Not surprisingly , and no doubt to ward off boredom and
allow for spirited challenges, in past decades impromptu strength & endurance contests evolved using kettlebells. This
was natural primitive human behaviour !
Kettlebells in Russian sport : During the 20th century , the bells
were used by strength athletes e.g weightlifters to compliment more traditional barbell lifts. In 1948 Russians commenced
kettlebell sport (Girevoy sport) which pitched a man and a time clock against the
maximal repetitions obtained in 3 types of lifts , the snatch (weight swung with one arm straight above head ) , the clean
& jerk ( 2 bells swung to chest once , and then put overhead as many times as possible) and the one armed push press.
Modern Girevoy sport , practised
by highly conditioned male and female Gireviks , has evolved into a monument of
strength endurance , where in order to obtain his/her best result, the competitor
must develop perfect technique to allow energy conservation whilst testing his/her physical & mental grit to the limit
. It is a supreme test of stamina , strength , character ,courage and determination.
For the interested , Denisov recently set a new world record in the 2 kettlebell jerk competition , putting 2 , 32 kg bells
overhead 175 times in 10 minutes.
Competive gireviks come in
all shapes and sizes, and compete in age and weight divisions. Unlike in traditional weightlifting , there are virtually no
"fat" competitors.
http://www.girevoysport.ru/
There are
some great demo videoes on Andrey Kuzmin's Russian site : ladies and men!
http://www.girevoysport.ru/video.htm
