Why GS?

... Many people are wondering - why girls choose kettlebell lifting? Same people think that girls who do it are not very feminine. Is it so? And why do we choose it? Here is what I think about it.

Let's start with some facts:

• Name: Svetlana
• Age: 24
• Sex: female
• Personal weight: 45kg (+/- 2kg... goes up and down)
• Occupation: Student
• Sport activities: Kettlebell lifting (amateur)
• How long in GS: 2 years
• Best result in snatch: 67 reps with 16kg (sum of two hands)
• Best result in jerk: 104 reps with 12kg (sum of two hands); could do more but 10 minutes were over
• Awards: some medals in Latvian and Baltic competitions

And here is the story, that explains why did I choose to do kettlebell lifting, what motivates me to do it and how I feel after trainings.

I found out that there is such a sport as Kettlebell Lifting from my brother. He was doing some fitness and met Vasily Ginko at the gym. After a short time he switched to kettlebell lifting. I went to gym with him one day. I just wanted to watch. I didn't even think of lifting anything myself. I sat there and watched... The next time I took my sportwear with me and decided to do some fitness. Some years passed... Guys were still lifting KBs, but I was working with free weights and machines. And then... I finally decided to try to lift 8kg kettlebell. It was so nice and cute and didn't look so scary as its "big brothers". Oh, what a feeling I had! No one can ever explain it... But I will do my best to attract you to the GS and make you try it yourself.

The first lift is like a first step, like the first 2 meters by bike without dad's help, like the first day at school... You think you can't do it, you are afraid to drop the KB, your knees feel weak, but at the same time you are very exited. Some advice from a coach and the kettlebell is over your head... What a relief! Now you feel like a hero, like you've killed a monster... All the world is yours at the moment! Then you try another time and it feels even better. You are flying!
You keep training and then one day change 8kg for 12kg, then you go up to 16kg... And you experience this feeling again.
But what happens when your coach says "I think you are ready to compete"? Next thing you know, you are standing on the platform and some guy down counts "5, 4, 3, 2, 1... START!" You are freaking out, you want to run away, to disappear, to become invisible... But instead of that you take the KB and start lifting. One rep, another... And at this point you understand that you CAN!
Then you are back home sitting in your favorite arm chair... You have a smile on your face, you look at yourself in the mirror and you see a winner. You are happy, you feel strong and ready to to do more. You've got something inside of you that keeps you moving. You stand up and go back to gym.

The same thing happened with me. I came to gym after two years without sport. I felt miserable! I thought that I am not able to do anything. But thanks to my coach Robert Innus I didn't run away and kept working out. I didn't do lifting immediately. I spent couple of month at the gym before I took the KB in my hand again. The reason for that is that the lightest KB we had there at the moment was 16kg. And of course I was scared and not ready to lift it. But after some training with free weight my coach decided I am ready. It wasn't my idea! I still thought I am not ready. But he told me "Today you are lifting" and then invited some guys and said "Look, how she does it!" I had no choice but to lift. And I did! I was shocked that I can do it, but still happy to realize that I CAN! Many days passed from that happy moment, but I am still into it. I still remember the feeling and going through it every time I break my record or try something new. I've tried jerking this year and I love it. I've tried juggling a week ago and I am deeply into it already!

So what are the advantages of the GS?
First, you feel healthier, stronger and happier. Second, you look better. Third, you meet a lot of nice people from all over the world. Fourth, you can still win a prize even if you are 80. Fifth, you automatically attract people by just saying "I am into Kettlebell Lifting". I can go on and on about the advantages...
And what are the disadvantages?
First (and the only one), you can have blisters on your hands in the beginning. That's it... But there are ways to get rid of them quickly. So it is not really a disadvantage.

Ask any woman in GS why she chose this kind of sport and she will not know what to say. Ask her if she likes it and you will hear a strong YES! Ask her if she is going to quit and you will hear a strong NO! It is the thing about Kettlebell Lifting - you never know how you got in, but you are sure you don't want to get out.
And one more thing - I've never seen a sad kettlebell lifter! Which means that GS brings you happiness. Doesn't make sense? But still true!!!

Try it and we will see if I was wrong.

Here some pictures of me. The way I look at the gym and everyday life.



