KETTLEBELL TRAINING

Although it first appeared in a Russian dictionary in 1704, nobody knows the exact origin of the kettlebell, although theories abound. One such theory is that the kettlebell started life as a weight used by farmers to weigh out quantities of goods on balance scales. Another theory is that the kettlebell was invented by the artillery branch of the military who added a handle to a cannonball in order to develop strength so they could load cannonballs more easily into their cannons.

Kettlebells proved popular with strongmen and wrestlers, such as Eugene Sandow, Georg Hackenschmidt, Arthur Saxon, Louis Cyr and Sig Klein. And in 1913, Ludvig Chaplinsky wrote the following in the Russian magazine 'Hercules': 'Not a single sport develops our muscular strength and bodies like kettlebells.'

It was said that Soviet Special Operations (Spetznaz) attributed much of their strength, agility and stamina to kettlebells. The official armed forces strength- training manual declared that kettlebell drills were 'one of the most effective means of strength development' representing 'a new era in the development of human strength potential.'

Kettlebells later became Russian's national pastime and were considered more as a form of entertainment than a real sport. However, in 1974, many Soviet Republics recognised them as 'an ethnic sport'. In 1985, a committee of kettlebell sport was established that formulated rules, regulations and weight categories and in November 1985 the First National Championship was held in Lipetsk, Russia.

Fifteen years later, in 2000, kettlebells were finally reintroduced into America. At present kettlebells are being used to train US Marines, Special Forces, the FBI and the Secret Service. They are increasingly being used by martial-arts fighters, firefighters, policemen and professional and competitive athletes are also becoming popular in the UK, where some gyms are starting to introduce them into their programmes.