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I.K.M.F World Championship 2022 Belgium
Team England arrived en masse in Belgium for another IKMF World championships.
This was ably hosted by Nicolas Genotte and Jean Van Ryssel and their team from ABGS Kettlebell Belgium.
We were an incredibly strong team of 27 Athletes, our biggest ever team at an IKMF competition comfortably surpassing the 16 we had in Poland in 2019 which was of course pre pandemic.
Unfortunately due to illness Graham Morris had to withdraw from competing and therefore judged only. In fact he judged quite a lot so well done Graham.
We had a small team attend last year in France making it the first trip post pandemic to an in person competition but this was the first opportunity to travel freely without any form of restriction and boy were we ready for it!
The joy of all being back together in a room lifting bells, cheering team mates on and celebrating each others moments of glory was always so satisfying.
Friday
Friday was weigh in day and the opening ceremony
It’s also where we got to meet friends and fellow lifters again for the first time.
With a 27 strong team, logistically it’s difficult to all be at the same place at the same time but fortunately things were very relaxed here and we all got weighed in at various times of the day.
Lots of work was being done in the sports hall to prepare for the event. I know first hand of course just what’s involved here. It’s all about team work. There’s so much to do, lots of heavy lifting to be done to get everything ready on time. Then there is all the stuff that happens behind the scenes such as taking entries and payments and sorting out the flight sheets! I mean, who wants that job😊
Opening Ceremony
We all gathered for the opening ceremony in the evening and as official IKMF photographer, I had my camera to hand
Team England was led out by the two youngest in our squad, Poppy Bella Mell and Oliver Jarvis. This has very much become a tradition within the team.
We were by some margin, the biggest team at the competition. As Team captain, it made me immensely proud that we were there in such strong numbers. We truly have embraced this side of kettlebell sport
The judges briefing took place before the opening ceremony and in-between we had the chance to just chat and catch up with friends.
Judges were numerous this year due to the easy accessibility of the new judge test. All the teams were required to judge one athlete for every lift their respective teams were doing. That meant a lot of judging for our guys (34 I think) and we did this perfectly with everyone in their position in plenty of time to get things underway. The idea of assigning judges countries and not individuals to the flight sheets was a sound one. This meant that we as a team could assign people in the most appropriate manner.
Day 1: Saturday : Pentathlon : World Games
Saturday was World Games and Pentathlon.
There were around 80 lifters competing in the pentathlon. This event continues to grow in popularity and in all honesty, it thrills me to bits as it’s always been my kettlebell spiritual home.
So awesome that the IKMF made it an international event so we can finally have a Pentathlon World Championship.
The Pentathlon is certainly a lift we have embraced.
Pentathlon lends itself well to a good bit of atmosphere. You’re only every 6 minutes away from the end of a set so there are 5 opportunities for cheering on your teamies as the set progresses.
World games too has ignited a spark in many lifters. Hoisting a 28 kg bell for women and 40 kg for men in various lifts has made for some very challenging training programs and weights such as these demand solid technique and plenty of determination. There were around 46 World Games lifts over the weekend.
Doubles too here and this was in fact one of my lifts for the day.
World games is also fabulous to watch with such heavy singles or double bells being hoisted in the air.
It was a great day of lifting.
Everything went without a hitch and the Vulture Wood timers from Erik Hoffman Bang were as super reliable as always.
Team England equipped themselves very well with some fantastic lifting.
One of the few issues was the use of magnets. Adding a magnet to a kettlebell certainly upsets the balance and if an individual hasn’t trained for it, it can be quite off putting. We would like to see all the in-between weights at future internationals.
We do appreciate that they are hard to come by but needless to say, we do have a full set at our National competitions in the UK. There will always be a place for magnets but up to 32 kg, we would like to see increments of 2 kg.
Saturdays Lifting
Hard for me to single people out but Alistair Lee did particularly well with one of the new IKMF lifts, Double Long cycle push press on 2 x 24 kg bells. He scored an incredible 81 reps. This is one of a few new lifts introduced by the IKMF recently. We also have double bell pentathlon to get to grips with. Very interesting.
Oliver Jarvis also did an awesome Pentathlon set with a points score of 1221 points!
This was a fabulous set by the young man. Oliver always gives his all to every competition I have ever seen him at. What a fantastic score.
Oli Mell also did pentathlon and this was his first of 4 lifts over the weekend.
The remaining 3 were all to be on Sunday. That’s an incredible amount of work to out in for one weekend. But this is Oli. We are used to it and would expect nothing less. In fact he had to do a full marathon immediately after one of his World Games sets. Oli basically just got on with it.
His pent score was a very impressive 1901
Team England Day 1 Results
Natalie Kitchen
Very tidy lifting from Natalie. Nice to see her score over 1k points.
Pentathlon
Open Class
Below 60 kg
1001 points
5th Place
CMS Rank
Poppy Bella Mell
Lovely lifting from Poppy. Super daunting task to lift at such a young age at a World Championships but she did a fabulous job.
Pentathlon
Kids 1
177 Points
2nd Place
Del Wilson
And it’s me😊 I did ok here with a fairly relaxed 102 reps in double 20 half snatch. My usual weight is 24’s but with the pentathlon to follow, I went with my actual age category of veteran 2
Double Half Snatch (2 x 20 kg)
Veteran 2
77-84 kg
102 reps
1st Place
MSWC Rank
World Champion
Jenny Whitcombe
Jenny is one of the most proficient lifters on our team having attended many World Championships. Another fab score from her too with 980.25 points.
Pentathlon
Veteran
Under 60 kg
980.25 points
4th Place
Maxine Morris
Super set from Maxine. Like Jenny, here’s a lifter that would benefit from an expansion of the age categories in Pentathlon. In fact, a lot of us would and with the ever growing popularity of the pentathlon, hopefully we will see this soon.
Pentathlon
Veteran
Under 60 kg
797.75
5th Place
Alessandro Mauro Vanegas
Alessandro, relatively new to the sport, managed third place in his first international and achieved CMS rank. That’s a great result and the determination seen in the photo was typical of him. Excellent set.
Pentathlon
Open
Under 75 kg
1557 Points
3rd Place
CMS Rank
Mark Birch
A solid effort from Mark. Strategically he said to me that he could have done things better but it’s always a learning curve.
Pentathlon
Veteran
Over 85 kg
1148 Points
8th Place
Phil Greenfield
A very steady set from Phil who told me afterwards that he really enjoyed it. Didn’t want to kill himself so kept things sensible and there is nowt wrong with that.
Pentathlon
Veteran
Over 85 kg
1144 points
9th Place
Ben Morris
A fab set from Ben after the disappointment of the set at the Nationals in Northampton. Certainly made amends here with a cracking score. A slight miscalculation on one of his sets had him put the bell down 30 seconds early which must have been super frustrating but he picked things up again nicely in the next set.
Pentathlon
Veteran
Over 85 kg
1734 Points
3rd Place
CMS Rank
Lauren Emery
Lauren has clearly trained super hard for this event and it showed in her lifting. A fab set and a score well in excess of 1k.
Pentathlon
Open
60-70 kg
1068 Points
7th Place
National Rank
David Woods
Another superb set from the very strong David Woods which was again reflected in his super score.
Pentathlon
Veteran
Over 85 kg
1422 Points
7th Place
Alistair Lee
Very impressive set this. I think Alistair was alone on the platform towards the end as everyone else had finished early. Al went to around 9 and a half minutes which is some going with this very difficult lift. It’s a real grind this one.
Long Cycle Push Press (2 x 24 kg)
Open
84-91 kg
81 reps
1st Place
World Champion
Oli Mell
First lift of 4 for Oli. This was a fantastic score and I can see Oli joining the 2 k club very soon.
Pentathlon
Open
75-85 kg
1901 Points
4th Place
MS Rank
Oliver Jarvis :
For a junior lifter, hitting 1200 plus points is a massive achievement. His lifting is very sharp and precise and we can look forward to some even more impressive performances in the future as he matures.
Pentathlon
Junior 1
1221 Points
1st Place
Joel Bamford :
Another new lifter and his first international. Thankfully also super talented under a kettlebell and a great addition to the team.
Pentathlon
75-85 kg
Veteran
1460 Points
6th Place
Lee Reynolds:
Lee did a great set under difficult circumstances. She had a tear which meant she had to put the bell down early on her half snatch set. She was clearly upset by this but soldiered on and still got a solid score.
Pentathlon
Veteran
70 kg Plus
954.75 Points
8th Place
Day one complete and it was time to head off back to our respective accommodations.
Sunday: World games : Pentathlon : Marathon
And Sunday was round in no time at all and we were all set set for another epic day of lifting. And boy did it start with an absolute cracker of a set.
