A long weekend of training has led me to obtain the RKC Instructor Certification but, the end result isn’t what is important for something like this (although we did get shirts and that is pretty awesome). The process and the actual learning that goes on is why I came to this. Some people did want to challenge themselves physically and mentally and I do hope they got what they wanted out of the weekend. With that said, here is my review on the San Diego RKC 2009.
I went to the Thursday night meet and greet and at first we were all like awkward kids on a dance floor or people who have finally met in person after talking to each other on myspace for months. We all knew we had several things in common but, it was that initial “oh god they are talking to me” phase. I wasn’t a fan of all the fear that was trying to be instilled into the participants by some of the assistant instructors.
I guess I get why they were doing it. I mean was the weekend physically demanding? Yes but, I still felt the question I heard more than once from multiple instructors (“So, who is scared?”) was inappropriate, unprofessional and displayed a foolish sense of bravado that made this appear to be a bootcamp workout session rather than a SCHOOL of strength.
After the ice was broken, everyone got along famously and I roamed the room chatting it up and enjoying the tasty chicken skewers and pieces of tiramisu. The first night showed me how many beautiful women attended the cert too. Kettlebells attract some gorgeous ladies.
Went back home at around 2130. When I got home Jordan (Average to Elite Training Systems) and Eric (Form is Function) came to my door and I prepped the living room for their nights here. Both of them are great guys that don’t drink too much kool-aid from any one camp and because of this, they have maintained a fantastic view on training and physical development. Hope to hang and train with these guys soon.
Day 1
After an introduction from everyone in the group, a phrase you get accustomed to over the weekend gets shouted by Pavel, “ON YOUR STOMACHS!”
It went from a nice, how is everyone, to full metal jacket with those 4 words. We were briefed on what we needed to do and the first thing up was the snatch test.
The snatch test was easy and should be. Read the god damn requirements and recommendations that are spelled out. If you can’t do those things don’t sign up. I was amazed that people came to the cert not knowing if they could even pass the snatch test requirement. That is the easiest part of the weekend. Although, I have more respect to those who passed it the second or third day. Hands were thrashed and energy low in many participants but, somehow they passed the requirement exhausted after doing it fresh.
We went through the swing and the Turkish Get up the first day. Additionally, there were large amounts of assistance exercises given to help improve understanding of the movements required to get to a swing or get up. I loved these. Great teaching progressions, good cues and great mobility drills. I loved the hip and shoulder mobility exercises that were shown. I will be using those with people definitely.
The swing is different and has evolved quite a bit since I was first taught it. I really see its application towards sports in general as the movement pattern is basic and universal. The get up I knew before hand but, my sequence was greatly improved. Good first day.
Day 2
Clean, Press, Front Squat and Snatch
Clean….eh…I get the hard style clean and like it for grinds and prep for the press but, for conditioning work or anything over 5 reps…I choose GS style. It just makes more sense to me from an energy usage standpoint. I believe exercises have greater specificity then we give them. Swings, snatches etc all have a period of what Pavel termed “Russian Rest” where the weight becomes weightless for a period of time and the load is removed from the body. I don’t feel that period is long enough with cleans of the hard style.
The press, I still feel is my weakest exercise. I loved the attention to detail though with the explanation of tension and pressing from the lat. I understand it a lot more and for the strict press there is no better set up then the hard style clean. For both the clean and press I loved how it was taught to us. We learned it from the top down by first doing a get up to the stand position and then lowering it into the rack. We then worked backwards. I actually felt it transfer over in a better way for me.
Front Squat. I know how to squat and already use the goblet squat with all the individuals I work with. This was nothing new to me. I did find the workout with the squat and swing ladder to be very relaxing though. People need to learn how to rest in the squat position and stop stressing out down there. That was rest time, the swings were the work.
