Kettlebell lifting, or girevoy sport, 'The working class sport'
Olympic weightlifting is a wonderful sport, but let's get real-it's an elitist sport like polo or sailing. WL requires state of the art equipment-a quality OL barbell set can set you back more than a motorcycle-and constant expert coaching. Kettlebell lifting or girevoy sport, on the other hand, is a true 'working class sport'. Kettlebells are cheap, no platform is required, and almost anyone can master the kettlebell competition or 'classic' lifts in a short period of time from a book or a video. Grit alone determines the winner.
There are two events: jerks with two kettlebells and snatches with one, both done for reps. At the highest level of the sport the numbers get mind-boggling. To give you an idea, last year Oleg Neskromny set a new world record in the 80kg or 176 pound weight class by snatching a 32kg kettlebell 100 times with each arm within ten minutes! The ten-minute time limit has been established to force a more explosive performance and to keep elite attempts relatively brief and exciting to the spectators.
Only elite men compete with 32kg or 72 pound bells; the size of the kettlebells depends on the weight, ranking, and gender of the athlete. The lightest competition kettlebells weigh 12kg. To get a better idea of where you should start and to get inspired check out the Russian kettlebell sport ranking system and kettlebell sport records.
An alternative type of competition became popular in the early 1990s: 'the long cycle C&J'. Instead of traditionally cleaning the kettlebells to your shoulders once and then jerking them for repetitions you have to drop the kettlebells from your shoulders to a point between your knees and reclean them before every jerk. The long cycle clean-and-jerk is unbelievably brutal. One look at the long cycle kettlebell C&J ranking system will humble you.
Last year girevoy sport took off in the US. The first competition took place on Harvard's campus on Nov 16 2002, followed by meets in Florida and Virginia. Once five states have hosted championships, the first Nationals are on the way. Check the Kettlebell Lifting Competition Schedule for upcoming events.
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