CHAPTER 1:
Enter the Kettlebell!

What is a kettlebell?

It’s a cannonball with a handle. It’s an extreme handheld gym. It’s a statement: “I’m sick of your metrosexual gyms! I’m a man, and I’ll train like a man!” Lifting a kettlebell is liberating and as aggressive as medieval swordplay. It’s a manifestation of what Ori Hofmekler has called the “warrior instinct.”

Guys name their kettlebells like they name their guns. They paint them with their units’ coats of arms. They get tattoos of kettlebells. The Russian kettlebell is the Harley-Davidson of weights.

The kettlebell delivers extreme all-around fitness. All-purpose strength. Staying power. Flexibility. Fat loss without the dishonor of aerobics. All accomplished in one to two hours of weekly training. All done with one compact and virtually indestructible tool that can be used anywhere.

Russian kettlebells traditionally come in poods. One pood, an old Russian unit of measurement, equals 16 kilograms, approximately 35 pounds. The most popular sizes in Russia are 1 pood, the right kettlebell for a typical male beginner; 1 1/2 pood, or a 53-pounder, the standard issue in the military; and the “double,” as the 2-pood, or 70-pound kettlebell, is called. Doubles are for advanced gireviks.

Heavy kettlebells are traditionally called “bulldogs. “Heavy” is in the eye of the beholder; we usually dump the bells heavier than 32 kilograms in that category. 48 kilograms is as heavy as traditional kettlebells go, but it does not stop Russia’s strongest from going heavier. Weightlifting legend Yuri Vlasov was heartbroken when someone stole his custom-made 56-kilogram kettlebells.

Dragon Door makes top-quality, classic, Russian-style cast-iron kettlebells ranging from 26 to 106 pounds and rubber-coated ladies’ kettlebells ranging from 9 to 18 pounds. Which ones do you need?

Start with one kettlebell; the table on the next page will help you pick the right one. If you have the funds, get a set of three or four kettlebells, referring to the table for sizes.

Do you need two kettlebells of the same size? —Not yet. Double kettlebell drills are great—look what they have done for Senior RKC Mike Mahler—but they are not for beginners. Get good with one bell, address your strength imbalances, work up to the snatch and press goals listed toward the end of this book, then we’ll talk.

An average man should start with a 35-pounder. What is “average”? —Given the bench press as a typical, albeit misguided, standard of strength, men with a bench press under 200 pounds should start with a 35-pounder. If you bench more than 200, a 44 that weighs as much as a big barbell plate will do the trick. Unless you are a powerlifter or a strongman, you have no business starting with a 53.

Dragon Door makes top-quality, classic, Russian-style cast-iron kettlebells ranging from 26 to 106 pounds and rubber-coated ladies’ kettlebells ranging from 9 to 18 pounds.

I know, it does not sound like a lot, but a kettlebell feels a lot heavier than its weight suggests! To give you an idea, for a few years we ran an 88-pound kettlebell military press challenge at our booth at the Arnold Fitness Expo. The rules are simple: the fist must be lower than the chin at the start of the press, and the knees must remain locked. You don’t even have to clean the bell because I do not want any of the “this is all technique” whining. We’ll hand it to you if you insist.

Let us face it, one-arm pressing 88 pounds overhead is not a feat of strength. Definitely not for a 250-pound man who can bench close to 400 pounds. Yet most can’t do it. Let this be a lesson: err on the lighter side when ordering your kettlebells. There is no dishonor. Even superpowerful men like 1,000-pound squatters RKCs Donnie Thompson and Marc Bartley find plenty of things to do with 35- and 53-pounders.

An average woman should start with an 18-pounder. A strong woman can go for a 26-pounder. Most women should advance to a 35-pounder. A few hard women will go beyond. Catherine “Steel Kate” Imes, RKC, can press the 70-pounder for a few reps, putting many men to shame.

