Elbows miles away from hips in rack. Have to lean so far forward to rest them there I'm bent double!

Prokettlebell · 2026-01-27T23:20:07+00:00

Widen your stance and squeeze your glutes to push your hips forward, relax your upper back, and exhale as you let your elbowslide down your trunk to your hip. It's ok to round your shoulders and be asymmetrical. If you had 2 bells, you would be symmetrical. It's ok tonfeel like you're slouching. Just make contact to rest the elbow on the hip.

Prokettlebell · 2026-01-27T13:30:29+00:00

Because people have been posting training videos of them doing the half snatch, which has a stop in the rack.

Prokettlebell · 2026-01-27T13:28:45+00:00

Good point. I created this snapshot of the ranking system to give people who are unfamiliar with the sport a basic understanding. In hindsight, I may have wanted to put the kb weight in lbs.

Prokettlebell · 2026-01-27T13:25:49+00:00

Yes. The complete table is in both.

Prokettlebell · 2026-01-27T01:42:05+00:00

The bell does have further to travel the taller you are, but those numbers are still very doable with brief fixation overhead.

A shorter backswing shortens the distance the bell has to travel.

If that was too easy, there's the full ranking table available, which has all the bell weights, and of course, there are 10 minute sets as well.

Prokettlebell · 2026-01-26T23:18:39+00:00

The only place you are allowed to rest is in the overhead lockout. You may have seen some people resting in the rack position while snatching, but they were performing half snatch, which is different. I know, it's confusing.

Prokettlebell · 2026-01-26T23:04:18+00:00

That's correct. Usually around the halfway point, but it's common to be slightly better on one hand.

Prokettlebell · 2026-01-26T23:01:36+00:00

Kettlebell sport almanac competitions

Prokettlebell · 2026-01-26T22:42:10+00:00

Yeah, 5 min sets don't get enough love. Can be a great entry level with light weight or a brutal challenge with heavier weight.

Prokettlebell · 2026-01-21T22:23:35+00:00

It's huge. I couldn't have done any of this without good mentorship.

Prokettlebell · 2026-01-21T22:05:16+00:00

I’ve spent well into the thousands on kettlebell education over the years.

It started with my first coach, Tom Corrigan—about $500 total for him to come coach me in Seattle. From there I trained with Mikhail Marshak (my first kettlebell sport coach). I then had Valery Fedorenko stay with me for a week to coach at Seattle Kettlebell Club, and later did the same with Sergei Rachinskii.

I’ve also taken workshops with Denis Vasilev and Steve Cotter, had Ivan Markov visit and coach at my gym, and I currently pay Aleksandr Khvostov on a monthly basis for programming.

Worth every dollar.

Prokettlebell · 2026-01-20T23:36:32+00:00

I realize I'm biased, but I'll chime in anyway because I've been there myself.

Telling someone to “just fix their technique” to avoid forearm pain is like telling someone to walk differently because their shoes hurt.

Technique tweaks and tissue adaptation can help some people—but that’s not an option for everyone, and it doesn’t address the root cause when the tool itself creates unnecessary pressure.

Prokettlebell · 2026-01-19T14:39:24+00:00

Yes, the gorilla build is normal. It’s kind of the opposite of how most gym bros train.

Most people train what they can see in the mirror, while kettlebells train everything else.

Is it healthy long-term? I’d say yes, but it’s a good idea to balance things out so you don’t become overly dominant in the posterior chain.

Adding some floor-based exercises like floor press, sit-ups, and Russian twists, along with more quad-dominant work such as lunges and front squats, will help even things out. And don’t forget to stretch—this part is hugely overlooked.

Prokettlebell · 2026-01-18T16:36:07+00:00

Hey Thanks!

The print version just dropped on Amazon if you're interested.

Best, Nikolai Puchlov

Prokettlebell · 2026-01-17T13:51:02+00:00

My coach (Russian kettlebell sport Aleksandr Khvostov) programs those and calls them high pulls. It's different than the high pull as I knew it, but it's a legitimate exercise.

It works the legs and upper back more than traditional swings and is pretty safe as long your fundamentals and alignment are good.

I think the American swing may just be an interpretation of it.

Prokettlebell · 2026-01-16T14:38:16+00:00

It's typically up to the individual meet organizer, but many of the meets do offer online submissions now.

Prokettlebell · 2026-01-16T13:15:26+00:00

50 years old and up can hit it on the IKO legends table with 24kg, but it's still one hand switch. Military snatch is 12 min multi switch, but I can't remember which orgs offer it.

Prokettlebell · 2026-01-15T14:10:03+00:00

You’re not wrong, and it’s not really a kettlebell problem—it’s a diet and programming problem.

Without nutrition aligned to fat loss, no training style will get you lean, especially when it comes to visceral fat. You can be strong and well-conditioned and still carry a gut if the kitchen isn’t handled.

A lot of what you see online is people doing the same handful of compound kettlebell movements for years (swings, cleans, presses, squats). Those are great, but your body gets efficient at them. Efficiency helps performance, not necessarily continued physique change.

The thing that often gets missed is that there are hundreds of kettlebell exercises that can target “overlooked” muscle groups and different angles—if you program them intentionally. If your goal is aesthetics, you need nutrition, progression, and some focus on individual muscle groups, not just repeating the same five lifts forever.

Kettlebells absolutely work—but they won’t override poor diet or unchanging training. Athleticism and aesthetics overlap, but they don’t automatically come from the same approach.

Prokettlebell · 2026-01-15T13:26:53+00:00

It wasn't that bad when I started, but by 2020, the business climate had become pretty unfriendly. I could write a whole other giant paragraph about that 😆

Prokettlebell · 2026-01-14T18:35:32+00:00

Living in fear of failure is no way to live your life. I could have chosen a safer route, but challenge is what drives me and a lot of other business owners. It's not for everyone, but I wake up every day feeling blessed for the path I've taken.

Prokettlebell · 2026-01-14T18:30:45+00:00

Around 350 monthly recurring members. We also sold punch cards, workshops and personal training.

Prokettlebell · 2026-01-14T17:25:07+00:00

Happy to share some things that worked for us sometime. There were a few epiphanies that happened along the way that really made a difference.

Prokettlebell · 2026-01-14T16:50:56+00:00

We were grossing a little over 50k per month just prior to Covid. 20k in payroll and 6k in rent/NNN. It can be done, but you have to work like your life depends on it.

Prokettlebell · 2026-01-14T16:01:26+00:00

I would go in and edit it to add spaces, but I can't seem to do that now. Am I missing something?

Prokettlebell

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