What is a Pattern? By Dr. Mark Cheng

Terrific post by one of my mentors, Dr. Mark Cheng. Really helps to explain what the FMS and RKC systems are applying to help improve individuals imbalances, asymmetries and pain.

http://kettlebellslosangeles.blogspot.com/2009/12/whats-pattern.html

Hardstyle Kettlebell Certification is coming to OMAHA, NE!!!!

With Senior RKC Jon Engum

and RKC Team Leader Dr. Mark Cheng

Saturday November 14, 2009

7am—5:00pm

Omaha, Nebraska

I am very excited to announce that the Hardstyle Kettlebell Certification is coming to our homestate! Please see below for some of the details.

Dr. Mark Cheng is wicked smart! I consider him to be one of my mentors, please sign up! You will so thank me for it!

Attend the HKC and leave with these major advantages:

Taken from www.dragondoor.com

• A deep understanding of the true benefits of kettlebell training—for both yourself and your clients
• A solid knowledge of vital kettlebell training safety procedures
• A workmanlike grasp of the fundamentals of biomechanics—to ensure your clients move with perfect form and avoid injury
• A grasp of the key HardStyle skills and principles of strength
• The ability to competently perform the three foundational kettlebell exercises (the Swing, the Get-Up, and the Goblet Squat)
• The confidence you can now correctly teach the three essential kettlebell exercises—and troubleshoot common technique problems
• The unique HKC template for designing an unlimited number of effective kettlebell workouts.

And discover all this and more in the course of your HKC training:

• Understand why mastery of the kettlebell swing is fundamental to high-level HardStyle practice
• How to develop power through compensatory acceleration and overspeed eccentrics
• How to train hip extension for back and knee health and athletic performance
• How to employ bracing and neutral spine—for injury prevention, enhanced performance and optimal transmission of force
• How to recruit the lat as a "core muscle" to improve the spine safety and glute strength
• How to increase power with the biomechanical breathing match
• A safe, effective modality for developing different types of endurance
• Explosive training techniques for more effective fat-loss
• The deadlift: the most "functional" exercise of all
• The two-arm swing and corrective exercises
• The concept of rooting and two key drills for developing it
• The one-arm swing
• The hand-to-hand swing
• Russian relaxation exercises to enhance the acquisition of skilful movement, increase power and endurance
  
  
• The two hundred year history of the get-up
• The get-up as an assessment tool
• The strength and health benefits of the get-up
• How to correctly perform the get-up and teach corrective drills
• How to move from mobility to stability, then from stability to strength—and why this progression is crucial for truly effective kettlebell work
• The get-up, shoulder mobility and stability exercises. The role of the lat in shoulder stability and strength—and advanced lat facilitation techniques
• How to employ and teach steering strength
• The concepts of leakage and linkage—and their importance for effective kettlebell lifting
  
  
• How to perform the goblet squat and corrective drills
• "Strength stretching" for the hips
• How to overcome gluteal amnesia
• How to most effectively stretch the hip flexors to dramatically improve athletic performance, back health, and posture
  
  
• How to modify the squat stance for a client with back problems
  
  
• An alternative squat exercise for overweight clients
  
  
• Why "sport specific training" is inappropriate for 99% of the coaches and athletes—and a powerful alternative

Take home an information packed HKC instructor manual:

• What makes kettlebell training unique?
• What Russian research says about the benefits of kettlebell training?
• What is "Hardstyle"?
• Kettlebell safety 101: ten key items
• The Swing: its benefits, technique, teaching progression, and remedial drills
• The Get-Up: its benefits, technique, teaching progression, and remedial drills
• The Goblet Squat: its benefits, technique, teaching progression, and remedial drills
  
  
• HKC program design
• The three key principles of effective training identified by Russian sports scientists: continuity of the training process, waving the loads, and specialized variety,
• Ten program design tools for an unlimited variety of effective kettlebell workouts:
  • Rep Ladders
  • Weight Ladders
  • Time Ladders
  • Breathing Ladders
  • Reverse Ladders
  • Drop Sets
  • Super Sets
  • Timed Sets
  • Series
  • Active Recovery Exercises

As with the RKC, the HKC will be earned through diligent testing of each candidate. Besides having to pass the requisite pullup/flexed-arm hang test at the outset of the workshop, each HKC candidate will be evaluated for technical proficiency and teaching skills at the end of the workshop and will then be granted either a pass or fail.