You must have noticed that, unlike dumbbells, kettlebell weights do not go up in small increments. There is simply no need for extra iron. Inventive gireviks don’t need a ton of weight to provide progressive resistance. And you get to save money and space.

“Pavel, the RKC course marked such an incredible time in my life. The pain and suffering was all worth it. I will never forget it. It is with me for life!!!”
—Doug Nepodal, RKC

Don’t chase ever heavier kettlebells just for the heck of it; keep your goals in mind. Anatoly Taras, a special operations veteran and a leading hand-to-hand combat expert in the countries of the former Soviet Union, believes that once a fighting man can do 50 snatches per arm, switching hands only once, with a 24-kilogram kettlebell, he has reached the point of diminishing returns. “People of a certain personality type will ask, why not [really crank up those numbers]?” says Taras. “You could if you have the time and the desire, but it is not necessary unless your goal is setting records. Having set a few records of this kind will not make you fight any better.”

Russians are easy to spot, even if you dress them like Buckingham Palace guards. They are “the white people who look seriously ticked off,” as Army Ranger vet Ellis Jones, RKC, has put it on our forum.

Then there is the walk. My wife, Julie, who has the dubious privilege of being around a lot of Russians, has pointed out the striking difference in the ways Americans and Russians walk. The former fall forward and catch themselves with their feet. The latter lead proudly with their stomachs, whether they have them or not.

For whatever cultural reasons, Americans have tight hip flexors and Russians don’t. When these muscles on the top of your thighs tighten up, they make your butt stick out or, at the very least, disable you from driving your hips all the way through in a powerful pull, throw, kick, punch, or jump. Tight hip flexors act like brakes that zap your strength.

This chapter is your “kettlebell preschool.” I will test and fix your lack of flexibility. Pick up your kettlebell, and we will see where you are at.

Take a comfortable stance—slightly wider than your shoulders, your feet slightly turned out—over your shiny new kettlebell. Sit back as you would in a high chair, and pick up the kettlebell with both hands by extending your hips and knees. Have someone watch you and mark off the following checklist. Don’t use a mirror!

The sumo deadlift.

This is not a deadlift, this is a joke!

Your arms are straight; the legs are doing all the lifting.

Your knees are pointing in the same direction as your slightly turned-out feet.

Your heels are planted. You are sitting back, rather than dipping down or bending forward.

Your back stays straight throughout. Don’t confuse "straight" with "vertical"! "Straight" in this context means "not rounded."

You are looking straight ahead, not up or down, at all times.

If you failed any of the above requirements, you need to practice the following drill daily until you pass. No kettlebells until then, Comrade.

THE FACE-THE-WALL SQUAT

One of the exercises in John Du Cane’s excellent program The Qigong Recharge caught my attention: the Chinese wall squat. Modified for our needs, it is an outstanding drill for developing the back and hip flexibility needed for pulling and squatting.

Stand a couple of inches away from a wall, facing it, your feet a little wider than your shoulders and slightly turned out, your arms hanging free. Keeping your feet planted—the inside edges may not come up!—and without “frogging” your knees outward, squat down as low as you can.

You will notice that you cannot get past a certain point without pushing your chest out and arching your lower back. And if you insist on proving me wrong and mindlessly go down, you will quickly learn that not only will you fail to descend lower than a couple of inches, your forehead or your knees will hit the wall and make you fall back. An Inspecteur Clouseau moment, yes, yes.

Move slowly and deliberately; use your strength. When you get tired, either in your legs or in your back, stop, shake the tension off, and come back for more when you are rested. You will make the fastest gains if you do a few reps here and there throughout the day, every day.

This is what happens when you don’t read the instructions.

This is ‘frogging’. Don’t even think about it!

Keep working your way down into a half squat. Once you have, step a hair closer to the wall and go back to work. The goal is to reach the point where you can squat low enough to pick up your kettlebell with your toes touching the wall.

This is your face-the-wall squat goal, Comrade.

