It is two days before the New Year. The New Year is always a time for retrospect on what has been accomplished. I have hit some of my goals, but not all of them. I missed some due to a lack of focus, I missed some due to lack of planning. It happens. I lost focus by not writing my goals down and reviewing them regularly as I should have done throughout the year.
I have two major goals with Kettlebells this year. I will be attending RKCII and CK-FMS. While I do not teach kettlebells as my main form of income, I am teaching some now and will do more in the coming year. I began this journey by attending the RKC for my own personal knowledge and learned that I love to teach. As I have written before, Pavel and the RKC put me on a new path in my professional and personal life. I love kettlebells and I love sharing the knowledge that I have earned through hard work. I am contemplating a stand alone martial arts and kettlebell gym starting in 2011. I have to hit my next goals to start that project.
I have some major goals with Amazing Athletes that I plan on achieving. I will be in at least 70 schools by this time next year with a student base of 1000 children. I will continue to grow the business in a moral and ethical manner. I want the kids to have the best instruction possible and will continuously work on improving my skills and abilities.
I have some other goals that fall under stuff that is personal for me and the family. It seems that everybody puts every aspect of their lives out there for the world to see. Not me!
I will be putting some video up starting next week. It will be a mix of kettlebells and martial arts. I am also opening some training slots after the first of the year. I am working on a schedule now. I will also be doing some online kettlebell training after next week.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
Goals
The group class has grown a little with a few new additions. It is nice to have a good group to train with on a consistant basis.
The last two classes have been focused on the Snatch. We have worked on it quite a bit in the past and it was past time to review it. It started out pretty well. Since it has been a while, I expected to find some minor issues to clean up. For the most part they were only minor problems.
There are some issues that are there only because they differ from the Hardstyle training that I use. There are so many videos on the net, that you can learn almost any style with out leaving the house. The problem is that without one on one instruction, you do not get the subtleties that are required for proper execution. Bad habits develop quickly with improper training. I know this from personal experience, see my RKC trip in 2008. I developed some bad habits that almost kept me from making it through my cert.
The whole point of this is that you need to decide what you want to accomplish and why. Do you want Hardstyle or GS? Press the Beast or SSST of 300? You work from that point to reach your goal. You are at A, you want to get to C, you must do B. A+B=C. Is that simplistic? Heck yes! I am not talking about the depths of knowledge that Pavel, et al. I am talking about setting your goals and getting on the way.
It is that time of year when people set their goals for the next year. Do some people follow through? A few might, the majority do not. I believe that a major reason for failing to reach their goals is the failure to put them down and make them concrete.
Decide what your goals are and write them down. Lots of people write their goals down, so what happens? The goals are written down once and then put those goals away never to see the light of day again. You have to put specific goals down and rewrite them constantly. I have failed to follow that path over the last 6 months and have seen a difference. I have not accomplished what I really wanted to do. I did not have it in my short term memory as well as my long term. It was not written down, so not thought about.
I like to write down my goals on almost a daily basis and at least once a week. I write what I want to achieve as if I have already achieved it. "I pressed the Beast." I do not stop with just writing the goal, I also write the steps that I took to get there. I not only have the "C" of the equation, I also have the "A + B" written down to get there.
It seems really simple and it is. It is just not easy, but hard is good. If it was easy, why do it? You learn more and accomplish more when there is a struggle to reach the end.
Hardstyle is good!
The last two classes have been focused on the Snatch. We have worked on it quite a bit in the past and it was past time to review it. It started out pretty well. Since it has been a while, I expected to find some minor issues to clean up. For the most part they were only minor problems.
There are some issues that are there only because they differ from the Hardstyle training that I use. There are so many videos on the net, that you can learn almost any style with out leaving the house. The problem is that without one on one instruction, you do not get the subtleties that are required for proper execution. Bad habits develop quickly with improper training. I know this from personal experience, see my RKC trip in 2008. I developed some bad habits that almost kept me from making it through my cert.
The whole point of this is that you need to decide what you want to accomplish and why. Do you want Hardstyle or GS? Press the Beast or SSST of 300? You work from that point to reach your goal. You are at A, you want to get to C, you must do B. A+B=C. Is that simplistic? Heck yes! I am not talking about the depths of knowledge that Pavel, et al. I am talking about setting your goals and getting on the way.
It is that time of year when people set their goals for the next year. Do some people follow through? A few might, the majority do not. I believe that a major reason for failing to reach their goals is the failure to put them down and make them concrete.
Decide what your goals are and write them down. Lots of people write their goals down, so what happens? The goals are written down once and then put those goals away never to see the light of day again. You have to put specific goals down and rewrite them constantly. I have failed to follow that path over the last 6 months and have seen a difference. I have not accomplished what I really wanted to do. I did not have it in my short term memory as well as my long term. It was not written down, so not thought about.
