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.

Kolkata Kettlebell Meet 2014

Kolkata kettlebell meet 2014 was much bigger than what I had expected! While KKM 2013 was a great experience, and was the start, KKM 2014 took things to a much higher level. It had it all, hard competition, great performances, glamour, celebs, high energy levels and everything else that you want at a sporting event. Yes indeed, Saturday the 11th of January 2014 was a special day for kettlebell lovers in the city.

This year we decided to conduct KKM as a proper competition with first, second and third places rather than just an exhibition event with no winners like we did in 2013. The scoring system was simple, the number of reps would be multiplied by the coefficient of the kettlebell weight, and the result would be divided by the bodyweight of the lifter to get the final score. We had three main lifts, 1 arm clean and press, 1 arm press, and 1 arm snatch. To keep things simple, we allowed the participants to do a push press or jerk in the clean & press and press events. Overall we had 22 participants, which is more than double of what we had last year. There were 18 male and 4 female lifters. 

Challenging finishers to try this week

For a lot of people these days, a workout never feels complete unless they have done a brutal 5-10 minute finisher! The feeling of gasping for air, and sweating like crazy, are signs that the workout was successful. So, if you are looking for a challenge to end your workouts, then give the following finishers a try:

My thoughts on the 5 minute GS rankings

Recently, I came across the ranking system for 5 minute sets for Girevoy in the OKC website. The OKC rankings are based on the KETacademy universal ranking tables for both the 5 and 10 minute sets. You can check it out here.

For those that do not know, in Girevoy or GS, a lifter does an exercise like the clean and jerks, just the jerks or the snatch for 10 minutes, and the goal is to get maximum reps without keeping the bell/s down. Based on the number of reps that you get, and according to your bodyweight, you can be eligible for a rank like Candidate Master of Sport (CMS), Master of Sport (MS), etc. Different organizations follow different ranking systems, but in general you have to do pretty much similar number of repetitions for a rank under most organizations. Below is a list of the ranking systems for some of the popular organizations:

Should women train with light 5 pound kettlebells

You dont need heavy weights to get results (read fat loss)! Or do you? As more and more kettlebell programs targeting women keep coming up all the time, its amazing to see what is on offer at times. The good ones out there talk about the good old principles like progressive overload, compound exercises, etc. While some others come out with fancy exercises that are supposed to hit hard on flabby arms, and some even ask you to train with super light kettlebells. I am talking about as low as 5 pounds!

Yeah right, those women in the above two videos were all saved by the bell, meaning they were overhweight by 20, 30 pounds or more, and that those tiny bells came to their rescue and helped them lose all the unwanted weight. I mean if next time Lego came up with a kettlebell shaped toy for kids, then I am to assume that even that will help us to shape up?

Look, a fully grown adult woman is NOT as weak as some of these videos might have you believe. And when exercising, whether it be a man or woman, a challenging weight is a must if it has to deliver any real results. Without a challenging weight, and thus a challenging intensity, your body will just not be forced to come out of its comfort zone to make any changes.

Girevoy sport- Olympic lifting for the masses

I cannot exactly remember where I had heard or read this, but I do remember the statement that Girevoy sport (GS) or the kettlebell sport is like Olympic lifting for the masses. That got me thinking, and I realized that the claim did have some validity.

First of all for those that do not know, let me give you an idea about the two sports. Olympic lifting is a true power sport using a barbell, in which the athletes try to lift more than their competitors for a one repetition maximum. Each lifter is given three tries to lift the heaviest weight that he/she can lift. There are two lifts, namely, the clean and jerk, and the snatch. On the other hand Girevoy involves lifting one or two kettlebells for as many repetitions as possible in 10 minutes without putting the kettlebell(s) down. There are three lifts in which the competitors can compete, namely, the clean and jerks (or Long Cycle), jerks, and snatches. In the first two lifts, men use two kettlebells and women use one, and in the snatches both men and women use one kettlebell.

Girevoy Sport performance talk with Thierry Sanchez

With the growth in popularity of kettlebell training among the general fitness population, there has also been also been a steady growth of the Girevoy sport (GS) or the kettlebell sport, all around the globe. More and more people are either competing on a GS stage, or simply utilizing the techniques of GS into their own training.

