What Is Kettlebell Sport

Kettlebell Sport is a repetitive weight-lifting sport performed with kettlebells in a given period of time. There are 5-minute or 10-minute competitions, and there are even 30-minute to 60-minute marathons. Competitive kettlebell lifting has a long history in Russia and Eastern Europe but developed as an organized standard sport under the name kettlebell lifting during the 1960s.

The sport consists of three main lifts: the snatch, the jerk, and the long cycle. Jerk and Long Cycle can be performed with one bell or two kettlebells of equal weight.

• Snatch: A single kettlebell is swung using one hand from between the knees to above the head in a single motion.
• Jerk: one kettlebell is held in each hand and swung to the ‘rack position’ at chest level, then jerked above the head. It can be performed with one kettlebell.
• Long Cycle: One or two kettlebells are cleaned into a racking position and then jerked to above the head.

The latter is the discipline we will be covering in this course.

Competition kettlebell colors are 8 kg (Pink), 12 kg (Blue), 16 kg (Yellow), 20 kg (Purple), 24 kg (Green), 28 kg (Orange), 32 kg (Red). Traditional competitions require the male lifter to use 1-pood (16 kg), 1.5-pood (24 kg), and 2-pood (32 kg) competition kettlebells of similar size with identifying colors. Some competitive federations allow 8kg, 12kg, 16kg, 20kg & 24kg for women and 16kg, 20kg, 24kg, 28kg, 32kg, 40kg for men.