Ross Bell - Grip of the Gods, Chalk Science & a Two-Hour Long Cycle World Record

Ross Bell is back on the Platform. He is the founder and head coach of Armor Fitness and the man behind VIKN Performance chalk, the official chalk of the Twin Cities Kettlebell Open for as long as we run this thing. We are shield brothers, and this one is a good one.

We get into what Ross is building: Grip of the Gods, an all-comers charity kettlebell competition benefiting Team RWB (enriching veterans' lives through fitness). It came out of losing a friend right before Christmas and wanting to get in front of veteran suicide instead of scrambling to react to it. Lift anything, claim any clan, 25 bucks a lift, and it goes to the cause. In person August 22 at Breakthrough Fitness in Grand Ledge, Michigan, or virtual from anywhere with your set filmed during the submission window.

Ross is anchoring the day with a stupid-for-good world-record attempt: a two-hour long cycle set, with sponsors pledging dollars per rep straight to the vets. We nerd out on how you even train for two hours under the bell (burst-duration sets under Ken Blackburn and the IKFF, gloved snatch work, Bulgarian bag and mace, the Norwegian cycling protocol), why grip is the most underrated quality in the sport, how to train your skin like the organ it is, and what actually separates high-quality chalk from the shitty stuff. If you have ever figured chalk is chalk, VIKN's Valhalla Dust will change your mind.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Sponsor: VIKN Performance

01:02 Welcome, and who Ross Bell is

03:31 Catching up: rebuilding Armor Fitness and VIKN

05:43 Grip of the Gods, and why Team RWB

10:18 How the event works and how to register (Aug 22 Grand Ledge, or virtual)

13:56 The two-hour long cycle world record attempt

14:22 Training for a two-hour set (Ken Blackburn / IKFF)

16:44 Cardio and the Norwegian protocol

18:35 Sponsor: Living.Fit

19:15 Grip: the underrated quality

23:02 Torn hands, and how to avoid them

26:00 Chalk science: what separates good chalk from bad

28:40 Valhalla Dust

31:29 Where to find Ross and VIKN

32:37 Wrap

CONNECT WITH ROSS + VIKN

VIKN Performance on Instagram / Facebook: @viknperformance

Ross's personal brand on Instagram / Facebook: @ArmorFitnessKettlebell

Grip of the Gods registration, $25 a lift, in person Aug 22 or virtual: https://viknperformance.com/pages/grip-of-the-gods

Pledge Ross's world-record set (dollars per rep to Team RWB): https://app.99pledges.com/fund/armorfitness/ross-bell

Ross's Aug 23 kettlebell-sport seminar (IKFF) signup: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSckNZ0OpNDxbTnCUy8zdWulfdoIHojnpzEaw4eLYZu319AL9Q/viewform

CONNECT WITH TCKB

Register for the 2026 Twin Cities Kettlebell Open / AKLU National Championship, September 12: https://www.twincitieskettlebellclub.com/open

Apply for 1-on-1 coaching: https://www.twincitieskettlebellclub.com/interestform

Email: twincitieskettlebellclub@gmail.com

If this episode helps, follow the show and share it with someone who needs to hear it. And if you can lift something for Grip of the Gods, do it.

Support the show and save: Pro Kettlebell, 10% off with code TCKB10, https://prokettlebell.com/online-store?aff=8

VIKN Valhalla Dust chalk, as heard in this episode: https://viknperformance.com

AKLU sanctioned events: https://www.aklu.net/sanctioned-events

Some links are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. VIKN is the official chalk sponsor of the Twin Cities Kettlebell Open.