Snatch. I really didn’t like the way it was taught, from the top down. I actually felt my technique get worse as I did that. I teach one arm swing, high pull and then snatch progression. Once it is up top, they lower to the rack and go again until their up is good. Then I show them how to bring it down in the hard style manner, kicking the bell into the fingers and throwing it back between your legs. For some reason people keep saying, it feels easy because it’s like an extended swing…how bout that.
Jordan taught a V02 Max workout with the snatch and I went beyond thunderdome with it. Tina Turner is just as ugly as I remember too. Another good day.
Day 3
Marketing lecture. This was actually better then I thought it would be and I have some new books to read. Thank you John Du Cane.
Technique evaluation. I passed these but, I want to know what points I might have slightly screwed up on.
Victim work. Got a great guy named Jim. He knew how to use kettlebells quite well and after the assessment and working through the swing and get up he did a workout of 20 swings, planks with 10 right 10 left foot raises and then 10 power breaths for about 8 minutes.
Grad workout. This one was a bit tough. My grip was fried and it is still hard for me to type this now. I didn’t like how they pulled people aside afterwords for not doing the prescribed weight. It was said earlier; we fly or fall as a group. I was prepared to do the work with them but, the instructors felt like singling these people out. It should have been the team leaders responsibility to make sure that the students had the correct weight and the fact that people got miffed about this really confused me. It probably won’t happen at the next RKC though.
Summary
I said it to my buddy who asked. There is good in bad in everything but, this was way more good then bad. The bravado and “I’m hardcore lets kill ourselves” mentality is what eventually drove me away from Crossfit but, it seems tempered here by the aspect of safety and understanding of function with focus on quality motion. You will always have the drill instructor who pushes too far but, that is in every fitness community. Overall, RKC is a system to trust. They focus on safety and simple, yet effective movements. They also don’t do high rep Olympic lifts so, right there, brownie points.
I was part of Team Kilt headed up by the great Doug Nepodal. This guy kicks ass. He was very kind and helpful but, he never let us slack and always pushed the technique to better. Nikki was someone I needed. She came down harder on me then the other two instructors and it is always good for me to get knocked down a peg or two (which was done respectfully of course). She never made me feel belittled she just made me understand that I need to listen to her. This was all conveyed in her teaching style/personality. John had some great coaching cues and helped us stay focused. Delaine is a beautiful woman that can kick my ass. She also offered great tips to help improve form but, always added, these can work or not work, try them out. That is the voice of experience and always good to hear. I love options. Makes me feel empowered like when I get to vote for a candidate that can actually win. The whole team of people were great. I got along quite well with all of them and my partner Rick was one strong and determined dude. I hope to keep in touch with all of them
I will be changing the way I deal with some clients while others will continue on their current path but, my slight paradigm shift from attending the RKC is very evident. Was this “life changing” not really for me but, it did add to my passion and life in a good way that will only help to improve it. I again thank everyone who came out, the fantastic instructors, team leaders and of course, Pavel.
Train to conquer.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Charlie did it to
Thanks to Charlie for joining in my birthday fun. Here is the end of his snatches...
Monday, August 10, 2009
What I have learned from using Kettlebells
I was going to title this what I have learned “about” kettlebells but, that didn’t seem to fit what I began writing about. First off, I haven’t suddenly discovered kettlebells. I have used them in some form or another for over 4 years. The thing is that they have always been supplemental to my main workout due to the fact that my goals were entirely built around competitive weightlifting. Needless to say, this meant more barbell snatches, cleans and jerks then it did the kettlebell variety but, I still did swings and the like at the end of my workout.
So, what propelled me into the now commercially popular world of kettlebell training? I signed up for a RKC. My current company of employ has a great deal to due with the fact that I signed up for it, as kettlebells seem to fit the image and goals of the company perfectly. I work for the Navy as a Fitness Instructor. It’s a kickass job. I help build up our troops into lean mean sea fairing machines as well as train their significant others that are getting fat while their sailor is away. We got kettlebells in at our gym and while I know how to use kettlebells well enough I know there is always room for improvement. Hence why I signed up for the RKC.
