An Introduction to the Sport of Kettlebell Lifting
By
Scott Shetler
By now, you should know what a kettlebell is, or at the very least, you
should have heard of kettlebells. They are popping up everywhere, and you can
even purchase them from your local sporting goods retailer. There are kettlebell
fitness trainers, kettlebell boot camps, kettlebell gyms, and even kettlebell
infomercials. Kettlebells certainly have broken into the mainstream. Some might
say this is good while others might say this is bad.
After learning of kettlebells in 2002, I started to take great interest in
the sport of kettlebell lifting. Unfortunately, for those of us here in the
United States, information is hard to come by. Over the past few years though,
this has changed, and the sport has exploded.
What is kettlebell sport? Kettlebell sport, sometimes referred to as “girevoy
sport” (GS), involves the repetitive lifting of kettlebells in a given period of
time. The competition involves two events—the biathlon and the long cycle—and
the lifter is given ten minutes for each event to perform as many repetitions as
possible.
Kettlebells have been around for hundreds of years, and the sport of
kettlebell lifting was organized on an official level around the 1940s or 1950s.
The origins of the sport are in Russia and eastern Europe, although today it has
spread in popularity worldwide.
In my opinion, kettlebell sport lifters are the pinnacle of kettlebell
training. Not only are they capable of amazing feats of strength with very heavy
kettlebells, but they are capable of amazing feats of strength endurance as
demonstrated in competition. Consider that at the highest levels it is common to
see a kettlebell sport competitor performing over 100 jerks with a pair of 70-lb
kettlebells!
Honored master of sport, Valery Fedorenko, in an impressive
display of strength endurance jerks a 60-Kg (132-lb) kettlebell. In this
particular demonstration, he performed over 50 repetitions before setting the
kettlebell down.
The competition lifts parallel the lifts contested in weightlifting—the clean
and jerk and the snatch—and in the early days, the press was contested as well.
Biathlon
The biathlon is made up of the jerk and the snatch. The jerk is performed by
cleaning two kettlebells to the chest, referred to as the rack position, and
then utilizing an explosive leg drive to lock the kettlebells out at arm’s
length overhead. The bells are then dropped back to the rack position prior to
the next repetition.
Men’s professional division at the 2009 Arnold Sports Festival
Kettlebell Sport Championship performing the jerk with 32-Kg (70-lb)
kettlebells.
The snatch involves swinging a kettlebell between the legs and explosively
lifting it to a fixed and locked out position overhead, all in one movement.
After fixating the bell, the lifter lowers the kettlebell in a swinging motion
back between the legs and performs the next repetition. Because this is a one
armed lift, the lifter must switch hands one time and complete snatches on the
other hand as well.
Women’s amateur division at the 2009 Arnold Sports Festival
Kettlebell Sport Championship performing the snatch with 12-Kg (26-lb)
kettlebells.
Depending on the federation, some require the snatches to be averaged, some
total the snatches performed on each hand, and some require the same number of
repetitions per hand when determining the lifter’s score. In the biathlon, a
lifter’s score is calculated by adding the jerk repetitions and snatch
repetitions together to calculate the lifter’s total.
In some federations, women perform the snatch only while in the competitions
held by the World Kettlebell Club and its affiliates, women may participate in
the biathlon. For women, the jerk is performed with one arm utilizing the one
hand switch as in the snatch. Men jerk two kettlebells and snatch one
kettlebell.
Long cycle
The second event is the long cycle. In the long cycle, the lifter cleans two
bells to the rack position (one bell for women), jerks them to a locked out
position overhead, drops them to the rack, and then cleans them again prior to
the next repetition.
Men’s amateur division at the 2009 Arnold Sports Festival
Kettlebell Sport Championship performing the long cycle with 24-Kg (53-lb)
kettlebells.
