Hard style vs Sportstyle Kettlebell training

How do you like doing it? Hard, fast intense… Or relaxed and rhythmical, lasting longer?

In my opinion the ability to do it both ways is preferable and you just select your style to suit the occasion.

Kettlebells are available in almost every gym you enter, however most people are still unaware of the different methods with which they can be lifted, these can be broken down into two distinctly different styles. There is huge debate as to which one is best, and kettlebell enthusiasts can be left wondering which one they should follow. This article will help shed some light on the subject for you.

Hardstyle (HS)

Can be rooted back to Pavel Tsatsouline who began popularising Kettlebells in the USA back in 2001. Many courses and organisations have evolved off the back of his teachings, so the vast majority of gymgoers who use Kettlebells will lift them in the methods originating from his work.

There are a wide variety exercises performed that can be assembled into workouts in a variety of different ways depending on the training effect you are looking for. The name Hardstyle comes from the tension levels required in the body when doing the lifts.

Sportstyle (GS)

Kettlebell lifting as an organised sport (Girevoy Sport) began in USSR in the 1970’s and has grown worldwide since then with National, European and World Championships being staged by different federations. As a sport it is best described as ‘endurance weightlifting’

The competitions are broken down into 3 separate lifts:

The Jerk and snatch make up the biathlon competition and there is a separate event The Long Cycle. The lifts are done with a sub maximal weight of your choice (16kg, 24kg, or 32kg kettlebells) with the competitor performing as many continuous reps as possible in 10mins.

The Differences

Intensity of the Repetition

HS training is all about maximal intensity, this means maximal acceleration in the dynamic lifts and maximal tension in the slower lifts. The philosophy is work to the highest intensity you can each repetition to get the biggest training effect possible from the least number of reps. This means that rep numbers are relatively low because the energy input to complete each rep is far higher even if the same weight is used.

GS lifting revolves around using minimal intensity required to complete the repetition and maximum efficiency because the goal is to complete high numbers of reps rather than just exercise the body. Trust me, the body will still get exercise as a by product of doing so many reps, but your philosophy is to exert less to achieve more.

These differences in intensity can most easily be summarised as the difference between sprinting (HS) and middle distance running (GS). Same activity but different methods and intensities of doing it to achieve different outcomes.

The Kettlebells themselves

GS KB’s are made to higher standard and have set dimensions they must conform to so the size remains the same regardless of the weight. This ensures precise handling techniques don't need to change as you progress up the weight stack.

HS KB’s are solid cast so light weights are small and they grow in size as the weight goes up. The shape, handle dimensions, materials used and standard of these KB’s can vary massively.

Breathing patterns

HS uses valsalva breathing techniques of the martial arts world, where short sharp expirations are made during the effort phase promoting an increase in intrathoracic pressure and body tension which is a great way of generating force, and perfect for stabilising your joints, keeping them safe from the pulls that a fast moving kettlebell can have on them.

GS uses mechanical breathing techniques where inspirations are made as the arm(s) and ribcage goes up which works in sync with the mechanics of your body, and if you time a sharp breath in correctly it actually assists with the lift. Expirations are are done as the arms and ribcage come down which naturally pushes air out so is therefore a good time to breathe out.

Lifting techniques

Lets take the rack position as an example. This is where you hold the kettlebell close to your chest and it is where a lot of exercises in HS and GS will start from.

In HS you would be bolt upright, core tense to hold neutral spine, tense around the shoulder girdle to support the position of the bell. The body is hard reacting to the forces placed on it from the kettlebell giving you a great training effect in those areas, but also creating fatigue in the process.

In GS your aim in the rack is to connect the elbow to the iliac crest so your hip shelf will support the weight of the kettlebell. This means you can switch off all of those muscles and preserve your energy for the lift itself.

A useful analogy for the difference in techniques in general would be the comparison between a strict pullup where the focus is to gain strength in the upper body pull levers, and the kipped pull up where the focus is to get your chin above the bar as many times as possible.

So which one is best?

In answer to that i would say what do mean by best? If best means has the greatest physical impact on you in the shortest possible time it would have to be Hardstyle. If best means the most efficient method which enables you to do more reps with more weight its unquestionably Sportstyle.

I my opinion HS is the best start point for someone who is new to Kettlebells, it will provide you with more variety, time efficient workouts and the high levels of tension and maintenance of neutral spine is a safer place for a beginner to start.

But if you have built up some experience exercising with them and are looking for a challenge then adopting GS methods and progressing into Kettlebell sport will open a whole new level of understanding on how to lift Kettlebells, and will develop skills and endurance levels you wouldn't have thought possible. You are also involved in a competitive sport which provides another level of motivation and achievement to you.