About around 10 years ago my friend and customer Dr. John Sullivan - then 70, former Army paratrooper and full-time chiropractor - was busy recovering from getting hit by a car (which should’ve killed him ) - recapturing function from multiple broken bones…
While treating patients.
He told me about how he was successfully using short, 12-minute workouts involving Swings and Snatches on the back end of his strength work - 4 days a week.
(Dr J later went on to earn his SFG2 Certification - becoming the most senior to do so.)
How well did they work?
Dr J maintained almost single-digit body fat and could climb a rope using only his hands holding an L-Sit.
So that got me to thinking…
If just 12 tiny minutes, four days a week, could re-build a 70-year-old busted up paratrooper, could they rebuild the Average Joe challenged by consistently working out?
And what would happen if we kept the session small but went to five weekdays in a row?
Same 60-minute weekly time-cost - yet an extra rep of the habit loop every week to build workout consistency.
But you might be wondering - is 12 minutes even worth it?
Here are some “real world” payoffs:
1- Cardiovascular Health and Increased VO₂max - 12-min swings push HR ≈ 85 % HRmax & VO₂ ≈ 65 % VO₂max—same “vigorous” zone 30–45 min jogs hit (Farrar 2010).
2- Strength + Power - Two 12-min bouts / wk × 6 wk → half-squat +10 %, vertical jump +20 % (Lake & Lauder 2012).
3- Anabolic Hormone Boost (Testosterone and Growth Hormone) - Same block spikes GH & testosterone without frying cortisol (Budnar 2014).
4- Calorie Furnace - Snatch intervals burn ≈ 13 kcal·min⁻¹ - on par with fast running, zero pavement pounding or knee pain (Porcari 2010).
5- Recovery-Friendly - The dose is small enough to repeat tomorrow. Plus your joints and CNS stay happy.
Sounds solid, right?
But, as Ron Popeil used to say, “Wait, there’s more”...
Here’s why 5 days a week is the “Consistency Cure” : (Check table on the video)
Bottom line: Keep the training session tiny, repeat it almost daily, and the habit glues itself in place - results follow.
Here’s How You Put into Practice This - Your 10-Minute Action Plan
Write one sentence that reminds you why this counts (e.g., “I train so I can play with my kids and not be exhausted after.”).
Park your bell next to the coffee maker tonight.
Tomorrow - every weekday - hit 12 minutes of kettlebell swings and snatches when the brew finishes.
Check a box on a wall calendar the instant the buzzer sounds. Watch the streak grow.
If you need a program to help you get it done, I’ll leave a link to Kettlebell 12 in the video description below.
It’s a 5 day-a-week plan I developed as a result of my “Dr John Epiphany.”
There’s a beginner , intermediate, and advanced plan.
Remember: Consistency isn’t luck - It’s tiny, repeatable wins. Let’s start yours in twelve minutes.
REFERENCES:
Farrar, R. E., Mayhew, J. L., & Koch, A. J. (2010). Oxygen cost of kettlebell swings. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 24(4), 1034-1036.
Lake, J. P., & Lauder, M. A. (2012). Kettlebell swing training improves maximal and explosive strength.Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 26(8), 2228-2233.
Budnar, R. G., more info Jr., Housh, T. J., Johnson, G. O., et al. (2014). The acute hormonal response to the kettlebell swing exercise. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 28(10), 2793-2800.
Porcari, J. P., Otto, R. M., et al. (2010). Kettlebell snatch and swing energy-expenditure study. University of Wisconsin–La Crosse ESS Honors Papers, Paper 3.
Lally, P., Van Jaarsveld, C. H. M., Potts, H. W. W., & Wardle, J. (2010). How are habits formed? Modelling habit formation in the real world. European Journal of Social Psychology, 40(6), 998-1009.
Wood, W., & Neal, D. T. (2007). A new look at habits and the habit–goal interface. Psychological Review, 114(4), 843-863.
Kaushal, N., & Rhodes, R. E. (2015). Exercise habit formation in new gym members: A longitudinal study.Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 38(4), 652-663.
Gardner, B., Lally, P., & Wardle, J. (2019). Habit-formation interventions and physical activity: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 16, 73.