THE HALO

A great move from mobility master Steve Maxwell, Senior RKC, the halo will loosen up your shoulders. Hold a kettlebell upside down by its horns and slowly move it around your head. Work up to progressively tighter circles. Keep your glutes tight—“pinch a coin”—to protect your back.

The halo.

The halo.

Keep your glutes tight—“pinch a coin”—to protect your back

THE PUMP STRETCH

Test the top of your deadlift to find out how tight your hip flexors are.

Your knees may not rebend at the top and your body may not "scoop." The movement is crisp; there is nothing flowing or touchy-feely about it!

On the very top, your body forms a straight line, neither your head, nor your butt, nor your knees stick out.

If you call this a ‘lockout’ you may call me ‘Bob’.

I know you have failed. Here is a drill to fix you. Practice it throughout the day, every day.

Assume a hips-high push-up position, your hands shoulder-width apart and your feet a little wider. Don’t let your feet buckle in.

Keeping your elbows locked, shift your weight forward and drop your hips. Scoop up until your arms are straight and bear most of your weight. “Lengthen” your spine and look up.

Tense your glutes and push your hips forward as far as you can.

Now shift your hips side to side and turn them a few times. Try to loosen up the muscles on the top of your thighs. “Pry.”

The pump.

“Lengthen” your spine and look up.

Now shift your hips side to side and turn them a few times. Try to loosen up the muscles on the top of your thighs. “Pry.”

Pry the pump.

The next move will help you stretch your shoulders, another essential for kettlebell lifting.

Keeping your elbows locked, push yourself back into the starting position.

Push your hips as far back as possible and bring your chest as low to the deck as you can. Don’t let your feet buckle.

Make a couple of short, springy movements, trying to bring your chest lower. A responsible training partner may push you between your shoulder blades. Note that your elbows must be completely locked at this point; otherwise you could hurt your shoulders.

And go forward again. Control the movement; focus on increasing the range of motion in your ankles, hips, back, and shoulders, rather than on the speed and reps.

At RKC courses, students often comment to the instructors, “You guys all stand the same way!” Like Russians. You will too. Whether you want to or not.

It should be obvious to anyone but a complete moron that swinging a castiron ball the wrong way could lead to worse than a bad headache.

“Don’t surf a tsunami!” No joke, the city of Malibu mailed a brochure with this warning to its residents. How stupid do you have to be, I wondered? Imagine my surprise when I read that more than 400 surfers had hit the waves in Hawaii, attracted by a tsunami warning, a few years back! Most of this stuff in this chapter is mind-numbingly obvious too, but in case you are one of those guys aspiring to win a Darwin Award, here it comes.

1. CHECK WITH DOCS BEFORE YOU START TRAINING.

Especially an orthopedist and a cardiologist. The latter is no joking matter, since kettlebell training is unbelievably intense. Elsewhere in the book, you’ll read how wrestler Michael Castrogiovanni got his heart rate to 211 BPM within minutes, although the “maximum heart rate” for his age group is only 195, and he was in stellar condition.

2. ALWAYS BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS.

Train in a place where there are no concerns about property damage or injury to anyone—including yourself.

“Train outside,” insists Dan John. “You will NEVER reach your potential if you stay in the cozy confines of your gym. . . Grab a dumbbell or kettlebell . . . drive out to a nice spot, and simply invent a workout. Lift the thing as many ways as you can imagine and do as many reps as your body will allow.”

Make sure to train on a flat surface; facing downhill invites back and knee problems.

As with basic range safety, make sure there are no comrades in the line of fire of your swings or snatches. The line is hot!

Is there anything to trip over? Including other kettlebells? —Clear out! At the RKC instructor courses, we drive the point home by punishing the students who get too close to parked kettlebells during their sets.

How is the surface? If it is slippery or not flat—move! Dents left in the ground by kettlebells are something to watch out for as well. Following an RKC cert weekend, the football field we have trained on looks like Iraq after a U.S. air strike.

If you are training with ladies’ light, rubberized kettlebells also make sure to choose a surface where they will not bounce.