Catherine Imes wrote in an article that she played around with kettlebells too until she felt the need to immerse herself in nothing but, kettlebell training. She felt this was the best way to learn so, I did this too. After spending a summer dedicated to kettlebell training to prep for the RKC I have learned quite a few things that I felt the need to write about. Some are with regards to using kettlebells with clients and some using kettlebells with myself.
The swing is the perfect starting movement along with the squat.
The first movement I used to teach was the squat. Now the first movement I teach is the swing. This is to new clients or athletes. Why? It teaches you to bend at the hip instead of the back. The squat uses this, as does the deadlift. Once you teach a person to use their hips and not front raise the kettlebell, the squat and deadlift both instantly click when performed. Teaching the swing first also lets me start doing some conditioning work with them. I read Enter The Kettlebell and while most of the book is very self serving and sales oriented I have to applaud the workouts given. The Rite of Passage workout is good but, I have had tremendous success with the program minimum; specifically the use of swings and jogging/jump rope. It is a great way to get in a lot of practice with swings and still train hard enough to get results. The beauty of it is that you never really go to failure. So, in short, swings are awesome for beginners and great as a carry over movement to other skills.
The Turkish Get up has magical properties that make aches and stiffness disappear.
I have yet to get the Kalos Sthenos DVD set being that it is $90 and I am poor but, I have been practicing the movements from what I have seen on the “begin to dig” blog and the youtube footage. I always used to get bored of doing TGUs but, thanks again to the program minimum; I have really grown to like the movements. I notice after doing the 5 minutes the body feels limber and alive. I am not fatigued but, ready for activity. I hypothesize it is the sequence of the movements, total body integration and the easy pace for the program minimum protocol that is making this happen. Whatever it is, I like it and have used the naked TGUs with clients. They note that after just a few they are “sweating their balls off”. That might have to do with the summer heat but, I still find it interesting. They aren’t winded afterwards but, they sure do sweat a lot during. Some sort of black magic from the tombs of Stygia must make this possible.
The Snatch is the single greatest conditioning workout past tire flipping.
I adore Viking Warrior Conditioning protocol. I however, hate the stupid and cheesy name. I also hate anything in fitness that says Spartan, warrior, gladiator, 300 etc. The Spartans are dead and so it Sparta. No one can be a Spartan or train like a Spartan because there is no Sparta. Warriors are people who fight in wars and they are all in Iraq or Afghanistan right now. Want to train like a warrior? Then join the military and go through combat training. That is warrior training. Gladiators….they were slaves that fought for the bemusement of a tyrant. You don’t want to be that.
All that said, Kenneth Jay has made me really dig the snatch for its conditioning properties. I have noticed that I can sprint stairs and while I still need some air, my recovery is like lightning. I can instantly sprint back down and do it again. My workouts besides the VWC go swimmingly well and while I perspire like a swamp creature, I walk around and go about as if nothing has happened. A great conditioning tool that helps to build the body and tame the mind.
Swings are great for power production training and so are snatches but, I still do not feel they can substitute for the Olympic lifts in some instances.
This is something I have noticed only for myself. I started doing swings and then came back to my o lifts and didn’t notice a change at all. I actually had to build back up my olifts to my old weights. I DID notice however that as I got back into my olifting, my kettlebell work seemed smoother, felt lighter and didn’t fatigue as much. I postulate that it has to do with the load issue in the fact that o lifts, and the squatting that accompanies it, gave me a decreased perception of load. What I mean is that while I was throwing around hundreds of pounds in the squatting and olifts, I wasn’t really working with anything above 90 lbs with the kettlebells. So, by default they felt lighter. My power generating ability has only ever gone up from some plyo work and olifts. It is for this reason that I personally stand by the Olympic lifts as one of the best ways to train power for myself and for sport. They take time to teach and more time to master but, their benefits cannot be denied.
If your back hurts from doing swings, snatches, cleans etc. You are doing them wrong.
