… Russians value physical strength and it was quite an honor to be considered a “strongman.” Kettlebells quickly became a matter of Russian national pride and a symbol of strength. Eventually, the Russian military picked up on the extraordinary  benefits of kettlebell lifting and started to use them to train their elite soldiers, which was roughly every male between the ages 14-40. Fast forward a few 100 years and you have your answer to why the Russians “smoked” us during the Olympic Games. …