Whilst the best lifters still come from the former Eastern block countries, GS has become increasingly popular in the USA and now in Western Europe. Women compete with one 24kg bell in both snatch and jerk. Weights used are 24kg (or 1.5 units referred to as a pood) or 32kg (2 poods). Here, athletes compete in weight classes to perform the highest number or repetitions in 10 minutes in the single snatch and jerk, with 2 kettlebells. Girevoy is the name that we associate today with kettlebell sport, or simply GS. Not until 1985 did official rules and regulations become formalized and the first USSR Championships take place. Olympic weightlifting took centre stage post-WWII in Eastern Europe and the USA, with all its formality and prestige. Strongman shows continued into the 20 th Century, and kettlebells were still seen as purely tools for feats of strength and endurance, with little or no formal rules or competitions attached until the 1980s. I like the way Russians admired, and still do today, pure and simple strength. Some interesting photos and reading from the good old days here. Feats of strength were particularly admired in the old Soviet Union, and as such, kettlebells were not used for competitive or conditioning purposes, more so for entertainment. Various different opinions exist regarding the origin of kettlebells, even some who say the Celts made them from stone, but they were commonplace in Eastern Europe in the 1800s where strongman shows were often held during circus performances. Health and nutrition secrets you´ll remember come from our past, not from those phony folk seeking commercial gain from pseudo-science, as we see today. Hopefully, as people become more aware of how kettlebells can be utilized in so many ways, and produce amazing results for anyone, regardless of what specific health related goals you may have, then old school cool will be here to stay. In this post I´ll trace the history and uniqueness of these old tools as they moved from being used for feats of strength and novelty purposes through to their increased presence in the mixed martial arts scene and today in the mainstream fitness world today. This, more of an appetizer, like sneaking into the oven and cutting that juicy piece of fat off the roast, before its quite ready. Over the next while, I´ll be posting more about these great balls of joy, and how they can be integrated into my wider philosophies about training and health. As a proponent of simple and effective training and health related solutions, and someone who has always looked at efficiency and versatility as a prerequisite for a good fitness tool or programme, kettlebells are outstanding. Kettlebell training has luckily been rediscovered and is slowly finding its way into mainstream strength and conditioning programmes worldwide.
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