Jonny Skinner and Oli both lifted in flight one. The battle though was between Jonny and Mickael Alves Rodrigues. Jonny has a PB here on 40 kg jerk of 135 reps. They both set off at a steady pace. Mickael would ease a few reps ahead, he would pause allowing Jonny to close the gap. This went on throughout the set. One lifter choosing to lift faster but pause longer and another lifting at a more steady cadence. The atmosphere was amazing in this set and it went right to the wire with both athletes finishing on 155 reps. That meant that it was down to body weight. Once I realised that Jonny was the lighter athlete, I broke the good news to him and he was ecstatic as indeed was his mum. In fact we all were. Such a great fight. Oli too was very impressive and finished an excellent third.
Full Sunday Results
Oli Mell
First set of the day from Oli and it was a very strong one finishing third to Jonny and Mickael
World Games Jerk 40 kg
Open
75-85 kg
122 Reps
3rd Place
Master of Sport Rank
Jonny Skinner
This was the performance of a lifetime from Jonny. So impressive to beat his main competitor. An absolute cracker of a set. It’s what this sport is all about.
World Games Jerk 40 kg
Open
75-85 kg
155 reps
1st Place
Master of Sport Rank
Gaynor Birtles
Another score in excess of 1k. I remember when the first Lady surpassed 1 k back in 2013 and now it’s happening all the time.
Pentathlon
Veteran
60-70 kg
1049.25 Points
8th Place
CMS Rank
Kate Williams
Well, what can I say. Kate arrived on Sunday, had about 3 hours sleep and then puts in a score 1331 points. And she still managed a smile. Kate had competed the previous day at at a HYROX event but simply didn’t want to miss out. Amazing stuff Kate.
Pentathlon
Open
60-70 kg
1331.25
5th Place
Master of Sport Rank
Jude Freeman
Super precise lifting as always from Jude. Very easy to judge with super solid reps. Another great score.
Pentathlon
Veteran
60-70 kg
1105 Points
7th Place
Master Of Sport
Oli Mell
Set 3 of 4 from Oli and it was a cracker. He almost had the win but had to be content for second.
World Games OALC 40 kg
Open
75-85 kg
135 reps
3rd Place
Master of Sport Rank
Sara Jarvis
28 kg one arm long cycle is seriously impressive lifting and every rep was so solid. A great set to watch and well deserved win.
World Games OALC 28 kg
Open
Under 60 kg
61 Reps
1st Place
World Champion
CMS Rank
Oli Mell
Set 4 and this was straight after his 10 minute set. Such endurance, really impressive lifting to do a full hour after lifting a 40 for 10 minutes.
World Games OALC 40 kg
Open
75-85 kg
472 Reps
2nd Place
Jonny Skinner
Another heavy set from Jonny. To get the most out of this set, you’d need to come into this fresh. But for a second lift after using a 40, this was mighty stuff.
Marathon Jerk 28 kg
Open
75-85 kg
750 reps
1st Place
World Champion
CMS Rank
Hannah McConnell
First time doing an hour with this weight for Hannah. And what a set it was. Hannah was clearly emotional (as we all often are) and it was great to see her crowned World Champion at the end of it.
Marathon Half Snatch 16 kg
Open
60-70 kg
566 Reps
1st Place
World Champion
CMS Rank
Sara Jarvis
Another tough set after the 28 kg set earlier in the day. A nice steady pace was maintained to produce a solid score and second place.
Marathon OALC 20 kg
Open
Under 60 kg
367 Reps
2nd Place
Natalie Kitchen
Natalie’s second set of the championship. This gained her the win which was well deserved.
Marathon OALC 16 kg
Open
Under 60 kg
572 Reps
1st Place
World Champion
CMS Rank
Jenny Whitcombe
First place and Master of Sport rank. What else is there to say?
Marathon OALC 14 kg
Veteran 3
Under 60 kg
631 Reps
1st Place
World Champion
Master of Sport Rank
Elaine Skinner
Another Master of Sport rank in the bag for Elaine. Great numbers for a vet 3 lifter.
Marathon OALC 12 kg
Veteran 3
Under 60 kg
690 reps
2nd Place
Master of Sport Rank
Susie Edge
Awesome stuff here with a very strong pace on jerk. The big 3; First place, World champion, Master of Sport Rank.
Marathon Jerk 14 kg
Veteran 2
60-70 kg
1008 Reps
1st Place
World Champion
Master of Sport Rank
Richard Freeman
Our last lifter to go. It had been a long wait which is never easy. But Rich equipped himself well and just fell short of rank he was chasing. First place and World Champ though so rock on Rich. Awesome.
Marathon Jerk 20 kg
Veteran 3
85 kg Plus
892 Reps
1st Place
World Champion
Del Wilson
Double Half Snatch 20 kg
Veteran 2
75-85 kg
102 Reps
1st Place
MSWC Rank
This was a comfy set which was done at a very deliberate pace of 10 rpm. I was doing the 10 reps by 50-55 seconds and resting for the remainder of the minute. A quicker final minute and then it was time to pick up the camera again.
Medal Ceremony
Once lifting had all finished we had a small break whist the final positions were sorted out. We all had a strong feeling that we would win the belt for the top team but you just never know. It is very much a numbers game and we did have by some margin the most athletes but you never know till you know.
Third Place
USA
Great showing from them and they were clearly thrilled to bits.
Second place
France
Again, a great result and a worthy second place.
So, must be us, right. And then it happened.
We were announced at the winning team and the team exploded into joyous whoops and cheers. What a fabulous feeling. Top Team at an International Competition. It was the topping off of a great weekend.
We were out for a meal that evening, not all of us but enough to have a celebration.
All in all a great weekend and we are buzzing for more of that please. I’ve already said that the next belt WHEN we win it will find a home other than mine. Share the love, share the belts.
Onwards and upwards we will continue to climb.
See you at the next one.
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The Platform: The Power To Perform
The date is set, The hard training is done, you’ve had a sensible de-load and you’re tentatively warming up at the venue. It’s a nerve wracking experience. What one thing literally stands between you and a great performance? That’s right, The Lifting Platform!
I’ve competed on all sorts. Sometimes just a board, sometimes not even that but just a few lines of tape. It’s disheartening to me when this happens. Why does it matter? Well, it’s a psychology thing. That one spot where you stand is where it all happens, glory, disappointment, a victory and a loss. All in that 4 foot square area.
Nothing gives you that final feeling of preparedness than the quality of the lifting platform. To ‘step up’ onto it is to feel ready. You’re there, waiting with the other lifters for the countdown to start. It’s your home for the next 10, 30 or even 60 minutes.
A quality lifting platform will give your lifting a feeling of solidity. The sound it makes as you slam your heels down on each rep is reassuring and confidence boosting.
Why not replicate this sensation at home with a custom made lifting platform.
The specifications
I will hand paint a logo (or however many you need) for £15 each.
The frame is 70 mm x 30 mm weather treated timber with 18 mm smooth ply as a base. This is all glued and screwed.
They look beautiful but it’s not just form over function. These look great in a gym or at home. They are heavy, solid and built to last a lifetime.
If you want to know more, please email me with any questions you may have.
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EKA PENTATHLON IN ASSOCIATION WITH KETTLEBELL NATION
A weeks gone by since the EKA Open Pentathlon 2021 in Association with Kettlebell Nation and here are my thoughts on how it went.
I would say the build up was at least 10 weeks here. I’m not entirely sure when we announced it but I was super excited to get the announcement out there. Pentathlon was my introduction to the sport and I did 6 before my first GS comp. Therefore it will always be my kettlebell spiritual home.
This was our third Kettlebell Nation pentathlon event in association with the English Kettlebell Association. Previous competitions had 37 and 42 competitors respectively.
First of all, I was pleasantly surprised when the entries started coming in so soon. This has never happened before. Usually it’s a trickle and then a bit of a deluge in the last week. This I can tell you can cause quite a bit of anxiety. We never had that issue this time. We had to keep increasing the number cap to allow for all the entries. We were very uncertain due to peoples anxieties around Covid. Seems this was misplaced entirely.
I think we ended up with 62 on the day. We were up at 72 with a reserve list for a while but inevitably we had a few that couldn’t make it.
The venue was a massive factor here with our success. What an amazing space. This was 100% down to Bill and his contacts that enabled us to secure it . It’s proportions are perfect. Long but not too wide and as a result there’s no dead space like you might get in a regular size sports hall. Acoustically too it’s very good. This may seem a small point but the noise generated from the music and the crowd can become overbearing in an echoey sports hall. It has so much more character than either a sports hall or school gym. This place has real history and it’s literally written all over its walls. Everyone loved it.
Unfortunately we couldn’t get in the night before as there was another event booked.
