The Swing!: Lose the Fat and Get Fit with This Revolutionary Kettlebell Program [Hardcover]

Tracy Reifkind (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 13, 2012

Join the kettlebell revolution and swing your way into a fitter, trimmer body—one you’ll keep forever. Self-made fitness guru Tracy Reifkind has a self-made physique, working off 120 pounds after harnessing the extraordinary power of kettlebells (as featured in Timothy Ferriss’s The 4-Hour Body). Now, Tracy delivers a power-packed exercise, diet, and lifestyle program for rapid but sustainable weight loss: The Swing! Reifkind’s program promises dramatic results in just two half-hour sessions each week—that’s just four hours a month! There are no gimmicks here: Reifkind offers strong coaching on developing a winning mindset and a protein-focused, transformational eating plan, and reveals the evidence of her own low-cost, no-gym-membership success story. The Swing! packs the power to teach, to inspire, and to help you break through to your real, ideal body.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Let Your Real Body Break Through

Tracy Reifkind had been overweight her whole life and no amount of working out had helped her lose the weight. She had almost given up on ever getting fit, when she discovered a fitness tool called the kettlebell. Reifkind had no idea that this traditional Russian device, shaped like a cannonball with a handle on it, was about to change her life. Soon she was looking in the mirror and seeing things that she had never seen before—defined biceps, strong shoulders, and even firm abs—muscles she didn't even realize she was toning. In all, Reifkind lost 120 pounds and has kept the weight off for six years.

Tracy Reifkind's program comes in three parts:

Mind: Before you start the program, you are coached on a winning mind-set that will set you up for the best possible results.

Body: As you swing the kettlebell, it creates a force that demands full-body involvement and constantly engages the core—all with very little impact on the joints. There's no safer, or more effective, way to work out the entire body.

Food: The Swing! includes a food plan with a focus on great flavor and making sure you never go hungry. It's a weight-loss food plan for people who love to eat.

Now Reifkind is bringing this powerful and unique workout and diet program—advanced enough for an elite athlete, but simple enough for a novice—to its widest audience yet. Her program focuses on the simplest of the kettlebell movements—the swing—to create a fast, highly effective workout that makes the body leaner and more muscular at the same time. The Swing! program promises dramatic results in just two half-hour sessions each week. Believe it or not, that's just four hours a month!

By following her own custom-built program, Tracy Reifkind let her real body break through. Now you can, too.

About the Author

Tracy Reifkind is a sought-after personal trainer and nutrition coach who was featured in Tim Ferriss's The 4-Hour Body. In 2006, she became a certified Russian kettlebell instructor. Since then, she has developed a unique training program that works for anyone, at any fitness level, featured in her DVD Programming the Kettlebell Swing.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne (March 13, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062104195
• ISBN-13: 978-0062104199
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 1 x 10 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #51,576 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally - a program that works - FAST April 26, 2012

By Mary Collis

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I started The Swing after having used a traditional kettlebell program for 4 months. During that 4 months, during which I did KB squats, windmills, cleans, press ups, lunges, turkish get ups (all the usual static exercises) and some swings, I had changed shape and developed some muscles. But I had gained weight - not the desired result. How could this be? If kettlebells are meant to burn so many calories per minute? Tracy's book gave me the answer: Firstly, that static kettlebell exercises are not where it's at when it comes to burning fat. SWINGS are where it's at for burning 1200 cals p/hour. And in fact, swings for over 2 mins only. She has put together a program to work you up to swinging for 2 mins at a time. The other thing necessary for losing weight is " stop eating so much" - record your food intake properly and stop guessing.

I began the program after 4 months of weight plateau, that had culminated in a 5 kg weight gain in the previous 8 weeks. Depressing. It took a few days into the program to see results. I stuck with it. By the 4th day I was down 1/2 a kg (1 lb) - no big deal, but it's at least the right direction. By the 7th day I was down 1.2 kg (3lbs), by the second week, results really started to kick in with up to a kg loss a DAY, day after day. I'm now down 5 kg (12 lbs) in ten days! I kid you not! (You might think our scales are broken, but my husband weighs himself at his gym 3x a week where the scales are calibrated regularly, and he says our scales are only about 3/4 lb out.) No doubt there is some water loss, but I wouldn't say much as it is winter here and I am not sweating much, and I've exercised for years, so it's not a new thing. It's like the extreme workouts which Tracy says you should only do twice a week, triggered something and suddenly fat started to drop off - melt off. That may not be surprising if I was a big lady, but I'm not - I'm a normal weight, and only about 7 kg overweight. That makes it usually harder to move the weight when you are close to your goal. However, Tracy stresses that the kettlebell workouts should be looked at as "a skill to improve in", not as a weight loss tool (which they are). Use your food intake strictly to lose weight and use the KB workouts to tone up. It means I don't eat extra on a workout day, as a reward, as it doesn't work like that.

