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

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.

Heat Exhaustion and Student Athletes

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Nice piece done on the Today Show about the National Athletic Trainer's Associations policy on heat illness.

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.

Real Women Aren't Magazine Covers or Manequins by The Female Fitness and Nutrition Scientist

Great post by Cassandra Forsythe.

Here is the episode.

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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!

Cinnamon Raisin Bars (Precision Nutrition)

Here is my new favorite POST WORKOUT protein bar from Precision Nutrition.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups rolled oats

8 scoops vanilla whey protein powder

1 cup raisins (be creative here!, we have used dried cherries and dried cranberries as well!)

1-1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce

1 tbsp Olive oil or flax oil

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Splenda or Stevia, to taste (about 1/2 cup or 10-15 packets)

(I also like to add a 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts to the recipe but that is up to you.)

INSTRUCTIONS

In a clean, dry blender, process 1 cup of rolled oats into flour (blend on medium for about 1 minute). Stir together the following ingredients in a large bowl: oat flour, remaining rolled oats (1 cup), raisins, protein powder, Splenda, cinnamon, salt. Stir the applesauce and vanilla extract together with eh dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Use some elbow grease people!

Cut 8-10 squares of aluminum foil depending on how big you want the bars to be. Lightly coat the interior with an olive oil cooking spray. Spoon out an equal portion of the mixture into each foil square, and roll them into a bar shape. Fold them like tamales (takes practice, be patient! it is so worth it!) Fold them like tamales, folding the ends over to prevent spillage. You can flatten them into bar shapes if you want to avoid a tube shaped bar.

Bake the bars in the foil in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 16-20 min (I ALWAYS COOK FOR ONLY 16 MIN, ANY LONGER AND A GOOD CHANCE THEY WILL BE VERY DRY, I WILL TAKE GOOEY OVER DRY ANY DAY!)

If you want any further awesome recipes you can get it from the Gourmet Nutrition cookbook. Click the picture below to order if interested.