However, we did manage to get everything down there by Friday lunch time. This was a very collaborative effort
I already had 10 platforms in my shed. I had these delivered to me some 10 weeks before the competition from Stealth gym in Coalville. These were standard platforms made by me that needed converting to foldable. These were somewhat rudely taking up an awful lot of space in my shed! However, big thanks to Craig for loaning these out to us.
KETTLEBELLS
Better to have too many than not enough right? I think we ended up with 120 plus. I have 56 which I had to round up from various locations and we made the rest up with Al’s, Bill’s, Graham’s,and a load more from Stealth and Chris Guyll from Big Kat gym in Harrogate.
Getting all this down to the venue was hard graft. We’re talking heavy items here. Platforms are close to 50 kg each. Bells up to 48 kg!
We all worked incredibly hard on that Friday.
We also invested heavily. We had a new medal cast made as we wanted a kettlebell Pentathlon specific medal and we purchased 80 new mats to run along the front and in-between the platforms.
Chris Guyll’s AWESOME MEDALS company dealt with the new medal and he did a bang up job as always. For the first time we also hired a Videographer to help capture the day and produce promotional videos, which we will release soon. The level of entries allowed us to do this. Profit is pretty much null and void with this one. It’s always about the Athletes and making sure they have the best time possible and the best facilities.
This was a National competition but we wanted to have an International vibe to it. This was helped no end by athletes entering from Scotland, Ireland, Norway, USA and Australia (via Switzerland) We were privileged to have Andreas Jakobsen over from Norway and this was a highlight for us all. I even had the honour of having him round at mine and doing a few reps in my gazebo. What a gentleman , what a legend😊👍
FLIGHT SHEETS
Thankfully these were handled by Graham as they are my idea of a nightmare. Assigning flights and judges and making sure everyone’s happy is a monumental task. Well, it would be in my world! Thankfully despite many revisions, these were all sorted in a very timely fashion. We actually had the first draft up some weeks before the event. This rarely happens.
ON THE DAY
We all rocked up at 6:30 AM to set up. Platforms were put into positions. Mats were laid out and joined up. These are lightweight mats. Easy to store and manoeuvre but thick enough to protect the flooring and they added a pleasing aesthetic to the lay out. Bill focussed on setting up the music and PA systems. We are lucky in that Bill was a bit of a Music DJ in his younger days so he has an array of speakers to cater for any size event. It sounded great and brought a smile to our faces when we heard ‘Ernie, The fastest Milkman in the west’ play out on a sound check😊
Graham was the laptop guy so he was setting up things in that area. We also had Ludmilla on the certificates. This proved to be a massive help to Graham and it’s a bonus that she has nice handwriting.
Al is very much the organiser and made sure everything ran like clockwork. And let’s be honest, people like me need organising😊
Then there’s the counters. We had 8 x Vulture Wood counters made by Erik Hoffman-Bang from Denmark. These are fantastic little wooden boxes that are so cool and dependable. Again, these are gathered from various places. I have 2, Al has 1, Graham has 1, we borrowed 2 from Craig Smith at Stealth and finally, Andreas brought 2 over from Norway which was hugely appreciated.
Setting these up was easy enough but they still give me a little bit of anxiety. First attempt at synching them up only fired off 4 of them. And then 6. But I soon remembered the correct protocol for successfully firing them all off together and then on the day, they performed faultlessly. They even have a pentathlon setting on them which is unique I believe for any timer on the market. They were truly fabulous.
First arrival was Andrew Johnson. He was super early and offered to help set things up. Smashing! But at the same time, as soon as people start to walk through the door, it suddenly becomes very much more real and for me at least, my anxiety goes up quite a few notches.
We were all set up and done by 8:30 which was exactly the time we set for ourselves. That’s 2 hours from start to finish. Pretty good considering we were starting from scratch.
Bill then fired up the PA and welcomed everyone and went through the various housekeeping requirements as well as providing additional information for the athletes.
FIRST FLIGHT
And we’re off and running.
Full flight of 8 lifters. Music is cranked up, Athletes are ready and timers are primed. I hit the start button (hold my breath temporarily) and we’re off. Once things start, I immediately feel more relaxed. A well organised competition runs like clockwork once you get things underway. We all have our assigned tasks and have faith in each other to do them efficiently. The atmosphere steadily builds as the set progresses. I take to my trusted Nikon Z6 and start taking the photos. This is something I first took too in Milan at the IKMF World Championships in 2017. It’s a way for me to take my mind off the prospect of lifting. I also find it tremendously enjoyable. I’ve always enjoyed photography and have a lot of admiration for kettlebell athletes so to photograph them always feels like an honour to me.
The first flight finishes with a flurry of applause from the watching crowd. This I have missed. The camaraderie and support. No egos here whatsoever. Just a nurturing and supportive atmosphere, which makes all the newcomers very relaxed. We did in fact have many first time Athletes at this competition, which is always encouraging as it shows our sport is growing.
We also had some massive support from several teams. 3 of note are Hazelwood Kettlebells from Scotland. Linda Duguid has supported all of our pentathlons and never fails to bring down a strong team. Oli Mell from Wolfpack fitness. Oli brought a lot of members down. It’s a young club with a big future. And finally Fionnbharr Toolan’s club, Virtu from Ireland. 5 Athletes, all of a very high calibre, one of which, Kevin Duong had flown in all the way from Boston, USA!
Flights ticked on and then
Flight 5
This was a big one with several 2000 points plus lifters going head to head. We had Gareth Molloy, Andreas Jakobsen, Tim Joseph (current UK record holder) David Laud, Kevin Duong, Konrad Zmyslowski and David Gruhl. And it did not disappoint. 3 lifters here hit 2000 plus points. Andreas, Tim and David. We had bells of 40,44 and 48 kg being lifted here in the cleans. This is an incomprehensible weight to most people. The 48 in particular takes a lot of skill to use efficiently and can kill the remainder of a set if you don’t move it well. It was an exhilarating set to watch and very inspirational.
Notable male performances were (1500 points plus)
Andreas Jakobsen 2229
Tim Joseph 2058
David Laud 2023
Fionnbharr Toolan 2013
Gareth Molloy 1938
Konrad Zmyslowski 1863
Alan Lyon 1824.5
David Gruhl 1810.5
Oli Mell 1773
Kevin Duong 1736.5
Allan Holburn 1735.75
Simon Tarrant 1663
Stu Tracey 1608.5
Kieran O’Sullivan 1569.5
David Murray 1567.5
Ben Morris 1537
That’s an incredible list. At my first event back in 2013, I scored 1537 and was the only person to score over 1500 until the likes of Alan Lyon came along to steal my thunder so to see so many at 1500 plus goes to show how much progress has been made in the pentathlon.
As with most kettlebell competitions, we had a fairly even mix of men and women. We had fantastic performances here too. Newcomer and first time kettlebell competitor Kate Williams put in a very robust and mature performance and scored a fantastic 1176. In fact we had 9 females score over 1000 points. Incredible. I can remember the first time a female hit 1000 plus points and that was Yvonne Martin if memory serves me well and was way back in 2013/2014. On this occasion, Yvonne had the highest female score of the day with 1340 points.
Notable female performances were (1000 points plus)
Yvonne Martin 1340
Caroline Dougal 1279
Maria Moran 1230.75
Emma Francis 1183.5
Kate Williams 1176
Lee Reynolds 1108.75
Michelle Wong 1059
Carol Forbes 1014
Anita Keogh 1014
1000 plus points is a great benchmark and to see so many females surpass this is inspiring
All of these performances, men and women, are international standard and set very high benchmarks indeed.
Our Sponsors
We would like to give thanks to our sponsors.
To Jess Dibiase at KETTLEGUARD for the supply of Kettleguards to all our first place winners. Jess has sponsored all 3 of our Pentathlons to date.
To Jason McCarthy at WOLVERSON FITNESS. A long term collaborator with the EKA and always in our corner
To Emerson Patton of BRIGHT BUSINESS ADVICE for his generosity in paying for the venue
To STEALTH for the loan of the 8 platforms and kettlebells.
To Chris Guyll of BIG KAT GYM for the loan of kettlebells
And to our PLATFORM SPONSORS
KETTLEBELL SPORT HANGOUT
AWESOME MEDALS
HAZELWOOD KETTLEBELLS
NIZ FIT PT
IN CONCLUSION
Some personal thoughts.
I know I speak collectively here on behalf of myself, Al,Bill and Graham but I would like to finish off by saying that the greatest honour to me is to have athletes come up to me on the day to thank us for putting on the event. They praise the organising of it, the venue, the vibe, the set up. Post competition feedback has been phenomenal too and it just keeps on coming. Well, I’d like to extend that thanks back to you guys for turning up, giving your all, embracing a live competition again and for just being such an awesome bunch of people. I sincerely hope we did you proud and would love to see you all at our future events.