RKC Instructor Certification now open for April 2010

Make the investment......
Make a plan.......
Get screened............
Meet with a RKC...........
& START TRAINING!

Take the first step now! Make the investment towards a better future! It will change your life!

Click the title above to save $1,000 of the registration price! You can also pay in 4 monthly installments!

The Biggest Loser....The Viewers by Robert dos Remedios

Terrific post by Coach Dos. Please check it out. A little bit of language in the article, but it gets the point across.

About "Coach Dos"Robert dos Remedios is the 2006 NSCA Collegiate Strength Coach of the Year. He is the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach @ College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, CA and a sought after speaker and presenter on conditioning. His best selling book Men's Health Power Training was released September 18th 2007 from Rodale Books. His new book Men's Health Cardio Strength Training is scheduled to be released in January 2010!




One aspect that Coach Dos did not cover is the risk of injury. I would love to be behind the scenes and see what types of injuries that occur during the training aspect. Coach Dos says it correctly when he states that there are participants on the show that are training and doing certain exercises that they are not prepared for, but it is cool and good tv so they put the "cool" on the show. This puts the individual at risk for a nasty injury that they may never recover from. There goes there chance to be able to exercise and thus they spin even more out of control with their weight management.

A terrific example is on the season opener when they took everyone off the bus and had them run a mile. I already knew what the result was going to be and I was right, they had to emergency helicopter a woman who passed out during a 1 mile run. She was not prepared for the exercise. You must train to run, not run to train. I fear that someone is going to have to die before the show is cancelled or they change their ways.

Don't even get me started on the kettlebell training that they were "trying" to perform. If you want to burn fat and make a change in your life, use a kettlebell and a RKC. You don't need to perform sprints on the treadmill or plyometrics. Kettlebells (if performed correctly) are much Safer than running and burns more fat. Win win situation. I call it like doing sprints, only you have a weight and you are standing still.

Here is a great example. These ladies are in my program because they wanted to get into shape and get strong, but have a history of injuries. They cannot necessarily do sprints, but you bet your sweet bippy they can do swings!

The Iron Tamer Clan & The RKC Experience

I cannot begin to explain all the emotions that went through the last weekend. There were times of doubt, nervousness, excitement, exhaustion, fulfillment, pain, anger, and many others. At the end I finally understood what RKC is all about. It is hard to describe what transition I went through, but I truly believe that I am a stronger and more honorable man now that I have been through it and passed. My bond with Nikki (my wife!) is even stronger than before. I also have a very strong, almost unbreakable bond with my team, my fellow RKC's and especially the IronTamer Clan.

I would like to take this time to talk a bit about the IronTamer Clan. A long time ago, Nikki and myself began Nashville Kettlebell Bootcamp and were blown away on the results that we were getting in class. We decided that we would like to train for the RKC and began our quest. Along the way we made a bond with other members of the bootcamp and for some unknown reason, all 5 of us decided to all sign up for RKC San Diego in August and thus began our quest to become RKC certified. I would like to take the time to brag about each and every one of them.

Nikki

Nikki (or as most of you know I just introduce as "my wife, Nikki") has always been an outstanding athlete and it showed from day 1 of bootcamp when we met with David. On the very first day with only very limited experience with kettlebell training she was already swinging a 24kg with good form. Dave Whitley stated "the force is strong in this one". Nikki has hit some impressive numbers since beginning training back in October of 2008. She has hit over 200 snatches with a 16kg in 10 minutes, can strict press a 24kg, do a full get up with a 28kg and a 1/2 get up with a 32kg. More importantly she was a very motivating factor in my training. She was very patient with my moods, got me out of bed every morning at 5:15am when it was time to train. And gave me countless important cues on improving my technique. She is quite a remarkable woman and I am proud to say that "she is all mine!"

