5 Things You Should Know About Kettlebell Sport

#1.  Kettlebell Sport Exercises are Ballistic   
Ballistic means the weight is accelerated and released at some point during the exercise, or “lift.” There are hundreds of exercises you can do with a kettlebell, but the ballistic sport exercises - specifically the clean, snatch & jerk -  are the highest evolution of kettlebell training, the techniques having been honed thru competition over the past 70 years.

#2.  Kettlebell Sport Exercises are Unmatched in Efficiency
Low-impact, full-body strength, cardio and endurance at once; Seattle Kettlebell Club members have experienced noticeable improvement in these areas after only a few weeks of 3x/week visits as well as old shoulder, back, hip injuries, etc. improving or disappearing altogether after extended kettlebell training at SKC.

#3.  You'll Never "Max Out" in Kettlebell Sport
This is why you can do this whether you’re 10 or 70.  Now don't get me wrong; it's gonna get real.  But even at the peak of training, you’re using lighter weights for an extended period of time (up to 5 or 10 minutes or more).  This way, you are building endurance and keeping your heart rate up during your entire workout, which doesn’t happen with the more common method of lifting barbells or dumbbells for less reps with higher-to-max weight.

#4.  Kettlebell Sport Exercises are Easy to Modify to Your Fitness Level
When SKC refers to classes as “advanced” they mean technically advanced, not that you have to be in great shape. Once you learn how to perform the ballistic lifts through a workshop or private coaching session, they are easy to modify to your fitness level by raising or lowering the weight of the kettlebells and/or the pace at which you perform the repetitions.

#5.  Kettlebell Sport Isn’t CrossFit
If you have used kettlebells in CrossFit, we're glad to hear it - that's great.  But be prepared that kettlebell sport emphasizes different, more nuanced technique and some different kettlebell exercises entirely than are often used in CrossFit.  In order to be able to perform long sets of kettlebell sport exercises, you will probably have to let go of some of what you learned about using kettlebells at your box.

For more details about kettlebell sport competitions and lifts,

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2018 Top 5 Kettlebell Clubs in the World

Ranked by the World Association of Kettlebell Sport Clubs

in St. Petersburg, Russia 

The Secret to Burning 1200 Calories Per Hour

In our most recent blog post WHY TRAINERS ARE GOING BALLISTIC FOR KETTLEBELL SPORT & YOU SHOULD, TOO, we referenced a study sponsored by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) which found a 20 minute workout consisting of kettlebell swing and snatch intervals to burn 20.2 calories per minute, equating to 1212 calories per hour! 

Now, this little factoid gets used ad nauseam in kettlebell articles across the web and we used it, too because it still gets me really excited.  I mean, it's amazing and it's validating.  However, even though it's probably obvious I can't let it go unsaid...

Despite what the internet would like you to believe, you're not going to go to your first kettlebell class or PT session and burn 1212 calories.  The catch here is actually my favorite thing about kettlebells:

It's more than a workout, it's a practice.

Learning kettlebell sport technique is a lot like learning to drive a stick-shift or play an instrument, or switching from a PC to a Mac.  The more you practice, the more efficient you get using it.  The more efficient you get using it, the faster you can go from zero to sixty or play an arpeggio or do pretty much anything on a computer, or... Burn 1212 calories per hour.

You've got to build up to it.  That's what kettlebell sport training is all about.  In the beginning, a two-minute set of swings or snatches will probably be challenging.  When you're there, it might blow your mind a little that there are people who actually do hour-long marathon sets - without ever putting the bell(s) down!  If swing and snatch intervals with rest would produce 1212 calories burned, imagine what a marathon set would do!

If you're interested in "the journey is the destination" kind of exercise, we think you'll love kettlebell sport training and we invite you to "go from kettlebell shmo to kettlebell pro" during a SIX WEEK KETTLEBELL 101 CLASS SERIES.  Out of the area?  Join us for training via Skype.

Take Care!

www.seattlekettlebellclub.com

SKC Kettlebell Sport Class.  Photo by Amos Kallen.

Why Trainers are Going Ballistic for Kettlebell Sport & You Should, Too

Sergey Rachinskiy.  Photo courtesy Andrew Bellamy

If you’re like most Americans, you probably only recently became aware of what they are, but kettlebells have been with us for a long time.  It’s believed that kettlebells were used as scale weights in Russia even as early as the 17^th century, when people began to marvel at the incredible strength and agility of the farmers who used them.  

Fast forward to the Cold War, when there was fierce competition between the East and the West to become the dominant superpower.  Huge amounts of resources went into creating a stronger nation.  Many resources went to infrastructure and weapons and other resources went into creating stronger, smarter and more resilient people.  Out of this arms race, the Soviet Union took kettlebell lifting (a favorite pastime of peasants) and turned it into a competitive sport, with the first documented competition being held in 1948.  Rules and regulations formed over the subsequent decades, culminating with membership in their National Sports Federation. 

The creation of the sport turned ordinary weightlifting into a very scientific, traceable and effective way of training the muscular, cardiovascular and nervous system.  The competitive nature of the sport rid it of the inefficiencies and inadequacies of basic kettlebell lifting and adopted the best practices of the top lifters.  The basic lifts - the swing, the clean and the press - remain the same in name, but it is the efficiency in which they are done that separate kettlebell sport from other types of kettlebell workouts.   

Kettlebell Sport events include the jerk, snatch and long-cycle. Whether you are competing against yourself or others, your ranking is determined by your weight class, the weight of the kettlebells you use to compete, and the amount of reps you complete in a 5 or 10-minute time limit.  Kettlebell sport has been referred to as fluid style kettlebell lifting because of the smoothness of the movements and the relative ease at which the athletes seem to make the weight levitate.  It is this smoothness that allows you to perform the higher repetitions which benefit the cardiovascular system while being easy on the joints and gaining superhuman strength at the same time.

Lifters compete in Snatch at the 2015 OKC Cali Open.  Photo courtesy Nazofoto

It takes true mastery of the techniques in order to make it look effortless, which is why it appeals to intellectuals as well as gifted athletes.  It is fantastic strength and endurance training, and a study sponsored by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) found a 20 minute workout consisting of kettlebell swing and snatch intervals burned 20.2 calories per minute, equating to 404 calories in those 20 minutes, or 1212 calories per hour!

Professional lifter Denis Vasilev.  Photo courtesy Nazofoto

When I first picked up a kettlebell it was not with the intention of becoming a kettlebell instructor.   I had heard stories that kettlebells could improve your core and grip strength and improve stability around your shoulders, knees, ankles, etc.  I was curious and thought the kettlebell might improve my deadlift, squat and bench press, so I started some very simple exercises with a very light kettlebell to see if I could get a bit of a boost.  Immediately I was humbled by the amount of work that I could get in with such a small, compact weight.  With kettlebells, I was building more strength than ever - and faster, I might add - and I was developing my cardiovascular capacity, which I had never been able to do with powerlifting.  My joints were feeling better instead of worse after a long workout.  The kettlebell challenged me in ways I'd never been challenged... it was living up to its reputation.  Ultimately I transitioned from using kettlebells to assist my barbell work to using barbells to assist my kettlebell work.

Kettlebell Sport class at Seattle Kettlebell Club

As a personal trainer and the 2014 WA USAPL Coach of the Year, I love that while kettlebell sport can be very challenging it is a sport that even if they never compete, people of all fitness levels and abilities can learn, practice, and achieve fantastic rewards from… making it a true sport for the everyman.

www.seattlekettlebellclub.com