The Beginner’s Guide to Competing in Kettlebell Sport
When your love for a sport consumes everything and you live and breathe it with passion every day, It is easy to forget that not everyone understands what it is about or even knows about it. It happens to me a lot. Kettlebell sports are deeply rooted in my life.
When your love for a sport consumes everything and you live and breathe it with passion every day, It is easy to forget that not everyone understands what it is about or even knows about it. It happens to me a lot. Kettlebell sports are deeply rooted in my life.
I train for the sport of kettlebell, train my athletes in it and write about it. My wife is also a kettlebell lifter and trainer. So you can imagine that I can still be surprised when someone tells me that they have no idea about kettlebell. But I always like to explain it.
Me at a kettlebell sport competition.
Kettlebells: Not just for fitness
Most gym goers and trainers are experienced with kettlebells. These weird looking weights are no longer the novelty they were ten years ago and now have their place in many exercise facilities. However, most people have only seen and taught these handle cannonballs as a fitness tool. Many athletes are unaware that they have been used as an integral tool of a full-fledged sport for over sixty years.
"The two main disciplines in the sport are biathlon (which is made up of two separate disciplines, the jerk and the snatch) and the long cycle, which is clean and jerky."
The first official Girevoy sport (the sport's original Russian name) was held in the old USSR in 1948, and developed from there in the 1950s and 60s. This advance came mainly from the military, who had seen this form of training benefit the troops. In the 1970s, Girevoy sport was included in the National Sports Federation as the official ethnic sport of Russia.
It started gaining popularity in the UK in the second half of the 2000s, and after being an underground sport for a few years, now has competitions organized and approved by national bodies such as the Girevoy Sport Union and the Organization of Kettlebell Sport England. In the USA, the United States Girevoy Sport Federation was founded in 2003.
What is kettlebell sport?
The best way to describe it is "endurance weightlifting". The two main disciplines of the sport are biathlon (which is made up of two separate disciplines, the jerk and the snatch) and the long cycle, which is clean and jerky.
“The training methods vary greatly from athlete to athlete and from coach to coach; The only principle that does not change, however, is the requirement for maximum efficiency. "
All exercises are performed for a maximum of ten minutes, during which the athletes try to complete as many high quality repetitions as possible without placing the kettlebell (s) on the floor. Whoever has the most repetitions is considered the winner. In biathlon there must be a break of at least thirty minutes between the jerk and the tear.
Men complete the jerk portion of biathlon and the long cycle with two kettlebells, while women traditionally only use one kettlebell, although more and more women are choosing the two-arm lifts these days. The snatch is played with a kettlebell in both the male and female categories. When using a kettlebell, be it in the snatch (for both gender categories) or in the jerk and long cycle for women, the athletes are only allowed to change hands once during the set.
The best way to describe the kettlebell sport is “endurance weightlifting”.
How heavy are these things?
Kettlebell weights used in the men's category are typically 16 kg, 20 kg, 24 kg, 28 kg, and 32 kg. Women use 8 kg, 12 kg, 16 kg, 20 kg and 24 kg. These apply to local events in the UK and to national events.
The choice of kettlebell weights is decreasing dramatically on an international level. Here the lifters are divided into two categories, amateur and professional. Male amateurs use the 24 kg kettlebells while women use the 16 kg kettlebell. Professional male athletes compete with the 32 kg kettlebells, while the professional women use the 24 kg bell.
"All lifts are carried out with the aim of using only the required amount of energy and using the momentum during the concentric phase to the advantage of the lift."
In international competitions there is usually also a veteran category. The weights used may vary depending on the bandage under which the meeting is taking place and also depending on the age of the lifter. Typically, veterans use 24kg and women use 16kg.
The international competition for women is all about snatching at the moment. Given the rapidly changing landscape of the sport, that could change soon. It's also important to note that athletes compete in body weight categories. Men start at 63kg and go up to 95+ kg and women start at 53kg to 68+ kg.
Preparing a kettlebell athlete
Training methods vary widely from athlete to athlete and from coach to coach; However, The only principle that will not change is the requirement for maximum efficiency.
Without efficient technique, it is impossible to achieve the high repetitions necessary for success in sport. All lifts are performed with the aim of using only the required amount of energy and using the momentum during the concentric phase to the benefit of the lifter. To achieve such an efficient technique, the jerk, tear, and long cycle must be patiently and consistently drilled.
"Sport requires specific flexibility, muscular endurance, strength endurance, and well-developed aerobic capacity, so all of these components should be present in some way in the athletes' GPP program."
The eccentric part of the stroke is reduced to a minimum. This also explains the relatively low hypertrophy in kettlebell athletes compared to powerlifters or Olympic lifters, despite the enormous amount of weight lifted in each session.
When it comes to GPP, every athlete's needs will be different. Sport requires specific flexibility, muscular endurance, strength endurance, and a well-developed aerobic capacity, so all of these components should be present in some way in the athlete's GPP program.
Tips to get you started
I recommend anyone interested in competitions to look for a reputable trainer so that you can get to know the technical details of the lifts and can best program the training cycles. If you can't find a coach near you, find a coach who offers online training. Just make sure he or she has a proven record on the platform, either in person or through athletes.
The best way to get involved in the sport of kettlebell in the United States is to check with the United States Girevoy Sport Federation to see when and where competitions are taking place. A great first step is simply to watch a competition and get a feel for the sport. Good luck and see you on the platform.
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Photo 1 courtesy Laurence Clemente.
Photo 2 courtesy of Shutterstock.