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The Platform: The Power To Perform
The date is set, The hard training is done, you’ve had a sensible de-load and you’re tentatively warming up at the venue. It’s a nerve wracking experience. What one thing literally stands between you and a great performance? That’s right, The Lifting Platform!
I’ve competed on all sorts. Sometimes just a board, sometimes not even that but just a few lines of tape. It’s disheartening to me when this happens. Why does it matter? Well, it’s a psychology thing. That one spot where you stand is where it all happens, glory, disappointment, a victory and a loss. All in that 1200 mm square area.
Nothing gives you that final feeling of preparedness than the quality of the lifting platform. To ‘step up’ onto it is to feel ready. You’re there, waiting with the other lifters for the countdown to start. It’s your home for the next 10, 30 or even 60 minutes.
A quality lifting platform will give your lifting a feeling of solidity. The sound it makes as you slam your heels down on each rep is reassuring and confidence boosting.
Why not replicate this sensation at home with a custom made lifting platform.
They look beautiful but it’s not just form over function. They are heavy, solid and built to last a lifetime and will look fantastic in your gym or at home.
If you want to know more, please email me with any questions you may have.
Take a look at some of the reviews I’ve already had in
Karl Fredrik Johannessen (Norway)
My training has without a doubt changed.
From rock solid floors and moving ab-mats, I’m now standing steady on my new awesome platform made by Del Wilson. This has affected my knees in such a positive way that after only a few weeks the difference is incredible. And the best thing, it looks pretty damned awesome.
I really recommend this to all lifters out there either at your own gym or at home.
Katherine Daigle (USA)
I can attest, it’s so much nicer on my joints than rubber flooring on concrete!
Not only is it beautiful, it feels better for me to lift on. I’m almost 40, so at this point, it makes a big difference for me. I can highly recommend one of Del’s platforms.
‘INTERNATIONAL STANDARD’ PLATFORM
This is a premium lifting platform and would surpass anything you’ve used or seen before
This platform is perfect for international competitions, high end clubs and of course, if you simply want the best for home use. Highly customisable and built to last a lifetime.
Features.
🏅1200 mm square
🏅70 mm x 30 mm weather treated timber frame
🏅18 mm smooth ply board
🏅Everything glued and screwed
🏅15 mm rubber inlay which is then flanked with additional timber to bring flush.
🏅Mat is removable for easy cleaning or replacement.
🏅Additional hand painted logos at £15 each
🏅Black painted front with lettering included in price
🏅12 rubber feet
🏅18 mm smooth ply edging.
🏅3 cross members for rigidity.
🏅Aluminium edging on all 4 sides and corners glued and screwed
🏅waxed for longevity and outdoor use
£270 without logos.
All platforms incur an additional delivery cost of £40-50 anywhere within the UK.
They can of course be collected for free or I will deliver personally within a 40 mile radius
For overseas delivery, I will find out the price.
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EKA Marathon 2020 Online Championships in association with the IKMF
The Lockdown
In these days of Covid-19, much has changed around the landscape of kettlebell sport. All National and International competitions had to be cancelled along with the flights and hotels booked to facilitate competing at these events. It was a tragic situation. We all strive to do our best in this sport of ours and what better way than a competition date set in the diary.
Thankfully, the wonderful community that is kettlebell sport has pulled together to give us the motivation, enjoyment and competitiveness that we all strive for. Online challenges such as the Online Kettlebell Challege Cup have massively upped their numbers of participants and given us a great monthly goal to compete against others and against ourselves. New groups have been set up too, notably the FVCKCorona Facebook group which has been a tremendous success thanks to a small group of dedicated individuals who have made the challenges very different and very varied over the last few months. I am sure I speak on behalf of the entire kettlebell sport community when I say, thank you, we salute you all.
The EKA Marathon 2020 Online Championship
Several countries have organised their own online National competitions.
This includes the English Kettlebell Association’s very own Open competition in association with the IKMF. Initially open to UK and Ireland competitors before putting out the invite to the wider community. We had 26 female and 28 male contestants taking part. This resulted in contestants entering from Sweden, Finland, Norway and Israel. Sweden is particular gave massive support with many entries.
Organising an online competition is no easy task and demands are certainly placed on people. None more so than in the judging requirements. We had a pool of 28 judges to help us with this so a massive thank you goes out to you all. The standards were very high with lifters treating this as seriously as they would a live competition. In a sense, standards have to be high as all the sets are right there on the group page for anyone to take a look at. Talk about accountability!
Many entrered multiple lifts too, with one individual, Simon Tarrant, lifting in 10 different events! That’s dedication for you.
Scoring
We used the OKCC coefficient scoring for this event but uniquely decided to cap the heaviest male weight at 85 kg and females at 70 kg. This is inline with the current IKMF thresholds. This would mean that a 100kg lifters bodyweight would be capped at 85 kg for the purpose of the coefficient. This made the competition much more competitive for the heavier lifters.
The competition ran over a week long period. Requirements were that an athlete must prove their body weight and the weight of the bell(s) and be entirely in the frame on the video. Aside from this, it was all quite relaxed and I must say that it’s kind of nice to be lifting in your own environment with none of the usual pressures that are associated with a live event. We may even have seen some unofficial records set at this competition with a great effort from Anna-Carin Herre.
Overall feedback has been very positive around the event. Graham Morris, Craig Smith and Del Wilson kept things ticking along nicely between them. Becky Fraser also needs a mention for a lot of judging duties and for helping out with the certificates.
Next up for the EKA will be the EKA Pentathlon 2020 Online Championships. This we are very much looking forward to and we are expecting another strong number of athletes to take part.
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Just Starting Out? Here’s some advice on choosing the correct starting weight
A common pattern generally occurs here. In my experience, women tend to underestimate their own strength whilst guys will let their egos take over and opt for something too heavy!
I was exactly the same when I started out. I was a well conditioned weight trained individual. But I wasn’t conditioned for the way in which kettlebells train the body! Surely, I thought, if I can happily shoulder press 28kg dumbbells, I could happily manage a 24kg kettlebell? Turned out that was a resounding no!
So, lets break this down. For the females amongst you, go with the following as a starting point
Women
Non weight trained.
In this category, even if you’re an aerobic diva, start with a 10kg or 12 kg bell for 2 handed swings and an 8kg for most other things. 10 really is a minimum for swings as you will need that much just to give yourself the necessary feedback to indicate correct form.
Weight trained
I’m going to state 12-16 here for 2 handed swings and let you decide what feels right. Caveat being that you aim to move to 16 just as soon as you can. 8-12 kg for everything else. That’s quite a range but I have to make allowances for the different strength levels amongst you.
Men
Non weight trained
12-16 kg for swings with a move to the 16 as soon as possible. Most likely a 12 kg for everything else.
Weight trained
16-20kg for swings. For everything else a 12 to a 16kg.
This is just a guide of course. You may also be able to use the heavier weight for squats, deadlifts and other kettlebell exercises. But you need to be prepared to invest a little here. You will outgrow these bells pretty quickly if you train consistently.
There are other variables that you can employ to make the lighter weight feel more intense again but, ultimately as you gain strength and experience, you will need heavier bells.
In conclusion
Be sensible. Recognise your abilities and choose your bells accordingly. Don’t be afraid to weight up the swings a little so you can ‘feel’ the weight and the feedback if gives you. Use the lighter bells initially for anything that puts the bell up overhead.
You’ve got your bells, now what?
There are a number of ways you can learn the art of Kettlebell lifting. Some are more fraught with danger than others. YouTube can be awesome. But equally it can be a curse. Exactly how do you validate the expertise of the individual giving the tuition? Want to learn Swings? There’s Russian swings, American Swings, sport style swings, hard style, soft style. These are all terms you will come across. Are you looking just for fitness or maybe your grand plan includes competitive lifting?
The path you choose will determine what style of lifting tuition you should be looking for. If your end game is Kettlebell sport then seek out a reputable Kettlebell sport coach. If general fitness is your aim, then I would strongly recommend some 1-1 training initially. This could be with a Personal Trainer with the relevant experience or you could attend a kettlebell instructors workshop. These are aimed at teaching people how to teach Kettlebells to others but it’s also an ideal way to learn the basics yourself even if you have no intention of teaching. You really can’t beat some 1-1 feedback though for those initial steps into Kettlebell lifting.
There are also other forms of Kettlebell training such as Kettlercise. This is quite a different thing to the general Kettlebell strength and conditioning that I am advocating. It’s a ‘thing’ but not for me and probably not for you if you are reading this.
In conclusion.
Use YouTube but be cautious. Find a kettlebell sport coach if you want to compete or if fitness is your main aim, go for some 1-1’s or attend a workshop.
