Kettlebell lifting and athletic gymnastics

Testing Physical Fitness

G. P. Vinogradov and M. T. Lukyanov, Lesgaft State Institute of Physical Culture, Leningrad

English summary of Tyazhelaya Atletika. Ezhegodnik 1986 (Moscow: Fizkultura i Sport, 1986), pp. 50–51: the text is paraphrased, not translated.

Kettlebell standards have entered the Unified All-Union Sports Classification and contests are frequent, so the sport needs a scientifically based methodology. From the literature and observation of training and competition the authors draw three principles.

Competition exercises are done to the limit, the maximum number of lifts with a 16, 24 or 32 kg kettlebell according to age and rank, so the sport can be classed as cyclic; its key component of fitness is strength endurance.
Beginners find lifting very demanding, so absolute strength endurance depends first on strength ability, which calls for special strength training.
A high level of one quality requires an optimal level of the others, so strength endurance should be built on general endurance.

Training should therefore lay a base of general endurance, bring strength qualities to an optimum, and develop strength endurance on both. These principles underlay an experiment to find the best training for low-ranked lifters, which requires informative, reliable and equivalent tests. At the initial stage the tasks, principles and strength-training methods are the same as in weightlifting, so tests common there can be used.

Correlation analysis

A battery of 16 tests covered absolute strength, strength endurance, speed-strength qualities, speed, work capacity, general endurance and vestibular sensitivity. Correlation analysis, with control-competition results as the criterion, identified the most informative indicators for 2nd- and 3rd-class lifters. Correlations with results in the jerk, the snatch and the two-event total were:

strength: maximum bench press, r = 0.759–0.977; maximum back squat, 0.725–0.894; deadlift, 0.647–0.873; dynamometry of the stronger hand, 0.830–0.933;
strength endurance: dips on the parallel bars, 0.744–0.894; pull-ups, 0.622–0.737;
general endurance: 1000 m run, −0.791 to −0.978;
work capacity: PWC₁₇₀ test, 0.629–0.862;
vestibular sensitivity: Yarotsky test, 0.861–0.945.

“Explosive strength” and speed correlated moderately or weakly with results: standing vertical jump 0.575–0.675 and 60 m run 0.084–0.289. The jump correlated better with the jerk, which stresses the legs.

Thus the most informative tests for low-ranked lifters cover strength, strength and general endurance, vestibular sensitivity and work capacity; explosive strength and speed matter less. Testing qualified lifters needs additional experimental research.