Basic rules
In both the biathlon and the long cycle, the lifter has ten minutes to
complete as many repetitions as possible in each individual lift. The one major
rule is that the lifter may not set the kettlebells down or the set is
considered complete. In the snatch, the lifter may rest with the bell locked out
overhead, and in the jerk and long cycle, the lifter may rest with the bells in
the rack position or in the locked out position overhead. When the one armed
lifts are contested, the lifter is allowed to switch hands only one time.
In World Kettlebell Club-affiliated competitions, men may compete with 12-Kg,
16-Kg, 20-Kg, 24-Kg, 28-Kg, and 32-Kg kettlebells in the biathlon and long
cycle, depending on their level of sport mastery. Women may compete with 8-Kg,
12-Kg, 16-Kg, and 20-Kg kettlebells in the biathlon, and in the long cycle, up
to 24-Kg kettlebells may be used, depending on their individual level of sport
mastery.
Training
The sport of kettlebell lifting is a blend of power and endurance. To quote
Catherine Imes, the first American to achieve a master of sport lifter
classification in kettlebell lifting, the lifter must “become comfortable with
discomfort.” If the lifter plans to complete ten minutes of jerks or snatches,
exceptional technique and a fairly high pain tolerance is required.
Training for the sport requires focus, patience, and discipline. Typically,
most of the training time is spent building large amounts of volume in the
specific competition lifts, although many lifters perform supplementary
exercises with kettlebells, barbells and even body weight to strengthen weak
points and improve overall strength and endurance.
For an in-depth look at how I have incorporated kettlebell and kettlebell
sport training into my personal training plan and that of my athletes and
clients, I recommend my book, Kettlebells for Sport, Strength, and Fitness,
available on my website at
www.extreme-fitness.org.
Kettlebell sport in the US
In America, we are lucky to have honored master of sport and former world
champion, Valery Fedorenko, sharing the knowledge he acquired over his
competitive career. Due to this, we have had two men and many women achieve the
advanced lifter classification/ranking of master of sport, which is similar to
an elite ranking in powerlifting. This is a testament to Fedorenko’s training
methods, considering that just five or six years ago, Americans were just
learning about kettlebell sport.
In 2007, Fedorenko launched the World Kettlebell Club to serve as an
organization to promote his training methods and the sport of kettlebell lifting
worldwide. In addition, he formed the American Kettlebell Club and has
successfully established kettlebell clubs in many different countries as well.
In an effort to promote the growth of the sport, many of Fedorenko’s top
coaches have begun holding kettlebell sport meets at the local and regional
level and have attracted a following from all ages and skill levels. In March of
2009, kettlebell sport was included as an event in the Arnold Schwarzenegger
Classic Sports Festival in which over 100 lifters participated.
Getting started
The sport is easy to get into. The equipment required is minimal and fairly
inexpensive, and a lifter does not need a spotter, although having a coach or
someone to assist you with the technical aspects of the lifts and with the
organization of training is recommended and extremely beneficial.
If you are interested in learning more or participating in the sport of
kettlebell lifting, I suggest finding an American Kettlebell Club coach or an
American Kettlebell Club/World Kettlebell Club-affiliated training center in
your area. If you need help finding a coach or if you have any specific
questions regarding kettlebell sport or kettlebell training, feel free to
contact me at
scott@extreme-fitness.org. I’ll be happy to help in any way I can.
Scott Shetler is a kettlebell sport competitor and owner of the Atlanta
Barbell and Kettlebell Club and Extreme Conditioning & Fitness–Sport & Fitness
Training located in Duluth, Georgia. He authored the book Kettlebells for Sport,
Strength, and Fitness and is a World Kettlebell Club master trainer under Coach
Valery Fedorenko. Scott is available to license/certify kettlebell fitness
trainers for the World Kettlebell Club.
For more information on kettlebell training or if you would like
information on how to become a certified kettlebell trainer, contact Scott at
scott@extreme-fitness.org or visit the kettlebell training page at
www.extreme-fitness.org.
Elite Fitness Systems strives to be a recognized leader in the strength
training industry by providing the highest quality strength training products
and services while providing the highest level of customer service in the
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