In April I attended a kettlebell training camp with Valery Fedorenko and Ivan Denisov.  I learnt some fantastic tips from these lifters, both of whom have set incredible records and are among the greatest kettlebell lifters of all time. Denisov is the absolute world record holder for 32kg jerks, a title that is borne of a great deal of hard work and painstaking efforts to perfect technique.  Watching Denisov lifting is truly incredible, and he does what all great athletes do – he makes it look easy. I put together a short video on the things I learnt from Denisov for the people I coach online, but thought it was worth sharing as anyone who does kettlebell jerk (for whatever reason, whether it be for heavy lifting or for high rep work). These small tweaks in technique can make a huge difference and are invaluable for those who really want to nail the kettlebell jerk.

Ivan Denisov has done it again.  Denisov is on a roll at the moment, setting kettlebell lifting records that will likely stand for a long time.   Denisov performed 190 32kg kettlebell snatches in 10 mins – all done with his left hand. To put this in perspective, only a handful of elite male kettlebell sport athletes have cracked 200 reps in 10 minutes with a hand change so to get to 190 on a single hand is incredible. Now, Denisov is obviously a big, stong guy with exceptional conditioning, but these qualities alone won’t allow for these world record performances -  they require an extraordinarily high level of skill.  Denisov is highly scientific when it comes to lifting, he understands the physics of these lifts possibly better than anyone else in the world and he is meticulous when it comes to the details.  This is something we should all bear in mind when training – physical fitness will only get you so far, skill is what separates the good from the great and the great from the best. In 2009 Pavlos Giorgiardis, Master of Sport, did 180 snatches with the 32kg with one hand in just over 9 minutes: And [...]

In April this year, Pavlos Georgiardis set a new record for super heavy kettlebell lifting.  Pavlos mananged an astonishing 10 one arm jerks with a 90kg kettlebell, beating the previous known record by 3 reps. There are a few things that make this record even more impressive than it first appears.  First, Pavlos doesn’t train specifically for heavy kettlebell lifting, he trains for traditional kettlebell sport (so for jerks that’s with 2x32kg bells). In the days leading up to this effort, he had done max sets of jerks (10 mins with 32s) and snatches (again 10 mins with a 32kg) so he was far from fresh. Pavlos didn’t wear any wrist protection (just having 90kg resting against your wrist would be extremely uncomfortable), nor did he wear lifting shoes (he was wearing an old pair of sneakers with holes in them). This record really does represent the true spirit of kettlebell training – nothing fancy is required, just good technique, hard work and a lot of balls.

StrongSport is a relatively new addition to the kettlebell sport scene.  StrongSport is based on heavy single arm lifts with the maximum set time being 4 mins instead of 10 mins as in traditional kettlebell sport. Because of its shorter duration and more emphasis on strength than endurance, StrongSport is a great option for those who have a strength training background who want to get involved in kettlebell sport but are put off by the longer sets.  Men work with 32kg and upwards for StrongSport, while women use 20kg and upwards.  The ranking system for StrongSport can be found here. Andy Fitting is the man when it comes to StrongSport.  Andy holds several world records with the ultra heavy bells, including the 72kg bell.  The following interview with Andy gives some great insights into his training and competing in StrongSport. 1. What are the current kettlebell lifting records that you hold? Well the record that people might be most familiar with is 24 total one arm jerks (11/13) with a 72kg (159lbs) regulation sized kettlebell. Valery [Fedorenko] said that he wants to see me do 15/15 with the 72kg for 30 total reps as my next goal. You know we [...]

Valery Fedorenko is certainly amongst the best kettlebell sport athletes of all time, and given the breadth of his achievements (from being ranked Honoured Master of Sport to holding the world record for 60kg jerks), is is one of the best kettlebell lifters of all time. Fedorenko lifting a 226lb dumbbell at the Arnold this year On the 18th March Fedorenko did a whopping 302 snatches with the 32kg kettlebell, with just one hand change – a set that took around 20 minutes.  What’s more, he made it look easy: barely broke a sweat and the last rep looked the same as the first rep. Fedorenko’s attention to detail, his flawless timing, relaxed breathing, ability to rest overhead and even pacing combined with an inhuman work capacity have enabled him to perform such an impressive set. The full set  can be seen in the video below, and it’s worth listening to what he has to say at the start because he’s a funny guy.