Are you about to face the sun at the most challenging point of the get-up—if you are starting out facing a certain way?

An RKC kettlebell instructor course. Pain is good.

3. WEAR AUTHORIZED SHOES.

Everything in this program must be practiced barefoot or in flat shoes without cushy soles. Wrestling shoes, work boots, tactical boots, and Converse Chuck Taylors are authorized. Almost any shoes worn by a guy named Chuck will do. Chuck #1, RKC, wears size 15 chicken-yellow water shoes, and Chuck #2, RKC, digs skateboard Vans with a chess print. Unconventional, but good enough not to warrant a set of push-ups.

Any sneakers a basketball player, runner, or aerobic instructor would wear are no good! Not only will the fancy shoes compromise your performance, they might set you up for a back or knee injury. I have explained the reasons why in Power to the People! so I will not repeat myself.

4. NEVER CONTEST FOR SPACE WITH A KETTLEBELL.

“Never contest for space with a kettlebell!” stresses Nate Morrison. “You will lose. Evade it and don’t be where it wants to go.”

If the bell wants to twist your elbow, shoulder, or any other joint in a way it is not supposed to go in our species, don’t fight it. Abort! Guide the kettlebell to fall harmlessly, and move out of the way if necessary. Move those feet.

Better yet, anticipate the kettlebell’s dynamics—to prevent problems instead of dealing with them.

5. PRACTICE ALL SAFETY MEASURES AT ALL TIMES.

Because “practice makes permanent,” and “under stress we revert to training.” How can you expect to do the right thing during the stressful last rep with a heavy kettlebell if you grooved wrong habits with the easy reps?

“As we continue to prove in the skydiving community,” points out S. Sgt. Nate Morrison, USAF Pararescue, “it’s the guys with the most jumps that seem to die for some very stupid reasons that are usually the result of being so familiar with a skill set that they go into automatic pilot mode . . . Every time I jump . . . I religiously check my [gear]. By the same token, every time I do a ket-tlebell windmill, I always follow a mental checklist, area is clear, snatch the bell, shift feet, look at the bell, inhale and pressurize for stability, the rear leg straight, the hip cocked back, descend under control, pause, return, lock out. Sounds like a lot, but it isn’t, and I have never lost my balance under a KB of any size. My body appreciates this!”

The dumbest—and most common—injuries can be compared to safely navigating rush-hour traffic and then backing up into your mailbox.

A typical mistake is setting the kettlebell down sloppily, with a rounded back and the weight on the toes, following a hard (and often perfect) set of swings or snatches. Don’t! Mentally stay with the set until the kettlebell is safely parked. Lower the kettlebell in a way you would if you were planning to do another rep. Then let go, and only then relax.

6. KEEP MOVING ONCE YOUR HEART RATE IS HIGH.

The need to warm up before exercise is an old wives’ tale, but you do need a cool-down if you are coughing up a hairball. If you stand, sit, or lie down gasping for air following a hard set, your heart has to work unreasonably hard. You are still in severe oxygen debt, and moving your muscles—especially in the legs, by jogging, shadow boxing, even walking—pushes the blood back to the heart. Stop moving and your ticker has to work extra hard—too hard for some. Don’t come to a complete stop until your heart rate and breathing are halfway down to normal.

Marty Gallagher makes a heart-rate monitor his only concession to hi-tech, in his “purposefully primitive” approach to strength and fitness. I have no experience with this tool, but when Marty speaks I listen. If you do get an HR monitor, you can also use it to watch out for overtraining. According to Soldier, Be Strong!, the Soviet armed forces manual, a 25–50 percent increase over the preworkout numbers is acceptable right after each session, but the heart rate is supposed to normalize within one to two hours.

7. BUILD UP THE TRAINING LOAD GRADUALLY USING COMMON SENSE, AND LISTEN TO YOUR BODY.

If you have sore elbows, it is your own fault, dude. Doing 50 cleans the first day you learned them was stupid.