Kristen

When we first met Kristen it was through her husband, Matt who is an RKC. He was subbing for a class of ours when Dave Whitley was out of town. We walked in and saw Kristen snatching with a 16kg. (Nikki thought to herself, "how in the hell is she doing that?"). Kristen told us she was planning/training for RKC certification probably around October 2009. But Kristen was next in line to sign up for RKC and join the clan after the Irontamer called and notified her and her husband that Nikki & I just signed up and that the Irontamer himself was going to be instructing. Kristen is just a little thing, but I would definitely would not mess with her since she is very strong and strong willed to boot. "We are here for physical training!" as she would let people know in the elevator in La Jolla when they asked her if she was here on vacation. Kristen was the first person I saw after we finished the 5 minute snatch test and she was jumping up and down excited that all of us performed it so well. I also think that Kristen really helped Nikki out by having another female in the group to work with and ask questions to. There was a time that Nikki thought there was no way she would be able to snatch a 16kg until she saw Kristen doing it for reps. They developed a very strong bond between the 2 of them. Kristen is also the one that right after RKC stated that we should all go to RKC II together. I think the world of her and the things that she can do. Her and Nikki both belong in the "sexy and strong" group that so many of the RKC women demonstrate.

Jay

Jay has been coming to bootcamp for a long time and stated that he has always wanted to perform the RKC instructor certification program. When David called him to tell him that Nikki Kristen, and myself were going, along with himself as an instructor. He immediately joined the team and signed up. Jay is an amazing individual, his terrific sense of humor came out at out of the blue times to make all of us laugh. Whether it is his Rick Flair impersonations while doing push ups and squats or his "cardio step" warm up routine for RKC prep on Saturday Mornings at 6am, to his 80's dance offs with David Whitley. He always kept us entertained. Jay is a diabetic and through his diet and exercise regimen you never would guess he suffers from the disease. The one thing that I love about Jay is the fire that burns inside of him. On Saturday morning of the RKC cert, he looked totally wrecked. He stated that he cramped up all day on Friday and was very tired and sore. But wouldn't you have known it, he pushed through with the heart of a lion. I looked over to him during the grad workout when I was running out of gas and looked into his eyes and saw that "fire" again. He was yelling and grunting his way to the finish line that was truly inspiring. This loving husband and father is truly a man among boys in my eyes.

David E.

David was the last to sign up for RKC. If I remember correctly, he began a long time ago doing some personal sessions with the Irontamer. On the day after everyone else signed up, David E. showed up to say hello to the Irontamer and they spoke about the RKC. The following day he signed up as well. David E. decided to enroll in the RKC certification as a birtday challenge to himself. At 40 years of age (although he looks under 30 and his work ethic and body look like that which most 20 year olds wish they could have) David E's progression and training was the most challenging. The rest of us were in top shape and have been training with kettlebells for some time. David E. pretty much began about 3 months out from scratch. He had to retrain himself into all the required kettlebell exercises that he would be trained on. David E. has a history of back problems and he had times when his back was too sore to train at all. But little by little, David's progression pushed along. His back stopped hurting cause he was using his glutes instead of his back extensors, then he reached 100 snatches in 5 minutes, then he just took off. By the week before we left for RKC, David E. was clean and pressing, snatching, snatching and doing get ups with a 32kg! I would have to admit that I was quite jealous on how strong he had become in such a short period of time.

At the RKC certification he took a leadership role with Team Cheng and flourished in that role. When I was finishing the workout and was running out of gas, I could hear David yell... "Come on SNOW!!! just like we do back home!!!!!!!!!!! Very glad to hear those words. I am very proud of his accomplishments and hope I look as good as he does when I turn 40.

So that is the IronTamer Clan in a nutshell. All are unique in their very own way. I have to say that the bond I have with them is unbreakable. I no longer call them friends, I call them family. I no longer shake their hands or high five, but I hug them each with a feeling of pride. I will never forget you guys and how you have motivated me.

Next blog I will talk about the influential people who helped us to become RKC's.

From Left: Kristen, David E., Myself, Nikki & Jay

San Diego RKC After Action Report by Jordan Vezina

Nice article that Jordan Vezina, RKC wrote on his Average to Elite Blog. Jordan was a team assistant to Team Jones. The team that I participated on at RKC, San Diego .

If you ever find an article authored by him, please read it. He has a terrific way of painting a picture for you to help you with your kb technique.

