Iron Tamer Clan - The Instructors Who Got Us Where We Are Now

Hello again everyone! It has been a terrific September as an offical RKC instructor. I have to say I have been able to apply all that I have learned at the RKC Instructor Certification Course everyday with my clients as well as my physical therapy patients.
As I promised, I am writing a 2nd installment to the Iron Tamer Clan Post from last week. This week I am giving props to the instructors and others who helped us to prepare for our success at the RKC.

David Whitley, Senior RKC
It all began when I returned from a Functional Movement Screen Seminar where one of the presenters (Gray Cook, PT, RKC) introduced me to some kettlebell exercises. I was very interested and ended up finding out that David (aka the IRONTAMER) held classes in Nashville and is also FMS certified (CK-FMS). For the next month I was blown away by how much he knew about movements and how the kettlebell itself can be used as a tool to work on mobility and stability at the same time. On my first day of Nashville Kettlebell Bootcamp I performed turkish get ups and could not believe how much I was working on mobility of my joints as well as stability of my joints with one exercise! I decided to give 4 weeks of my bootcamp workouts and retest my FMS score. Note I did not do any other corrective exercises other than bootcamp. My FMS score went from a 15 to an 18! My wife went from a 14 to an 18 in the same time and can now do a very good push up.

After 3 months of bootcamp and about 20 pounds of fat loss later I was hooked. Nikki and I proceeded to let the Irontamer know that Iwe were interested in training for the RKC Instructor Certification Course. He told me that he would be happy to train Nikki and I and that we should continue to come to bootcamp to prepare. And boy did we prepare! David was tough on us but in a very good way. He knew what the RKC cert was like and was preparing us for the grueling days that would be the RKC. He did not sugar coat things. We heard things like "quit your whining and swing!" and "if your clean is like that at the end of RKC you WILL fail the course". It was exactly what we needed to hear. He motivated us very well.
I owe David everything. He introduced me to kettlebell training and what the RKC is about. He reiterated that the RKC is not just about the kettlebell, the kettlebell is only a tool. Its the movements and the concept behind the RKC that makes it so successful. Thanks to his knowledge and teaching, I am a much better Certified Athletic Trainer and FMS specialist at correcting movement imbalances. Thanks David! I will always introduce myself as being a decendent of the Iron Tamer Clan and you as my mentor.


Matt McBryde
Matt just received his RKC instructor certification last year (2008). We met Matt as he was one of David's instructors that covers his class when David is out of town. Matt is a terrific instructor from the very first day we met him. He put his own spin on class but the RKC techniques were always the foundation. Matt was gracious enough to come to our RKC prep days at 6am to help us with technique and also gave us some killer workouts, including the VO2 Max protocol from the Viking Warrior Conditioning. The VO2 practice we had with him very much helped us at RKC to improve on our snatch technique but also to prepare us for the grueling workouts. Matt now currently owns and runs Tennessee Kettlebell Bootcamp along with his cool wife, Kristen (the Hardstyle Diva part of the Irontamer Clan!) in Franklin, TN. Thank you for all your wisdom, Matt. Not only did I learn so much from you but I also gained 2 friends. I know that Kristen and yourself did not have to drive 20 minutes every Saturday to come train with us, but you did for the sake of helping us become as prepared as we could be. I will never forget your generosity.

Dennis Breckey
Dennis is the first RKC that we met in Nashville after working with the IronTamer and he also subbed for David from time to time. He teaches a very structured class and gave a different point of view with corrections and cues on our technique. Dennis was also showed up to almost every Saturday morning RKC prep class. He had nothing to gain from coming. He did not have anyone close to him prepping like Matt did. He just came to help us out. I was truly blown away that he would come so early in the am to come help us out. Dennis is currently working on his Z Health certification and when Nikki spoke to him about her tricep issues, he made the time to research and ask other Z health professionals about what drills would work best to alleviate her problems. Dennis is just a whole lot of awesome in my book.
I would also like to give a quick shout out to some other important people who played a role in our RKC certification. Mandy (with a Y not an I) Whitley is a wonderful friend of ours who let us borrow her husband on many accounts to have him work with us. She was the first person I saw when I passed my snatch test and she was jumping up and down in excitement. She put up with our Vibram Stank in the hotel room for 3 days. And was there to give me updates on who all passed since I was the last one. She made the whole process fun and well worth it.
I would like to thank Gray Cook for steering me in the correct direction of the RKC. Also to Brett Jones for all of his articles and information who has helped me out. Brett and Gray have a terrific DVD series "the secrets" and "Kalos Sthenos" which provides important corrective exercises to help improve on asymmetries in your body. I would like to say that thanks to them I am a better informed and prepared RKC and athletic trainer.