Being less than 2 weeks into the program I can't wait to see the results by the end! Perhaps I should be setting my goals higher than I thought possible at my age of 47 with 5 kids. Maybe I can actually get fit and firm all over. Anyway, the program is so easy a child could do it, and Tracy's advice is so simple you think you should have known it all long, but you had got sidetracked with all the complex diet advice and tricky exercise advice that is out there. This is a back to basics program that gets the most out of an old fashioned method (the kettlebell) without all the frills that deter a person from their goals.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Get Fit, Healthy & Learn How to Swing the Kettlebell From One of the Best March 14, 2012

By Tracy A. Mangold

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Tracy Reifkind is the reason I picked up my first kettlebell. I first read about her in Tim Ferriss' book, "The 4-Hour Body". The chapter about her amazing weightloss caught my attention but it was how she did it and her use of the kettlebell that really grabbed me. Since then, I have become passionate about the kettlebell and find it to be one of the best workouts a person can do, PLUS it is FUN! I love it.

Her book, Swing! is perfect for someone who is curious about the kettlebell and wants to start practicing with one. It is also awesome for getting started on the right path to eating healthy - eating right and taking control of one's own food preparation.

Tracy writes straight-forward and honestly about what it takes to get healthy and fit. She pulls no punches. She talks about the things that worked for her and shares her own journey. There isn't a magic pill for weightloss or fitness. It takes commitment, consistency and work. What Tracy does is provide the reader with the tools necessary to get going and start living.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Kettlebell Swing ROCKS! March 16, 2012

By Etta

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've been following Tracy since Tim launched her as well, and I'm so glad I did. It was easy to find an RKC in my area to teach me the swing and then get some kettlebells of my own. Tracy is correct in saying that you only need a 4x6 space to do your swings. This is by far the most efficient exercise I've ever done, and I'm a swimmer. I saw results within two weeks, and by seeing I mean that my arms looked better, my waist was smaller and while washing myself in the shower I was finding muscles I've never had before.

I would recommend you learn how to swing first from a professional RKC, I've seen plenty of people in my class that took several days if not several weeks to "get" the swing. Once you "get" it, it feels natural and as everyone agrees, it's a lot of fun to do. But don't mistake fun for easy, it's a lot of work, but it is very rewarding. Again, I would stress highly that you should get an RKC to teach you the proper way to swing, they have amazing pointers and some basic tools that put you in the correct swing form. The mechanics of the swing are nothing like you think they are, both my husband and my brother got it wrong when they were watching kbell swing videos, and so did I. Only after I met with the RKC did I really understand the motion. I know you'll have your "AHA" moment too if you do this properly.

I started with the 8Kg kbell, but outgrew it in less than 2 weeks. You have to start with a lower weight in order to practice the swing until you feel confident doing it. I now use my 12kg for most of my swings, be them double or single handed swings. I also use a 16kg for mostly lower rep double handed swings. Shopping for kbells is an experience. I bought what was available at first, but because my RKC has some amazing kbells, I invested in better ones once I felt I knew what I was doing. Not all kbells are created equal, so I would recommend having that discussion with your RKC as well. Kbells are not cheap and the shipping costs can be as much as the kbell, so keep that in mind. If you get them from a sports store, make sure to swing them before purchasing, some of them have weird coatings that slip our of your hands, some of them have a very rough finish that could destroy your hands.

Food is very important, something I'm still not very good at, but getting better and better. Tried some of Tracy's recipes from her blog and they are delicious and highly nutritious.

I'm definitely a kbell swing believer, for life.

Buy this book, invest in some training with a local RKC, buy some kettlebells, eat as advised by Tracy and watch your body transform.

Thank you Tracy! You are a true inspiration.