ABOUT PAVEL

Pavel Tsatsouline, Master of Sports, is a former Soviet Special Forces physical training instructor who has been hailed as “the modern king of kettlebells” for his role in fomenting the Russian kettlebell revolution in the West.

In 1998 Pavel introduced the ancient Russian strength and conditioning tool to an unsuspecting American public in his subversive article, Vodka, Pickle Juice, Kettlebell Lifting, and Other Russian Pastimes. The article was published by MILO, a magazine for tough hombres who bend steel and lift rocks. When Pavel started getting mail from guys with busted noses, cauliflower ears, scars, or at least Hells Angels tattoos, his publisher took notice.

In 2001 Dragon Door published Pavel’s breakthrough bestseller The Russian Kettlebell Challenge and forged the first US-made Russian-style cast iron kettlebell. RKC™, the first kettlebell instructor course on American soil, kicked off shortly thereafter.

Finally Pavel, kettlebell in his fist, was voted ’Hot Trainer of the Year’ by Rolling Stone. As the kettlebell invasion gained momentum Pavel appeared in media ranging from Pravda to Fox News.

Given the kettlebell’s harsh reputation, Pavel’s early students looked like they came from the federal witness protection program. Today these hard living men have had to begrudgingly share the Russian kettlebell with Hollywood movie stars and other unlikely kettlebellers.

Fed up with the touchy-feely drivel that was passed as fitness advice, smart folks have gone hardcore. In 2004 Dr. Randall Strossen, one of the most respected names in the strength world, stated, "In our eyes, Pavel Tsatsouline will always reign as the modern king of kettlebells since it was he who popularized them to the point where you could almost found a country filled with his converts…”

Pavel is the author of numerous other bestselling titles that have helped change the face of exercise in America, including his seminal strength classics Power to the People!, Beyond Bodybuilding and The Naked Warrior.

To further develop your kettlebell knowledge and skills base and to possibly receive direct feedback from Pavel, visit Dragon Door’s forum at RussianKettlebells.com.