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Concept 2 Number Crunching
We’re all aware of the slider control on the fan wheel of the Concept 2 rower, you know the one, it’s usually set on ‘number 10 by some egotistical youngster trying to impress his mates at the gym. This slider determines the amount of air allowed to enter the flywheel. A higher number will allow more air in which will in turn, slow down the fly wheel quicker.
Guys do tend to favour a higher setting due to their ego getting in the way but the fact is that a higher setting won’t actually suit many people. Higher numbers generally suit more powerful rowers whilst light weight rowers would be better served on a lower number. It takes a bit of experimentation to find the right resistance which maximises your performance. Many of the competitive rowers use a damper setting of between 4 and 5 since this best represents rowing on water.
I personally use a damper setting of 5 on my Concept 2 at home.
However, there is another problem here. Not all rowers are the same. This is where drag factor comes in.
Drag factor is a numerical value for the rate at which the flywheel is decelerating. It is calculated during the recovery part of the stroke. On a new, or indeed a well maintained rower, the drag factor (the resistance at the flywheel) will be about 90 on level 1 and 210 at level 10. I have seen rowers at not very well maintained gyms have a drag factor of only 90-110 on the number 10 setting. This is because they are clogged full of dust and in desperate need of a service. Atmospheric conditions and air temperture will also affect drag factor.
To display the drag factor on either a Model C rower or Model D just follow the instructions below.
To view drag factor: on a Model C (generally ‘grey’ rowers) On a PM2/PM2+:
Turn the monitor on
Wait for zeros to be displayed.
Simultaneously press Ready and Rest.
Row to display your drag factor.
On a Model D (blue or black coloured rowers) PM3, PM4 or PM5
Press Menu|Back until the Main Menu is displayed.
Select More Options.
Select Display Drag Factor.
Take a few strokes.
After a couple of seconds, the monitor will display the drag factor.
Once you know how to do this you can then determine a ‘drag factor’ that suits you and set each rower you use to the appropriate intensity. So, in simplistic terms, number 5 on one rower won’t neccessarily equate to the same resistance as number 5 on the rower sitting next door to it. Now you will have consistency across all rowers which is very beneficial if you are using multiple rowers at your gym. So, don’t go by the number on the slider but set the slider instead until it produces the correct drag factor number. This takes me to the next point:
Determining the best drag factor for you.
Experimenting with different drag factor settings is the best way to find one that enables you to produce your best results.
Bear in mind that at a lower drag setting, such as 70-100, the flywheel will spin up quite quickly but that doesn’t equate to quicker rowing times since you will get less meters per pull. On a higher setting such as 130-180 you will clearly have a lot more resistance when you pull, but providing you have the power you will produce more metres per stroke. It’s all about finding the balance. I like to equate it to either a diesel or a petrol engine, which are you? A petrol, Lots of revs (high stroke rate, low resistance) or a diesel, Lots of torque (low stroke rate high resistance) probably somewhere in between!)
Understanding the monitor.
OK, here’s a picture of a PM5 monitor (it’s the same as a PM3 or PM4)
Top left is either going to be the time that you have set or a distance. This could be a rest period or a work period if you are doing intervals. To the right of this is your stroke rate. I tend to work with a stroke rate of between 28 and 32 so quite fast. However if working for power you can produce the same ‘pace’ at 22 spm as you can at 32 spm. Same pace but completely different session!
Now the important one. The 500 metre pace. This is the figure that’s most relevant. This represents the time it would take you to row 500 metres at your current speed and intensity. The quicker and harder you pull the lower the number gets. so for example, 2.05 showing on the display eqates to 2 minutes and 5 seconds per 500 metres. Once you get familiar with these numbers, you will instictively know what’s a comfortable pace, a moderate pace and a fast pace. For me I know that 2.00 minute pace is a pace I can hold for along period or a steady state pace that leaves me sat in the so called ‘ fat burning zone’. (there’s something for another article!) 1.45 per 500 metres is a good Aerobic threshold pace for me whilst 1.35 per 500 metres is a quick pace at an anaerobic capacity which I use for short intervals. Of course as your fitness improves so will all your pace times. The pace time can also be swapped out for watts which is fine or calories burned which I think is a pointless display. Calories burned, who really cares?
The ‘ave/500′ underneath represents your average pace for either the duration of the row if it’s a single piece or the average for the current interval you’re on.
Split metres: On the fifth line down. When you set up the rower, for a 2k for example, you will have the option to select a split time. If you set this to 500 metres, this display will give you the current split for each 500 metres you’re currently on. It will therefore reset at 501 metres and again at 1001 and 1501. You can then check the results afterwards and get a split for each 500 metres you’ve just rowed. Very useful feature for anyone looking to improve their Row at certain distances.
Projected: (bottom) This is the overall time or distance you will accrue/cover by the end of your session. The functionality here is only relevant if you have set the monitor up for a certain distance or time. For example, if you have set the rower up for a timed 2K then as soon as you begin rowing, your finish time will be displayed. Of course this is constantly changing as you either increase or decrease your speed.
Likewise, if you set the monitor up for a 20 minute row, then your projected finishing distance will be displayed. This is very useful information as it enables you to ‘pace’ yourself for a certain time or distance.
Once you understand all of this information and it becomes more than just a bunch of numbers, I guarantee you will have far more productive sessions on the Concept 2 rower!
Checking the stats after the row
The data you get on the Concept 2 is eminently useful.
To check the data afterwards on a PM3 4 or 5, simply select
Select workout
Re-Row
Press the magnifying glass
Here’s an 8 k I did (impressive for a 51 year old but that’s not why we’re here)
Distance is a the top
Top line is average pace for the entire row as well as time and stroke rate
Then we have the splits. The monitor was set for 1k splits hence I have 8 on here.
Here is the display for an interval row.
Now we have the detail of what you just did right at the top.
Then the average for the entire row in between the two lines.
Then the detail for each interval.
Finally.
Don’t forget to check out the concept 2 website. They have a lot of good stuff on there including articles on fat loss and rowing technique. There is also a pace calculator and interactive programmes for all fitness levels that you can follow. Best of all though though is a feature called ‘ranking’ whereby you can log your times over several different timed and distanced pieces and see how you compare to people all over the world!
I sincerely hope this article adds to your enjoyment on the Concept 2 rower.
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Pentathlon Training Guide
The kettlebell pentathlon is a very strategic event in comparison to traditional Girevoy Sport. 5 lifts, performed for 6 minutes each over a 50 minute time frame with a choice of up to 5 different weights to keep you company on the platform. The scope for variation is what makes it interesting to me. There are lots of different permutations that can be tried. Factor in a maximum rep count for each exercise and the solution to finding what works for you can be even more daunting.
I always recommend that people should shoot for the higher rep count as opposed to going heavy and coming up short reps wise. Just to re-cap, maximums are as follows
Cleans 120 reps (20 RPM)
Long cycle press 60 reps (10 RPM
Jerks 120 reps (20 RPM)
Half snatch 108 reps (18 RPM)
Push press 120 reps (20 RPM)
These are deemed realistic numbers that may well be achievable with good form. They are by and large realistic providing a Fixometer is not used.
With so many variations, just how do you go about preparing for such an event? I can only speak from my own personal experience here. I have competed in 10 pentathlons over the last 4 years and have a personal best score of 1620 points with a Fixometer and 1830 without. Both of these were scored at a competiton. I have also prepared other athletes for pentathlons, all of which have had success.
Heres a 4 week cycle of a program I have used for training towards a pentathlon.
As you can see, I rotate the 5 exercises round. Green is one cycle and orange is another. This way, the order is always mixed up and it keeps things interesting as well as benefitting overall strength development. Just cycle through the 5 exercises starting with cleans on day one and then start with LCP on day two and jerks on day 3 and so on.
Light to moderate cardio every other day with the option of a day off on Thursday and Sunday.
This of course needs to be progressive so on the second cycle (weeks 5-8) I will increase the minutes to 7, 6, 5 as opposed to 6, 5, 4 and then on the final 4 weeks I would do 8, 7, 6.
Weights wise, I wouldn’t deviate too much from my intended competition weight, probably keeping with one full weight of my comp weight (no more than 4 kg above)
I would test every month to see how I was progressing. Sometimes this test would be a two thirds pent so would be 4 minutes work and 3 minutes 20 seconds rest. This is a fairly good predictor of your overall performance if you were to calculate your reps for the remaining two minutes.
You should be aiming to get as near as possible to the max RPM limit for each lift. If you’re way short, then reduce your weight.
Like any program, you shouldn’t be a slave to it. Feeling tired, then ease up a little. Feeling strong, then go for a heavier session with fewer reps. It’s not an exact science and has way more variables than traditional GS.
