Kettlebell

The birth of competitive kettlebell lifting or girevoy sport (гиревой спорт) is dated to 1885, with the founding of the "Circle for Amateur Athletics" (Кружок любителей атлетики).

Unlike traditional dumbbells, a kettlebell's centre of mass is extended beyond the hand, similar to Indian clubs or ishi sashi.

[9][5] The basic movements, such as the swing, snatch, and the clean and jerk, engage the entire body at once,[9] and in a way that mimics real world activities such as shoveling or farm work.

[10] When training with high repetitions, kettlebell progression should start out slowly to build muscle endurance, support the joints and prevent injury.

Some knee flexion (squat) may occur during the swing, though the force generated originates from the poster chain hinging muscles that control the hip.

This exercise requires an intense contraction of the hand, gluteal, abdominal and latissimus muscles as dynamic force is generated in multiple joints including the; hip, knee, ankle and shoulder.

With emphasis on the "hard" component and borrowing the concept of kime, the Hardstyle focuses on strength and power and duality of relaxation and tension.

Girevoy, sometimes referred to as the fluid style in comparison to the Hardstyle, represents the training regimen for the competitive sport of kettlebell lifting, focusing on strength endurance.

Kettlebell training is extremely broad and caters to many different goals, some being, but not limited to: mobility, flexibility, cardiovascular endurance, strength, speed and power.

The kettlebell sport having originated in Russia now has competitions across the world, it consists of three main lifts: the snatch, jerk and the long cycle.