Armstrong ringing up kettlebell qualifier

Imagine grabbing a 20-kilogram (44-pound) bag of dog food.

Now try lifting it with one hand.

OK, try two hands.

For a heavier test, say, 30 kilos (66 pounds), try grabbing six full paint can gallons, using one and/or two hands. Now lift.

Do this repeatedly as many times as you can in 10 minutes without dropping the bag or the cans.

Congratulations. You've received a glimpse into the fitness sport of kettlebell, and you can watch some of the best up close and personal in Armstrong as athletes try to land a one-calendar-year reservation on the Canadian Kettlebell Alliance's (CKA) National Team.

The sixth annual North Okanagan Kettlebell Open (NOKO) – which is serving as the Western qualifier for the CKA National Team – will be held Saturday, April 5, at the Interior Provincial Exhibition's Horticulture Building.

The event is expected to draw close to 50 competitors, if not more, and the first lifters will begin around 10 a.m. The competition will run throughout the day.

A kettlebell is a type of weight training tool that looks like a cannonball with a handle. It's used for a wide variety of exercises focusing on strength, power, and endurance, often incorporating dynamic movements like swings and cleans.

"Typically, it's a sport where the lift is a 10-minute set with the athlete trying to hit as many reps as they can within that 10 minutes without putting the bell down," said Lorraine Painchaud who, along with Todd Schweb, owns Swanson Mountain Fitness in Armstrong, the host for the North Okanagan Kettlebell Open.

"There’s weight classes, so you get ranked based off of your bell weight, your rank class and your lift. The three main lifts are going to be a long cycle, which is clean and jerk, so for those familiar with crossfit, they’re kind of like the Olympic weight-style lifting, but using a kettlebell. So long cycle clean and jerk (two kettlebells), then jerk (two kettlebells), and snatch (one kettlebell is used)."

For an athlete to qualify as a professional lifter, men have to lift 32 kilo bells, and the women would be 24 kilo bells, which could be one or two bells, depending on their lifts.

In the Open category, women will lift 16 kilo bells and men will do 24 kilos.

Beginners usually begin at eight kilo bells.

Painchaud and Schweb both qualified for Team Canada in 2024, and both competed at the International Union of Kettlebell Lifting World Championships in Corfu, Greece. The pair combined to win 10 medals for Canada – Schweb collected four gold and two silvers, while Painchaud won three gold and added one silver. Their results helped Canada, one of the smaller teams out of 30 countries competing with only five lifters, finish in the top-10.

Painchaud has competed in kettlebell for six years, earning Candidate Master of Sport (CMS) ranking in both 16kg Long Cycle and Snatch. She is hoping to qualify for Team Canada again in 2025.

Schweb is an avid kettlebell lifter. He has competed worldwide with Team Canada and holds the Canadian record in 24kg and 28kg Biathlon for his weight class. He has an extensive list of achievements in kettlebell sport, including bringing home gold for 24kg Biathlon in Ireland in 2019 and Greece in 2024.

The pair will be competing at their home event, which they're also co-organizing.

"It will be a high-caffeine day," chuckled Schweb.

The event has generally been held at Swanson Mountain Fitness, which was nice but not super accessible for spectators.

"We wanted to open it up to have a venue to make it more special for the athletes, and give our community a chance to come out," said Painchaud.

Added Schweb: "We're hoping to showcase Armstrong and help out with tourism and stuff."

Admission to the North Okanagan Kettlebell Open is free. Vendors will be on hand with food, supplements, and other items associated with kettlebell, including demonstrations.

"Come check out the sport or check us out on our social media pages (Facebook, Instagram)," said Painchaud. "Our gym page has information on any upcoming events that we are running, or come visit. We love it when people want to talk."

In 2025, the Canadian Kettlebell Alliance is responsible for fielding a team to represent Canada at the following World Championship competitions: