1. Please, tell our readers something about yourself.
46 years old, born in Stockholm.,
At 19 I get married with a girl from Pargas, Finland and was married with her for almost 20 years, moved to Motala in mid Sweden 1981. 4 daughters, Emma, Elin, Elise and Elna. Get divorced and into a new relation, Jenny.. (www.jennysamuelson.wordpress.com) 2 kids, Saga 6 and Samuel 2.
I’m a sales person and have working with sales my entire life in different shapes. Now I’m running Spartan Hälsoverkstad och Kettlebells in Motala and together with Jenny my spouce, helping people to get in shape, lose weight and start workout. That’s the health part, the Kettlebell part is Workshops, import tools as Clubbells, Kettlebells, Sandbags. Lifeline USA stuff.. and there is much more on its way.. We are developing a training tool, Viking Hammer, a developed Macebell. Hopefully it will be presented at the Scott Sonnon workshop in December.
2. What is your training background like?
I have been workout mostly the whole life.. started as 13 year old, in the mid -70, in the basement of an public swimming pool. 2 cm water on the floor doing Olympics, benchpress and squat. My trainer, Thomas Norlander was a great inspiration. 15 years old I started Åkersberga Weight lifting club together with some friends.
My training has been a mix of Bodybuilding and Power lifting. I like to train with intense, heavy low rep.. (a little bit different to the high rep training I do now).
3. How did you end up training with kettlebells? What was the thing that appealed to you about them?
It started summer 2006 with a spam from Dragondoor.. the training really appealed to me.. 2 years ago Kettlebelltraining was very new. I had never heard about it before. In the beginning of 2007 I bought Gym equipment to my company from Eleiko and added a full set of Kettlebells.. and started to train.. and I was hooked. I bought every Pavel book and DVD, watch YouTube and tried to learn to snatch, clean and press.. I develop an own style (not very good). Pretty soon I realized that I needed to get educated, so in May 2007 I did the Danish RKC and it was a tremendous improvement for me.
The simplicity.. back to basic.. full body workout with just one tool and that it was a “new” tool. I’m an open person who likes to try new things.
I did the very first Kettlebell Fitness certification I Europe for Valery Fedorenko and Scott Sonnon and are now very pro Fedorenko style of training. Im very happy to have a cooperation agreement with WKC, Scott Sonnon and Steve Cotter.
4. Are you using kettlebells for other purposes than your own training?
Yes, I do. We have classes and mix KB training with different Crossfit routines. Fatburning for clients. And the Kettelbells has become a business for me.. We have design our own Spartan Kettlebells. High quality cast Iron bells and we will have our own competition bells in November. For me its very important to have the absolute very best quality.
5. What are your personal goals?
With Kettlebelltraining.. to be in shape. I have no personal goal with number of snatches or so..
With Kettlebells as Business… I want to lead the development of Kettlebelltraining in Sweden. Contract the very best of coaches, arrange workshops, helping people to se the beauty in basic Kettlebell training and I see it as a mission to bring proper technique to Kettlebell training people.
I want to develop my website www.kettlebells.nu to be the very best Swedish Kettlebell site on the net.
6. What is your training week like, how often do you train and what?
As it is now I’m doing 2 workout / week.. lot of swings, snatches, CP. I do the workout together with the classes.
I have a Clubbell and I have rubber straps at my office and use them now and then.
7. Is there something you’d like to say about kettlebell training? Something positive? Maybe a word of warning?
Aim for good technique.. let it take time. Before you go heavy build up the number of reps..
Have fun… try different routines, different exercises.. but do the number of repetition. Find a friend or two and start a group.
Warning.. yes.. don’t wait to long to start, you will regret that. And again.. don’t go heavy until you have the technique
8. What would you like to say to someone who’s just starting out with kettlebells, or considering it?
.. find a club or certified trainer to get proper education.. try to come to a Kettlebell workshop.. a workshop cost the same as a membership at a Gym.. its worth it.
Olof Elwin
http://www.kettlebells.nu/