“The training load” refers not only to the weight, sets, and reps, but also to the flexibility requirements. Don’t force yourself into positions you are not ready for; develop your flexibility gradually. If you bang your forearm during cleans, don’t go clean crazy until you have fixed your technique. Bruised and swollen forearms are signs of impatience, not toughness.

8. INSTRUCTION CANNOT COVER ALL CONTINGENCIES, AND THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR GOOD JUDGMENT.

And if you don’t have good judgment, forget kettlebells and go take a Pilates class.

Now go back and read this chapter again. I feel your pain.

Physical culturist Eugene Sandow could do a back flip holding a 24-kilogram kettlebell in each hand, so he knew a thing or two about paying attention. It is not just about safety; it is about strength. At one of the RKC courses, senior instructor Rob Lawrence pointed out that in our system safety is viewed as a part of, not the opposite of, performance. Follow the instructions in this chapter, and not only will you drastically reduce your odds of getting hurt, with kettlebells or without, but you will get stronger—guaranteed.

Physical culturist Eugene Sandow could do a back flip holding a 24-kilogram kettlebell in each hand, so he knew a thing or two about paying attention.

1. HIPS FIRST!

A natural athlete moves from his hips, never from his back or knees. Hips-first movement is safest for your back and knees—and most powerful.

Stand up and place the edges of your hands into the creases on top of your thighs. Press your hands hard into your “hinges” and stick your butt out while keeping your weight on your heels. I learned this neat trick from Kathy Foss Bakkum, RKC, God rest her strong and kind soul. It will teach you to go down by folding at your hip joints rather than bending through your back. Glenn Hyman, DC, RKC, stresses that this bit of instruction has been instrumental to the terrific success he has had rehabbing his patients with kettlebells.

The hip crease. Dan John would tell you to wiggle your toes to make sure you are on your heels.

Same thing on the way up: hips first. Drive with your glutes and hamstrings, less with your quads, and not at all with your back.

You have got to be kidding me, Comrade. I said, fold at the hips. Not the spine, not the knees—the hips!

2. DON’T SLOUCH. BEND BACK, NOT FORWARD, WHEN STRETCHING YOUR BACK.

A seemingly harmless thing to do is to slump forward after a kick-butt set or workout. Renowned physical therapist Robin McKenzie explains that most back pain is triggered by overstretching of the ligaments and the surrounding tissues. Which is in turn often caused by bad posture, especially the loss of the arch in the lower back. “After activity, the joints of the spine undergo a loosening process. If, after exercise, we place the back in an unsupported position for long periods, distortion within the joint readily occurs. This is true whether we sit in a slouched position or whether we stand, bending forward with our hands on our knees.”

Avoid slouching, and perform five back bends immediately before and after lifting. “By standing upright and bending back before lifting,” explains McKenzie, “you ensure that, as you begin the lift, there is no distortion already present in the joints of the lower back.” Place your hands in the small of your back pointing your fingers downward and keep your legs straight. Bend back slowly using your hands as the fulcrum, pause for a second, and return to the upright position. Try to bend further with each successive rep.

Just because your back started hurting immediately following a given activity, you should not automatically blame the activity. Things are not always as they appear to be; most likely it was your slouch. So avoid slouching after vigorous exercise, and wrap up with the same five back bends.

Some Russian coaches have their athletes lie on their stomachs and read a book after a practice.

3. STAY TIGHT THROUGH YOUR WAIST.

“Stay tight”—maintain a tight muscle corset around your waist to protect your back. The abdomen should neither suck in nor protrude. Useful imagery is bracing for a punch (that can be arranged).

4. STAY LOOSE THROUGH YOUR ARMS.

Kettlebell cleans and snatches are not curls; the arms barely pass the force generated by the hips. Should your arms tense up, especially on the downswing, you are asking to tweak your elbows.

5. “TAME THE ARC.”

We owe the “tame the arc” term to Senior RKC Rob Lawrence. This concept is best illustrated with Jeff Martone’s hand-to-hand clean. Try it after you have learned the swing.