And if you have searched for information about GS online, then you would have in most likelihood come across the name, Thierry Sanchez. A passionate Girevik himself, Thierry has been putting out some very high quality information on GS for more than 4 years now on his blog.  In fact, he even has a free ebook (in English), which in my opinion is the best ebook that you currently have on GS training. 

But, most importantly, he is genuinely passionate about promoting GS, and helping people from all over the world to improve their numbers. He has even helped me in improving my own numbers, and has pointed out many basic flaws in my own technique to help me get better. Besides his online work, he is also the man responsible for bringing GS to Denmark, and organizes the Kettlebell DM annually. So without any further delay, let’s hear more from the man himself, Thierry Sanchez:

Arnav Sarkar (AS): First of all, I would like to thank you so much for taking the time out from your busy schedule to do this interview. Why don’t you start by telling us about yourself, before you got involved with kettlebells?

Thierry Sanchez (TS): Hi everyone, and thanks for this opportunity! Basically I have always been active but never really touched a weight and kettlebell until 2007. I have worked in ski resorts and did both downhill and cross country skiing, plus some mountain biking when possible. Then I moved to Denmark,  mostly a flat country… I kept up with the “mountain” biking and a few bodyweight exercises (mainly chin ups, Hindu push ups, rope skipping and a few sprints). 

I should also say that growing up I tried many sports and feel it has benefited my coordination and ease to learn new skills. Skiing will always be my first love.

Article on kettlebell complex training

Kettlebell complexes are about as time efficient as you can get for serious conditioning. If you want to learn more about them, along with a simple and challenging kb complex, then check out this new article that I wrote for my friend and top coach Sean Casey's website.

Click here to read the post

The Kolkata Kettlebell Meet 2013

19th January, 2013 saw the start of a new chapter in the history of sporting contests in India, with the first ever kettlebell contest in the country being held. What seemed like a dream till about 30 days ago, became a reality last Saturday. Having seen kettlebell contests only on Youtube so far, it was nothing less than a dream for me, and also for the contestants, to be part of one in our city of joy, Kolkata. Sometime in December, the idea struck me to try and put together a kettlebell contest, so that the kettlebell lovers could come together and get a chance to show their skills on a platform infront of cheering supporters. The question, of course was, where and how to go about it?

As I wondered, the first name that came to my mind was that of Ranadeep Moitra. For those that may not know, he is one of India's top strength and conditioning coaches, and has worked with many professional athletes, and regular people alike. He also runs, what is probably the best fitness studio in the whole country, Endorphins. But most importantly, it is his leadership skills, and genuine passion in spreading greater fitness levels in the country, that makes him the top and most sought after coach that he is.  Thus I realized, that the best chance of putting this event together is to approach Ranadeep, and share my idea with him. And, to my pleasant surprise, the moment I approached him, it was all smooth sailing thereafter. Ranadeep da (da in Bengali refers to elder brother), shared the same passion as me to help promote strength training among the general population, and went out of his way to make sure that this event takes place, and the venue of course, would be his great and spacious studio.

Crucial tips for success on the Girevoy platform

With about 7 days to go for the Kolkata Kettlebell Meet on the 19th, I will be honest and admit, that finally I am starting to feel some nerves before the event. I am starting to get a sense of what I am trying to put together, and how special this event is. For those who are not aware, this is the first time in India that a kettlebell sport contest meet is taking place. We have had workshops and seminars on kettlebells in India, but no contest meet that I am aware of. Though I will not be lifting, and will be there as a official, it is still my first time even as an official. So I am really hoping that I can do what I am supposed to do, and help make the occasion a fun and memorable experience that the particiapants remember, and share with great joy.

So if I as an official am feeling some nerves, it is highly likely that those who will be lifting will also be nervous to some degree. Plus, its the first time for every lifter at this event, that they will be competing in a kettlebell meet. So I am sure that they will be wondering what to expect, and how best to maximize their performance. Now since I  myself till now have never lifted at a kettlebell contest, I decided to turn to some others who have the experience of lifting onstage, and know how to excel. In particular I was keen to learn and share some tips on what one should do on the day of the contest, and of course, when lifting onstage. And, I was lucky to receive some really helpful tips, which will benefit anyone who intends to step on a Girevoy stage, anywhere in the world. So pay attention to the following tips, they will definitely benefit you:

Try kettlebell sport training for great results

19th January is the date that has been set for the Kolkata Kettlebell Meet, which is possibly India's first ever kettlebell contest/meet. As someone who has been enjoying training with kettlebells for a little over 2 years now, I really feel that a majority of trainees around the country too would benefit by adding this tool in their training programs. This was my motivation to put together this event, and I was very lucky to get the support and help of one of India's top strength and conditioning coaches, Ranadeep Moitra, and thus could put together this event. The venue is Ranadeep's Endorphins studio at the Calcutta Rowing Club. For more details click on this link. And even if you cannot make it, please do help the event by sharing information about it with your friends and family. Thanks in advance.