Ivan Denisov is one of the greatest kettlebell lifters of all time, some would argue he is THE greatest.  Denisov holds the absolute world records for both kettlebell sport events (biathlon and long cycle) and has recently been awarded the highest rank possible in kettlebell sport: Honoured Master of Sport. At a training camp at the Ice Chamber in San Francisco in February this year, Denisov set a mind boggling world record by snatching the 24kg kettlebell 730 times with one hand switch – a feat that took 35 minutes of continuous lifting. This incredible world record is even more impressive given that Denisov didn’t train specifically for it, he just gave it a go on the day. You can see the whole set here.  Even if you don’t watch it till the end it’s worth skipping to the last couple of minutes to see how even after 35 mins of lifting he maintains good form and stops the kettlebell perfectly still in overhead lockout.  That is professionalism! History in the making.

Honestly, it’s scary how much crappy kettlebell information is out there.  YouTube is littered with it, hundreds of people telling us they’re kettlebell experts and their system is the best.  More often than not, these people are just making stuff up – literally. These cowboys are tarnishing the world of kettlebell training and giving kettlebells a bad name.  There are plenty of physios out there who think the kettlebell is the best thing in the world, because it’s making them rich – a training tool is only as good as the instructor who teaches it, and unfortunately the majority of kettlebell instruction out there is pretty shoddy. In fact, it’s getting to the point where it’s becoming a bit of a joke… This is just getting a little bit ridiculous and I really can’t see how this carries over to either everyday life or any sort of athletic pursuit.  If you want to do something fun and creative with kettlebells that will actually have a beneficial effect, try juggling. And really, what on earth is the point of using a 4lb kettlebell?! This is without doubt a gimmick. This just makes me want to gouge my own eyes out. Oh [...]

Valery Fedorenko, Honoured Master of Sport and revered kettlebell sport athlete, has recently, single handedly flipped a 72kg kettlebell. To put this into perspective, the heaviest kettlebell in existence in Australia is 64kg and there is probably only a handful of people who could manage to swing it with one hand – swinging it, letting go of it while it rotates in the air and then catching it mid flight is an unimaginable feat of strength, power, coordination and balls. So Fedorenko flipping the 72kg flawlessly is mind boggling.  Towards the end there is some super slow motion footage that shows how much power and skill is involved in this feat. Kettlebell Juggling While flipping the 72kg is out of the question for the vast majority of us, kettlebell juggling is something that pretty much anyone can do. Kettlebell juggling is heaps of fun and provides some significant training benefits: Trains hand/eye coordination and agility. Trains joints through several different planes of movement (something that is often missing in people’s training) so builds stonger, healthier more mobile joints. Provides a mixture of cardiorespiratory, strength, power and endurance training. Develops stong connective tissue particularly in the wrists, elbows and shoulders (areas [...]

There are now 10kg and 14kg Pro Grade Kettlebells in Australia! Pro Grade Kettlebells Rock! Now I am a complete kettlebell snob and while I can understand the the Classic bells have their place and most people find them more than adequate to train with, the erognomics of the Pro Grade, their balance for ballistics and their chalkable handle, in my opinion, make them the superior kettlebell - I won’t use anything else for my own training and only train my clients using Pro Grade bells. One of the few downfalls of the Pro Grades was that they went up in 4kg increments, whereas the lighter Classic Kettlebells went up in 2kg increments – now this is being rectified the Pro Grades are becoming an even more desirable choice! For more information on the differences between Pro Grade and Classic Kettlebells read this article. How the 10kg and 14kg Will benefit Your Training The 10kg and 14kg Pro Grade Kettlebells now mean those people who have mastered the 8kg but are struggling with the 12kg, or those who have been using the 12kg but are finding the 16kg really tough, have the perfect bridging weight. A 4kg jump in weight, particularly for exercises where you’re holding [...]

Knowing the Difference Between Pushing it and Pushing it too Far The old saying about “no pain, no gain” may have some truth in it when it comes to getting results with training, but there’s pain and then there’s pain. Serious discomfort is something that must be suffered at least every now and again to really reap the fruits of your training labour, however there is a big difference between being so uncomfortable that you’d do just about anything to stop and causing yourself injury or illness through training. The latter is something that should be avoided at all costs, and it’s something that athletes strive to minimise the risk of in their training because injury and illness equal time off training, which equals decreased performance overall. An injury in training can mean the difference between competing and being a champion and not even making it to the comp. BS in the Media Leading us Astray Unfortunately, shows like The Biggest Loser have perpetuated this idea that you need to push yourself to your absolute limits in order to be seen as “hard” and to get superhuman results. This is part of the reason half of the contestants on the [...]