Alongside this of course, you will need to add in some GPP (General Physical Preparation) This should only be about 20-30 minutes and you should be looking to get your training done within the hour (not including mobility and stretching) GPP could take the form of squats, jump squats, pulling and pushing motions in both the horizontal and vertical planes. Just mix it up and keep things interesting.
Always try and keep the reps even per side unless you have a weaker side that needs strengthening up. Do not favour your strong side, do the opposite!
Obviously, if you are hitting the maximum rep count per minute then you will need to up the weight. It is perfectly fine to increase in 2 kg increments especially on LCP.
If you follow some kind of structure, whether it be this or something else, you will definitely benefit on the day of the competition. Being prepared is everything, leave nothing to chance and you give yourself the best possible opportunity to put in a good performance.
Version 2
Here is a modified version which I now mainly use for my clients in their pent Prep.
The basics are the same. Start on cycle 1 and rotate through all 5 sessions. Once completed, start at session 1 again checking your previous scores first. These are then your targets to beat.
Do this for 4 Weeks. As you approach 80-85% of max reps per lift, consider upping the weight, even if it’s just by 2 kg.
Cycle 2 Ups the ante a little with longer sets as does Cycle 3. Cycle 3 also gets you working beyond the 6 minute Pentathlon length with the first session.
Remember, sessions don’t equate to a weekly cycle unless you desire to train 5 x per week.
Just rotate them round so 5 sessions might actually take you 10 days to complete.
Just do each cycle for the allotted time.
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Kettlebell sport
Introduction
This article is aimed at anyone who has discovered the delights of kettlebell training and yet may well not even realise that kettlebell sport even exists. Believe me, you’re not alone!
In my experience, one grows into kettlebell sport, it’s highly unlikely that your decision to pick up a kettlebell for the first time will be driven by a desire to compete with them.
Once there is an actual awareness that such a sport exists, some will naturally gravitate towards it as they become proficient in their own training and look for that next step.
Finding a local club that uses kettlebells is a good start. But we’re not looking at one of the franchised options here such as Kettlercise and so on. These are fine in their own right but will not help you get into kettlebell sport. Seek help from some of the governing bodies in your own country to get advice. I know for example that if you’re UK based, you can gain information about local kettlebell sport clubs from the GSU and EKA websites
So, lets look at some of the options:
Pentathlon
My own route into kettlebell sport came about by way of the Pentathlon. At that time, back in 2013, there were 4 competitions running each year to coincide with the 4 seasons here in the UK.
Pentathlons are a different variation of traditional Girevoy Sport (GS) but a very worthy discipline and an easier route into the competitive arena. See my Pentathlon article further down the page.
Briefly, pentathlons consist of 5 different disciplines each done for 6 minutes with a 5 minute break between each. These are all done with a single bell and multiple hand changes are allowed. You can have up to 5 on the platform with you The total lifting time is therefore 30 minutes with 20 minutes of resting.
The 5 disciplines are
Cleans
Long Cycle Press (clean and press)
Jerks
Half Snatch
Push Press
There is a points value associated with each bell and any weight from 8 to 40 kg plus can be used and there is a max rep count for each lift. The key is to strike the correct balance between kettlebell weight and reps lifted. Go too heavy and you risk a low score due to a lower rep count. Likewise if you go too light and complete the reps too easily, you will also fail to maximise your score.
I really enjoy competing in pentathlons for two reasons. The single bell stuff better suits my current level of mobility and I enjoy the tactical element. Pacing yourself is key to a successful outcome in pentathlon. If you go all out on the first couple of disciplines, you’ll potentially burn out before the end. It’s all about knowing how hard you can push and how soon.
There is a greater overall volume of lifting in comparison to GS but the single bell and multi switch elements certainly make it more accessible, especially for those with less than great mobility.
Within Pentathlon, there are 3 body weight divisions for male and female.
In the UK, there maybe a couple of events per year. I host one annually.
Girevoy Sport
This is the traditional form of kettlebell sport. Contestants can compete in a number of disciplines. For men, it is either double long cycle (clean and jerk) or biathlon which is jerks and then snatch. For women it can be long cycle with single or double bells and Biathlon. Women may also have the option to choose to compete in snatch only. All of these sets are performed for 10 minutes. In the case of the single bell lifts, there is only a single hand change allowed. For biathlon, there is usually a break of an hour or so between the jerk set and the snatches.
There are numerous entry points into this sport with many countries holding regional events at many times of the year. It’s a fast growing sport, particularly in the United States and here in the U.K. Regional events usually have a bigger choice of bell weights that can be used, typically for men, 12 16 20 24 28 and 32 kg bells. For ladies, 8 12 16 20 and 24 kg bells.
Once you make the move to international competitions then the bell choices become more limited with 16 24 32 for the men and 12 16 24 for the women.
There are a number of body weight and age categories within GS and veterans start at 40 years of age.
Grassroots kettlebell league
For those interested in GS, this is the perfect starting place. The Grassroots league was set up specifically to encourage people into kettlebell sport. All of the lifts are as traditional GS but with a couple of difference which are designed to make the events more accessible.
All lifts are performed for 5 minutes instead of 10
Judging is less strict and aimed more towards guidence
You are competing against other beginners as well as more experienced individuals but medals are only awarded to the beginners.
The events are smaller and tend to be in a more relaxed setting.
There is a great opportunity to work with the more seasoned athletes either to gain inspiration or knowledge.
You can work any combination of the 3 lifts. These being Long cycle, jerk and snatch Guys and girls may choose to use a single bell for Long cycle.
Like pentathlon there is a points value awarded to each bell. Unlike Pentathlon, the points for the bells as they go up in weight isn’t linear as it’s designed to encourage participants to use heavier bells. This applies in particular to the experienced athletes as this is the perfect opportunity to move away from your usual competition weight and try experimenting with something a little heavier.
In the UK in 2016, there were nearly 20 grassroots events. There were also a couple in the United States so expect to see many more from this organisation in the coming years.
Marathon training (IKMF)
There has been a keen interest recently in kettlebell marathon events. These are run by the International Kettlebell Marathon Federation and they are very popular within the Scandinavian countries.
There are either half marathon events which are 30 minutes or full marathon which is 60 minutes. There is also an option for children to compete with 15 minute events. These are all multi-switch with the one caveat being that you have to complete the the full time otherwise your score will be zero.
There are 4 events to choose from within full and half Marathon
Jerk
Long cycle
Snatch
Half snatch
With half marathon, double bell lifts are also included. These are
Half Snatch
Jerk
Long cycle
You are also able to compete within a league system developed by Kim Henning called The Ultimate Girevik League. This is run by the IKMF annually. There are 3 rounds and you can compete in any of the 4 lifts, all of them if you are feeling brave enough. They also hold European and World Championships annually.
IKMF World Games
There has been a couple of new events recently introduced by the IKMF.
World Games is a 10 minute lift with single bells (multi switch) or double bells.
The bells are heavy and with single bell lifts are 40 kg for men and 28 kg for women.
Single bell lifts are as follows.
Half Snatch, One Arm Long Cycle and Jerk.
Double bell lifts are
Double Half Snatch, Double Jerk, Double Long Cycle, Double Strict Push Press and Double Long Cycle Strict Push Press.
With the doubles, the weights for men are either 2 x 24 kg or 2 x 20 kg dependent on age and rank requirements
For women they are either 2 x 16 kg or 2 x 12 kg again dependent on age and rank requirements
Double Pentathlon
This is done for 3 minutes lifting with a 3 minute rest unlike traditional pentathlon which is 6 on and 5 off.
There are some other crucial differences though. The rep rate is lower in order to encourage heavier lifting.
The max reps allowed are as follows.
Cleans 14 rpm or 42 total
Long Cycle Press 10 rpm or 30 total
Jerk 12 rpm or 36 total
Half Snatch 10 rep or 30 total
Push Press 12 rpm or 36 total
It’s a tough event and requires better mobility than traditional pentathlon.
Online Kettlebell Competitions
There are also opportunities to compete online. There is a challenge series called The Online Kettlebell Challenge Cup. These are all 5 minute lifts based around the sport lifts. Scoring is coefficient so bell weight x reps divided by body weight equals your score. These are by Video submission and you can submit twice in any given month. Each lift last a month in duration.
Ranks
All of the above with the exception of pentathlon, have ranks. Ranks enable you to gauge your own progress.
Ranking varies according to the organisation so best to check the requirements on the relevant website. You will need to achieve a certain rank if you want to be eligible for your national squad. The entry requirements are generally not set too high though so as to encourage participation. Kettlebell sport is quite unique in that you may well find yourself competing in a World Championship after only a few years of lifting.
So, what’s it like to compete in GS?