Jordan also put up a nice video of the grad workout with me participating in it as well as some nice words. Thanks Jordan. Glad to be a member of such an elite group of wonderful and strong people.

RKC Day 2

Hello everyone! Hope all is well wherever you may be. Nikki and I have made it through day two of RKC and are still holding up well. Hands a little tore up, pretty sore but all in all we are doing good.

Today we covered the clean, press, squat, & snatch all with wonderful workouts following the technique portions. Many terrific drills learned to help clean up clients technique as well. Had a wonderful RKC dinner tonight where we got to speak with top instructors like Geoff Neupert, Delaine Ross, Heidi Rothenburg, Dr. Mark Cheng and of course David Whitley.

Last day toMorrow where we primarily test out, we demonstrate our ability to instruct & we have the grad workout. Will update everyone on our results tomorrow.

RKC Day 1

Hello everyone! Just want to let you know that day 1 has come and gone. We woke up this am very nervous for the upcoming day ahead and of course the snatch test.

Good news is that Nikki and myself both nailed the snatch test. We were so excited and relieved at the same time!

The rest of the day we worked primarily on the swing and Turkish getup. We learned a ton of terrific drills to help make both movements better for our clients.

RKC Update - 9 days and counting

Countdown = 9 days till we begin.
Doing pretty well this week. A little on edge due to one of the most important weekends in our lives if you ask me. You have to understand that I am the guy that gets sick to my stomach nervous before recreation softball games, after the first play or swing of the bat then I will be fine.

I feel that I will be on edge ( feel sorry for my wife Nikki) until after the 5 minute snatch test, then I should be in the zone to workout and learn & leave the nerves behind.

Training has gone fairly well. Saturday we did vo2 work with the snatch test for 17 minutes. Then practiced some teaching to some of the newer members of the bootcamp. On Sunday Nikki and I took the day off since we have been going non-stop for a few weeks now and were starting to feel it a bit. My neck and shoulders were pretty sore on Sunday (which means in my mind I was resorting to using my neck muscles instead of my lats and hips to do the work during the VO2 when I got tired). Been doing some trigger point work and shoulder stabilization exercises and that has helped alot.

Monday I did a workout of Turkish Get Up technique work, overhead walks, burpees and swings. Followed that with a good workout with David (another RKC hopeful) where we did double cleans, double presses, & double squat ladders 3x3 rungs. David is coming along so well and is peaking at the right time. Today he played around with my 32kg kettlebell and was able to perform getups, clean and press and snatches with it. I am almost jealous by how much he has improved in the past 3 weeks (ever since he reached 100 reps on his 5 min snatch test). Proud of you buddy!

The rest of the week I plan on doing Turkish Get Up practice with different weights to continue to improve on my technique along with some rolling exercises (I learned from Gray Cook which will greatly help your TGU in the first 2 and last 2 segments) and thoracic mobility. Also plan on doing some double kb work and some single kb work as well. Lastly one more 5 minute snatch this weekend to prep for the upcoming week.

RKC Prep Update

Been a while since I have updated everyone on how Nikki and I are doing for our preparation for out Russian Kettlebell Instructor Certification in San Diego, CA on Aug 28-30th.

2 weeks from today we will be on a plane for the west coast. I have been a little on edge lately. Don't think I have been this nervous for anything in my life. State wrestling was one but I was too young and naive to understand the ramifications of what I was about to accomplish. First day of college football and my first day of working at a Division I football school was nerve racking as well. My wedding I was a giddy nervous, I couldn't wait to get married to the love of my life.

I guess when you are so committed to a system (that being the RKC) you really want to not only pass, but perform very well.

If you are interested in seeing what the instructor certification requirements are, click here.

Our instructor Dave Whitley gave us some very encouraging words, he said basically that he feels that we have prepared well and are ready. Anything we need to improve on or "clean up"with our technique should be cleaned up during the certification. All we need to do now for the next 2 weeks is to maintain what we have and don't do anything to jeopardize our performance (example: tearing up our hands, pulling a hamstring, and so forth)

That is all for right now. I will definitely try and blog once or twice down in San Diego depending what is going on and give you a recap after it is all over and done with. I would love to be able to announce in 3 weeks that you are now speaking with Mark Snow, RKC and Nikki Snow, RKC!

