The winner is determined by combined placement in the three events. For example, if Lifter A finishes third in the deadlift, fifth in pullups, and second in snatches, his score is 10 (3+5+2). The lowest combined score wins. In the event of a deadlift tie, the lighter competitor places higher. In the event of a pullup tie, the heavier competitor places higher. In the event of a snatch tie, the tie stands. In the event of an overall tie (two or more lifters get same combined score), the tie stands.

Event 1: The deadlift

Purpose

The purpose of the TSC is to test absolute strength (deadlift), bodyweight-relative strength (pullups), and cardiovascular endurance (kettlebell snatches). The three events test a unique trade-off between these abilities. Heavier participants have an advantage in the deadlift, lighter participants have an advantage in pullups. The kettlebell snatch tests all participants more or less equally.

Classes of Competition

There are three classes of competition. The Men's Division uses a max deadlift, bodyweight pullups, and snatches with a 24kg kettlebell. The Men's Elite Division uses a max deadlift, pullups with 10kg of added weight (22 lbs), and snatches with a 32kg kettlebell. The Women's Division uses a max deadlift, bodyweight pullups, and snatches with a 16kg kettlebell. There may be Masters (over 50 - not over 40) categories in the Men's Division and Women's Division (not however in Men's Elite).

There are no weight classes, since the different events variously favor heavier or lighter competitors by design.

Event 2: Pullups (shown here weighted, see rules for weight)

History

The original TSC was developed by Pavel Tsatsouline. We have made a couple of changes from the original competition. In the original, the events included one-legged squats ("pistols") done with a kettlebell. The new TSC substitutes the deadlift, which is simpler and more user-friendly. Also in the original, kettlebell snatches were done with only one switch of the arm allowed, and were not timed. We have changed the rules to allow multiple switches and imposed a 5:00 time limit. These changes make snatches less technical and a harder test of cardiovascular fitness.

The 10kg (22 lbs) used for pullups in the Men's Elite Division comes from an old standard used by some Soviet special forces units (Spetznatz). This standard specified that candidates would be able to do 18 strict pullups with 10kg of added gear.

Event 3: Kettlebell snatches (see rules for kettlebell sizes)