Pick up a kettlebell with one hand, and swing it between your legs. Flip the kettlebell and catch its round surface on your palm, the handle facing down. Keep your wrist tight. Press your upper arm against your body, keep your elbow low. Don’t lean back.

Drop the kettlebell between your legs—watch your knees—catch the handle, and repeat.

Very quickly, you will realize that swinging the kettlebell in a big arc gives you problems. The bell escapes forward away from you and either pulls you forward or simply does not allow you to palm it. Swinging the bell too high is just as annoying.

Tame the arc and your problems are solved. On the way down, it is done by tossing the kettlebell back rather than down, so your forearm almost hits you in the groin. “Hike pass.” On the way up, the answer is not pulling with the biceps but rather yanking the shoulder back, like starting a lawn mower.

Taming the arc also applies to racking the kettlebell on your chest after a clean or catching it overhead after a snatch. Letting the ket-tlebell travel in a big arc means banging yourself on the forearm. Tightening the arc by outrunning the kettlebell with your fist makes the catch soft.

The hand-to-hand clean.

The arc has been tamed.

The arc is running wild.

6. KEEP YOUR SHOULDERS IN THEIR SOCKETS.

Old-time world wrestling champion and girevik extraordinaire Ivan Shemyakin could do one-legged jumps holding a seven-pood barbell overhead! Apart from great leg power, this feat required the strength and skill to lock out the elbows and retract the shoulders at the instant of every impact. Put up a very light kettlebell or dumbbell overhead and walk fast or even jump. You will quickly learn that your shoulder and elbow do not care for this—unless you lock your elbow and suck your shoulder into its socket every time you get jarred.

Pull your shoulders into their sockets (right photo) and keep your elbows locked.

The lesson: pull your shoulder into your body the way a turtle pulls in its head when you are supporting the kettlebell overhead.

Senior RKC Steve Cotter teaches the following shoulder retraction drill: Lie on your back and raise your straight arm. Have your training partner carefully pull up on the arm until it starts “separating” from your body. The second time, suck the arm into the shoulder socket and have him pull again. If you have retracted correctly, the arm will stay “connected” to the body, and your friend will lift your body off the deck.

If you train alone, do the pull-up bar drill by Anthony Diluglio, RKC. Hang on a pull-up bar. Use a narrow, overhand grip. Flex your triceps and pull yourself up an inch or two by retracting your arms into your body like a turtle’s head. Don’t bend your arms; just pull your shoulders into their sockets. And pull your shoulder blades together.

By the way, note how your arms stay close to your ears. This is the way they should be when you hold kettlebells overhead.

7. DON’T HYPEREXTEND YOUR WRISTS.

The heavy kettlebell is determined to bend your wrist backward. Don’t let it happen! Stick your hand far inside the handle so the weight rests on the heel of your palm. Then counter with the wrist flexors, the muscles that gooseneck your wrist.

Keep your wrist strong.

When good wrists go bad.

8. KEEP YOUR ELBOWS STRAIGHT.

This rule applies to two points in the kettlebell’s flight plan, on the bottom of the downswing and at the overhead lockout. The purpose is giving your elbows a break.

For mysterious reasons, locking out the joints—extending, not hyperextending—is a taboo is Western gyms. A personal trainer who cannot even straighten out his arms without any weight warns his clients that they will “hurt their joints” if they lock them out. A muscle-bound idiot.

Without going into boring details (ask your chiropractor), the inability to straighten out the elbow when holding a weight overhead often leads to problems upstream—in the shoulder. So straighten it out, Comrade, dude, dudette!

And failing to let the elbow go completely straight once you have dropped the kettlebell between your legs is murder on the elbow.

9. TAKE CARE OF YOUR HANDS.

Ripped calluses are manly, but since they make you lose training time, try to avoid them when you do your quick lifts.

It is elementary, Watson—you must gradually build up the volume of swings, cleans, and snatches to let your skin adapt.

