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 training can be one of the most effective ways of increasing one or more facets of fitness, including strength, power, power endurance, strength endurance, cardiovascular fitness, mobility and agility.  However, there are some common mistakes people make with their kettlebell training that can lead to sub-optimal training or even injury. Here are 5 of the most common mistakes people make with their kettlebell training: 1. NOT SEEKING EXPERT ADVICE. This is a fatal mistake.  People think they’ve been weight training for a while, or that they’re a qualified personal trainer, therefore will automatically be able to know how to lift a kettlebell. The kettlebell is very different from barbells and dumbbells.  The body of the kettlebell sits away from its handle, giving the kettlebell a displaced centre of mass.  This displaced centre of mass means the kettlebell behaves very differently to dumbbells and barbells, which have the weight evenly dispersed on either side of the handle. For example, having the kettlebell handle sit across your hand in the same position a dumbbell handle sites is not only uncomfortable due to the displaced centre of mass, but is also dangerous as it puts a lot of unnecessary stress on 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 [...]

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 [...]

Louie Simmons is a famous powerlifter who you have probably heard of, and this is an article he has written about how Westside Barbell uses kettlebells. Using Kettlebells By Louie Simmons I am asked all the time what we do with kettle bells. Although they have been around forever, they have once again become the rage. There are kettle bell camps and certifications. Pavel has several DVDs on kettle bell workouts for strength training and flexibility. Zach Evan-Esh has an excellent DVD on combat training with kettle bells. He has really thought out a system for conditioning and strength endurance. But what does Westside do with kettle bells? We do very few kettle bell swings and cleans. At the Arnold Classic, I arranged with Kieran Kidder to have Valery Fedorenko do a demonstration. He jerked a 70 ( 35 not 70) pound kettle bell for an unbelievable 2006 reps! Once he cleaned the first rep, he never touched the floor again until the last rep was completed. Kettle bells are good for mobility, flexibility, and strength endurance, as noted by the 2006 reps made at the WPO finals. At Westside, some will do a few swings for a warm-up on dynamic [...]

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.

I‘m starting a Girevoy sport club in Melbourne. Girevoy sport is the sport of Kettlebell lifting.  It involves three of the major Kettlebell lifts – the jerk, snatch and long cycle clean and jerk – performed for ten minutes at a time. Girevoy sport requires exceptional strength and endurance; it is not for the faint of heart! To see some footage of Girevoy sport click here. However, Girevoy sport is also a sport that anyone can excel at with consistency and hard work.  I’m proof of that.  I’m not a natural athlete by any stretch of the imagination, but with some hard work and steady training I can now do things I never would have thought possible. In fact, if you join the Melbourne Girevoy Sport Club you will have the opportunity to be on the first Australian Girevoy Sport Team and could represent Australia on an international level. To register your interest in the Melbourne Girevoy Sport Club or to get more information please email me at info@kettlebells.com.au or call 1300 85 40 50 Emily

The Australian Kettlebell Workshops are a fantastic way to learn about the fundamentals of kettlebell training or finely tune your technique. We have kettlebell workshops running in Perth and Melbourne throughout April and May. Many of us have been lifting kettlebells and not doing too badly, but haven’t had a true expert go over our technique with a fine tooth comb. Kettlebells are relatively new to Australia and as a result there isn’t the pool of knowledge that exists for more well-established equipment. So we’re providing workshops run by highly experienced kettlebell lifters who can ensure you maximise your training results by training properly. For more information on the workshops and their dates check out the site.

  Few words can sufficiently describe the splendour our new prograde kettlebells, however one that comes close is ‘breathtaking’. The new progrades share with their predecessors the same time-tested ergonomic design, but have a couple of added features that truly make them the Kings of Kettlebells. First, they now come in a range of eye-catching colours with the 16s, 24s and 32s painted in the traditional Russian competition colours. The new progrades also come with a raw steel handle.  The latest handles are unbelievably smooth, far better than you’d ever manage to get them if you stripped them by hand.  They are very kind on your hands and serious kettlebell lifters know that makes all the difference.  No more days off training while you wait for your torn hands to heal! To check out the new progrades CLICK HERE.

Comrades, I’m in pain today because I’ve just learn’t one of the meanest kettlebells exercise ever. Boy am I sore !! What’s it called? It’s the BENT PRESS! What makes it so unique? We”ll its a combination of a windmill, a press, an overhead squat and somehow it manages to smash your lats to pieces even though your not performing a pulling movement!?! It’s the Swiss army knife of Kettlebell lifting! Originally used by oldtime strongmen to perform massive feats of strength (Arthur Saxon managed to lift something like 415lbs) its been recognised as one of the most technical Kettlebell moves…… don’t i know it! The difficulty starts with trying to get your arm in the right position. Your triceps needs to be sitting on your lat, huge shoulder flexibility. The initiating movement is corkscrewing your body down and away from the bell, ‘flaring’ you lat as you go. Like the windmill it requires huge core stability as well as massive shoulder stability as you drop under it like an overhead squat. All this combined creates a hugely technical move that a lot of people will struggle with! (Checkout our Russian Guru Phil Kourbatski as he performs the move below) [...]