heart rate. When it does take a break until you recover 20 beats per minute. When you recover do a set of push ups until your heart rate again exceeds the MAF and recover.

Alternate the kettlebell swings and push ups to do as many repetitions as you can. Alternatively you can skip the push ups and continue using the jump rope.

Measure Your Workout Progress

You can measure your progress with the workout by keeping track of how many total swings and push ups you do and trying to beat that number in future workouts. You could also track the number of times you need to stop jumping rope during the initial 10 minutes. The goal is to get as much work done as you can without exceeding your MAF heart rate.

Try It Out In Your Training Program

Repeat the workout regularly in your program once or twice per week or occasionally in addition to other conditioning workouts.