Thursday, July 30, 2009

Class Opportunity part 2

I was recently reading discussions on Dragon Door and lo and behold a discussion on other Kettlebell certifications was listed! The link is http://kbforum.dragondoor.com/kettlebells-strength-conditioning-forum/136803-crossfit.html.

Once again, there are a lot of other certifications out there, but one stands head and shoulders above the other and that is Pavel and the RKC!

I will be teaching a six week kettlebell program starting September 1st. The class will be in Rockwall. The weather is usually great and the class will be outdoors. We will be focusing on an Enter The Kettlebell based training module. This is a great chance to learn the correct way to use the kettlebell. There is a discount until August 15th so early registration is best. I will be limiting the class to 10 people. It will be Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6pm and Saturday mornings at 8am.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Exercise Machines Attack

I knew there was a reason that I avoid exercise machines!

Friday, July 24, 2009

Class Opportunity

It is pretty interesting how many people are teaching kettlebells lately. I was recently told about a new local program in my area. I was even given a flyer for the class. It is being held at a location that I had an earlier opportunity to teach at. I have had numerous offers and chances to teach kettlebells in my area. I have always resisted teaching because of Amazing Athletes and my desire to spend time with my family.

I love kettlebells and the RKC. Kettlebells and Pavel helped me transform my body and my way of life. I teach kettlebells to a only few people because they have the same passion as I do. That does not mean that I have not worked with others, I have worked with people that were determined to teach kettlebells without the proper training. I did not want anyone to be hurt. They were going to teach anyway, so at least I was hoping to help people downstream.

What does this have to do with this post? I really was struck by the tag line of the flyer, "It is not about perfection. It's about progress." I think that is the wrong way to look at it. Progress occurs as you strive for perfection. That is the beauty of the RKC. It is a school of strength were perfection is part and parcel of the methods and tools. The RKC is one of the few training programs were you can fail. If you fail you do not receive your certification, pretty plain and simple The RKC is also 3 days of hard work and learning. The RKC is not some easy, "gimme" certification. That is why I believe in it. It is earned through hard work and a drive for perfection. Why do something if you are not striving for perfection. You are training to be the best you can, not just making a small improvement. If you are not striving perfection, what is your measuring stick? The search for perfection is a way to determine long range plans and goals. That search is what drives and keeps you motivated and on track for your journey.

Once again, what does this have to do with this post? I am going to start a regular class/series on September 1st, in Rockwall. I am going to start with a 6 week program on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings. Preregistration fee is 150.00 for individuals and 225.00 for two. The early registration price is good until August 15th after that the price will go up to $200 and $275.00 Please contact me for information at brittstrainingsystems@gmail.com. I will be putting up online registration in the next couple of days.

Contact me if you have any questions or want to preregister.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Worth working towards

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The goal of fitness is to have a healthy, long life. It is to be able to move and function as well as possible for as long as possible. I always say that I am not going to go quietly, but fight tooth and nail to avoid going any earlier then I have to. This lady shows what can be achieved.

That is why I was outside working out as the thermometer finally started to dip below 100. It took until about 9pm to finally drop to a point where I felt half way decent. I was still so tired afterwards that I was dragging and ended up stubbing my toe. The hazards of training barefoot and tired. It was a great session anyway. I thought that I was in good shape after Viking Warrior Conditioning, but have realized that the Program Minimum is an awesome tool in the kit.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Back to Basics 2

I have been back at Enter the Kettlebell for the second week. I actually can tell a difference already. It might be from the change in programs or it could be that the basics work. Even though I am an RKC, I can stand to work at the skills and techniques that I teach. There is nothing like crappy instructor form to ruin a good class and get someone hurt.

I really like having a Flip camera to evaluate my technique. I have the swings and squats down pretty well. It is almost machine like when I am working them. My get ups and presses are crap, plain and simple. I continue to have issues with shoulder tightness and a lack of flexibility. I have made some improvements, but there are still a few issues. It gives me something to work on for the next year till I attend the CK-FMS. I have made quite a large improvement in my Get Up form since the last workout. I was not holding the KB vertical and was able to see this on video. I also had my elbow bent. This workout was recorded and my shoulders were down, the KB was much closer to vertical until I went into the hip heist position. I think that after a few more videotaped workouts it should be a much better exercise.

I finished off the evening with RKC Armbars to work a little harder on shoulder mobility. I think that coupled with Joint Mobility drills will go far in fixing my lack of shoulder mobility. I have also picked up Secrets of the Shoulder and will implement a lot of that into my practice.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Back to the Basics

I have pushed my training pretty hard over the last few months. I have had some nagging little pains and issues lately that are the result of over training(again). I even suffered a spasm in my lower back this weekend, something that has not happened in 2 years. It is pretty easy to over train with all of the teaching I have been doing over the last year. I decided to time off as of last Wednesday and evaluate where I need to go next in my personal training.

It has been long time since I set down and looked at what exercises really set the stage for great returns on training. I spent the last few days really going back over all of the massive amounts of material that I have acquired over the years of KB training and it was clear what I needed to do. Damn that Evil Russian! It came down to going back to the basics, Enter The Kettlebell! Once again, Pavel's genius shines through the darkness to lead the way.

What I have found once again is the power of swings and Get-Ups. The swing is a great foundation for rehabbing and correcting those ills we suffer as members of modern society. The core and posterior chain tends to suffer from our sitting around all day in meetings, drives and entertainment choices. It would not be that big of a deal if we knew how to just get moving. What does the swing do? It requires you to utilize those areas that are atrophying due to lack of use. It adds strength to the core, reducing back pain and rebuilding flexibility. Oh yeah, it burns lots of fat off the body as a perk!

The Get Up as taught by Gray Cook and Bret Jones is an assessment, rehab and strength building gem! The Get Up strengthens every muscle in the body. It builds flexibility, stability and allows you to develop mobility through proper body mechanics. It is almost magical in what it can do. It places a heavy load on the entire body with a reduced risk of injury. It is a basic move that every person performs everyday! The week or so that I worked Get Ups prior to taking time off went a long way toward fixing some shoulder and arm issues that I have been experiencing.

I am looking at a 12 week cycle of the ETK Program minimum. I started it tonight with swings. I began with 3 x 10 sets of Wall Squats, Halos and Pumps. I figured if I was going back to the basics, why not go all the way. I hit 4 sets of 20 swings coupled with 1 minute of movement, i.e. burpees, mountain climbers, side straddle hop for 12 minutes of training. Relax into Stretch finished it off for tonight. Tomorrow will be Get-Ups. Lets see how this goes.

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