Blog update

Hey there. I just wanted to post a quick update about the blog. I have decided to take some time off from blogging and social media to be able to work on and develop on a few things offline. It is likely to be a matter of a few months before I think I will be back to blogging. In the meanwhile I hope that you will find the archives to be helpful.

Thank you so much for the love and support that you have given me so far, and I look forward to returning soon and posting more useful information in the future.

5 Unconventional Training Methods For Building Jacked Arms

Guest post by- Erny Peibst

Let's face it, the main focus for most men in the gym is to try and get
swole arms. It is universally accepted in gyms that more men are likely to
be doing bicep curls, compared to the lonely few vacated at the squat
rack. Sure, some guys may want big legs, ripped abs or a good chest; but
your arms are comfortably the most visible muscle in a t-shirt. Here are 5
unique ways to add size to your biceps and triceps in just a matter of
weeks.

1. Stretch during and after your workouts

Stretching sounds boring, but interestingly it can add size to your arms
by reducing the stiffness of your muscle fascia. Muscle fascia is a tough
tissue that surrounds each of your muscles. When you have provided enough
stimulus for your muscles to grow bigger, this fascia acts as friction and
resistance to your muscle wanting to grow larger in size. By stretching
during and after your workouts you will be exercising your fascia to
become more elastic and flexible; enabling greater potential for
accelerated arm growth.

Meet the Girevik: Charlie Fornelli

As a lover of Girevoy sport, it is my pleasure to come across many great lifters from around the world on a regular basis. While the Russians are always inspirational to watch, I also love watching other lifters from around the world. Actually, any lifter who loves this sport is an inspiration for me. I always seem to learn something or the other by watching the different lifters. Thus to share more about the different approaches and methods of various lifters around the world, I have started this new section called- Meet the Girevik, where I will be interviewing fellow kettlebellers from around the world.

Charlie Fornelli is someone I came across very recently on Youtube, and it did not take me long to realize how good he is, and how impressive his numbers are. Within a week or two, I saw him making MS in Biathlon and CMS in Long Cycle in the same event, on the same day. His form, his technique, his approach, all clearly stated what an accomplished lifter he is! Then, in the online February competition that just concluded, he won gold in both long cycle and 1 arm snatch. Once again, he showed how well rounded he is GS. So without any further delay let's get to know more about Charlie, and how he got so good.

Arnav Sarkar (AS): Hi Charlie. First of all thank you so much for taking the time out to do this interview. Could you begin by telling us a bit about yourself and your training background?

Charlie Fornelli (CF): You are very welcome and thank you for having me and for helping connect kettlebell lifters.

I am a GS athlete from western Canada, Penticton BC to be more specific. I have a Bachelor’s degree majoring in Kinesiology and I work in chronic disease exercise rehab and personal training. I have always been active in sports and fitness and I played soccer at the college and university level. On top of training and competing in GS I also play competitive soccer and am a coach and official in roller derby.

February 5 Minutes Online Kettlebell Competition results

Oh boy, what a competition we had! Last month when I had announced about the February online competition, I did not expect the kind of response that we got. Well, simply the name of one of the participants, that is Ivan Denisov should explain how big the competition got. The absolute world record holder in all the three classic lifts took part in our competition, and took it to another level altogether.

Hardstyle or GS style for kettlebell swings

Yesterday a friend of mine and a KTCC student asked me a very interesting question. The question went like this:

"bro

I was practicing snatch and swings today

I observed that snatch and cleans etc are all better done softstyle

but swings alone as a workout can only be effective Hardstyle

what do you think?"

If you are aware about kettlebell lifting, then you will probably know that there are two different styles of kettlebell lifting- hardstyle and softstyle. Most of us were made aware of kettlebells by the so called "hard"style group of lifters. However, when kettlebells were used only (or mostly) in Russia, there was no such thing as hardstyle of kettlebell lifting, or atleast it wasn't really popularly used by the majority. The style that is popularly used in Russia, and also used by world champion kettlebell lifters is the so called "soft"style of kettlebell lifting.

February- 5 Minutes Online Kettlebell Competition

In January I had written a post on how one of the best ways to take your physique and fitness to a higher level is to take part in competitions, With that in mind, me and my good friend Samrat Sen have put together a 5 minutes online competition for kettlebell enthusiasts this February. The goal of this 5 minute competition is to give motivation to kettlebell lovers to train hard with a purpose and to create a closer community of kettlebell lifters, worldwide. 

This competition will give you an opportunity to evaluate your progress, technique and help increase your confidence level. This will also be a good chance to prepare for any live competitions in the future.

Avoiding hands tears when kettlebell training

Let me be honest, serious kettlebell training and soft hands do not go well together! If you spend hours a week doing the ballistic kettlebell drills like snatches, cleans, etc, then be ready for some callouses and rough hands. Its part of the trade, just like darkened knuckles are for martial artists, or like a cauliflower ear is for a wrestler. Ok ok, maybe I am taking it a bit too far, your hands will not necessary get really ugly like a cauliflower ear, but yes, they will get rougher. Of course, that is if you spend a lot of time with the ballistic movements. If you spend about 10 minutes with the cleans and snatches 1-2 times a week, then your hands probably wont be affected visibly. 

For the rest who will spend more time doing the ballistic kettlebell drills, torn palms are going to appear at some point or another. Its just part of the learning process, and can be easily controlled. There is no need to allow the tearing of the palm skin to be taken to the point where you cannot grip anything for days. Paying attention while training and knowing when to back off will keep you pain free to a great extent.