National Kettlebell Day – January 12, 2025

History of National Kettlebell Day

While popular theory puts the origin of the kettlebell in Russia — because the word originated there, and they had the most visible use of this tool — the reality might not be as simple. Historians think the simple design of this instrument — it’s basically a weight with a top handle — means it could originally stem from any society that has used a strength tool, from the Highland Game athletes in Scotland to the Shaolin monks in China. The fifth-century Greek tool called the “haltere,” while radically different in shape and composition, produced swinging movements quite alike to today’s kettlebells.

This metal weight was initially observed to be used in Russia in the 18th century, although some documents also indicate its presence in places like Germany. Farmers using these instruments as counterweights while measuring goods discovered the swing-and-press motion of the kettlebell was perfect for feats of strength. Thus began the initial kettlebell competition in Russia. Its popularity spread to the kettlebell being recognized as a fitness tool, and by the 19th century, circus strongmen frequently demonstrated their power with the kettlebell.

Some of these circus folk even came to America with their kettlebells, establishing their gyms here, and introducing the American public to this cool new fitness fad. By the 1950s, this new trend had almost vanished from all fitness centers and gyms, however, and would only come back years later. Back in the Soviet Union, the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s established many kettlebell sports schools, and people took to it. Part of its charm was that it didn’t require any additional equipment and so was relatively inexpensive, and it didn’t need a large space to practice in. By 1981, the Soviet Union was mandating all workers practice with the kettlebell to create a fitter, healthier population with their ‘Official Kettlebell Commission’. It was only four years later that kettlebell was officially recognized as a formal sport all over the Soviet Union.

Then, in 2001, a Belarus native, Pavel Tsatsouline, started his certification course, the Russian Kettlebell Challenge in the U.S. According to popular opinion, Tsatsouline’s marketing campaigns for his course firmly established a kettlebell presence in the Americans’ minds and have only gained in popularity since. This increasing popularity encouraged Amy Moreland of Kettlebell A.M.P.D to create a special day — a day to show others that kettlebells can indeed be used in multiple ways, by people from all walks of life and at all fitness levels.