Serpukhov officer became world champion in kettlebell lifting

“You are either first or no”

Dmitry is 31 years old, originally from the Voronezh region. After graduating from the lyceum, he entered the Serpukhov Military Institute of Missile Forces – now a branch of the Military Academy of the Strategic Missile Forces named after Peter the Great. At the age of 18, while studying in my second year, I became interested in kettlebell lifting. At the age of 20 he became a master of sports. After graduating from the institute, he became an international master of sports. “I fulfilled the standard at the World Cup stage, which took place in St. Petersburg on May 23, 2015 – I remember all the important dates,” says Dmitry Turishchev.

— Why did you decide to engage in kettlebell lifting?

— This sport develops all physical qualities: strength, endurance, agility, coordination. And in parallel – character. Since I studied at a military university, all these qualities are necessary for me to complete tasks. Lifting weights has been interesting since high school. The love for kettlebell lifting was instilled by life safety teacher Vladimir Kuzmich Andreev. I still remember his words: “Twenty minutes of training with weights is equal to three hours on other machines.”

— Who brought you into the world of kettlebell lifting?

— My course director, Artem Alekseenko, who introduced me to the first coach, Alexander Biryukov. In addition, I collected information on the Internet bit by bit. Honored Master of Sports Ivan Denisov became an example for me. Now we are friends with him. Today he is a 14-time world champion. Now he no longer performs, but some time ago all the world records belonged to him. One of his records has not yet been broken: the long cycle push of two 32 kg weights – 116 lifts in ten minutes.

— When did you start your sports career?

— Since 2016 I have been competing at Russian championships. In these competitions I have two first places, three second and three third. This year, at the World Championships, which took place in the city of Khiva, Republic of Uzbekistan, for the first time in his sports career he became a world champion.

— How did you prepare for the World Cup?

— First, I won the Russian Championship, this became the basis for inclusion in the lists for the World Championship. Then – two-week training camps in Alushta. If we talk about personal training, I usually train with kettlebells three to four times a week. Plus two or three running workouts and work on the rowing machine.

— It turns out that cardio training is important in kettlebell lifting?

— Repeated lifting of weights requires a certain level of preparation of the body. The cardiovascular and respiratory systems must be well developed. In addition to strength, endurance is required. Plus training to stretch and increase flexibility of joints and muscles: this is necessary to improve performance, correct technique and prevent injuries.

— Tell us about your preparation for the competition: what is your diet, daily routine?

– Normal diet and normal routine. I get up at six in the morning for work and go to bed late at night. There is no preparation as such – I combine everything with work. I train before or after service, sometimes during my lunch break. The diet is the simplest and most common. I pay attention to ensuring there is a sufficient amount of slow carbohydrates; first of all, I include pasta and potatoes in the menu. On the day of the competition, in the morning – a portion of pasta.

If the performance is in the evening, you can have a light lunch and add fast carbohydrates: chocolate, bananas. You need to adjust your diet so that it is not difficult to perform and there is no hungry fainting.

— It’s clear about nutrition. How do you prepare mentally for performances?

— Until I was twenty-seven, I had jitters and tension. Now I go out onto the platform, take it and do it. There is concentration and understanding: you need to work, try. In general, I always say in my mind: “As it will be, so it will be.” Then I go out onto the platform and, trying to have fun, do the exercises (smiles – “MK”).

It sounds paradoxical: of course, there is little pleasure in the process of performing, since the entire body functions at its maximum. But then there is joy from the work done, especially if you take a championship place. I don’t even consider prize money. As my idol Ivan Denisov said: “You are either the first or no one.”

— Tell us about your performances in Uzbekistan. What do you remember about this start and what was the result?

— The result in numbers turned out to be average by my standards. Before the start of the training camp I got sick, which threw me off track a little. Then there were nuances with the documents – I managed to fly out on the last day before the competition. In Khiva it was +30. The hall where the competition took place was not ventilated and had no air conditioning. The climate was “created” by two small fans. It was stuffy and hot. I remember during performances my body burned, my head was on fire, and sweat started flowing from the first minute.

