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Pavel Tsatsouline
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Enter the Kettlebell!: Strength Secret of the Soviet Supermen Paperback – January 1, 2010

by Pavel Tsatsouline (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,443 ratings
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With Enter the Kettlebell! Pavel delivers a significant upgrade to his original landmark work, The Russian Kettlebell Challenge. Drawing on five years of developing and leading the world's first and premiere kettlebell instructor certification program, and after spending five years of additional research into what really works for dramatic results with the kettlebell-we have Enter the Kettlebell!Pavel lays out a foolproof master system that guarantees you success-if you simply follow the commands! . Develop all-purpose strength-to easily handle the toughest and most unexpected demand.. Maximize staying power-because the last round decides all. Forge a fighter's physique-because the form must follow the functionEnter the kettlebell!-and follow the plan:1. The New RKC Program MinimumWith just two kettlebell exercises, takes you from raw newbie to solid contender-well-conditioned, flexible, resilient and muscular in all the right places.2. The RKC Rite of Passage Jumps you to the next level of physical excellence with Pavel's proven RKC formula for exceptional strength and conditioning. 3. Become a Man Among MenPropels you to a Special Forces level of conditioning.
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  1. Print length
    200 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Dragon Door Publications
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 2010
  5. Dimensions
    8.6 x 0.6 x 11.1 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0938045695
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0938045694
  8. See all details
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Enter The Kettlebell!: Strength Secret of the Soviet Supermen
Enter The Kettlebell!: Strength Secret of the Soviet Supermen
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Pavel Tsatsouline, is a former Soviet Special Forces physical training instructor, who helped Dragon Door Publications initiate the modern kettlebell movement. Pavel is regarded as one of the premier strength authorities in the world today, having created the first-ever kettlebell instructor certification system and being the author of the first-ever book on the subject of kettlebell training.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dragon Door Publications; 1st edition (January 1, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 200 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0938045695
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0938045694
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.6 x 0.6 x 11.1 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,443 ratings

About the author

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Pavel Tsatsouline

Pavel Tsatsouline

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Pavel Tsatsouline is a former Soviet Special Forces instructor and Subject Matter Expert to elite US military and law enforcement special operations units.

Pavel introduced the Russian kettlebell to the West in 1998 and started the kettlebell revolution. Dr. Randall Strossen, one of the most respected names in the strength world, stated, Pavel Tsatsouline will always reign as the modern king of kettlebells since it was he who popularized them to the point where you could almost found a country filled with his converts.

Pavel is the chairman of StrongFirst, Inc. In addition to the gold-standard in kettlebell, barbell, and bodyweight instructor certifications, StrongFirst offers user courses and special events internationally in strength training and advanced programming.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
1,443 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book provides a good introduction to kettlebell training. They appreciate the clear explanations and illustrations that help them understand the techniques. The book is described as one of the best on the market, with great exercises that develop strength and muscular endurance. Readers praise the writing style as easy to read and clear. They also mention that the pictures are helpful, showing both good and incorrect forms.

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Information qualityFitness levelPacingWriting styleStrengthPictures qualityMotivationValue for money
156 customers mention "Information quality"137 positive19 negative

Customers find the book a good introduction to kettlebell training. They say it takes them from the basics and provides a time-tested and true method to master the kettlebell. The techniques make sense and the biomechanics of the movements are clear. While some readers consider it a beginner's program, others mention it's a great book for everyone from beginners to advanced levels.

"...out" training regimen, and is a time tested and true method to truly master the kettlebell as conceived of by Pavel, who brought the thing over..." Read more

"...Enter the Kettlebell is a great book mainly for beginners. The book itself is well made with quality paper and good illustrations...." Read more

"...The pictures and explanations are helpful, the techniques make sense, the biomechanics of the movements click once you imagine, practice, and fully..." Read more

"Great book!! Lots of good information" Read more

87 customers mention "Fitness level"81 positive6 negative

Customers find the book provides good references and instructions on strength workouts. They appreciate the guidelines and basic lifts, describing them clearly.

