@deandrade I don’t think kettlebells were as popular after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Usually, it was grandpa’s kettlebell, solid steel from the 1970s or earlier. In the 1980s, kettlebells were still in vogue, but their popularity was fading. I vividly remember military men (service was mandatory for every male) flexing their muscles doing clean and press with a 32kg kettlebell when I was a kid.
However, as the economy went downhill, so did kettlebell sport. The rock bottom was in the 1990s, when Russia became capitalist and a bottle of vodka became the favorite sports equipment for many Russians. Only gangsters were into sports, and kettlebells were part of boxing training (most of the goons were “hired” in gyms, primarily boxing ones). The most popular Russian movie from the 1990s, Brat (Brother), has a scene where the main character is doing kettlebell swings on his balcony. It’s a gangster movie (a very good one, actually).
And in the 2000s, the Soviet fitness school was sort of completely lost. The economy got better and regular people started going to gyms, but the training was largely influenced by American movies.
But that’s all my personal impression and probably highly opinionated. I’m pushing 40 (years old, not kg kettlebell, sadly
) just for the time/generation reference.