Making an Investment in your Health, Part 1-Fitness

Everyone is concerned now a days (as they should) about money. Actually even more now than usual. We worry about this week, next paycheck and our future. We think of what is the proper way to invest in our futures for our dreams and retirement.

Did anyone ever think about making an investment in your and your families health? I have many patients/clients that I work with now who wish that they did just that. Made the proper investment in their health before it was too late. Before they became overweight from a poor diet and not exercising, before their bodies began to make compensations for this excess weight and poor movement, before their bodies began to break down structurally due to the excess stress on certain joints and not enough stress on the other joints. Now they are recovering from a total joint surgery and have a huge uphill battle to get themselves back to health. If you think about it, those people may have saved more earlier by not investing in their health, but now they have all these health problems and insurance bills to boot. They end up losing money! To make matters much worse they will never totally get back what they have lost. The damage has already been done. Their health may deteriorate due to not taking time and spending some money towards themselves and their health.

In all actuality many studies have shown that many of the cancers today can be PREVENTED by a proper diet and exercise. So I see all these people that have made changes because now they have to so they can try to lead a somewhat normal life.

MAKE A TRUE INVESTMENT that will totally give you the types of rewards you are looking for. This investment won't come back and haunt you if you make the investment wisely. This investment can bring you happiness, energy, strength and self esteem. Start making your investment now, you will thank yourself in the future.

Different types of investments you can make in your health

1. MOVE MORE

I highly recommend that you hire someone QUALIFIED to help you get into or keep you physically fit. I would recommend anyone who has a certification in the FMS (functional movement screen) or RKC/HKC (russian kettlebell certification) because not only do they know how to train movement correctly, but they emphasize form and function. Getting ripped while getting injured in the process is not an investment at all. You want to think on the long haul and be able to be in tip top shape when you get older, not end up in surgery or having chronic pain.

Experts can help us get the goals we want not only sooner but safer. I even have a trainer of my very own if that tells you anything. If I ever wanted to run a marathon, I would meet with a running coach. A triathalon? You guessed it. Swim to get in shape? Then you better bet I will meet with a swim coach to get the absolute most out of my body and my performance in whatever aspect I want to exercise.

Joining a gym is good just as long as there is a PLAN that comes with the gym membership. Walking around and picking out a machine here or there does not mean you are on the right track. For a few more bucks you can hire someone to have a PLAN for you.

If this particular investment is not in the cards then just MOVE MORE. Play with your kids for crying out loud. Put the playstation away and play flag football, tag, baseball, basketball, or just make up your own games. Try to incorporate body weight exercises, and running into your games. You will benefit, your kids will benefit and you will help to strengthen your bond with your children. Childhood obesity is crazy high and we are the ones to blame. We are the ones that teach habits to our youth about everything, including our health.

Don't have time to exercise? Really? Don't have 5 minutes? How much TV do you watch? If you spent those little tibits of time doing SOMETHING it could pay off. Here are some examples:

• while you are waiting for the microwave or stove/oven to finish cooking your meals. Do push ups against the counter. Maybe even some squats or lunges in the kitchen?


• commercial break during the game or favorite tv show? Perform a plank for time and see how long you can hold it with PERFECT form.


• stressed out? Go for a walk with someone or by yourself. The exercise will help your stress immensly

Next time I will talk a bit more about investing in your health through your diet....

Self Limiting Exercise by Mark Cheng

Terrific post by Dr. Mark Cheng, RKC Team Leader and all around genius when it comes to improving movement patterns. He speaks his thoughts along with that of Gray Cook on functional development of our children to the vibram five fingers that everyone is so interested about.

http://kettlebellslosangeles.blogspot.com/2009/07/self-limiting-exercise-are-you-ready.html

The Dane of Pain Visits Nashville

We are so very fortunate to be working with David Whitley, Senior RKC not only because he knows so much about Hardstyle methods and Kettlebell Training, but also because of all of the people he works with within the RKC community. They are a very tightly knit group.

