Russian Kettlebells History
Kettlebells are special weights used to build strength and endurance. Unlike barbells and dumbbells, they look more like a canon ball with a thick handle attached at the top. Traditional designs are made out of a solid ball of cast iron. Kettlebells come in a variety of sizes with moderate gaps in weights. Some of the lightest kettlebells measure in at 10 lbs. while the heaviest are 100+ pounds.
People have been using kettlebells for hundreds of years. According to Cherkikh (1994), the first mentioning of kettlebells appears in a 1704 edition Russian dictionary. Men who lifted these weights were called girevik, based on the Russian word for kettlebell, "girya". By 1913, Russian magazine Hercules declared, "Not a single sport develops our muscular strength and bodies as well as kettlebell athletics."
Fast forwarding to present times, kettlebells have enjoyed recent popularity in the United States thanks to kettlebell advocate Pavel Tsatsouline, a fitness author and former physical trainer for the Soviet special forces, the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, and other government security and defense groups. The Christian Science Monitor reported in The Strongman 'Kettlebell' Makes a Comeback at the Gym (2004) that U.S. forces realized they were outmatched by their Russian counterparts during competitions. While the Americans would be out of breath after an exercise, the Russians would move on to more lifting without a second thought. This performance gap has triggered many a U.S. service man to pick up a kettlebell for his own physical development.
Besides military support, kettlebells enjoy a committed athletics community. The United All State Sport Association of USSR recognized kettlebells in the 1970's. However, no rules for competitions were made. It was not until 1985 that the committee of kettlebell sport was created. With rules and standards in place, the First National Championship of USSR for kettlebells was in held in Lipetsk, Russia in 1985. Today, there is even a World Kettlebell Club dedicated to promoting the benefits of kettlebells to all nations and peoples of the world.