"...The Swing has allowed me to not just maintain my level of cardiovascular fitness, but improve it...." Read more

"...It is a great book, and if you are new to lifting kettlebells, or just want to see how Pavel and his followers do it is worth the investment." Read more

"...of the movements click once you imagine, practice, and fully implement the exercises; this is an incredibly practical book that’s easy to read and..." Read more

"Great book!! Lots of good information" Read more

41 customers mention "Pacing"35 positive6 negative

Customers find the book's pictures and explanations helpful. They find the techniques clear and well-laid out, with good illustrations showing good and bad technique. The book is detailed, with highlights and descriptions of the movements that are easy to understand. It goes well with the video and Enter the Kettlebell books.

"...exercises, albeit doing them quite intensively, you develop your whole body to look spectacular and to be terrifically strong and fit." Read more

"...The book itself is well made with quality paper and good illustrations...." Read more

"...are helpful, the techniques make sense, the biomechanics of the movements click once you imagine, practice, and fully implement the exercises; this..." Read more

"...’s simply and easy to follow for beginners but also goes into more depth for advanced movements Kettlebell sells itself...." Read more

29 customers mention "Writing style"21 positive8 negative

Customers find the book's writing style clear and easy to read. They appreciate the photos and how-to instructions. The author's entertaining writing style is also appreciated.

"...the exercises; this is an incredibly practical book that’s easy to read and understand...." Read more

"...There’s also a YouTube video with pavel the author that demonstrates almost all the kettlebell movements that compliment the book well..." Read more

"...The exercises are kept so few, the words so curt, and the program so simple that a reader is tempted to think he isn't getting value from the work...." Read more

"...The photos are great, the text is great, and everyone from beginner to advanced is going to get something out of it...." Read more

25 customers mention "Strength"25 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's strength program effective. They say it offers a cardio and muscular endurance workout that develops incredible strength gains. The author's belief in kettlebells making you stronger is motivating, and the book solidifies their technique. It incorporates strength-training and flexibility components, making it more intense.

"...(made all the more intense because of the strength-training and flexibility components)...." Read more

"...are each excellent in their own way but all of them make you terrifically strong without taking too much time out of your life...." Read more

"...* way to train for strength, and all but says its the manly way to build functional strength...." Read more

"...presses gives you an incredible cardio workout while developing incredible strength gains. So why I recommend this book......" Read more

24 customers mention "Pictures quality"20 positive4 negative

Customers find the book's pictures helpful. They mention it has plenty of full-color pictures to guide them along, and that the book includes pictures of incorrect forms.

"...Color photos, glossy heavy-duty pages, and good sized print makes it very easy on the eyes. Zero complaints on the physical properties...." Read more

"...The photos are great, the text is great, and everyone from beginner to advanced is going to get something out of it...." Read more

"...Pavel's book is excellent. There are plenty of full color pictures to guide you along. His writing is punchy and entertaining...." Read more

"...Literature this is not, but it is chock full of helpful pictures and some humor too." Read more

17 customers mention "Motivation"17 positive0 negative

Customers find the book motivating and challenging. They say it's easy to read and engaging. The book helps them build up to proper techniques and encourages a happier, more active lifestyle.

"...For a beginner, this can keep you busy easily for a year or more, and if you are looking to achieve the Secret Service standard..." Read more

"...Both the PM and RoP have very sensible progressions that do not leave you feeling wiped out, super sore, or discouraged...." Read more

"...The ladders approach is excellent and challenging. The book however is incomplete. Don't believe me?..." Read more

"...level so far, my posture has improved, my back feels better, and I have more energy...." Read more

19 customers mention "Value for money"12 positive7 negative

Customers have different views on the book's value for money. Some find it worthwhile, while others consider it a waste of money or skimpy.

"...or just want to see how Pavel and his followers do it is worth the investment." Read more

"...Is the book pricey, maybe. But I have scoured the web and read just about anything you can find on kettlebell exercises...." Read more

"...I am not affiliated with the RKC or Strong First. Enter the Kettlebell still has value even though a lot of the information in the book has been..." Read more

"...is very effective, time efficient, space efficient and cost effective over time. It just plain works...." Read more

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Top reviews from the United States

  • JaJa Aerin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Kettlebell Resource
    Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    This book is phenomenal.