“I’m proud of my guys”

— Are you at the peak of your form now?

— The physical form is wavy. For example, today I’m at the peak, and in a month I’m in a hole and again I need to pump up, recover, run, and rest. Then there’s a peak again. Every year I become stronger, more morally stable, more experienced. The peak of physical fitness was in 2021.

— What is your leading hand?

– Oddly enough, the left one. I’m right-handed, but I’m better at performing exercises with my left: it “holds” longer, doesn’t get so tired, and the exercises turn out to be more technical. I don’t know how to explain it. Ideally, the hands should work equally, but this rarely happens.

— How much do you need to train to win?

— If we talk about kettlebell lifting, at least three workouts a week for one and a half to two hours. These are trainings with weights, speed-strength work with a barbell. Strength “pumping” must be constant to keep the muscles in good shape. Two to three times a week – cardio training, for example, jogging for 20-40 minutes. But, of course, everything is individual. The main thing is to maintain a balance: strength/endurance.

— Strongman Alexander Zass said: “I don’t believe in big muscles if next to them there is no real great strength of tendons.” Do you agree with the opinion?

“Three years ago, I accidentally had the opportunity to compete in punching power. We were at an event in Sergiev Posad, where we saw a special boxing sensor and decided to try our hand. I managed to knock out 666 kg. True, then my shoulder and chest hurt – it was unusual work (smiles – “MK”). We competed with boxers, they knocked out 400–500 kg. For comparison, Mike Tyson had a punch of 800 kg. So I checked Zass’s words in practice – this is really true.

— How dangerous is kettlebell lifting?

— Basically, all injuries are of a fatigue nature. We don’t have any sudden bursting movements. All sports games, martial arts and weightlifting are much more traumatic. In kettlebell lifting, the main prevention of injuries is the uniform development of muscles: flexors and extensors. Strength training is very important. The second stage is a massage to “break through” the spasms. Another good remedy is a bath.

— What do you do if apathy or burnout sets in? Do you have a recipe on how to motivate yourself and get back to training?

“It’s clear that everything doesn’t work out right away.” I won the world championship only for the seventh time. Since childhood, I “developed patience” – I studied for nine years at a music school. I hated the piano, but my mother forced me to study in order to succeed. In the end, it helped in life. Now I myself force everyone to study and achieve success, and not sit on the couch (smiles – MK). There is a simple rule: if you fall, get up and move on.

— Who do you pass on your knowledge to and teach them to move on?

— I train cadets. Eleven of my athletes became masters of sports. Recently, Evgeny Astakhov was able to fulfill the master of sports standard at the Russian Cup. It’s nice to see students take first place. I’m proud of my guys and I tick the box for myself: “Yes, I did it.” In general, I like to set goals and achieve them.

— What does the world champion strive for?

– Now there is an even higher bar – to become an Honored Master of Sports. Officially, to achieve this you need to win two world championships, but there is an unspoken rule – to obtain this title you need to become a champion in four, also in a row.

— How do you assess your chances?

– There are chances. We will work on this.

— What can physical education classes be compared to?

— Playing sports is self-care, first of all, getting your body in order. This also includes the development of physical qualities: strength, endurance. It is necessary to devote time to sports, I encourage everyone to do this! Switching between mental and physical activities helps you perform different tasks. Blood circulation and metabolism improve – the brain becomes more active and productive. Therefore, to solve many issues, it is sometimes useful to just go to the gym. Movement is life.
* * *
Dmitry is now a graduate student at the All-Russian Research Institute of Physical Culture. This year he took a leave of absence and is working on a dissertation on a topic related to strength training in kettlebell lifting. On behalf of the entire editorial staff of “MK in Serpukhov” we wish our athlete good health, new achievements, heights and success!

Personal records of Dmitry Turishchev: clean and jerk – 166 lifts, snatch – 205, long cycle clean and jerk – 90.