I like to write down my goals on almost a daily basis and at least once a week. I write what I want to achieve as if I have already achieved it. "I pressed the Beast." I do not stop with just writing the goal, I also write the steps that I took to get there. I not only have the "C" of the equation, I also have the "A + B" written down to get there.
It seems really simple and it is. It is just not easy, but hard is good. If it was easy, why do it? You learn more and accomplish more when there is a struggle to reach the end.
Hardstyle is good!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Basics
This is Tracy Reifkind showing how swings are supposed to be done. They are rock solid. I hope that my swings are this nice one day. I was an assistant at the RKC with her last year and she is really knowledgeable. Tracy is what the RKC is about. She has the Hard Style Swing down.
It is pretty nice that a lot of RKC's are posting about the Program Minimum. Swings and Get Ups are the meat of the RKC. While the snatch has been called the Tsar of Lifts, they really are not what makes the kettlebell work magic.
Swings are a base exercise that set the stage for everything that follows. They teach the proper hip position, power generation and movement for every other movement. The snatch begins with the hip dip and drive that the swing does. Guess what the clean and squat need to work correctly? Hmmm, maybe the swing? It follows that everything we do stems from the swing.
I have gone back to the program minimum for the time being. I have a 12 week plan that is set out already, making it easy to follow. I am doing this to really set the foundation for a better training regimen. I have been banged up with lots of nagging injuries. I have been working swings and TGU's for about 3 weeks now. I have had a lot of improvement in range of motion and some relief of nagging pain. My lower back was stiff and I have added a greater range of motion.
I have also worked through each point of the TGU. I have learned that I have lots of leakage from a loss of focus and inability to tense certain areas. I have really been tensing the glutes on the hip bridge with great results. I am a lot more solid in all positions. I was somewhat wobbly before using more tension in the TGU. There is a lot of work still to do.
We had a camera breakdown last week. I hope to have a new one this week or next. We will be posting kettlebell and martial arts clips as soon as we can.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Not me, But I promised some video!
At least she is doing a decent workout!
We are actually hoping to do some filming tonight. If we do, we will get it up later.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
meandering
Sometimes blogs don't have to really be about anything. Sometimes they have to be about specifics. I think it really is based on what is going on with the blogger on that day. Today might be one of those really meandering ones. There is so much going on these days that no matter where you turn, there is always something that has to be taken care of, a fire to be put out. That is the nature of life in these times I guess. There seems to be so much to see and do, they all seem to be "have to" most of the time. I look at the changes that I have made in my life over the last two years. I left a "secure" job as a Patrol Sgt for a local Police Department to start my own business. I made the choice to be there for my family.
Leave it to me to do that as we entered a massive recession. It has really worked out well in spite of the economy. The business model is great and we have great coaches to help me. We have continued to grow rapidly and flourished. Is it scary at time? Heck yes! I would not change it for the world. We were chosen as Amazing Athletes Franchise of the Year for the last 2 years. It seems we are doing something right. I also do not regret the ability to be there for my family whenever they need me.
I still see areas where we can make changes to ease some of the craziness. We have been watching less T.V. and doing a lot of family activities. We had a Violetea party last week. There was a large group of young ladies and their Moms at the house. It was great! The girls loved it. The two boys had a great time also! We have had lots of reading time together as well as board games. Sometimes just slowing down is the best thing to do.
Having said that, I will be opening up some training slots after Christmas. I will have some time during the day in Plano and evenings in Rockwall. If you are interested email me.
I restarted sets of 20 this week. I am working on program minimum. It is about fixing the basics and moving from there. The Get Ups were rough as I am attempting to hit perfection on each and every movement. I noticed my foot was coming up tonight. I used some tips from Dragon Door to work on that problem. There is lots of great advice on the forums. I never stop learning or trying to improve.
We should have some video up later this week.
Leave it to me to do that as we entered a massive recession. It has really worked out well in spite of the economy. The business model is great and we have great coaches to help me. We have continued to grow rapidly and flourished. Is it scary at time? Heck yes! I would not change it for the world. We were chosen as Amazing Athletes Franchise of the Year for the last 2 years. It seems we are doing something right. I also do not regret the ability to be there for my family whenever they need me.
I still see areas where we can make changes to ease some of the craziness. We have been watching less T.V. and doing a lot of family activities. We had a Violetea party last week. There was a large group of young ladies and their Moms at the house. It was great! The girls loved it. The two boys had a great time also! We have had lots of reading time together as well as board games. Sometimes just slowing down is the best thing to do.
Having said that, I will be opening up some training slots after Christmas. I will have some time during the day in Plano and evenings in Rockwall. If you are interested email me.
I restarted sets of 20 this week. I am working on program minimum. It is about fixing the basics and moving from there. The Get Ups were rough as I am attempting to hit perfection on each and every movement. I noticed my foot was coming up tonight. I used some tips from Dragon Door to work on that problem. There is lots of great advice on the forums. I never stop learning or trying to improve.
