Pavel Tsatsouline

Who is Pavel Tsatsouline?

Pavel Tsatsouline, Chairman of StrongFirst, Inc. is a fitness instructor from the former Soviet Union. He holds a degree in Sports Science from the Physical Culture Institute in Minsk. He is involved with the evolving field of martial arts fitness and is a major proponent of the kettlebell, as an exercise and strengthening tool. In 1998, Tsatsouline introduced the kettlebell to the United States, and is credited with popularizing the kettlebell in the West. Dr. Randall J. Strossen, founder and president of IronMind Enterprises, Inc., stated, "In our eyes, Pavel Tsatsouline will always reign as the modern king of kettlebells since it was he who popularized them to the point where you could almost found a country filled with his converts…".

In the 1980s, Tsatsouline was a physical-training instructor for Spetnaz, the elite Soviet special-forces units. Tsatsouline is now a subject matter expert to the US Marine Corps, the US Secret Service, and the US Navy SEALs.

In 2001, Tsatsouline was voted a "Hot Trainer" by Rolling Stone, pictured with a kettlebell in hand.