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

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.

My take on P90x

I have had a lot of people ask me about P90x. I will have to admit that Nikki and I purchased the p90x and did the workouts for about 60 days. This was well before we were introduced to RKC style of kettlebell training.

If you have not heard about p90x, it is a set of 12 DVDs that contains strength training, yoga, and plyometric workouts. It comes with a diet & workout plan. The plan is pretty well thought out and the exercises are pretty good. You use tubing or dumbbells for the training DVDs. Right now to purchase the DVD set it is around 150 dollars including shipping.

My thoughts on the P90X.

• The P90x plan is 150 dollars but there are more costs involved, we ended up buying a pull up bar, 2 sets of powerblock dumbbells, tubing, yoga mats and ended up making a subscription to team beachbody (they suckered us in and then tried to keep charging us a quarterly fee for it, which we had to call them about 4 times to get them to stop taking money out of our account). All in all it cost us closer to $500 dollars.

Power Blocks




• The DVD's themselves are good, you get a great workout. The sessions can last from 50 minutes to 90 minutes! That is a long time to find to workout. Most people don't have that kind of time in a pinch so they will just ditch the workout in all.
• Some people are imbalanced and this type of training can put what Gray Cook calls "fitness on top of dysfunction". This means that if you are imbalanced you will be doing the exercises with the wrong set of muscles, this leads to micro trauma, and that leads to injury.
• It got too easy for us to not do our workouts. I got tired of the same person cracking the same jokes by about week 4 of the series. I got bored and I will admit lazy.
• I did not see the results I wanted. I did not lose any weight from the program although the workouts stated that I was burning around 800 calories per workout.

It wasn't until about 5 months after trying P90X that I went to the Functional Movement Screen Seminar hosted by Gray Cook and Lee Burton. Gray spoke about the functionality of the kettlebell and how well they helped to clean up movement/muscular imbalances. Someone thankfully asked the best way to get started and he stated to look into the Russian Kettlebell Challenge by Pavel Tsatsouline.

Now Nikki and I had trained with kettlebells in the past and I really didn't see the advantages of them very much. We went to target and got the Iron Core kettlebells/Go Fit (I am ashamed to say that I got a 15 pound one for myself and Nikki got the 10 lb.) We worked out with them now and again but did not use them very much.

This time I researched and was blessed to find out that I was so fortunate to have a Senior Kettlebell Instructor (RKC) here in Nashville named David Whitley (who is also familiar with FMS). When we first met he told us we were using way to light of a weight and bumped us up almost immediately. The reason for this was a point reflected by David and Gray that if you use too light of a weight you will not get the correct muscular firing pattern. The body will "cheat" sort of speaking.

Since last October 2008, I have had my eyes widely opened to the Hard Style method to training. We love it.

Kettlebell Training the RKC method advantages

• Cost-for the cost of one set of my power blocks, Nikki and I got a 12kg (about 25 lbs) and a 16kg (about 35 lbs). That was all we needed to practice and get a terrific workout at home. Also for the price of buying the P90x we worked out for one month, 3 times a week under the direction of a Senior RKC.
• The dragon door kettlebell has an offset center of gravity and a thick handle. This requires you to use the correct movement patterns to build strength. The kettlebell actually speaks to me on what movements I am doing incorrectly. I was shocked when I could feel the difference, it was amazing. Ask anyone who has trained with kettlebells, if you want an example. Check out this blog from Mike the Machine Bruce.
• Time - Nikki and I can get a terrific workout in any type of time frame. Whether it be 10 minutes or 50 minutes. You will be amazed with what type of workout you can get in 10 minutes.
• I was still getting in the 800 calorie burns like I saw with P90x, but we did it in less time and I was getting so much stronger and felt way more cardiovascular benefit from the interval training I was exposing myself to.
• Results - Since beginning the Kettlebell bootcamp and working out with Nikki at home with our set I have lost almost 20 pounds of fat. I began around 207ish and am now 189. I am way stronger than I ever had been before. I began bootcamp doing a turkish getup with a 16kg kettlebell and a few weeks ago was able to do a turkish get up with a 40kg kettlebell (that is around 88-89lbs).