    I have read a variety of books about kettlebells and watched countless DVDs. This one is the absolute best.

    Kettlebell exercises are simple (do NOT confuse "simple" with "easy" !!!). Pavel spends a lot of time breaking down each exercise into stages and always emphasizes the importance of proper technique and safety.

    The Swing, The Get-up, The Clean, The Press, The Clean and Press, and The Snatch are the techniques that are covered.

    The Swing is the most beneficial aerobic exercise I have ever done (made all the more intense because of the strength-training and flexibility components). I dislocated my ankle a few months ago and have been unable to run as I normally would. The Swing has allowed me to not just maintain my level of cardiovascular fitness, but improve it. All with no impact and minimal stress/torque on my ankle. Awesome!

    Pavel is also conscious of the fact that not all people will be able to do all of the exercises without building up to them. Box squats, vertical leaps, etc. all help you build up to being able to do the swing properly. If you take the time to work on the basics, your time investment will be returned to you.

    Working with kettlebells is the most time-efficient workout I have ever experienced. Cardio, strength-training and flexibility all in one workout. Anyone who complains of not having time to workout needs to get their hands on a kettlebell and some of Pavel's instructional materials. Fifteen minutes of working with a kettlebell beats hours in a gym any day.

    I have this book and the accompanying DVD and I would recommend doing both. The book is a great resource for the history of kettlebells and for detailed explanations of movements, techniques and advice. The DVD is great for putting it all together and seeing proper technique in action. One of the main criticisms of the DVD is that it is instructional only and does not include a workout routine that you watch and workout with at the same time. Do you understand why there isn't a routine? Because kettlebell work is about repetitions with proper technique. Do you need to watch Pavel do 200 swings in a row? No. I would, but that's for purely aesthetic reasons (I'll admit it: He's HOT). You don't need a routine laid out for you because once you have good technique, it's all about just building up your strength and conditioning with more reps.

    My one recommendation would be to get a heart rate monitor (you won't believe how many calories you burn!) and it helps you keep in the proper heart rate zone for whatever your cardio-conditioning goal is.

    Pavel does ham it up with the evil Russian drill instructor persona, but it's endearing. This man knows his stuff.
    26 people found this helpful
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  • Plotinus
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Stuff!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    There are many ways to skin the proverbial cat when it comes to exercising. Why not simplify your exercise routine down to a few exercises that cover all your major muscle groups? Pavel has a few different programmes that do this, and not only with kettlebells. While the kettlebell is over 300 years old as an exercise tool, this system is a new one invented by Pavel based on combining ancient trial and error with modern continued trial and error and also science and theory. This programme, which came out I guess when it was published in 2006 goes through some preliminary exercises until you get into a routine based on 3 major exercises with an optional 4th one. The three major ones are the Clean&Press, the one armed swing, and the snatch. As the one armed swing is actually a "toned down" snatch, the "Enter the Kettlebell" programme is really about only TWO major exercises: the Clean&Press and the snatch. I'm capitalizing Clean&Press here because in fact this is the absolute heart of the programme. The goal is to eventually Clean and Press half your body weight and to snatch the kettlebell 200 times in 10 minutes. Evidently, it takes time to get to this and Pavel sets out a recommended training schedule to follow. It is not a daily routine but rather a weekly one, that allows for a lot of variation. It is a very serious, "all out" training regimen, and is a time tested and true method to truly master the kettlebell as conceived of by Pavel, who brought the thing over from Russia back in the 90s. Generally speaking, you start with "ladders" of cleans and presses, with optional ladders of pullups (if you have a pullup bar available) mixed into the cycle. A "ladder" is a routine where you do an exercise once, then twice in a row, then three times, etc; so a ladder of "5" means repeating the movement once, twice, thrice, four times, then five times, for a total of 15 repetitions. Exactly how many rungs of the ladder you go up and how many ladders you do in a given day are variant based on how far along you are in the programme. After all this, you do several minutes of single handed swings or snatches. The theory behind only having the two major movements is that the clean and press exercise develops the entire body with an emphasis on the pushing muscles and the snatch develops the entire body also but with an emphasis on the puling muscles. According to Pavel's thought, which I find convincing, if you do one major push and one major pull movement in your routine, you cover all the major muscles. I suppose if you don't want to buy too many kettlebells you could do the entire programme with just a 24kg if you're a man and a 16kg bell if you're a woman, but the idea is to progress until you meet the two challenges and then maintain these skills. There is of course a lot of variety in this programme and this is just the base of it.