This past week, David brought Kenneth Jay, Master RKC to our Nashville Kettlebell Bootcamp since he was in town for an upcoming workshop in Atlanta. Kenneth showed us some amazing things including Z-health drills for improved mobility of the feet/ankles, knees, and spine. He also re-introduced us to the viking push press and we performed 10 rounds of 36 seconds of reps on each side. What a workout. We learned a lot about the Viking Push Press and how it is actually more of an explosive workout for the legs if done correctly. The trick is to let the bell come down fast and when your forearm makes contact with your body, then and only then do you absorb the force by bending your hips and knees to allow yourself to rebound the KB back to overhead.

The following morning during bootcamp, Kenneth was so gracious as to have Nikki and myself come with him and practice the fundamental RKC movements. The Swing, Get Up, Snatch, Clean, Press, & Squat. He provided us with some wonderful feedback on some things we can do to clean up our movements. It truly is a blessing to have David and his RKC's to work with. If you are interested in kettlebell training, find an RKC. If you are training for the RKC instructor course CONTACT an RKC and have them clean up your technique. It could be the difference between passing and failing.

If you are interested in learning more about Kenneth Jay. You can find him demonstrating exercises in the Return of the Kettlebell book and dvd with Pavel. Kenneth has also written his own book titled Viking Warrior Conditioning. Both are terrific reads!

Know Your Limitations

Everyone has something that they need to address when it comes to imbalances within their body. The important thing to know is that you have to except the fact that you have a limitation and that you address that limitation on a daily basis. Some days might take more time than others to workout those limitations, some days you might only work on cleaning up that limitation and nothing else.

This is fine, actually I believe that Brett Jones, Master RKC and Gray Cook, RKC would agree with me on the fact that if you don't improve on your limitations then you should not be working out. "If you don't have time to perform your prep work, then you don't have time to workout" (Brett Jones)

This means taking 5-15 minutes in the beginning of your workout and addressing this issue that you need to fix. For example, if you ever check out Brett Jones' Applied Strength blog (he posts his workouts on there) he ALWAYS has some type of prep work to address his limitations. Whether it be Z health work, ASLR work, brettzels, you name it he is working on addressing any limitations he may have before he even picks up a heavy kettlebell. This means not only a safer workout, but a more productive workout as well.

As for another example I will use myself. On the FMS my lowest score has been on the shoulder mobility test. Through time and the discovery of the RKC system I have improved on this imbalance. But, I continually must make an effort to address my thoracic and shoulder mobility to make sure that I am in balance before I workout or there is a good chance that I will fall back into my old patterns and return to a lower score on the shoulder mobility.

I have two very strong ladies in my Injury Prevention & Human Performance program who begin every workout that they perform addressing these limitations. One has a knee mobility issue from a previous injury/surgery and the other addresses her shoulder/thoracic mobility on a daily basis. They always make time to address these corrections first and foremost.

Not sure what your limitation is? Find a FMS specialist or a CK-FMS specialist and get screened, then let them work with your on addressing your limitations.

Announcing: Pavel and Dragon Door's new, one-day, entry-level kettlebell instructor certification workshop

Hardstyle Kettlebell Certification™ (HKC™)



With Pavel Tsatsouline, RCK Chief Instructor, and Master RKCs Andrea Du Cane, Kenneth Jay, Brett Jones, and Mark Reifkind

Saturday, September 26, 2009
8:30am—6:00pm
St. Paul, Minnesota

Attend the HKC and leave with these major advantages:

A deep understanding of the true benefits of kettlebell training—for both yourself and your clients
A solid knowledge of vital kettlebell training safety procedures
A workmanlike grasp of the fundamentals of biomechanics—to ensure your clients move with perfect form and avoid injury
A grasp of the key HardStyle skills and principles of strength
The ability to competently perform the three key kettlebell exercises (the Swing, the Get-Up, and the Goblet Squat)
A "simple and sinister" set of extra exercises that are easy to learn, easy to teach and a great bonus for both you and your clients
The confidence you can now correctly teach the three essential kettlebell exercises—and troubleshoot common technique problems
The ability to write kettlebell training programs for athletes (GPP) and fitness clients in a private or class setting
And discover all this and more in the course of your HKC training:

