"Professora de Peruanos"

I seem to have stumbled onto a new side job: introducing kettlebell training into Peru. While many of you are familiar with the kettlebell, allow me to explain just a bit about this strange method of exercise to those wondering what I am talking about. A kettlebell is essentially a solid iron cannonball with a handle on top. Use of kettlebells originated in Russia, where the military would use them for strength training and conditioning. Over the past few years, a Russian man named Pavel has been spreading his k-bell enthusiasm abroad, certifying kettlebell instructors in the States and I would imagine elsewhere. One such certified instructor is my dear friend Lauren, who introduced me to what I initially dubbed “the Russian torture workout.” I eventually got hooked.

As I was preparing for my trip, I talked to Lauren about the potential presence of kettlebells in Peru. I argued that it was unlikely that Peruvians participated in such preposterousness but she was sure that I would find them here. We were both right. A week before my departure, Lauren forwarded me a message from a Peruvian guy (coincidences abound…he is also named Jaime) who runs CrossFit Peru. He wanted to translate one of her articles into Spanish and post it on his website. We both took this as I sign and I sent him a message saying that we should maybe meet up after I arrive. Over email correspondence, I learned that while Jaime and some of his friends were interested in bells, Peruvians were unfamiliar with them and preferred to workout in mega-gyms like Golds. He said that it was not possible to get bells in Peru, but that he had made some (which I found interesting since I don’t know how I’d go about procuring the materials to manifest a cannonball). He also said that no one in Peru really knows how to use bells and asked if I would train him and his friends. So we set a time to meet.

He picked me and a few other friends up Saturday afternoon and we headed to his house (some of which was converted into a gym facility). I didn’t really know what was going on (as I often don’t when I am with people who speak a language I’m only beginning to grasp), but, as it turned out, I ended up conducting a kettlebell training seminar to a group of people, including the Lightweight South American Champion of Muay Thai (i.e. Thailand kickboxing), an instructor of Krav Maga (an Israeli martial art), a sweet Russian girl, and three other smiling sweating Peruvians.

I almost had to laugh at the situation I found myself in…but I was loving it, as I do most times I find myself in totally random and unexpected situations. My new students (weird) loved the session and asked me if I would come back next week to train them. They offered to trade their martial arts and self-defense training for my k-bell training. Additionally, as I was getting out of the car, Jaime gave me one of his specially made kettlebells to keep.


A Peruvian kettlebell! (…which is big and hollow unlike the US version). This whole situation is fabulously fascinating to me. I dig the series of seeming coincidences that landed me in this situation.