We should have some video up later this week.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Kids at Play
It was a semi rough week for training. We had some illness (Strep)at the house that spread to my parents, so training was pushed to the side on Thursday and Friday. This morning was just recovery for everyone. What does that do for my current program? It just puts me a week behind. In the big scheme it is not that big of a deal. I will actually restart where I was last week, sets of 20 instead of 30 or even 40 on swings.
I have found missed workouts are just part of life. I would probably have a real setback if I did not train with children everyday. I have learned so much about training from the kids over the last two years. Children just like to move and play. While structure is needed, sometimes letting them chose what to do makes a world of difference. Children move and function naturally. they do not worry about "correct" movements as defined by trainers at the gym. It is great to watch them run and play with pure joy, it translates into the function that we as adults strive for. I believe that we become so burdened and bound up by training at the fancy gyms that it hampers us. There are all kinds of studies out there that touch on this. I will research some and write up an entry later.
I was on the sidewalk of the correct road at least before I found Pavel and the RKC. I trained heavy with heavy weights and lower reps. I trained compound movements for the majority of my workouts. I stayed away from machines as much as I could. It just did not feel right to use all of the cables and chairs that were at the gym. To sit down and exercise seemed to go against what we are trying to accomplish. There are some exercises were you are seated that make sense to achieve certain goals, seated Kettlebell military presses, but a complete workout seated? Maybe not the best way to do it.
I had a lot more injuries on the sidewalk. I was not using the correct methods to lift. My bench sucked for shoulder safety. I pushed with my shoulders by my ears. It was no wonder I was always hurt. I used crappy form in squats and my knees hurt all of the time. I had so much knee and shoulder pain that surgery was a real possibility on both areas.
What does this have to do with kids at play and their training? Kids are not injured all of the time by their exercise/play. Yes, they fall of the monkey bars, bang heads and fall, but how often are they injured by the exercise? It is something I am researching, but in my training of children, I have observed very few sports type injuries. Those injuries tend to occur when children begin to play organized sports and they are pushed hard to excel. Adults always seem to have nagging little injuries. Maybe we need to remember how we played as kids...
One thing I am seeing more of is video games affecting our kids lives. Children seem to be losing some of the real activity that they need in their lives. I was teaching tennis the other week and had several children that they already knew how to play. Where did they learn? They learned on Wii. It would be funny, but I have had them say it about numerous sports, baseball, football and especially bowling! These same children are the ones that seem to be in the worst shape physically and in some cases emotionally. Exercise and mental well being go hand in hand. The ability to catch and throw does equate with an increased ability to excel in school.
Somewhat of a random, meandering post, but hopefully gives a reason to think about training and also what are kids are doing.
I have found missed workouts are just part of life. I would probably have a real setback if I did not train with children everyday. I have learned so much about training from the kids over the last two years. Children just like to move and play. While structure is needed, sometimes letting them chose what to do makes a world of difference. Children move and function naturally. they do not worry about "correct" movements as defined by trainers at the gym. It is great to watch them run and play with pure joy, it translates into the function that we as adults strive for. I believe that we become so burdened and bound up by training at the fancy gyms that it hampers us. There are all kinds of studies out there that touch on this. I will research some and write up an entry later.
I was on the sidewalk of the correct road at least before I found Pavel and the RKC. I trained heavy with heavy weights and lower reps. I trained compound movements for the majority of my workouts. I stayed away from machines as much as I could. It just did not feel right to use all of the cables and chairs that were at the gym. To sit down and exercise seemed to go against what we are trying to accomplish. There are some exercises were you are seated that make sense to achieve certain goals, seated Kettlebell military presses, but a complete workout seated? Maybe not the best way to do it.
I had a lot more injuries on the sidewalk. I was not using the correct methods to lift. My bench sucked for shoulder safety. I pushed with my shoulders by my ears. It was no wonder I was always hurt. I used crappy form in squats and my knees hurt all of the time. I had so much knee and shoulder pain that surgery was a real possibility on both areas.
What does this have to do with kids at play and their training? Kids are not injured all of the time by their exercise/play. Yes, they fall of the monkey bars, bang heads and fall, but how often are they injured by the exercise? It is something I am researching, but in my training of children, I have observed very few sports type injuries. Those injuries tend to occur when children begin to play organized sports and they are pushed hard to excel. Adults always seem to have nagging little injuries. Maybe we need to remember how we played as kids...
One thing I am seeing more of is video games affecting our kids lives. Children seem to be losing some of the real activity that they need in their lives. I was teaching tennis the other week and had several children that they already knew how to play. Where did they learn? They learned on Wii. It would be funny, but I have had them say it about numerous sports, baseball, football and especially bowling! These same children are the ones that seem to be in the worst shape physically and in some cases emotionally. Exercise and mental well being go hand in hand. The ability to catch and throw does equate with an increased ability to excel in school.
Somewhat of a random, meandering post, but hopefully gives a reason to think about training and also what are kids are doing.
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