You may want to sandpaper your kettlebell’s handles, as kettlebell sport competitors do. Remove the paint and smooth out the iron.

Unlike presses and other grind lifts, swings, cleans, and snatches call for a loose grip. “Hook” the handle with your fingers rather than gripping it.

Try to lift in a way that minimally stretches the skin on your palm. Figure it out.

Load the calluses at the bases of your fingers as little as possible; let the kettlebell handle glide from the “hook” of the fingers to the heel of the palm and back in a manner that does not pinch the skin at the bases of the fingers.

Do not let the calluses get thick and rough. Russian gireviks soak their hands in hot water at night, then thin out and smooth out their calluses with a pumice stone, and finally apply an oily cream or a three-to-one mix of glycerin and ammonia. I hang my head in shame to be giving you metrosexual skin-care advice.

Speaks Brett Jones, Senior RKC, who gives his hands the double abuse of kettlebell lifting and extreme gripping feats:

“Go out and get Cornhuskers Lotion and use it several times a day. This lotion is unique in that it is not greasy and actually toughens and conditions your skin. At night you may want to use a product that penetrates and moisturizes in a different way. Bag Balm and other heavy (oily) lotions can be used at night and can best be absorbed if you put them on before bed and wear mittens, socks or specially designed gloves available at some health and beauty stores. [Brett, I will take your word for it.]

“File or shave off your calluses. By using an Emery board, buffing pad, or even high grade sand paper you can simply file off the excess callous so that it never gets thick enough to tear or rip. There are even callous shavers available that use a razor blade with a guide to shave off thick calluses. But, if you file often and correctly you may never need them. You do not want to file away the entire callous. The thickened part that becomes ‘caught’ or pinched during the snatches or KB work is what you should file off. Your calluses are there for a reason. Just keep them in check to reduce the possibility for tears.

“Listen to your hands. If your skin begins to pull, tingle or give indications of a blister or tear, listen to it and stop. Halting a set early to save your hands is far preferable to ignoring the warning and allowing a tear to occur which can derail your training.”

Mark Reifkind, RKC, a man who has been hard on his hands with gymnastics, powerlifting, and now kettlebells, recommends “a technique I used back in gymnastics to deal with overly thick and hard calluses.

1) Soak the hands in hot water for at least five minutes. Hot baths work well but showers take forever.

2) Dry the hands and wait 30 seconds or so for the blood to come back.

3) Sand the hand with pumice stone or sandpaper callous remover.

The skin just sloughs off with very little effort and all the pads get nice and flat. Just enough to protect but not tear.”

Rif will also tell you what to do if you have gone too far and got blisters:

“What I do is cut the dead skin away and as close to the remaining callous pad as possible. Clean and dry and then place a square of athletic tape (MUST be porous or it won’t work) over the tear and work it into the skin until it is seamless. Leave it on until it gets wet or dirty then replace. If the tape won’t stick it is wet or dirty.

“This technique allows the tear to get air so it will dry out but the porous covering allows it to be just moist enough so you don’t get cracks in the center. Works every time. You can work out with the square of tape covering the tear.”

If your workout calls for snatches but your paws feel like they are ready to pop, do two-handed swings instead to minimize the stress on the skin of the hands.

The dead snatch resembles the snatch from Olympic weightlifting.

A special note on training in high humidity. Rob Lawrence, Senior RKC, advises, “When you are working out under humid conditions, the deadweight snatch is your friend. You can do multiple sets without ripping your hands. Snatch the weight, lower to shoulder, lower to ground, repeat.”

The backswing, and thus most of the skin stress, is eliminated. You could do the dead snatch even if the weather is dry but your hands are raw.

Before you touch a kettlebell, make sure to reread this chapter many times. Ideally before bedtime. Like the Russian military regulations, full of exciting trivia such as the dimensions of the guard tower or the maximum allowed height of the grass around it, it will assure deep, sound sleep within 15 minutes.