Now if you have been doing general fitness type workouts with kettlebells, then in my opinion you should give the sport style of training a try. It will test and challenge your technique and fitness levels like nothing else. To know more about the kettlebell sport style of training click on the link below:

Click here to read the post

5 minutes kettlebell complex for serious strength conditioning

If you hate the idea of doing traditional cardio like running, and love to lift weights, and more specifically kettlebells, then this is the workout for you. Unlike complexes done with barbells and dumbbells, a kb complex can be done for longer periods of time since you can relax your grip and shoulders and go on for longer. Infact some complexes done with kb's go upto 10-20 minutes non stop before the bell is kept down.

Of course if you are new to kb training, then shorter complexes like 1-3 minutes might be better, and as you get better technically and become more comfortable with kettlebells, then try longer complexes. If you have been doing 2-3 minute complexes, then you are ready to try this 5 minute complex which will challenge you and improve your conditioning greatly. For the workout you will need to select a single kettlebell that you feel you will be able to work with for  the full 5 minutes. Now dont be too adventurous here, believe me, even a 35 pound bell can be challenging if you are new to this, and will become even more difficult as you approach your 2nd set and beyond.

Uneven double kettlebell complex

While single kettlebell training is great, double kb work is even better as it requires more effort, coordination, and delivers better results! Of course you must first spend time getting good at training with a single bell before you start training with two bells at a time. And once you do start training with double bells, you will notice that you can get a lot more work done with a lot lesser reps, as the demand it places on your body is much greater.

However the one problem that many people face, especially those who train at home, is that they do not have two bells of the same size, and are stuck with one heavier and one lighter bell. So they think that it maybe better to stick to single kb training, which in my opinion is not necessary. Yes, uneven kettlebell work can also be done, and it will deliver great results too. Infact due to the uneven loading, it will provide a good amount of coordination challenge too. Most exercises like the swings, presses, squats, rows, etc can be done with two different size bells at the same time. And doing the exercises in a complex makes it even better!

Double kettlebell finisher complex (25.07.2024)

The best finishers are the ones that are done fast and work you hard. Its not supposed to be a post workout cardio where you keep going slowly for a long time, rather go hard and take no more than 10 minutes for best results. And if you have access to double kettlebells then you can do a great finisher that will really challenge you, which is what my workout finisher was today. So far I have mostly used single kettlebells for finishers and complexes, but for today's finisher I tried my hand with double bells, and I can tell you that it is definitely a lot harder!

Kettlebell swings post strength workout cardio

Ok so you have just finished the strength training part of your workout, and now want a whole body cardio workout that involves a fair amount of strength too. Well, if you have a kettlebell in sight then you have a great option, the good old kettlebell swing! Yes, its one of those few options that can work your cardiovascular system while also working both the upper and lower body together. And the great thing is that it is a non impact activity, so anyone with lower body joint issues can also do it. The only thing is that it can be a bit boring to do just one form of swing continuously for too long.

The solution then is to vary the swings that you do so that it remains fun and also challenging. So in this workout you will focus on three different types of swings that will keep things interesting. And just like any other good form of interval cardio you will take a small break when going from one variety to the other. Here is how the workout will go:

A regular Saturday of fun

While most people begin a Saturday as a holiday, mine begins with work. And mind you, since I love my work, its the best way to begin a weekend for me. The first order of business on a Saturday morning for me these days is a group that I teach kettlebells at a nearby club. The best part is that this group consists of some very hard working and motivated individuals, which makes it an even greater pleasure to go for work for me. So today I decided to record some clips from the workout, and share with you some ideas on how to train with kettlebells in a group. The video below begins with the group doing wave loading rounds of snatches. Now keep in mind that these guys have been training with kb's only for a little over a month, so their form may not be perfect but they surely know how to work hard. The snatches are followed by wave loading rounds for renegade rows. And finally we do a finisher circuit, take a look-