Kettlebell lifting and athletic gymnastics

On the Training Methods of Kettlebell Lifters

V. I. Voropaev, Voronezh Agricultural Institute named after K. D. Glinka

English summary of Tyazhelaya Atletika. Ezhegodnik 1986 (Moscow: Fizkultura i Sport, 1986), pp. 43–47: the text is paraphrased, not translated; data tables are given in full with English labels.

Competition in kettlebell lifting means raising a fixed weight as many times as possible, so the result depends on special (strength) endurance. Training must first develop the ability to work long against external resistance.

Volume and intensity

Kettlebell literature borrows the weightlifting definitions of the two load indicators: volume is the total weight lifted in a session, intensity the average weight of the implement. Volume defined this way is acceptable, but intensity tells us little. Take a lifter who does six sets of snatches with a 32 kg kettlebell, for 60, 55, 50, 45, 40 and 35 repetitions. His volume is 9,120 kg for 285 lifts, and his “intensity” is 9,120 : 285 = 32 kg.

In kettlebell lifting, 100 % should be the maximum number of repetitions in the athlete’s latest trial or competition, not the maximum weight. Suppose a lifter snatched 110 times at his last competition and trained with the 32 kg kettlebell in sets at 40, 60 and 55 %; the intensity of his snatch work was then 59 %. Percentages also suit group planning, above all with mixed classes and weight categories; the % sign is usually omitted in written plans.

Tempo

Tempo must be planned too, since experiments show it strongly affects results. It is graded as fast (F), medium (M) or slow (S). Table 1 gives approximate times per cycle and cycles per minute with a competition-weight kettlebell; they vary with the individual, and plans should reflect this.

Table 1. Tempo of kettlebell exercises (seconds per cycle; cycles per minute)

An entry gives the kettlebell weight, the intensity in per cent, the number of sets and the tempo letter. If the whole exercise is done in one tempo, the letter goes before the first set. Novices as well as masters need planned volume and intensity, so lifters should learn to record their load from the first days.

The competition lifts, snatch and clean and jerk, are usually done at medium tempo. It is the most economical, easiest to control and matches the breathing rhythm, so work capacity lasts longer. Yet constant tempo brings adaptation and slows progress; experiments show raised tempo improves results. Tempo is normally set with an electric metronome, whose signal frequency has a wider range than a stopwatch; fixed positions, such as chest and overhead in the press, are timed to the beat. The knack comes in two or three sessions, after which the athlete’s internal rhythm holds the tempo.

Plan 1 is a weekly plan for a Class II lifter (82.5 kg) in the competition period, using raised tempo.

• I. Alternating press (windmill), jerk pull, snatch, weighted dips with 10–15 kg, clean and jerk, rope climbing, seven-minute easy run.
• II. Alternating snatch, two kettlebells to the chest, press, back extensions on a gymnastic horse with 5–10 kg, snatch without lowering, 15-minute run.
• III. Finishing presses from forehead level, clean and jerk, deadlift from a platform with 28–36 kg, bench press, 20-minute run.
• IV. Snatch without lowering, clean and jerk, bowing with a 40–50 kg barbell, squats, 20 minutes of basketball.

Decreasing the weight

Training has an effect only when the organism reaches a certain state. Observations suggest that in lifters this follows fairly strong fatigue, when the number of lifts at medium tempo has reached 80 % of the best individual result. Earlier lifts bring little effect but consume much time, so the decreasing-weight method is better: the athlete performs the maximum repetitions with a heavy kettlebell, then, without resting, with a lighter one, and so on. Industry supplies only 16, 24 and 32 kg, but weight is easy to change:

• insert lead pieces through the plug in the base, adding 4–5 kg;
• drill cavities 3–6 cm across in the body and fill them with lead, adding 5 kg;
• bolt a lead plate shaped like the base through three or four threaded holes, adding 10 kg.

Experiments confirm the strong effect of this mode. Plans mark it with the sign “<”, for example (< 28, 24, 20, 16) 3, meaning three sets after 3–4 minutes of rest. Plan 2 is for a Class I lifter (82.5 kg) in the competition period.

• I. Snatch, alternating press and cleans to the chest with decreasing weights, bowing, parallel-bar dips with 15 kg, 1,500 m variable run.
• II. Snatch and clean and jerk from 36 kg downward, rope climbing, barbell deadlift and bench press, basketball.
• III. Jerk pull, one-arm press, juggling with 16 and 24 kg for 15 minutes, snatch, bench press, cross-country run.
• IV. Two-kettlebell press, clean and jerk, snatch, barbell squats, rope climbing, dips with 15 kg to the maximum, basketball.

Working to the limit

The “to the limit” method also develops strength endurance: the kettlebell is lifted the maximum number of times, and the exercise repeated after rest. It is less effective than the others but should not be ignored; it is used in all periods and is less taxing.

Using only one method in a session is irrational, chiefly because of the great psychological load. All methods should be combined, as in Plan 3, for a Class I lifter in the competition period.

• I. Alternating press, cleans of two kettlebells, snatch, clean and jerk, rope climbing, basketball.
• II. Jerk pull, snatch with decreasing weights (36, 32, 28), two-kettlebell press, barbell deadlift, legless rope climbing at slow tempo, run.
• III. Left and right press (< 28, 24, 20), five sets, clean and jerk, jerk pull, barbell squats, bench press, 2,000 m variable run.
• IV. Alternating press with decreasing weights, snatch, bowing, finishing presses, push-jerk from racks, cross-country run.

One article cannot show every side of kettlebell training, and some points may draw criticism, natural in a sport only beginning to develop. Coaches, lifters and enthusiasts must keep seeking better methods.