( More: Fire and Ice in Kiev: Ross McDonnell on Ukraine’s Front Line)įor decades they’ve flocked to the park on the island of Tuhev, not far from the recent bloody protests in Kiev, to test their mettle among rusting hunks of metal - large vehicle parts, hooks, and other salvaged materials welded together in constructivist-influenced design. The brainchild of Polish gymnast Kasimir Jagelsky and mathematics professor Yuri Kuk, Ukraine’s muscle beach is an enduring community-based hub for both amateur and aspiring athletes. Kachalka: Muscle Beach is a tribute to the sprawling Soviet-era open-air fitness space that covers more than 6 square miles, is free to anyone who wants to work out there, and has been in operation since the early 1970s.
A fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger in his childhood, Golovchenko documented fitness fiends in a public park of his home country, appropriately naming his book of the photos with the Ukrainian word for “to pump.” The Ukrainian weightlifters in Kirill Golovchenko’s photographs make even the burliest CrossFitters look bantam cute. LightBox takes a look at the world of Ukrainian bodybuilders, who use open-air gyms on the island of Tuhev, not far from the site of recent bloody protests in Kiev.