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 [...]

Kettlebell sport is in its infancy in Australia, but with a core group of people working hard to promote it some momentum has been gained and we’re finally seeing some growth. For those who don’t know, kettlebell sport is a power endurance sport involving long, timed sets of kettlebell ballistics.  Traditionally, it’s 10 min sets of kettlebell jerks, snatches or long cycle clean and jerk.  For men, most competitions involve biathlon (10 mins double jerks followed usually at least 30 mins laster by 10 mins snatches) and long cycle (double bells) events.  For women, there may be snatch only events or biathlon and long cycle events, at this stage all women’s events are carried out with single bells.  In competition sets the bells must not be put down, and for single handed lifts only one hand change is permitted. On Saturday 27th March Australia saw its biggest kettlebell sport meet to date: a whopping 7 competitors! Now in many other countries this sounds very, very small, but in Australia, where kettlebell sport has only really been accessible to people for about a eighteen months this was BIG. The competition was held at Kettlebell Athletica in Melbourne. So big was the [...]

The following interview was done by Ice Chamber Coach Maya: Master of Sport, Elena Viktorovna Yurysheva is from the Vologodskaya region in the city of Vytegra, Russia.  She is 25 years old and weighs between 60-61 kilograms.  Elena credits her coach, Vyacheslav Yakovlevich Ogarev, for helping her become one of the first women in the world to snatch the 24kg kettlebell over 120 times in competition.  Here are a few of Elena’s opinions on women’s participation in the sport and about her goal to break a world record this year… World Champion and Master of Sport, Elena Viktorovna Yurysheva Maya: Please tell us how you became involved in Kettlebell Sport. Elena: I practiced a variety of sports, but in our small city it was only possible to achieve great success in kettlebell sport, and because of a strong coach!! We don’t have the possibility of doing some other kind of sport (not in gyms or in stadiums). And by nature I’m active and I’m more attracted to active sports. Maya: What are some of your personal records? Elena: Snatch 16 kg kettlebell – 220 times. Snatch 24 kg kettlebell 121 times! Elena’s most recent PR on the platform was 121 [...]

Read the complete Valery Fedorenko interview on www.ickbgirls.com Ice Chamber Coach Maya interviews Valery Fedorenko : Valery Fedorenko Interview Maya: Describe some aspects of your childhood that led you to Kettlebells.  Did you play any other sports or consider yourself athletic as a young man? Valery’s Master of Sport Badge/ID from the Ministry of Sport Dept. USSR/Moscow Fedorenko: I’m not sure I considered myself athletic when I was young. Actually I wanted to be strong and athletic, so I turned to kettlebells. I was an active kid but most of my friends were naturally stronger than I was, so it was some motivation to make this skin and bones into something. As for other sports, I did attempt acrobatics, doing flips, jumps and such until I broke my arm. I guess it wasn’t for me. I do remember having to work with a really weak left arm after the break, but even though it’s not my dominant arm, I made it equal or even better than my right with the kettlebell. It didn’t heal straight, but maybe it healed stronger, I don’t know. I also did some Martial Arts training and some Boxing. I just figured kettlebells were more healthy [...]

Technique First:  A Case for Kettlebell Safety By Steven Khuong, CSCS As the kettlebell becomes more mainstream, it is pertinent that ripped hands, bruised forearms, and torn ligaments not become synonymous with the tool.  Independent of any dichotomy regarding styles or programming, people using kettlebells or teaching with them have a responsibility to protect themselves and others from injury in the process. It doesn’t matter if you choose to use the kettlebell for sport, fitness, feats of strength, juggling, or power development; having a solid technical foundation should be a prerequisite to what you creatively do later. Gripping kettlebells incorrectly can lead to blisters, skin burns, and bruising.  Not fixating the bell overhead can lead to extraneous stress on the shoulder and elbow joints as well as other detrimental effects associated with unsafe handling. Good technique is paramount to long term health and human performance. The Current World Champion, Fedor Fuglev (photo courtesy of www.icechamber.com) I believe we can all learn some things about safety within the context of sport.  Competitive athletes using the kettlebell simply can not afford to let the tool injure them.  Thus, they spend the necessary time mastering the fundamentals of safety and proper handling based [...]

