Kettlebells, or "girya" in Russian, are a weight training implement with a handle directly over the main body of the implement. This offsets the kettlebell's center of gravity from your grip. Giryavik, or kettlebell sport, is a weightlifting sport somewhat analogous to Olympic weightlifting and power lifting that took their present from in the 1940s and 1950s. The contestants vie to see how many repetitions they can perform of certain lifts within a fixed time-limit.
Kettlebell Biathlon
Two lifts are contested in the kettlebell biathlon: the snatch and the jerk. In the snatch, you hold a kettlebell in one hand, swing it back between your knees, and then swing it forward and up, allowing the kettlebell to rotate around your hand and rest on your forearm as you fix it overhead. In the jerk, you hold a kettlebell in each hand at your shoulders. You thrust the kettlebells to overhead by driving with your legs and hips.
Kettlebell Long Cycle
The kettlebell long cycle is essentially a kettlebell clean and jerk. You begin by swinging the kettlebell back between your knees, then swinging it forward in an arc that ends with it resting on your forearm against your shoulder. From here, you drive it upward with your legs and hips, and fix it overhead. To start another repetition, lower the kettlebell forward in an arc, which will end with it swinging back between your knees. Male giryeviks compete with two kettlebells in this lift; female athletes use one and switch hands once within their competition period.
Kettlebell Technique
Kettlebell sport emphasizes the efficiency of each repetition in order to save energy and maximize your total repetitions. This sport also requires a high volume of lifts, so efficiency is also important for preventing injuries. Sloppy form in practice will only be magnified under the stress of competition and can result in overuse or acute injuries.
The majority of your training time should be spent practicing the snatch, the clean, and the jerk. The three lifts are complementary. For example, training in the jerk will also help you in fixing the kettlebell at the top of the snatch. The hip drive of the snatch and the clean will help you perfect your hip drive in the jerk.
Assistance Movements
There are several kettlebell-specific exercises that are useful additions to training the three contest lifts. The swing is the basic exercise for learning the hip drive that is centrally important in the snatch, clean, and jerk. The Turkish get-up is an exercise that will improve your core and shoulder stability as well as your hip mobility in the anterior plane. The windmill will also address your shoulder and core stability, and improve your hip mobility in the lateral plane.
Hand Care
Kettlebell sport training involves a piece of iron that rotates through your hands hundreds of times in every session. Your hands are the point of contact for this sport. Maintaining your hands is very important to your kettlebell lifting success. Calluses are the biggest problem for repeated lifting; a torn callus can put a painful end to your training session. Filing the calluses with an emery board before they become too thick can prevent this.
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