My attempt at a turkish get up with the 108 lb. kettlebell. David Whitley, Senior RKC spotting.

So there you have it. All in all I would like to say that any workout is a good workout rather than sitting on the couch, but would that be the case if you began a workout with a movement imbalance and then ended up with an injury? Then you would end up back on the couch and in pain....??????

My suggestion is to find a personal trainer or RKC that can screen you correctly, train your movement patterns and teach you how to perform workouts correctly so that you can do them at home. I am not much of a DVD workouter per se. I would rather pay a little more money and see someone in person. More variety in the workouts, I push myself harder when an actual human being is telling me what to do.

If you really want to workout at home then that is fine by me, but at least get screened (doesn't cost much) and meet with a qualified personal trainer or RKC once per month to make sure you stay on track. I would really suggest you attend an RKC workshop, they are such a benefit. The last workshop I attended I realized that my swings weren't as crisp as I thought (even after doing them for 5 months). Another gentleman that drove over 6 hours to attend the workshop and only did kettlebell training to DVDs went from a beginner to a well rehearsed individual in the foundational kettlebell exercises.

Let me know your thoughts! What do you think of this post good or bad?

UPCOMING WORKSHOP! May 8th: Kettlebell Training for Improved Athletic Performance and Injury Reduction

Hosted By: David Whitley, Senior Russian Kettlebell Instructor

When: Friday, May 8th, 9am-1pm
Where: Centennial Park, Nashville, TN (click for map)

Who is this workshop designed for?

This course is designed for anyone working with clients &
athletes and would like to encorporate kettlebell training into their rehabilitation and/or strength and conditioning programs.

The workshop will breakdown the fundamental exercises and variations of
kettlebell training to allow you to learn, practice and be able
to demonstrate those exercises to your clients/athletes.

What is Kettlebell Training?

Kettlebells are large cast iron cannonballs with a handle
attached to the top. Kettlebells have been used for
centuries in Russia in improving strength and endurance of
their soldiers and athletes.

Kettlebells are unique to any other type of strength training
device due to the fact they have a thick handle and an offset
center of gravity. This makes the body use its stabilizing
muscles in a more functional way like is was supposed to
be. Just like athletic movement.

WORKSHOP DETAILS

• Kettlebell Training for Athletic Performance
• Warm up the Hardstyle Way
• Kettlebell Deadlift Variations
• Kettlebell Swing Variations
• Turkish Get Up
• Kettlebell Press Variations
• Kettlebell Row Variations

Cost: $250
Sign up at
www.irontamer.com
Eligible for 4 NATA CEUʼs under category D

Interested? Email irontamerdave@hotmail.com

Kettlebell Bootcamp #7 (Week 3)

Today was a rough one. You wouldn't think that way if I told you all we did today was push ups, squats and kettlebell swings.

• Warm up 5 min
  
• Ladder (2 teams, 3 rounds) of push ups then sumo squats with kettlebell at chest level, beginning at 1 rep, 2, 3, 4, 5.  Other team not performing reps in up push up position or in down position of sumo squat with butt towards floor and chest tall
• Then performed 5 push ups and 5 sumo squats all together
• 10 push ups and 10 sumo squats all together
• Kettlebell swings 11 rounds at 30 second swings with 30 seconds rest
• final round of swings for 60 seconds total (I call it the ass kicker, literally!)

All in all we performed 60 squats with weight and 60 push ups, we improved squatting technique with the use of the kettlebell and did planks during our rest times.  I am guessing we did over 200 kettlebell swings in that time as well.  

40-45 minutes total, 800 stinking calories later!  

I also have an upcoming surprise and will try and get some new pictures up as well!

If you would like to see what some of the kettlebell exercises are like.  David Whitley has some videos up on his website.  http://irontamer.homestead.com/video.html

Kettlebell #4-Week 2

We are now in week #2 of kettlebell bootcamp.  We are very happy with the workouts as we are working on strength, power, cardiovascular systems and fat loss.  Here was todays workout.

-Push up ladders with partner.  One person performs push up while other stays in plank position.  Ended at 5 reps.

-Deep squat ladder (2 rounds to 5 reps max) with partner.  One person comes up from squat position and back down while other person stays in downward squat position

-Kettlebell swings for time with 1/2 rest (example 30 sec swing/15 sec rest) performed for 10 minutes

Max heartrate was 178, calories burned was 491 on my watch.  Very pleased with the workout and how I feel afterwards.  

