Kettlebell Frequently Asked Questions
What is a 'kettlebell'?
A ' kettlebell ' or girya (Russian) is a traditional Russian cast iron weight that looks like a cannonball with a handle. As the 1986 Soviet Weightlifting Yearbook put it, "It is hard to find a sport that has deeper roots in the history of our people than kettlebell lifting." So popular were kettlebells in Tsarist Russia that any strongman or weightlifter was referred to as a girevik, or 'a kettlebell man'. "Not a single sport develops our muscular strength and bodies as well as kettlebell athletics," wrote Ludvig Chaplinskiy in Russian magazine Hercules in 1913. In the Soviet times weightlifting legends such as Vlasov, Zhabotinskiy, and Alexeyev and, started their Olympic careers with old-fashioned kettlebells. Yuri Vlasov who defeated mighty Paul 'the Wonder of Nature' Anderson once interrupted an interview he was giving to a Western journalist and proceeded to press a pair of kettlebells ten times. "A wonderful exercise," commented the world champion weightlifter. "...It is hard to find an exercise better suited for developing strength and flexibility simultaneously." The Russian Special Forces personnel owe much of their wiry strength, explosive agility, and never-quitting stamina to kettlebells. Soldier, Be Strong!, the official Soviet armed forces strength training manual pronounced kettlebell drills to be "one of the most effective means of strength development" representing "a new era in the development of human strength-potential".
Who uses kettlebells in the U.S.?
The extreme kettlebell workout would have remained the exclusive domain of Russian Special Ops, had former Spetsnaz instructor Pavel not immigrated to the U.S. The elite of the U.S. military and law enforcement instantly recognized the power of the Russian kettlebell, ruggedly simple and deadly effective as an AK-47. You can find Pavel's certified kettlebell instructors in outfits such as the Force Recon Marines, Pararescue, the FBI Hostage Rescue Team, and the Secret Service Counter Assault Team. Once the Russian kettlebell became a hit among those whose life depends on their strength and conditioning, it took off among hard people from all walks of life: martial artists, athletes, and regular tough guys. There is no stopping the Russian kettlebell invasion. Men's Journal called it 'a work out with balls.' Rolling Stone pronounced Pavel 'The Hot Trainer of the Year' and his Russian kettlebell 'The Hot Weight of the Year.'
Kettlebells deliver extreme all around fitness
Voropayev (1983) observed two groups of college students over a period of a few years. A standard battery of the armed forces PT tests was used: pullups, a standing broad jump, a 100m sprint, and a 1k run. The control group followed the typical university physical training program which was military oriented and emphasized the above exercises. The experimental group just lifted kettlebells. In spite of the lack of practice on the tested drills, the KB group showed better scores in every one of them! The above benefits alone could have easily justified the kettlebells' existence. But they were only the beginning. Surprised researchers at the famous Lesgaft Physical Culture Institute in Leningrad (Vinogradov & Lukyanov, 1986) found a very high correlation between the results posted in a kettlebell lifting competition and a great range of dissimilar tests: strength, measured with the three powerlifts and grip strength; strength endurance, measured with pullups and parallel bar dips; general endurance, determined by a 1000 meter run; work capacity and balance, measured with special tests! "Exercises with kettlebells enable one to quickly build strength, endurance, achieve a balanced development of all muscle groups, fix particular deficiencies of built, and they also promote health." (Gomonov, 1998) Most methods that claim 'all around fitness' deliver no more than a series of compromises. Accept no compromises; choose the Russian kettlebell!
