It could be the “big things.” I never thought much of Double Kettlebell Cleans because I have such a history with the O lifts. Maybe, just maybe, it could be because I never did them right! Something as simply as the “V” position changes the lift forever and, if you need to be gassed, go right ahead and do a set of ten. Not enough, add some Front Squats.

I’m not sure most people reading the book will understand the challenge of the training system outlined. A double snatch followed by double presses followed by Front Squats? Good luck!

There is not enough hyperbole in my body to express how much I like this book. We are at an amazing time in the community. The new Kettlebells from the Ground Up, Kenneth’s new V02 Max book and this book and DVD show the maturation of the RKC. It is not enough to just get people tired…any fool can do that! It is important to manage rest period with effort, proper alignment, proper tools, proper load and a systematic approach to whatever goal is in the sights. ROTK is now the standard, the very high standard, of what to expect in the RKC texts.

To say that this work is “amazing” is an understatement. Anyone who plays with kbells must use this book as a resource. Completing the program and goals set in this book is a worthy fight for any man.

—Dan John, RKC TL, Murray, UT

Let's look first at some of the benefits of taking some time off short term. Everyone's body is unique, and the response to intense training at a high level with kettlebells is different from one to another. It can also change with age. So therefore you need to understand just what the threshold is for your particular body. Some of us maybe comfortable working out heavily for five to six days a week, while others may only be able to reap substantial benefits from training three days a week. Whatever it turns out to be for you, it is essential to allow your body to recover from these intense kettlebell sessions (they are intense, aren't they?!?) to allow it to build strength and move forward. Too often we see people over-training, and subsequently doing the exercises while they are not rested enough, losing form and thus not getting the full range of benefit, and even going so far as to injure themselves. This can be avoided with a little foresight. Give yourself a proper time between sets, (not too much!) and also train when you are fresh physically, not after you've spent the morning laying a new foundation on your house. You get the idea.

When you do take time off from the kettlebells, don't substitute another heavy lifting or otherwise debilitating physical exercise in it's place. Take the time off.

It may be advisable to take a few consecutive days off once every few weeks. This will not effect your strength levels, and will refresh you, possibly laying the groundwork for a breakthrough if you find yourself on a plateau.

Once in a while you may want to take a longer break from the kettlebells. This is not only okay, but generally a good idea. Getting away from the constant training can be a good thing occasionally, enabling you to concentrate on something else for awhile. Many people use a break like this to take a session in another discipline, like yoga or a martial art, giving the heavy lifting a break but still learning and training the body, perhaps in an all new discipline. Many times this doesn't happen until it is forced upon people by injury. Better to plan this sort of thing yourself, than have it thrust on you.

However long your break, make sure that you do not try and resume training at the same level you did when you started your break. Ease back into it, and while you'll find that there is some catch up to do, your technique may actually be better and more precise for having allowed your body to completely recover. It is always good to review your basics when coming back in the fold, and soon you'll find yourself right back where you were, only this time refreshed and poised to move higher.

Training hard with kettlebells is a great way to push your body and mind to new levels of physical and mental conditioning. Make sure that you periodically take some time off to not only refresh your body and mind, but to refocus and reinvigorate your training as well. You be very pleased with the results!

I would have liked more angles, especially in the bent presses section, as Pavel's dark pants make it a bit hard to judge what's where in relation to what, and I had to refer to RIS (Relax into Stretch) to figure out the angle of the waist bend. Perhaps some slow motion or graphics to get a full understanding of the vectors involved in the hip action of the lifts.

Generally, it has made me more convinced that the tape medium is good for aerobics and other "workouts" but serious exercise programs should be published on DVD [Russian Kettlebell Challenge is now available on DVD ed.], or CDROM, as the rewinding and pausing with tapes to figure out techniques is kind of a hassle, and it's linear nature forces detail to a minimum. If you want to get into kettle bells, though, this tape is a must, as some subtleties of the movements would be hard to figure out from the upcoming book.

The presentation by Pavel Tsatsouline is concise to the edge of bluntness, but still manages to be highly entertaining, and I believe it is worth the price of the tape just to hear him say "evil"! This tape is as good as the medium allows, and while it has made me wish for more efficient solutions like DVD or CDROM book-video convergence, it has also motivated me to try out kettlebell lifting, as will happen anytime you see someone easily do something that would crush you like a bug (the larger kettle bell he effortlessly flings around weighs 97 pounds!) while explaining how you can get to do it too!

High points: Well produced source of information on an intriging and apparently highly effective fitness tool, entertaining and articulate presentation.

