Russian Holidays - Kettlebell Day

Strongmen Alexander Zass, Evgeny Sandov, who is considered the founder of bodybuilding, and Pyotr Krylov are the most famous weightlifters of the 19th-20th centuries For training, they used weights, thanks to which they demonstrated to the public the unique physical capabilities of lifting weights and wrestling in the ring The list of well-known strongmen also includes the names of such famous weightlifters as Ivan Poddubny, Sergei Eliseev and Ivan Zaikin All of them were from the Russian Empire Original athletes who led a healthy lifestyle maintained their strength and excellent health into old age Some strongmen, such as Eugene Sandow, participated in the Mr Olympia bodybuilding competition, founded in 1901 as a symbol of the revival of ancient Greek ideals of beauty for the male body An important milestone in the development of martial arts was the founding of the “Amateur Athletics Club” in St Petersburg on August 10, 1885 The first weight pulling competitions took place in the 40s XX century Most of them were amateur in nature Unified rules for competitions appeared in the USSR in 1962 At the official level, kettlebell lifting was recognized in 1985 Two years later, the All-Union Federation appeared, which was involved in the popularization of martial arts Followers of the traditions laid down by old school athletes are Sergei Mishin, Ivan Denisov and Sergei Rachinsky Each of them set a single record for the number of jerks per unit of time and contributed to the development of the sport S Rachinsky in 2013 lifted a 16-kilogram weight 931 times in one hour The achievement of the Russian athlete is included in the Guinness Book of Records A holiday has been established in honor of the oldest form of martial arts August 10 is Kettlebell Lifting Day Power games were a favorite pastime in Rus' The epic heroes Dobrynya Nikitich, Alyosha Popovich and Ilya Muromets were involved in lifting weights and wrestling A sports projectile in the form of a cannonball with a handle is considered an original Russian invention The skill of using it was demonstrated in the circus arena by the athlete Pyotr Krylov, nicknamed “The King of Weights,” and the professional wrestler and trainer Alexander Zass A strongman from Nizhny Novgorod, Nikandr Vakhturov, easily threw a 32 kg weight through a freight car Friedrich Wilhelm Müller's mother was Russian and her maiden name was Sandow Her son, an English weightlifter, took the name Eugene as a pseudonym E Sandow set many world records throughout his life One of them was lifting in 1894 at a competition in San Francisco with one hand a barbell weighing 122 kg with giant hollow balls, inside of which one person sat at a time Russian gunners can be considered the first strongmen: each of them placed a projectile weighing from one and a half to 262 kg into the barrel of a military weapon Carrying heavy loads for hand-loaded guns required good physical fitness Gradually, in the Russian army and beyond, lifting cannonballs began to be practiced to train strength and dexterity Over time, athletes improved the shape of the kettlebell and its handle Previously, the projectile was made only of cast iron and steel, which created the correct center of gravity; today it is also made of plastic and rubber, covered with vinyl and polyurethane Lifting weights has been and remains a favorite pastime for athletes who strive for excellence in everything - from the beauty of their own bodies to setting weight lifting records The sports equipment, which was invented in Rus', is used by bodybuilders in different countries of the world for their training All followers of the traditions of old-school strongmen and fans of martial arts celebrate Cinder Sports Day on August 10th