Becoming a Girevik

     My goal for the year 2015: become a Girevik. Some of you may be asking, what the heck is that? Simply put, a Girevik is a "kettlebell man". How do you become one? It is one of these things where you know one when you see one!

     I have been using kettlebells for 4-5 years now and have been able to do some impressive things with them (my proudest moment was doing a turkish getup with a 48 kilogram kettlebell), but now it is time to complete the Russian Secret Service Snatch Test (here is an instruction video for the snatch). For the test, you have to complete 200 reps with a 24 kilogram kettlebell in 10 minutes. I have done 100 reps under 5 minutes and it nearly made my heart jump out of chest. Now, I need to somehow keep that pace for an additional five minutes! This is going to he quite the challenge! I am eyeing April as the date to complete this. I have begun some basic training. Here is how I am handling it:

January-February
Sunday: OFF
Monday: This is a light day. On this day I am doing a single arm kettlebell clean & press ladder and performing some light snatches.
Tuesday: Variety day. Do whatever you want, just take it easy. I hit some yoga or just do some light calisthenics. 
Wednesday: This is a moderate day. You do five sets of five single arm clean & presses with one turkish getup between sets. Then you perform 3 sets of 10 swings and 3 sets of 10 snatches with a weight heavier than Monday.
Thursday: Variety day.
Friday: OFF
Saturday: This is a tough day. You do a single arm clean & press ladder but perform two more ladders than Monday (ladder rungs explained below). You then set a timer and perform as many swings as you can. Depending on the day, I'll do 6, 8, 10, or 12 minutes of heavy swinging. 

Key Points:

1. Ladders: Set 1, do 1 rep. Set 2, do 2 reps, Set 3, do 3 reps. That is one ladder. Repeat for 2 more times. That is 3 ladders. So on Friday, you perform 5 total ladders, 2 more than Monday. When you are able to do 5 ladders, you then add a rung (add a 4th rep to the end) and start all over. So you do 1-2-3-4 reps to complete a ladder.  
   
2. I add in some front squats, deadlift, pullups, and TRX rows throughout the week. It depends on how I am feeling and don't beat myself up too much if I miss out on these exercises. 
3. Every two weeks I follow a "same but different" approach and change the exercise. For example, the single arm clean & press ladder becomes a strict single arm military press ladder. Same motion on the press but different set-up. I go heavier on the press. 

March-April
I plan on continuing the kettlebell program outlined above. As the weather begins to change for the better, I will begin my track and hill program on the variety days. Conditioning plays a huge role in the Snatch Test so I will be running at the first sign of nice weather! Last year I set a goal to run a 6 minute mile. After 15 running sessions I ran a 5:59.62 mile. I knocked a total of 75 seconds off my time over these 15 running sessions! Want a copy of it? Send me an e-mail and it is yours. This two-day-a-week running program is intense but it works wonders on your cardiovascular system!

Girevik training is in full swing at The Brickhouse. Anyone who wants to take part in it, get in touch! I have discounted rates for those interested in participating in the program!

Chris Fluck...future Girevik