The Black Sea Diaries – Chapter 2

On an unmarked street under a canopy of overgrown trees, Fedor Fuglev greeted us at his gym in full uniform on the first day of Sport Camp.   In addition to being a legendary World Champion kettlebell lifter, Fedor is also a decorated officer.  I felt starstruck shaking his hand and accepting his warm embrace in his crisp shiny dark blue suit, but I quickly felt at ease as soon as he invited us into his incredible (I’m guessing 6-7000 sq. ft.) facility which he’s operated for the past 26 years.  The drafty wooden doors, the long narrow entry with thick walls and faded black & white photos, the warehouse’s old windows, the equipment, the kettlebells, and cracked concrete floors combined with the wonderful aroma of fresh energy felt like stepping into a sacred Girevoy Sport museum.

Hanging over the gym’s only clock in the center of the kettlebell room directly across from four wooden platforms is a banner printed on an old roll of computer paper.  In faded Russian red letters, it reads: I Am Champion.  Fedor pointed to it right away and then brought his index finger to his forehead with more to say about it.  “This is not about arrogance,” Valery began to translate, “This is about using your mind and believing in yourself.  You must be the one to think you are a champion in order to become one,” Fedor wisely advised.  Nodding in total agreement (and pure delight), all I could come up with was (a wannabe cool) “Da” but inside I could barely contain the butterflies multiplying in droves.

And that was just the first half.  We quickly learned that Fedor Fuglev is also a black belt martial artist and is responsible for training the entire police force of his hometown, some of whom are Masters of Sport and National KB Sport Champions.  Inside the empty mat room there are two hanging banana bags, an antique pummel horse and a pair of old gymnastics rings — when not combat training, this is also Fedor’s warm-up room.

Before giving us his first demonstration, he emphasized how important full body warm-ups are for him when it’s snowing outside and the kettlebells are frozen.  “The gym has never had electricity,” Valery informed us.  As we watched Fedor run through a series of laps around the room along with duck walks, side shuffles, and agility & joint mobility drills, we were amazed to see him go into a tumbling routine which included Judo rolls and explosive back flips.  Moving as fluidly as water, I began to imagine him training in the heart of Ukraine’s winter months.  I remembered seeing a charred ball of wax on his desk and I pictured him lifting into the frigid night by candlelight — or moonlight I later found out — and suddenly I could feel the dedication and the spirit of a World Champion in the room.  I felt overwhelmed standing in the center of it all (and very grateful to be visiting in the summer).

Rather than feeling any sense of intimidation, Fedor was fun to be around almost instantaneously.  Just as I had remembered him in Latvia, his huge smile dominates his face and when he buzzes around the gym full of genuine enthusiasm, it’s intoxicating.  His friendly charismatic personality envelopes the room within seconds and at times I was downright giddy around him.  In the same breath, he’s unquestionably intense and fierce as both athlete and coach so we found ourselves dancing between the two like children at a wedding.

He started our first lesson with an awesome display of the technical differences of the jerk.  We got a chance to see his approach to a traditional jerk versus the one he might use in competition, if necessary.  I loved hearing about the different strategies he uses to win.  Priceless!  Every jerk demo of Fedor’s on Day One was a timed set at a fast pace, yet it was amazing to see him accelerate into the top position, freeze frame the bells overhead on a dime, and then beautifully transition into a state of relaxation before dropping the kettlebells back into the rack position.

“Feel my legs at the top,” he instructed us at one point.  “For me and Valery, when we reach the top, our legs jiggle.”  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and then feeling.  (Wait, are you kidding me, did I just get permission to squeeze Fedor Fuglev’s illustrious quads?)  We were shocked to discover the Champ’s completely softened and relaxed quadriceps under 2 x 32 kgs kettlebells!   “Like Jello, ” Valery added.

Surya and I were nervous to perform in front of the Champs for the first time.  Unlike Sport Camp last year, each lifter went up individually as Valery and Fedor took turns dissecting what we needed to refine the lifts.  Whoa.  The 16 kg has never made me sweat like that!  No detail was left unnoticed.  “First dip needs to be deeper.  Heals down.  Your drop is too controlled.  Don’t bend your knees so far.  Keep your eyes up.  Faster!  Elbows in front.  Use your breath.  Exhale!”  Just some of what I tried my best to process mid-set.  At one point, Fedor brought out a 4ft. wooden stick to constrain the trajectory of the bell and to help us control knee flexion.   For a second I thought he would use it to beat us (well deserved, I’m sure!), but it ended up being an excellent teaching tool!

One of the most memorable moments on Day One was visiting his lounge, which included a large wooden banquet table with over 20 chairs across from a corner bar.  However, instead of housing bottles of liquor, the bar is an incredible display case for Fedor’s hundreds of championship medals.  The most impressive among them were a dozen 1st place World Championship Golds.  Each one more impressive than the next, some dated back to the 90s while many others were from the past three years.  In fact, just 10 days before Sport Camp, Fedor was in Lithuania competing in seven — yes seven — events with over 300 lifters in attendance, proving once again why he’s the best in the world.  At 47, this is no retired veteran!

Next up: sightseeing through Fedor’s eyes…

-Maya

Tagged as: American Kettlebell Club, Fedor Fuglev, Girevoy Sport, Girvory Sport, Ice Chamber, Ice Chamber Kettlebell Girls, Mayachela Garcia, Mayachela Garica, Surya Voinar-Fowler, Valery Fedorenko