The kettlebell strongman/woman competition is a brand new, and very exciting, addition to competitive kettlebell lifting.   We would like to invite everyone from around the world who has a passion for kettlebells to participate in this virtual competition that we’re organising. Most of you have probably seen Valery Fedorenko’s impressive work with heavy bells, now it’s your turn to give it a shot! Ok, so what is the strongman comp? Here’s what I can tell you about the new sport so far: -NO Weight-Classes! -ONE Kettlebell contest! -TWO lifts, Jerk followed by Clean! -FOUR minute “fast” sets, only one switch of hands! -HEAVY Pro-Grade Kettlebells used! -STRICT Judging for maximum safety and fairness! -RANK SYSTEM Worldwide with online video submission! Some words from the Champ… “Kettlebell StrongMan (and StrongWoman) Sport has the potential to outgrow traditional Kettlebell Sport and I’ll tell you why. First, it’s more tolerant of a wide variety of body-types because the lifter uses only one bell. No more excuses from guys about not being able to reach the hip! Second, it’s using a heavier bell range, which leans things towards the STRENGTH side of Strength-Endurance. Third, it’s a shorter set of 4 minutes, not 10. This [...]

Catherine Imes is the USA’s first Master of Sports and has several world championships in Girevoy sport under her belt. Anyone who has seen footage of Cate training or competing will know two things about her: 1) she is a VERY tough individual 2) she has excellent form. Cate has been coaching me online for the past four months or so and has certainly taken my lifting beyond what I thought possible in such a short time frame. She has kindly answered some questions below to give you an insight into the training of a true champion. Stats: Age: 38 Weight Category: 75+, but working towards getting under 75kg this year. PRs: 423 Total in 16kg Biathlon (221 snatches/202 jerks). Odd stuff, 8L/12R OAJ with 36kg Goals: As a lifter, to eventually put up similar numbers with the 20kg that I did with the 16kg. Basically, short term hit MS with the 20kg, then perhaps in 2010 do MSWC. I may take a break from biathlon and do LCC&J. I’ve got other goals that are non-comp related. I would like to do 10 min, one switch with a 24kg and a 10 min set with a pair of 24s in [...]

Yes, that is his real name (I asked). John is a giant of a man with superhuman strength and the founder of the Orange Kettlebell Club. He has snatched a 70kg kettlebell (known affectionately as “Nibbler” – made of depleted uranium), and has jerked a 32kg and a 48kg IN ONE HAND. That’s a total of 80kg – which for any normal person would be impossible if that weight was in one bell. Two bells makes it a truly extraordinary feat of strength. Further, John has pressed one Steve Cotter overhead. An impressive lifter lifing and impressive lifter – nice work! Here is a brief interview with John to get some insights into his training (so that you too may become unbelievably strong…): How did the OKC start? I started the OKC (Orange Kettlebell Club) so I could spend all my time learning about and teaching kettlebell technique. Because I am lucky enough to travel around the world teaching and studying the OKC has grown to over 300 members in over a dozen countries. I am happy to say that we are truly an international organization. Stats? I am 6’6″ and about 330lbs, my weight always goes up and down [...]

Steve Cotter, renowned martial artist and kettlebell lifter, is going to be in Australia in November. Steve runs excellent workshops, his instructional style is very clear and you are sure to leave with an in depth knowledge of the finer points of kettlebell training Steve will be running day long workshops in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Perth between the 18th and 24th of November. Here is a little taste of what you will get if you come along: For more information and workshop dates, times and venues, check out the website.

Paul Tucker, Australia’s resident Girevoy sport expert, posted this on the forum and we think it’s very interesting and undeniably blog-worthy: Mishin S. N. Master of Sports and Head Coach of Russian Team and Tihonov, V. F. State University of Chuvashks (Cheboksary) translated from Russian by Denis Kanygin Translation by Denis Kanygin, Master Trainer and Founder of Workout IQ www.workoutiq.com www.girevoysport.us In 2005 new rule have been implemented, forcing to hold kettlebells for longer duration at lock out position. The change lead to improvements in techniques of Girevoy Sport (GS) athletes. Improved quality and time of lock out position. These changes led to changes in breathing pattern of GS athletes. Beginners to GS and even some Masters of Sport in Kettlebell Lifting tend to hold their breath and flex breathing muscles while holding kettlebells at lock out position. It takes 6-8 breathing cycles to recover from such needless exertion and get ready to next kettlebell jerk (S. Mishin, V. Tixonov 2009). Diversion of breathing and movement patterns lead to extra movement of arms, legs and torso, which lead to early onset of fatique and poor performance (A. Votorinzev 2002). Since January of 2005, breathing patterns of GS male athletes of [...]