Low points: A bit short, I would have liked more detail and more angles and other enhancements to aid in full comprehension of the movements.

Further comments

Pavel Tsatsouline's Russian Kettlebell Challenge was the first DVD produced by Dragondoor.com.

For those not familiar with kettlebells, they are basically an iron sphere with a handle, ranging in weight anywhere from 9lbs all the way up to a monstrous 88lbs. They can be used for both strength training as well as for aerobic conditioning, with the capability to condition one in both areas at the same time. For more information, visit the kettlebell FAQ page located elsewhere on this site.

I have to say that I was not sure what to expect… on the one hand I was afraid it would not be of the best quality, considering that "The Russian Kettlebell Challenge" (RKC) was the first Pavel Tsatsouline video released by Dragon Door. I worried that the transfer of the original video to DVD would not come off looking any better than the quality of the original. On the other hand I have never known Dragon Door to put out a product of less than excellent quality.

On to the DVD review.

<strong>Content:</strong>

RKC is a must see for anyone who is considering purchasing one or more kettlebells. I have never read the print version, but in my opinion there is nothing like actually watching a master like Pavel performing the exercises. Let's face it, if you don't know what you're doing with a kettlebell, you could really hurt yourself. It's not like your usual piece of home fitness equipment.

The shots are simple, but effective, more often than not giving a full head-to-toe view of Pavel as he performs the kettlebell exercises. The same exercise is shown from more than one angle at times, which is helpful as some of the exercises will seem rather strange the first time you see them done.

Pavel has a very engaging style which makes the DVD easy to watch. He puts on a bit of a "Russian boot camp instructor" persona, but it's obvious his tongue is firmly planted in his cheek, and you can almost see the grin hovering just out of site. He explains things in a very thorough and easily understood manner. His deep experience comes across completely and you will not mistake him for some of the current fitness gurus hawking their wares on infomercials.

A variety of basic exercises are covered, including cleans, jerks, bent-presses, windmills, military presses, swings, and snatches. There is plenty here to keep you busy for 6 months of training.

<strong>Audio:</strong>

Nothing spectacular here, but it's not like you're expecting surround sound from an instructional video, right? What you do get is audio that is crisp, clean, and clear. There is no popping, hissing, or any sort of "muffled" sound.

<strong>Video:</strong>

Here is where I was very surprised: The picture quality is excellent. I own the original version on VHS and maybe it's because I was an early adopter of DVD (since 1999), but to me the video quality on the VHS version seemed quite poor. The content was so good however, that I thought it made up for the lack of video quality.

I don't know if it was originally shot on digital, or if there was some sort of program used to digitally clean up the original video. Whatever the case, the video on the DVD is very clear and sharp. A vast improvement over the original. I did not notice any artifacts or bleeding of colors.

<strong>Menus:</strong>

I'll start out with what bothered me, which wasn't much, before I get to something I thought was unexpected, but very cool. I'm hoping that this will be taken as feedback for subsequent DVDs.

Recent DVDs give you the ability to skip past the FBI warning and any other "pre-menu" items. The FBI screen doesn't last long, but the standard disclaimer screen is up for what felt like a very long time. The ability to skip past that would be an excellent addition, and would not affect liability since it *is* present.

Once you get past that, the main menu actually has animation (of a sort) and looks really cool coming together. The images look very professional, but the text on the screen could stand to be of a higher resolution. It looked very "jaggy", especially on my hi-def big screen. Perhaps on smaller analog screens this is not so noticeable.

There is a chapter menu, as one would expect, and is very helpful to have on an instructional DVD. What you won't expect is that when you select one of the options (Cleans, Jerks, Presses, etc.), each of those categories takes you to a sub-menu listing each exercise individually! This goes way beyond what I (and others) were hoping for as far as being able to navigate the DVD. Huge kudos to whoever thought that extra step up, and to John DuCane (owner of dragondoor.com) for including it.

<strong>Extras:</strong>

I didn't really expect anything in this department, but there is a Pavel Tsatsouline biography similar to the one available at the Dragon Door site.

There is also a menu which leads to clips advertising a number of Pavel's other videos, including "From Russia with Tough Love", "Forced Relaxation", and "Power to the People". Being a long time fan of Dragon Door's products, I would have liked have seen some of the more recent products, but I understand the choices shown since they lay the groundwork for a lot of the later products. It's a great overview for the uninitiated.

<strong>Recommendation:</strong>

This definitely gets a "thumbs up". Even if you already own the original, I highly recommend purchasing this. It's a great DVD, and even if you're a long-time girevik, watching it again, you may pick up some techniques that you have forgotten. There's nothing like going back to the basics!