Kettlebell Sport
| About kettlebells |
Kettlebell sport, also known as Girevoy Sport or simply as GS, is the traditional Russian Strongman sport of repetition kettlebell lifting.
The sport evolved from athletic and military circles and spread to the wider population, far into the rural depth of the country.
In 1948 the first kettlebell competition took place in Russia where the most repetitions, not 1 rep strength, made you champion. It was attended by 200000 persons. In the early days, there was no time limit to the events. The 10 minute time limit is a fairly recent rule, in response to new demands of the sport.
Kettlebell lifting was declared an ethnic sport in 1974.
In 1985 the first official Russian national championship was held. Since then many other nations have entered international competitions.
Athletes compete according to weight category. As the sport evolves rapidly, there is no point mentioning it here.
There are 3 disciplines to compete in: the two arm jerk, 1 arm snatch and the long cycle. Each event is tested for repetitions in a 10 minute time period without setting the kettlebell(s) down.
The Biathlon event consist of Jerk and Snatch combined.
The two arm jerk requires you to clean the kettlebells to your chest once, and then jerk them as many times overhead as possible.
The snatch is performed by swinging the kettlebell between your legs and brought up to the overhead position in one uninterrupted motion. Only one hand switch is permitted.
The long cycle calls for a clean before each jerk.
Men compete in either the two arm jerk and snatch together, and/or just the long cycle using 2x 32kg kettlebells. ( 24kg for amateurs and over 40s, 16kg for juniors)
At this time women only compete in the snatch competition using a 16kg or 24kg kettlebell. 1 arm long cycle is becoming popular.
Because the competitor cannot set the kettlebell(s) down, precise coordination and energy saving techniques must be used to last the event.
Ranking is determined by weight class and the number of repetitions achieved in the 10 minute time frame.
Men's divisions: 63kg 68kg 73kg 78kg 85kg 95kg 105kg +105kg
Women's divisions: 58kg 63kg 68kg +68kg
Furthermore , the spirit of competition is enhanced by special feats such as odd lifts, juggling, and kettlebell relay races after the main program is completed.
Watch a video of the competition events here.
To learn more about the sport of kettlebell lfiting, you can download the IUKL competition rules in DOC format.