Understand why mastery of the kettlebell swing is fundamental to high-level HardStyle practice
How to develop power through compensatory acceleration and overspeed eccentrics
How to train hip extension for back and knee health and athletic performance
How to employ bracing and neutral spine—for injury prevention, enhanced performance and optimal transmission of force
How to recruit the lat as a "core muscle" to improve the spine safety and glute strength
How to employ the plank as an effective assessment tool and a corrective drill
How to increase power with the biomechanical breathing match
A safe, effective modality for developing different types of endurance
Explosive training techniques for more effective fat-loss
The two-arm swing and corrective exercises
The concept of rooting and two key drills for developing it
The manual overspeed eccentric swing
The one-arm swing
The hand-to-hand swing
Russian relaxation exercises to enhance the acquisition of skilful movement


The two hundred year history of the get-up
The get-up as an assessment tool
The strength and health benefits of the get-up
How to correctly perform the get-up and teach corrective drills
How to move from mobility to stability, then from stability to strength—and why this progression is crucial for truly effective kettlebell work
The get-up, shoulder mobility and stability exercises. The role of the lat in shoulder stability and strength—and advanced lat facilitation techniques
How to employ and teach steering strength
The concepts of leakage and linkage—and their importance for effective kettlebell lifting


How to perform the goblet squat and corrective drills
"Strength stretching" for the hips
How to quickly teach professional technique in the barbell squat and deadlift with a special kettlebell exercise
How to overcome gluteal amnesia
How to most effectively stretch the hip flexors to dramatically improve athletic performance


Seven effective and easy-to-learn extra kettlebell exercises—to add variety and depth to your clients' kettlebell workouts


Understand the key components of general physical preparation versus special physical preparation
How to train athletes versus training the general population
Special considerations for training military and law enforcement personnel
Personal training versus class training
The essentials of effective kettlebell program design
As with the RKC, the HKC will be earned through diligent testing of each candidate. Besides having to pass the requisite pullup test at the outset of the workshop, each HKC candidate will be evaluated for technical proficiency at the end of the workshop and will then be granted either a pass or fail.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION!

Reverse Psychology on the Body to Improve Movement by Dr. Mark Cheng

Dr. Cheng is a brillant man who understands movement extremely well. He uses Hardstyle methods along with kettlebells to rehabilitate is patients injuries. Terrific post!

http://kettlebellslosangeles.blogspot.com/2009/06/reactive-neuromuscular-training-reverse.html

Quest for RKC - Week 5 of 16

Hello everyone. This has been a very productive week for both Nikki and myself. We are still moving through the Enter the Kettlebell right of passage with our presses and even added double rack squats this week. We are currently on a plan of alternating single kb presses and double kb squats 1 week along with double kb presses and single kb squats the following week.

We were able to get in our turkish get ups twice this week as well as attend bootcamp 3 times this week.

Dave Whitley wants us to progress in our snatches to the point that when I show up to RKC I can do 200 repetitions in a 10 minute snatch test with a 24kg kettlebell (53 lbs) and to have Nikki to be able to to 230 snatches with a 16kg (35 lbs).

Our progression continued this Saturday to 200/230 snatches in 10 minutes. I performed 5 snatches on the L, then 5 on the R and then began again on the next minute. Nikki performed 6/6 on the minute. We went for 20 minutes total which got me to 200 and Nik to 240. We both felt very good following the workout and our hands felt pretty good.

Next week I will perform 6/6 and Nikki 7/7 on the minute until I get to 200 and Nikki gets to between 230 and 240.

What was absolutely amazing was that RIGHT AFTER THE WORKOUT Nikki decided she wanted to try to snatch a 24kg. And she did with really no trouble. She actually did 2 each side! I am such a proud husband to have such a sexy and strong wife!

Now Nikki and I are off to Vanderbilt to speak to a camp about "the core". We are going to teach the high school kids all about the "hardstyle" methods of the RKC and the plank and moving plank.

Quest for RKC - Week 2 of 16

Hello everyone out there, hope that the week is treating you well. Nikki and I had a very productive week 2 on our 16 week quest for RKC San Diego. We made it to 3 kettlebell classes this past week. During class we worked on viking push presses, goblet squats, TGU's (Nik did a few rounds with a 20kg and Mark did the majority of his with a 12kg and 24kg at the same time), elevated split squats and some pushups, and of course TONS of swings!