Personally, it’s a combination of a thrill and a dread! Most GS athletes will get where I’m coming from with this. Training for these events can be brutal. There will be set backs, disappointments when training numbers don’t match yours or your coaches expectations. There will also be days where you walk out of the gym feeling invincible, you’ve smashed it, exceeded your numbers and you feel totally on track.
On the day, if your preparations have gone well and you’ve put in the hard work at the gym, you may well think that you should smash out a personal best but what about those pre-competition nerves? What about your judge, are your reps going to be of a high enough standard?
You will probably be a bundle of nerves prior to stepping up on the platform. You may wonder why am I doing this? I think nerves come from two things, the fear of failing and the fear of the pain that awaits you. I can’t sugar coat this. This is 10 minutes of ever increasing levels of discomfort and you will need to dig deep into your physical and mental reserves.
I have, to my shame (or so it feels) twice put the bells down before the 10 minutes was up. Both were in the 9 minutes area. On both occasions, I was physically beaten. There were literally no more reps in me. On the first occasion it was due to the strictness of judging as I had asked for a judge who was approved by the IUKL as it was a qualifying event for Team England. I made the grade and qualified but fell some 15 reps short of my target due to the longer fixation that was required on the over head position. On the second occasion, it was simply bad prep due to an injury. 4 weeks prep simply doesn’t cut it for this game. This is why it’s vital to gain as much experience as possible with competitions. Always be looking to increase your standards and ask for the judge to be critical of your performance.
Once up on the platform, nerves will dissipate to a degree. Once you get a couple of reps under your belt, you will feel reassured that the judge sees your reps as passable. I had this fear at my first international competition which was the IUKL World Championships. I literally thought I’d be getting a succession of no counts. It didn’t happen of course and I scored 81 reps in veterans class of 24 kg Long cycle and won a World Championship Gold medal in the process.
If you perform well, the feeling afterwards is fantastic. It’s all over and you’ve done good! This is when you forget about all of the pain of training and the nerves you’d had just moments before. I always like to say that most of the enjoyment for me, seems to be retrospective!
Conversely, perform badly or below your expectations and you may well feel quite miserable. But it’s important to always take away a positive from every event.
The community spirit
One of the greatest aspects of our sport is the tremendous community sprit that exists around it. The support is always there from the other lifters and the supporting audience. When I go to a competition, I always enjoy catching up with friends as well as meeting new people. We also support and encourage each other via social media. Its like a big kettlebell family and it’s a great thing to be a part off. Of course, once you’re up on the platform, you want to beat the guy next to you but I have found that win or lose, congratulating the other contestant will always be the first thing you do once you’ve managed to pick yourself up off the floor.
For me, it’s the ranks that are quite often the driving force behind my performance. You have no control over what the competitor next to you does. But if you’re targeting a Master of Sport rank and you are successful in achieving this, then that’s a mighty achievement no matter where you place.
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IKMF EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS 2018
Portlaoise Ireland was the destination as I woke from my slumber at 4:30 am on the 25th May.
Some idiot had decided to book an 8:15 am flight!
To get there proved to be a bit of a trial in itself.
I went with my Foster son Corey. This was to be his first flight, first time out of the country and the first time on a plane.
We arrived at 6:30 at the airport and were onboard the Ryanair flight by 8:30.
We taxied to our take off point and were all set to go. Corey was both excited and anxious following a brief discussion we had about where was the best place to be sitting in a plane in the event of a crash😊
Suddenly, there was what’s best described as a shudder through the plane. Passengers looked around at each other as if to say, ‘That’s not normal’. The captain then pipes up via the PA to duly announce that we had been hit from behind!
These are words you don’t generally want to hear whilst sat in a plane.
Fire trucks then appeared outside the window. Purely a precaution of course.
We taxied back to the departure lounge.
We were then told to disembark via the front door as the back door would no longer open.
It later transpired that we were hit by the wing of an independent airline as it was turning. It struck the tail plane of our plane.
This meant a 4 hour 15 minute delay in departing Stansted. Not a great start.
On arrival in Dublin, we then established that we were no longer guaranteed a seat on our Pre-booked Dublin to Portlaoise bus as we had missed our allotted time.
Cue, fellow Team England members to the rescue.
Attila and Caroline arrived at Dublin shortly after us so we managed to grab a lift with them.
A right debacle at the car hire centre caused another delay of an hour but we eventually arrived at the hotel at 6:30 pm.
We settled into our hotel and later after eating with the rest of the team, we headed to the venue for the weigh in. The venue was great. Big sports hall but not so big that the atmosphere would be lost.
Lots of seating put out and a nice big warm up area which was out of the way of the main hall.
My weight was a lean and mean 77.3 kg so well Under my 85kg limit.
We met a few of the fellow athletes whilst there and also grabbed our free T shirts
This was a very nice gesture I think.
Back to the hotel and a really nice meal with the team before crashing down for our first night, very tired.
Showtime
Saturday Half Marathon day
Lovely breakfast at 7:30 am with the team and then straight to the venue.
Opening ceromony
This was lovely and after the teams had all been introduced (we had Corey fly the flag for us which was really nice) we then had some traditional Irish dancing to kick things off
There was then some presentations including the presentation of a lovely wooden plaque to all the team captains. Very nice and typical of the small details demonstrated by the AKSI throughout the weekend.
First flight was some very young juniors which was really great to see. I think it’s fabulous that the IKMF have an age category such as this.
First adult flight was a stonker. I was up as was the likes of Olivier Vdr, Abi Johnston and David Keohan.
This was my main lift of the weekend. The one I had been training for predominantly. Double 16 half Snatch for 30 minutes. This was the first time doubles had been included at an IKMF competition.
It was a wise decision as quite a few had decided to take up the challenge. The guys next to me were doing long cycle. I had no direct competitors as the two other guys on double 16 half Snatch were in a lower weight division to me.
But, these competitions are all about the ranks for me. You can rank up to CMS in IKMF via video submission but MS and MSWC can only be done at international competitions. That means two chances each year. Don’t want to mess up!
I had two targets. This one which was 400 Reps and on the Sunday, single arm LC with 24 kg for 750 reps.
In training I had done MSWC Rank with the 16’s. I have also done double 20 half Snatch for 300 Reps. But doing this in the international arena is always a little more challenging than in the nice breeze of my garden under my gazebo.
It was very warm in the arena and unfortunately they decided to shut the doors behind us prior to my flight. This immediately put an end to the nice breeze that we had. Oh well!
My set was really tough. I managed 403 Reps but was dead on my arse at the end. I crashed out on the mat until Olivier pulled me up again.
I was very happy though as goal one had been achieved. Master of Sport World Class certificate number two (I have one from Milan)
Corey had an eventful first day.
As previously mentioned, Corey is our foster son and doesn’t exactly lack confidence. Those that know him will be aware of this. He’s a good lad with the usual trappings of youth, too much TV and video games and not enough homework but he has really taken to kettlebell sport. He loves the community aspeact as much as anything else and made himself quite at home with the team. Sometimes there is a reluctance to train but when he does, he trains hard. He was good company and I enjoyed having him along.
Today he was lifting 12 kg for 30 minute LC. This was well within his means having previously achieved 360 reps in training.
At 29 minutes and 57 seconds it all went a bit pear shaped. Corey commited two violations simultaneously. He stopped his set 3 seconds early and dropped the bells down. This was probably a combination of inexperience and some confusion due to the noise in the hall. Corey was disqualified as a result.
Caroline was assisting and was the first to break the news to him. I then did the same before Kike Quesada Sanchez, the head judge confirmed what we already knew.
Fortunately, as an organisation, the IKMF are very nurturing and caring towards youngsters. There was some discussion between Stéphane, Kike and the AKSI and it was decided that Corey should have another chance. He was to lift agin on the Sunday. Great news. This was a hard lesson for Corey but he took it well.
Gary Rothwell also lifted today. Lifting as a veteran in 28 kg LC, Gary managed an incredible 386 Reps. That’s a cracking pace with 28 kg.
Attila Kun was up next and he was lifting 24 kg LC and targeting at least 360 reps. Attila is a very determined guy but has been suffering from a hairline fracture on his wrist over the last few months so training has been very hard for him.
Despite this, he attempted his set. At the 15 minute mark, the pain became intolerable and he was forced to stop. He was of course bitterly disappointed. Despite this, Attila kept his spirits up and soldiered on by supporting the rest of the team. He’s a fun guy to be around and a great asset to the team.
That was it for us today. Back to the hotel for some dinner before heading back to the hotel room for some sleep.
Sunday Full Marathon Day
We were all lifting today.
I was lifting 24 kg LC and had a comfortable set. It was warmer today and the doors were open. The breeze was lovely. I needed 750 and made 760. Gary steamed ahead of me and ended up on 838. That’s a great pace from Gary.