P.S.: If you have any questions feel free to ask (SvRukina@gmail.com or via Skype - Tapochka20 or via MSN - svetik12345@hotmail.com). If you are not sure you have to try it - try it! If you think you are not ready - try it anyway! Good luck! ;)

Power Juggling

... I was always amazed how people can juggle with this heavy things called kettlebells... And I never had a chance to try it myself.

We don't have a well equipped place for juggling in Riga. And we've got our first 8kg kettlebell just about a half a year ago. The lightest we always had was 16kg. Imagine me throwing this thing :) I was scared to do my first snatch there, cause I jumped from zero to 16kg just after 3 or 4 month of training with free weights. And of course I wasn't even thinking of juggling.

But today was my lucky day! I went to the Ventspils Olimpic Center with the girls who train there (Julia and Jevgeniya Prokopenko). They were practicing power juggling. I was watching them... and then... I decided to try it myself. Girls were very happy to hear that I am interested and gave me some advices how to begin.

I can't say that I am already a world champion on power juggling, but I managed to do some swings and didn't kill myself :)

That was a great experience! I am really looking forward to the next day of juggling which I hope will be next monday.

Ventpils Atlants 2009

Dedicated to all good people
I've got to know and old friends
I've met during the "Ventspils Atlants 2009"

***

... It was a warm sunny day, Wednesday, July 29 ... Just three days before the international competition "Ventspils Atlants 2009" which was held in Ventspils (Latvia). I've met a kettlebell lifting team from America and two kettlebell lifters from Denmark. We had a nice walk and a lunch in Riga.

We've met in the hotel where guys were staying at 11:45 on Friday.. There also were three more Americans, two lifters from Slovenia and 5 guys from Finland. We were 14 to take a bus from Riga to Ventspils. The trip was very nice. We were talking, making pictures and having fun all the way.

The weather in Ventspils was worse than it was in Riga. It was very windy and a little cold. But it didn't stop me and Andrew from swimming in the Baltic Sea. It was warmer in the water than it was outside. That's why we spent about 20 minutes in the water. But it was time to go to weighting and we headed back to the sport hall.

Weighting didn't take a long time. We spent more time talking to people. People from 14 countries were helping each other giving advices and discussing techniques. Sometimes people encountered difficulties with translation, but then the language of signs helped. Most of us went to a restaurant to have a dinner after the training.

The place where we met for dinner is usually empty and quiet. But this time it was different. People from all over the world sat around a big table as one big family. There were a lot of jokes in the air this night. The first day of the competition started with the Opening Ceremony at 12:00. At about 12:30 the first 6 sportsmen took their places on the platforms. All sportsmen were divided into 5 classes (Young women, Women, Young men, Adult amateurs and Masters).

In the first day, men performed jerk. Young men worked with 16kg KBs, Amateurs used 24kg, but masters held 32kg in each hand. It was an interesting fight between the participants. Some of them beat their personal records. There also were power juggling performances between the flights. The first part of the competition was over at about 4p.m. Teams representatives were invited to the conference to talk about serious things in GS. All others had some time to relax and prepare for the wild night of dancing. We gathered together at the same restaurant. And again it was a night full of jokes, funny stories and Gregor's magic tricks. When the food was over and the clock showed that it is quite late we moved to the dance floor. Some time passed and we decided to change the location and went to a disco club. Some guys were going back to the hotel, because there was another day of lifting ahead. The "strongest" ones were Andrew, Gregor and me. I left guys at the hotel at about 4a.m.

After a short sleep we all met again at the sport hall. The first to compete were young girls followed by women, young men, amateurs and masters. The power juggling was there as well. Guys were showing good results even if some of them were very nervous and didn't want to go to the platform. When all the lifting was done and the stress was gone guys got their diplomas and medals at the awarding ceremony. The room filled with smiles and good words. People were shaking hands, congratulating each other, making pictures and exchanging T-shirts. The competition was over. The weekend suddenly seemed very short. It was a very happy, but still very sad moment. The place was overflowed with the mix of different emotions.

And then there was Monday - the day when the last participants took the suitcases and started their way back home. We promised to stay in touch and meet again one day. The hearts were opened, eyes full of tears... sad smiles and the last good byes...

It was a great weekend, an amazing event that brought us all together. I really hope that "Ventspils Atlants" will survive through any hard time and will bring old friends and new people together, to have this amazing experience again and again... and again...