During the fourth day of class, after just finishing our physical training, we were taken one by one to the little medical room in the back of the gym. This was the room where Vladamir Tikhonov, a Ghirivoy sport scientist, was going to retest our hearts to determine cardiac recovery rate post exercise. Vladamir had taken us in the same room a day earlier to test our cardiac function prior to exercise. As I waited my turn to be retested, I was thinking how bizarre and cool it was the day before when I had dozens of electric wires and suction cups stuck to my back stuck to my back and chest by a Russian scientist. It was definitely my “Ivan Drago” from Rocky 4 moment…awesome!

I think all of us had fairly “good results”, even though Mr. Tikhonov was comparing our cardiac charts with world champion Nikita Balagov’s chart. That would be like comparing the heart of your uncle, who rides his bike three blocks to work, with Lance Armstrong’s heart . Mr. Tikhonov said I should get a little more sleep after reading my chart. Thank you, Vladamir, great experience!

After class, we all grabbed a bite to eat and then our group was taken to Peterhof, located on the shore on the Gulf of Finland. Peterhof is a beautiful, outdoor park comprised of wonderful palaces, spectacular fountains and beautiful landscaped gardens. Peterhof was so impressive, I immediately grabbed my Canon DSLR and began shooting photos like crazy. Ten minutes in and my camera battery dies! “Nyet” really acceptable! I was pretty upset but Miss Nazo was kind enough to let me shoot some photos with her camera. Thanks, Nazo!

Toward the end of our Peterhof tour, Nataly, our guide, took us to eat lunch at “Shtandart Restaurant” in the lower park. This is where I sat with Denis Vasiliev (Long Cycle Beast), Nocona, Buckley and Nazo. Then my plate came, it was bear cutlet–yup, I said bear! It was good; surprisingly similar to beef with a slight difference in texture and aftertaste. Peterhof is another place you can’t miss if you visit St. Petersburg.

The fifth day of class was mostly spent in refining our techniques with the bells, sharing notes with one another, and then taking the practical and written exams. Before the exams began, Denis Vasiliev was kindly helping a few of us with our technique when the subject of Kettlebell sprints came up. One of us asked Denis how many jerks he thought he could do in one minute with the 24s . His reply was, “I think about 30 jerks but I have never tried. Would you like to see me try?” We all replied, “YES!” So I am holding the clock for him, I say go on the 12, and he begins. So the kid knocks out 40 jerks in one minute!!! Oh yea, while in slacks and dress shoes. Effortless, flawless, and ridiculous! Denis Vasiliev, the undefeatable, unbeatable beast.

After we finished our exams. we had lunch in the restaurant above Alex Fitness and then headed out to the IKSFA training camp closings ceremony. All the coaches and assistant coaches were wearing suits and looking sharp. We, the students, were wearing whatever was the most presentable outfit in our travel bags . Well, except for Nazo, she was dressed to the 9s in a classy red dress.

Our bus took us to the St. Petersburg Committee of Physical Culture and Sport. We walked up the spiral staircase and into the Olympic Hall. The Olympic Hall was the room where our ceremony took place. As soon as we walked in, we saw the Olympic Cauldron to the left, and a narrow walkway that split the sea of Victorian-looking chairs that led to the enormous Mahogany desk at the other end of the room. Above the desk were the bold Olympic rings painted on the wall. I felt so small, so humbled, so honored.

We all waited in our seats for Zyacheslav Chazov, the Chairman of the Committee of Physical Culture and Sport, to arrive. Mr. Chazov spoke to us as Aleksandr translated. His words were kind. He thanked us for coming to St. Petersburg to learn, to live, and to enjoy the people and culture. Mr. Chazov also shared a little story about his experience with Kettlebells long ago during his military days. One by one, we were called up to receive our framed certifications along with a few kind words and handshakes from Rachinskiy, Aleksandr, and Chazov.

Sitting at dinner later that night, the last night, I couldn’t help but think about coming back. What a great city, what great people–I will be back indeed. I knew I would learn more about Kettlebell lifting during this trip but I had no clue that I would be heading home with this much information.

A very special thanks to the following people:

Sergey Rachinskiy-

Without Rachinskiy, Co-Founder and President of the IKSFA, this trip couldn’t have taken place. Rachinskiy’s endless energy and positive attitude really kept us all enthusiastic and focused during the course. I would like to thank him for inspiring me to do something big for my next birthday. I was inspired by his strength endurance feats such as his 5,555 jerks in 12 hours with a 24 kg Kettlebell, without setting it down! My birthday event will be called the One-Hour Long Cycle, more information will be shared soon.

Denis Vaseliev-

Denis Vaseliev, what can I say about this guy? Well, he is one of the most impressive and powerful lifters I have ever seen and he might be the nicest guy ever! Denis was so nice to everyone at the course, it was crazy! He would volunteer his free time after class to drive some of the students in his car to shopping areas and points of interest. He would constantly use his R/E dictionary to help us understand more about the Kettlebell instruction, the city, the culture, the architecture, anything. He would grab three people’s luggage at once and run up five flights of stairs only to then ask what he could help with next. He even created his own rope and anchor system out of packaging tape just to secure an extra two suitcases to the roof of his car. He taught me the history behind traditional Russian food even when I asked just one question about something at lunch. Denis Vaseliev is awesome! I am proud to call him my friend.

Aleksandr Khasin-

Even though Aleks lives in the States, New York, I had never met him before. He seemed like a nice enough guy the first few times I spoke with him on the phone after I had registered. When I got to meet him in Russia, it didn’t take long to realize how much he cares about what he is doing. He is such a hard worker. He is the Co-Founder of the IKSFA and like Rachinskiy, without him this training camp would never have happened. Aleks was organizing the tours and sightseeing left-right, up-down, and everywhere. He translated for us everywhere that we went, never getting tired and never running out of breath. He was the first one up and last one to sleep just to make sure all ran smoothly for us. This man really organized a classy, enlightening, top-notch educational adventure. Thank you, Aleksandr!

Jason