With our at home workouts, we started our Rite of Passage Clean and Press ladders- 3 ladders of 3 rungs with for the heavy day and adjusted for the light and moderate days. Saturday we did a 5min snatch test--both of us hit our numbers. We also did 10 min of double swings (Nik with a 16kg, Mark with a 24kg), 20 sec work, 40 sec rest. We squeezed in a few more similar workouts during the week.

Below is Sunday's workout. We took the Tracy Reifkind , RKC workout and adjusted it some to use 2 kb's to get us prepared for RKC:)

The Double Kettlebell Circuit
(Nik did 2x12kg, Mark did 2x16kg)

Set one:

20 double swings

20 transfers w/1 kettlebell (DARCs)

Set two:

20 double swings
1 transfer 40 times

Set three:

15 double swings
15 transfers

Set Four:

One double swing, 1 double Clean, Press: 10 reps

then 10 transfers

Set Five:

One double swing, 1 double Clean, Press: 10 reps

then transfer10 times

Set Six:

One double swing, one double snatch, 10 reps
then 10 Transfers (DARCs)

Set Seven:

One double swing, one double snatch: 10 reps

Then 10 transfers (DARCs)

Below is Tracy's original workout:

Tracy’s 100-Pound
weight loss
workout routine

The Kettlebell Circuit
(all done with 26# kb)

Set one:
20 swings left, Transfer 20 swings right
20 transfers (DARCs)

Set two:

10 swings left, Transfer
10 swings right
1 swing, one transfer, 40 times

Set three:

One swing, one transfer 30 times

Set Four:

One swing, Clean, Press: 10 reps per
arm then transfer to opposite arm

Set Five:

One swing, Clean, Press: one rep per
arm then transfer10 times
then 10 Transfers (DARCs)

Set Six:

One swing, one snatch, 10 reps per
arm then transfer to opposite arm
then 10 Transfers (DARCs)

Set Seven:

One swing, one snatch per arm then
transfer ten times
Then 10 transfers (DARCs)

Quest for RKC-Week 1 of 16

Just wanted to let everyone know that it is official. Nikki and I have signed up for the Level 1 Russian Kettlebell Challenge Instructor Certification on August 28-30th in San Diego, CA. If you are not familiar with Kettlebells or the RKC, click on the links to find out more information.

We decided that we would take the time to shoot some video and pictures of our training every week as we build up for San Diego. Feel welcome to comment on our status and ask questions or if you are training for the RKC yourself, let us know what you are doing. Would love to share training ideas with all of you out there. Here are the Instructor Certification Requirements for RKC Level I.

We are very fortunate enough to have Dave Whitley, Senior RKC instructor working with us 3 times a week at our bootcamp we attend to make sure our technique improves and that we are on the right track for San Diego.

This past week at bootcamp we concentrated on swings (of course) but David threw in some special twists for Nikki, Jay and myself. We worked a lot of double swings this week which gave the swing a interesting twist and really pushed us harder than we expected. Dave also had us perform a 10 minute snatch test this week. Nikki did a wonderful job and got to 200 with a 16kg. I made it to 163. Good start but needs improvement, and I was pretty much smoked by minute 8.

Our training on our own we decided to work towards improving our strength in the press and the turkish get up. We always perform TGU's on Mondays and have decided to perform press ladders 3 rounds of 3 rungs each side with a light weight to see where we are at. We felt very good this past week so we are going to move up in weight and perform the 3 rounds of 3/3 again.

Sports Performance Bootcamp Begins June 1st

Just an FYI for all of you readers in the Nashville area who have teenagers that need to get ready for the upcoming sports seasons. My Senior RKC instructor (Russian Kettlebell Challenge), Dave Whitley, is hosting a Sports Performance Bootcamp this summer.

• 6 week program
• 2 workouts per week
• option of morning (tues & thurs 7am) or afternoon (mon & thurs 4:30pm) workouts (or mix and match)
• program designed to increase strength, power, explosiveness and durability
• includes functional movement screen before and after bootcamp to measure improvement on movement deficiencies

For more information you can check the link I have on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=83196437792 . If you are not a facebook subscriber just email me at sghumanperformance@gmail.com and I can send you a flyer.

To sign up please contact Dave Whitley, Senior RKC at irontamerdave@hotmail.com