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!

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)

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

Friday morning bootcamp with Dave Whitley.

Warmup always

Circuit for 2 rounds of:
Goblet squat to overhead press
1 arm rows
Rear foot elevated split squat on picnic bench
Burpees!

30 on, 15 off-switch sides if on a single limb exercise.

Next abdominal circuit of: hot potato, thoracic rotation, cherry pickers & prone plank 30on/10off

Last and never least, kettlebell swings: 25on/15off. 6 rounds.

Everyone have a terrific weekend!

Kettlebell Bootcamp #6

Nik and I drug ourselves out of bed and headed out into the rain for bootcamp.  Thank God we have a shelter type area where we can do the bootcamp and stay out of the rain.  

After warm up we did:

Circuit #1 (4 rounds)

-Kettlebell squats holding kettlebell at chest position (almost like a front squat)

-1 arm rows (each side)

-push ups

Circuit#2 (3 rounds)

-push presses (each arm)

-Static lunges (each leg)

Last circuit (termed the "CAROUSEL OF PAIN")

-Everyone got into a big circle with their kettlebell.  We did KB swings for time and then rotated to the next kettlebell.  (20 sec on, 30 seconds off).  There were 10 total kettlebells in different weights we ended up swinging.

ALL IN ALL 46 MINUTES AND 634 CALORIES LATER!  WE DID NOT EVEN RUN TODAY BUT MY HEART RATE WAS LOWERING AND SPIKING EVERY MINUTE.  (HR high of 178)

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 Bootcamp

The wife and I have decided to try something new and join a kettlebell bootcamp.

What is a kettlebell you ask? Well according to www.dragondoor.com.

A 'kettlebell' or girya (Russ.) is a traditional Russian cast iron weight that looks like a cannonball with a handle. The kettlebell goes way back, it first appeared in a Russian dictionary in 1704 (Cherkikh, 1994). So popular were kettlebells in Tsarist Russia that any strongman or weightlifter was referred to as a girevik, or 'a kettlebell man'.

I began learning about kettlebells about a year ago and started to investegate them a bit thinking that they would be a fitness craze and not last very long. It got to the point to when Nikki and I moved to Nashville we ended up buying 2 kettlebells from Target, a 16 pound one for me, and an 8 pound one for Nik. The first couple times we used it we could not walk or sit for a few days due to our glutes being so sore. That is a good thing by the way, I was surprised because I thought I had strong glutes, but I was sorely mistaken. We used them now and then but not as much as we should.

So I went to the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) in Boston, MA hosted by Lee Burton and Gray Cook. Come to find out that Gray uses kettlebells for training athletes AS WELL AS using it as a rehabiliation/corrective exercise tool. He showed some pretty cool things and I was very interested to learn more. When I got back to Nashville, I looked up on www.dragondoor.com to see who in the area was a Certified Russian Kettlebell Instructor (RKC). I was very pleased to find out that one of the RKC Senior Instructors (David Whitley, www.irontamer.com) lived here in Nashville and holds a bootcamp three mornings a week. It was also very pleasing to me that he was FMS certified as well. I contacted him about upcoming bootcamps and he invited us out to come to a few morning classes.

The first morning David asked us to come in after class and teach us a few techniques. He spoke with us on how much we knew about kettlebells and we said "a little". He asked us to show him what we knew and the moves we were comfortable with. We found out a few things: 1) we were using way too light of kettlebells (why you ask? I will tell you more later). 2) our technique was "ok" but we had a lot of practicing to do. We learned how to do a swing properly as well as a "turkish getup". I tell you, no video or book can compare to having someone right beside you queing you to perform a move better. David was terrific and all the instruction he gave was very informative and he made the instruction session difficult but fun. He invited us back the following week to participate in the actual bootcamp.

The bootcamp the following week was a tough one. We did 10 "deck squats" followed by 10 push ups (see video) as many sets as we could until time was up, then we performed turkish getups 1 rep each side for time, the last thing we did was swings for time followed by a 40 yard run down and back and then repeated for I believe 4 sets. What a workout.

David was great at teaching us the techniques and spotting us if we needed. We signed up for 4 months of bootcamps right then and there.

I plan on once per week updating everyone on how the bootcamp is going. I will try and sneek in some pictures as well as video of Nikki and I here and there if I get a chance. If you are interested in finding a kettlebell instructor, go to www.dragondoor.com.

To see some of the techniques performed by David. Check out. http://irontamer.homestead.com/video.html