Pavel Tsatsouline Quotes & Sayings

Vodka at night. Pickle juice in the morning (the best thing for a hangover). Throwing some kettlebells around between this hangover and the next one. A Russian's day well spent. The 'kettlebell' or girya is a cast iron weight which looks like a basketball with a suitcase handle. It is an old Russian toy. As the 1986 Soviet Weightlifting Yearbook put it, "It is hard to find a sport that has deeper roots in the — Pavel Tsatsouline

You shall gain but you shall pay with sweat, blood, and vomit, Comrade. — Pavel Tsatsouline

The one arm one leg pushup is an exercise in total body tension — Pavel Tsatsouline

Shrugging your shoulder and/or letting it move forward will destroy your shoulder and your power alike - whether you are punching, benching, or doing pushups. — Pavel Tsatsouline

Take a close look at a squat, barbell, or bodyweight - it makes no difference. Both the quadriceps and the hamstrings are working toward the common goal of standing up. The quads are extending the knees, and the hammies are extending the hips. — Pavel Tsatsouline

HOW TO GRIND YOUR DEADLIFT Mentally prepare for a steady, relentless effort, as opposed to having a speed mindset. Pre-tense. Pressurize. Squeeze the bar off the floor, don't jerk. "Lift the barbell powerfully-steady, applying a maximal effort along the whole lift." (Smolov) Aim for a constant, low, acceleration towards the lockout. There is more than one way to pull big. — Pavel Tsatsouline

Strength has a greater purpose. — Pavel Tsatsouline

If you think you are only strong if you can lift a certain number, whatever that number is, you will feel pretty weak most of the time. Strength is not a data point; it's not a number. It's an attitude. — Pavel Tsatsouline

Everything in your body is interrelated and isolation is a myth. — Pavel Tsatsouline

You can be anything you want ... But you must be strong first. — Pavel Tsatsouline

If you are wondering what 'strong' is, it is probably not you. — Pavel Tsatsouline

Russians are easy to spot, even if you dress them like Buckingham Palace guards. They are "the white people who look seriously ticked off," as Army Ranger vet Ellis Jones, RKC, has put it on our forum. — Pavel Tsatsouline

Push from your armpit, rather than your shoulder. — Pavel Tsatsouline

When the Russian kettlebell meets an American steak, it is a beautiful thing. — Pavel Tsatsouline

The Kettlebell is an Ancient Russian Weapon Against Weakness — Pavel Tsatsouline