The mighty Andreas Jacobsen was also on our flight. This was to be his 5th lift of the weekend. There were a few doing the same. I’ve no idea how they manage it. Perhaps today though this was one lift too far for Andreas. I managed to finish ahead of him but know full well that on a day of equal footing, this would never happen.
Caroline Robinson was lifting 12 kg, also in LC. She put in a fantastic performance and managed MS rank with 762 reps. This was a big PB for Caroline and she was justifiably delighted as was her coach Attila.
Corey then had his second attempt. He seemed very determined and had put the experience from the day before behind him. Corey put in a great set and bettered his score from Saturday with 389 reps. Fantastic result Corey. Kike was on hand to give Corey a 10 second countdown at the end. He was then the first to congratulate him. This was a very kind gesture from Kike.
Richard Freeman was doing Jerk. He surprised himself with his score of 971 reps. 1000 reps surely just around the corner for Richard. Great job.
Attila wisely decided to forfeit his lift due to ongoing wrist issues. This was a wise decision for sure. Now for some much needed rehab.
Medals
The medal ceromony was carried out very slickly. They can be arduous affairs, dragging on forever but it went well and was sorted in a timely fashion.
On reflection
What a great championship. I can honestly say that this was the best competiton I have ever attended. Dermot O’Leary and his wife Andrea along with the AKSI team did the IKMF proud.
Eddie Sheehan did a fab job on the PA, there were medics on hand to see To people’s hands, we had Thunderstruck by AC/DC in the final 3 minutes of every flight. It’s in the detail like this that makes the difference in a competiton. They may seem insignificant but they all add up.
After event meal
Finally, we had a meal arranged afterwards. I think 80 odd people attended. This was such a fun event. We had singing and arm wrestling! Me and Corey were last out along with Dermot and Andrea. We were on an all nighter since we had an early flight the next day. A quick mention for Richards lovely wife Jude. She did a fantastic job supporting us all weekend as well as keeping EKA up to date with proceedings. Many thanks Jude.
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The Kettlebell Pentathlon. A guide.
Devised by Valery Fedorenko of the World Kettlebell Club, (WKC) the Kettlebell Pentathlon has from the onset, been designed to be more accessible than other forms of kettlebell sport such as the biathlon or Long cycle. This does not necessarily mean that it is easier. There are still skills to master in order to become proficient at the pentathlon.
The Pentathlon World Championships are now part of the IKMF portfolio of kettlebell lifts.
Unlike many other forms of kettlebell sport, you only ever use one kettlebell and multiple hand changes are allowed.
Also, the maximum working length of any one set is 6 minutes as opposed to 10 in traditional Girevoy sport. Here are the basic mechanics of it. There are 5 disciplines performed in a set order.
The 5 disciplines are:
1. Cleans
2. Long Cycle press
3. Jerk
4. Half snatch
5. Push press
• Each discipline is carried out for 6 minutes.
• Multiple hand changes are allowed
• There is a 5 minute break after each discipline
• There is a maximum repetition (rep) count for each discipline.
These are only maximums and a sub maximum number will not be penalised. The maximum rep counts are as follows.
These are deemed as realistic numbers that can be achieved within the given time constraints and with good form. No additional points are scored for reps over the preset maximum.
• Cleans – 120 reps
• Long cycle press – 60 reps
• Jerks – 120 reps
• Half snatch – 108 reps
• Push press – 120 reps
The competitors are allowed to choose a maximum of 5 different weights for their kettlebells. Those bells can then be used for whatever discipline they choose. No changing of the weight is allowed once the athlete starts that particular discipline and no setting the weight down until the 6 minutes are up unless the maximum rep count is reached. If the weight is set down whilst there is still time left on the clock, the set is ended. All reps achieved will still count. Also, if the competitor hits maximum reps whilst still having time on the clock, the kettlebell will be put down and that competitor will gain additional rest. A different points value is assigned to each kettlebell as follows:
8 kg = 1 point
12 kg = 1.5 points
16 kg = 2 points
20 kg = 2.5 points
24 kg = 3 points
28 kg = 3.5 points
32 kg = 4 points
36 kg = 4.5 points
40 kg = 5 points
This continues right up to 72 kg! Intermittent weights such as the 10, 14 and 18 can also be included with the additional values of .25 so a 14 would be worth 1.75
If the competitor performs 100 reps with the 24 kg bell in the snatch then this is worth 100 (reps) x 3 (points) = 300 points
All five scores are added up in this way to create a total score.
The disciplines
This article hasn't the space to go into the detail of all the disciplines required but here is a brief description including details of what the official will be looking for in each lift.
The Clean
The kettlebell is cleaned to the rack position. There has to be a moment of fixation in the rack position. Changing of the hands is a swing change.
The judge will want to see
• Fixation in the rack
• An attempt at getting the legs as straight as possible
Long Cycle Press
The kettlebell is cleaned to the rack position and then pressed overhead.
Changing of the hand is a swing change.
The Judge will want to see:
• A clear separation of the clean and the press. There must be a moment of stillness once the rack is achieved.
• There must be no knee bend prior to the press. This is a strict press only.
• The kettlebell must fixate at the top of the movement with no wobble or sway and with the arm in good alignment.
• The heels must remain down in the press.
Jerk
From the racked position, the knees are dipped and then straightened to drive up the kettlebell before catching the kettlebell at the top of the movement with a second dip of the knees. You then straighten the legs to complete the rep.
This can be a speed switch or a swing change when changing hands.
The judge will want to see:
• There needs to be solid fixation at the top of the movement with good alignment
• Fixation in the racked position
• When coming down from the overhead to the rack position, there needs to be a pause before the next rep. If there is no pause, the rep is considered a bounce out and won’t be allowed.
Half Snatch
Unlike the full snatch movement, the half snatch is lowered from the overhead position to the rack position before lowering for a back swing into another rep. This has to be a swing change when changing hands.
The Judge will want to see:
• There needs to be a brief rack position on the way back down.
• There is solid fixation at the top of each rep with good alignment
Push press
From the rack position, you dip your knees and drive the bell up to the overhead position. Your heels must stay in contact with the floor.
Like jerk, this can be a speed switch or a swing change when switching hands.
The Judge will want to see:
• Good fixation and alignment.
• Checking your heels stay flat on the floor.
• A pause after the bell lands in the rack from the overhead position before the next rep.
A trial run
Once you have got your technique down reasonably well on the 5 disciplines, it’s time to put in a trial run. Start off conservatively. Remember, you are working for 6 minutes at a time and over 5 different disciplines. The key to a good score in the pentathlon is all in the choice of weight and pacing.
Aim to pace yourself accurately. It’s a 6 minute set so take 6 minutes to complete it. It’s a false economy to set off too fast for two reasons. One, you will no doubt end up with more ‘no counts’ from your official and two, you will burn out earlier. Don’t be fooled into thinking that the extra rest gained will benefit you very much. A better strategy is to pace yourself to start with and keep your breathing under control throughout.
At the start when you are fresh, it’s very tempting to choose a weight, which in isolation may seem quite manageable but you must consider the accumulated fatigue.
Once the first discipline is over, you still have 4 more to go so it’s no good burning out on the first 1 or 2 events with over zealous weight choices.
Once you start to get an idea of what it’s like to flow from one event to another and how the accumulated fatigue will affect your performance in the subsequent lifts, you will be able to make some fairly accurate predictions on your own performance. This takes a few trial runs to achieve and some number crunching on the calculator but will ultimately lead to ever increasing personal bests.
You will be able to determine if going lighter and hitting closer to maximum reps is a better strategy for a high score or maybe sacrificing a few reps in order to use a higher weight will work better. Or maybe if you go lighter on the half snatch, you will be so much stronger on the push press ultimately pushing your final score up.
This is one of the aspects of the pentathlon that I really enjoy. Putting pen to paper and seeing what strategy stacks up best!
Alternatively, use this very handy calculator to work through various combinations of weights and reps
Whatever you decide to do, make sure you have some form of strategy before going for a full pentathlon test. Plan out your hand changes and how many reps you hope to hit in each minute.These ongoing targets will help keep you focused in each discipline. Better scores will be achieved if you adhere to a preset plan rather than just mindlessly banging out random hand changes and reps.
Pentathlon Ranks
Ranks are a great benchmark in which to measure progress. They are also necessary in order to determine your readiness to participate at an International level.
Individual countries will decide on the minimum standard required in order to lift with that countries team.
Even if this is never your intention, they are handy to use to monitor your own progress.
Male IKMF Ranks
Female IKMF Ranks
The kettlebell pentathlon is an extremely challenging event but with the mix of 5 different lifts, it’s also a lot of fun and very satisfying to do. If you would like more info, please just message me via my Facebook page
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