Kettlebells for rugged health
Doctor Krayevskiy, the founder of the St. Petersburg Athletic Club, 'the father of Russian athletics', and 'Russian Lion' Hackenschmidt's coach, trained religiously with kettlebells. The doctor took up training at the age of forty-one and twenty years later he was said to look fresher and healthier than at forty. A study done in Siberia by Shevtsova (1993) revealed some interesting facts about the effects of kettlebell training on the heart. Seventy-five gireviks with three to five years of experience were studied. A long-term decrease in the heart rate and the blood pressure was recorded. The average resting HR was recorded at 56 beats per minute, the BP 110/70 in the summer and 114/74 in the winter. The heart rate took a dive not just at rest, but also during and after exercise. The time it took the heart to slow down back to normal also decreased. Some heart dynamics lead to the conclusion that experienced gireviks' systems also adapted to be better 'primed' and ready for upcoming action. Overall, the researchers registered "a normal adaptation of the cardio-vascular system to training stress" and "an increased functional capacity of the heart". Repetitive ballistic loading of kettlebell drills appears to be highly beneficial to your joints and connective tissues -provided you do not overdo it and your doctor authorizes it. Countless Russians have successfully rehabilitated hopeless back injuries with kettlebells. The most inspiring story is that of Valentin Dikul. A circus acrobat, Valentin took a bad fall and broke his back when he was seventeen. Dikul said no to the wheel-chair and painstakingly rehabilitated himself, largely with the help of his trusted kettlebells. But he did not stop there. He proceeded to become a great circus strongman juggling 80kg kettlebells and a powerlifter with mind-boggling lifts at sixty-something years of age!
Are kettlebells dangerous? Am I too young or too old?
Only 8.8% of top Russian gireviks, members of the Russian National Team and regional teams, reported injuries in training or competition (Voropayev, 1997). A remarkably low number, isn't it? Note that these were not regular guys training in their garage but elite athletes who push their bodies to the edge. Which does not give you an excuse to lift kettlebells flippantly; any type of strength training can be dangerous if you use bad judgment. As for the age, at the 1995 Russian Championship the youngest contestant was 16, the oldest 53! And we are talking elite competition here; the range is even wider if you are training for yourself rather than for the gold.
What kettlebell size is right for me?
At first, kettlebells sizes were available in 9, 18, 26, 35, 53, 70 and 88-pounds. Now they are available from York Barbell in 5 pound increments going up to 50 pounds. Designed in Russia and made with pride in the USA. An average man should start with a 35-pounder. Most men will eventually progress to a 53-pounder, the standard issue size in the Russian military. Although available in most units, 72-pounders are used only by few advanced guys and in elite competitions. 88-pounders are for mutants. An average woman should start with an 18-pounder. A strong woman can go for a 26-pounder. Some women will advance to a 36-pounder. A few hard women will go beyond.
What is "Hand-to-Hand Kettlebell Drills", a.k.a. "H2H"?
The Russian kettlebell is an infinitely versatile power tool. If you get bored you are a hopelessly dull person. One of the cool things Russians do with their kettlebell is juggling. Speaking on behalf of the Russian Federation State Committee on Physical Culture, G. V. Nosov even stated that juggling must be included into a kettlebell regimen! To the best of our knowledge, Jeff Martone, SRKC is the only person outside Eastern Europe who practices the secret art of Kettlebell Juggling. Jeff is a veteran spec ops physical training and defensive tactics instructor who exemplifies extreme training for hard men with high mileage. Twenty some nose breaks, zippers on his knee and shoulders are not that unusual in his line of work. What is unusual is the fact that Jeff has got his youthful strength, flexibility, and agility back and then some after a couple of years of kettlebelling. Today his focus is similar to Steve Maxwell's: dynamic strength and stamina in all conceivable planes of motion. Jeff has a different angle on how to accomplish them though. His Hand-to-Hand Kettlebell Drills: Xplosive Strength & Stamina for the Combat Athlete are juggling type full body challenges usually done with a lighter kettlebell (never mind that Martone himself casually plays with 72- and 88-pounders). But a high variety of moves and the emphasis on endurance is the same.
Soviet scientists stated that kettlebells improve balance, coordination, and agility (Luchkin, 1947, Laputin, 1973). Jeff Martone's H2H Kettlebell program is the ultimate in that type of training. Another way to get tough while having a rowdy good time with your Russian kettlebell.