I used to believe that the back just needs to get built up and that I was still doing them right. Then I started paying more attention to bending at the hip. Low and behold my back doesn’t hurt. At the last TSC that I competed in I got 88 Snatches with the 32kg in 5 minutes. After that my back was out for a week and acted up on me for some time afterwards. Just 2 days ago I did a birthday workout with the 32kg (240 snatches) and my back feels great. Spending some time going over the swing basics again helped to cement the hip technique and the high speed snatching forced me to learn how to catch the bell in my fingers to save my hands. So, even if you “have” something you start to learn little ways to improve.
GS is really impressive.
Yeah, the kettlebell sport is really really impressive. I have done some of the biathlon and long cycle before but, I really respect the people that do this. The videos of the various kettlebell athletes online amaze me more then any feat of grip strength I have seen. I see some definite application of GS style training towards other sports. The mental aspect of it alone is beneficial and could easily be applied to other endurance sports as well as combat.
Well, that’s what I got from a few months of kettlebell work. Granted I learned other little things here and there about kettlebells but, the main thing that I learned and that I want to perpetuate is that they are a great tool but, they are not stand alone. There is no stand alone training tool. Everything is designed to be integrated into a program and everything can be useful.
So, what propelled me into the now commercially popular world of kettlebell training? I signed up for a RKC. My current company of employ has a great deal to due with the fact that I signed up for it, as kettlebells seem to fit the image and goals of the company perfectly. I work for the Navy as a Fitness Instructor. It’s a kickass job. I help build up our troops into lean mean sea fairing machines as well as train their significant others that are getting fat while their sailor is away. We got kettlebells in at our gym and while I know how to use kettlebells well enough I know there is always room for improvement. Hence why I signed up for the RKC.
Catherine Imes wrote in an article that she played around with kettlebells too until she felt the need to immerse herself in nothing but, kettlebell training. She felt this was the best way to learn so, I did this too. After spending a summer dedicated to kettlebell training to prep for the RKC I have learned quite a few things that I felt the need to write about. Some are with regards to using kettlebells with clients and some using kettlebells with myself.
The swing is the perfect starting movement along with the squat.
The first movement I used to teach was the squat. Now the first movement I teach is the swing. This is to new clients or athletes. Why? It teaches you to bend at the hip instead of the back. The squat uses this, as does the deadlift. Once you teach a person to use their hips and not front raise the kettlebell, the squat and deadlift both instantly click when performed. Teaching the swing first also lets me start doing some conditioning work with them. I read Enter The Kettlebell and while most of the book is very self serving and sales oriented I have to applaud the workouts given. The Rite of Passage workout is good but, I have had tremendous success with the program minimum; specifically the use of swings and jogging/jump rope. It is a great way to get in a lot of practice with swings and still train hard enough to get results. The beauty of it is that you never really go to failure. So, in short, swings are awesome for beginners and great as a carry over movement to other skills.
The Turkish Get up has magical properties that make aches and stiffness disappear.
I have yet to get the Kalos Sthenos DVD set being that it is $90 and I am poor but, I have been practicing the movements from what I have seen on the “begin to dig” blog and the youtube footage. I always used to get bored of doing TGUs but, thanks again to the program minimum; I have really grown to like the movements. I notice after doing the 5 minutes the body feels limber and alive. I am not fatigued but, ready for activity. I hypothesize it is the sequence of the movements, total body integration and the easy pace for the program minimum protocol that is making this happen. Whatever it is, I like it and have used the naked TGUs with clients. They note that after just a few they are “sweating their balls off”. That might have to do with the summer heat but, I still find it interesting. They aren’t winded afterwards but, they sure do sweat a lot during. Some sort of black magic from the tombs of Stygia must make this possible.
The Snatch is the single greatest conditioning workout past tire flipping.