After the class Nikki and I decided to film each other doing swings, our instructor David saw what we were doing and came over to help que us.  He also performed some swings for us to compare ourselves to.  I am noticing that I need to hinge at the hips more and David gave a great que for activating my abdominals during the swing: "pull your sternum to your pubic bone".  He stated that he was pleased with how are technique is progressing but we just need to keep practicing to perfect the technique.

Let us know what you think!

Kettlebell #3

Sorry for the late post. Nik and I left for New Orleans for our anniversary trip. Had a lot of fun, but before we left we woke up early and worked out with Dave at bootcamp.

We performed:

Circiut #1 30sec/30sec (4 rounds)
kettlebell rows each arm
bulgarian squats (basically a lunge w/back foot elevated on a bench) each side
push ups then planks for the last 30 seconds

Circuit #2 (4 rounds)
partners of 3 people, one person runs 40 yards, another person kettlebell swings until the front person gets to 40 yards and the last person follows (basically on person running up, one person running back and the last person doing kettlebell swings)

45 minutes and 530 calories later!

Day 1: Kettlebell Bootcamp

Today was a very eventful one as my wife and I get up at 5:30am on our anniversary to head out to kettlebell bootcamp.  It was actually a beautiful morning as the temperature was 65 degrees when we started.  We had two new additions to class as well and Nikki and I so David (our instructor) began the class from the very beginning, the anatomy of the swing.  After warm ups we practiced our technique on the swing and David was good at giving us cues to help us perform better.  We also practiced the art of dropping the kettlebell instead of setting it down.

Then we performed a squat ladder with a partner.  Nikki and I both squatted down facing each other and then one of us would thrust our hips forward and stand then back down for a count of one, meanwhile I was in the bottom of my squat until she came back down.  Nik would do 1, then I would do 1, then 2 and 2 and so forth until we got to 5.  I tell you, I was never so happy to squat because the hard part was staying down in the squat for so long with a 16kg kettlebell in my hands.

After that we performed a circuit of push ups for time, 30 sec rest and then kettlebell swings for time and we did 4 rounds of that.  David instructed me that I am using my quads way to much and need to use my glutes way more and reach back.  I will try and get you a video of Nikki and myself doing swings.

All in all great first class, my max heart rate was 189 and my calorie burn was 484.

Meet my kick ass wife.

I am always proud of all the cool things my wife can do. I guess that I have always given her credit, but have not been able to see it up close and personal on how athletically giften my wife is.

My kick ass wife.

We woke up this morning and headed off to meet David Whitley. He is a RKC (Russian Kettlebell Challenge) Senior Instructor. Basically he goes around the world instructing individuals to become kettlebell instructors. He runs a kettlebell bootcamp in Nashville and I contacted him to sign up for his October bootcamp. He in turn contacted me to see if we can come to one of the current bootcamps and afterwards can go over some techniques of some of the major lifts. 

So my wife and I rolled out of bed at 5:45am this morning and headed over to the local park where David was holding his bootcamp. We chatted a little bit about how much Nikki and myself knew about kettlebells (we no some, but not nearly enough). Nikki was typically using a 10 pound kettlebell and I am using a 15 lb. one of my own. 

So we showed him what we knew about the two arm swing. He gave us some great cues and Nikki began to kick ass from the start. She picks up things so quickly! By the end of the 45 minute personal session with David we knew how to do the 2 arm swing and the turkish getup. 

What is so surprising is that Nikki began with doing a 2 arm swing with a 12 kilogram kettlebell (that is 26 lbs) and ended the day pushing around a 24 kilogram kettlebell (my cute wife is pushing around a 53 pound piece of iron!)

David was so impressed. He stated that in all his years of instructing that he has never had a women 2 arm swing a 24kg kettlebell on the first day. He stated, "the force is strong with this one!"  He even went so far as saying he would like to have Nikki and myself go and get Russian Kettlebell Challenge Instructor Certified in April! Here is a video of just what Nik did on her first day!



All in all we had a terrific time and a good workout. We look forward to coming to the upcoming class and all that we can learn about strength and kettlebells. I will try and do a weekly update on our kettlebell class with David so you guys can keep track on myself and my kickass wife!

If you want to learn more about David Whitley, check out www.irontamer.com. He has some great youtube videos as well. Just search for davewhitley. If you want to learn more about kettlebells and instructors in your area check out www.russiankettlebells.com