    Interestingly, about 9 years later, Pavel came out with an alternate programme called "Simple and Sinister" or "S&S" for short. To me it is not clear as to which programme is better or for what reasons, but what I like about Pavel is that he designs programmes that are each excellent in their own way but all of them make you terrifically strong without taking too much time out of your life. In other words, his programmes are very efficient, maximally efficient. In my own case, I follow S&S religiously but I add "Enter the Kettlebell" onto it to a limited extent, normally one cycle of cleans and presses and chinups daily. The magic to the programme is that by only doing two or three exercises, albeit doing them quite intensively, you develop your whole body to look spectacular and to be terrifically strong and fit.
    44 people found this helpful
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  • codifier
    4.0 out of 5 stars Almost perfect
    Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    Okay I know Pavel has some very rabid fans and detractors out there. He seems to polarize people right off into either camp, so with that in mind I will try to be as unbiased as possible. Enter the Kettlebell is a great book mainly for beginners. The book itself is well made with quality paper and good illustrations. Some consideration went into the design of it, and personally that's a big plus in my book (no pun intended). Color photos, glossy heavy-duty pages, and good sized print makes it very easy on the eyes. Zero complaints on the physical properties.

    As for the content well this I think is where people can start having their differences. Pavel pulls no punches. He loves kettlebells, and makes no bones about them being *the* way to train for strength, and all but says its the manly way to build functional strength. I personally like that spin - it makes you feel part of something and gets you excited to go lift. Problem is sometimes its laid on a bit too thick, and he sometimes turns it into a sales pitch for other products. (this is why it does not get five stars)

    The program and exercises themselves are top-notch with a lot of detail to explaining them and showing how to not do them. This is something people have complained about - that he wastes too much time showing silly pictures of doing it wrong. I know that many of us knows to not do some of this stuff but I think its great he's trying to cover the bases. Too many fitness books just show pictures of how it's done right. In any event I would still recommend seeing some videos of how the exercises are performed. It is a great book, and if you are new to lifting kettlebells, or just want to see how Pavel and his followers do it is worth the investment.
    8 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Callum Sutherland
    5.0 out of 5 stars Strength
    Reviewed in Canada on August 27, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Easy to follow, not easy to do. Want to workout at home and get stronger? Buy this book
    Report
  • Riccardo
    5.0 out of 5 stars Ottimo per neofiti!!
    Reviewed in Italy on October 16, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Mi sono affacciato da poco al mondo del Kettlebell e devo dire che questo libro ben scritto e dettagliato, mi ha tolto qualche dubbio sui vari esercizi, perfezionando la mia performance. Lo consiglio a tutti!!
    Report
  • Pranjal G.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great
    Reviewed in India on August 26, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    If anyone is looking to become genuinely strong without the assistance of so called "fitness experts " and really want to follow the Advice of a world renowned coach,
    Follow this book to the letter . You will not be disappointed

    P.S the program is supposed to make you strong , not make you win a bodybuilding competition. Take that as you will .
    Report
  • Pedro Magalhães
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very good.
    Reviewed in Brazil on April 4, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Pavel describes a simple and effective system to workout and build strength using kettlebells. Unlike his previous book, on this the instructions are clear and one knows exactly what to do.
    Report
  • Ramon Salvador Ponce Polanco
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, very detailed book
    Reviewed in Mexico on December 5, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Pavel Tsatsouline explains in a very detailed way the exercises with Kettlebell, besides that they start from a very basic level to take you to more advanced levels
    Report