I adore Viking Warrior Conditioning protocol. I however, hate the stupid and cheesy name. I also hate anything in fitness that says Spartan, warrior, gladiator, 300 etc. The Spartans are dead and so it Sparta. No one can be a Spartan or train like a Spartan because there is no Sparta. Warriors are people who fight in wars and they are all in Iraq or Afghanistan right now. Want to train like a warrior? Then join the military and go through combat training. That is warrior training. Gladiators….they were slaves that fought for the bemusement of a tyrant. You don’t want to be that.
All that said, Kenneth Jay has made me really dig the snatch for its conditioning properties. I have noticed that I can sprint stairs and while I still need some air, my recovery is like lightning. I can instantly sprint back down and do it again. My workouts besides the VWC go swimmingly well and while I perspire like a swamp creature, I walk around and go about as if nothing has happened. A great conditioning tool that helps to build the body and tame the mind.
Swings are great for power production training and so are snatches but, I still do not feel they can substitute for the Olympic lifts in some instances.
This is something I have noticed only for myself. I started doing swings and then came back to my o lifts and didn’t notice a change at all. I actually had to build back up my olifts to my old weights. I DID notice however that as I got back into my olifting, my kettlebell work seemed smoother, felt lighter and didn’t fatigue as much. I postulate that it has to do with the load issue in the fact that o lifts, and the squatting that accompanies it, gave me a decreased perception of load. What I mean is that while I was throwing around hundreds of pounds in the squatting and olifts, I wasn’t really working with anything above 90 lbs with the kettlebells. So, by default they felt lighter. My power generating ability has only ever gone up from some plyo work and olifts. It is for this reason that I personally stand by the Olympic lifts as one of the best ways to train power for myself and for sport. They take time to teach and more time to master but, their benefits cannot be denied.
If your back hurts from doing swings, snatches, cleans etc. You are doing them wrong.
I used to believe that the back just needs to get built up and that I was still doing them right. Then I started paying more attention to bending at the hip. Low and behold my back doesn’t hurt. At the last TSC that I competed in I got 88 Snatches with the 32kg in 5 minutes. After that my back was out for a week and acted up on me for some time afterwards. Just 2 days ago I did a birthday workout with the 32kg (240 snatches) and my back feels great. Spending some time going over the swing basics again helped to cement the hip technique and the high speed snatching forced me to learn how to catch the bell in my fingers to save my hands. So, even if you “have” something you start to learn little ways to improve.
GS is really impressive.
Yeah, the kettlebell sport is really really impressive. I have done some of the biathlon and long cycle before but, I really respect the people that do this. The videos of the various kettlebell athletes online amaze me more then any feat of grip strength I have seen. I see some definite application of GS style training towards other sports. The mental aspect of it alone is beneficial and could easily be applied to other endurance sports as well as combat.
Well, that’s what I got from a few months of kettlebell work. Granted I learned other little things here and there about kettlebells but, the main thing that I learned and that I want to perpetuate is that they are a great tool but, they are not stand alone. There is no stand alone training tool. Everything is designed to be integrated into a program and everything can be useful.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
And the results are...
Well, the 3 guys that did it with me had a blast. Charlie is doing it tomorrow and I will put his times up. Beer, kettlebells and then a post workout recovery meal. The video will come soon but, here is the time for the birthday workout.
240 Kettlebell Snatches for time
Davin (16kg) - 16:09
Tabor (16kg) 21:41
Christian (24kg) 28:02
Erik (32kg) 27:58
Charlie (32kg) 45:01
240 Kettlebell Snatches for time
Davin (16kg) - 16:09
Tabor (16kg) 21:41
Christian (24kg) 28:02
Erik (32kg) 27:58
Charlie (32kg) 45:01
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Birthday Workout
My birthday is coming (August 8th). I am turning 24 years old. So, to celebrate this momentous occasion, I am doing a special workout. If anyone wants to join then please do so and post up a video or at least your time and weight used.
240 kettlebell snatches for time
I will be using my 32kg kettlebell. We shall see what happens.
240 kettlebell snatches for time
I will be using my 32kg kettlebell. We shall see what happens.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
