Day 1: I can’t believe I am actually here in St. Paul, Minnesota to participate in the Russian Kettlebell Challenge Instructor certification course. I must have felt like a star struck fool, and I am not one to be star struck over anyone. I think it was just amazing to see all those extremely talented people under one roof. Pavel, John and Andrea Du Cane, Steve Cotter, Steve Maxwell, Brett Jones- all amazingly talented people. I would come to respect them even more as the training commenced.
First things first, we got into a big circle, and the mike was handed around to everyone for introductions. There were a couple of other cops, and firefighters in the bunch, but overwhelmingly, the number is extremely varied in their experience and professions. There was a chiropractor in the group, as well as an Olympic athlete. Several were gym owners, many college level athletes, and well as powerlifters, and or gymnasts. Many had been using kettlebells on average for 2 years, and some were very new to kettlebell lifting.
After our introductions, we were told to get into our groups (I was in Team Du Cane led by Andrea Du Cane, Sr.RKC) and meet our assistant instructors. (Will Williams, Monica Cuevas, Mykola Machnowski, and one who I am ashamed to say I forget his name).
Then it was off to the dreaded snatch test!
We were told (barked at is more like it!) to do the test in threes. I was so nervous, I stepped up to get it out of the way. I knew if I waited, then I would get more and more nervous. As I started snatching the bell, I realized my breathing was all off, and I heard Mykola saying “pick up the pace”. Right then, I became worried I was not going to pass the test, and I was only around rep number 24 on the left side. I think I went on auto-pilot as my body began to do what I wanted it to do. I settled down my breathing and became focused on not getting any “no-counts” (that’s where you perform the lift, and they don’t count it due to not locking out the arm or wrist). I instinctively remember my body and mind separating as I realized he was counting straight through to 74 instead of how I normally count which is starting from “1” when I switch hands. I then started to try and count how many I had left to do. By the time I figured it out, Mykola was counting 65, 66, 67, and I thought to myself, there is NO WAY I am not going to complete this! I could hear people shouting encouragement behind me, and that really pumped me up to where I did not feel any pain. When I hit 74, I lowered the bell under control and set it down. WOOHOO!
Then we were told to choose a kettlebell that we would be working with most of the time. I did not let ego get in the way. Even though I routinely work with the 24kg, (doubles, even, I knew the three days were going to be very physical. So I swallowed my ego, and grabbed the 16 kg. bell. Ironically, many of those who grabbed the 24 kg later came back to grab the 16 kg. We were told that we were going to “bond” with our kettlebell. We would have to carry it wherever we went. Since the weather was being schizophrenic (sun one moment, icy wind and rain the next, then sun again) we constantly farmer walked our bells inside and out. I think that was part of the plan! I loved the stress of “low-tech, high concept” strength and endurance training.
The workouts were swings, swings, and more swings! If you think you were performing the swing correctly, you were wrong! Drills, drills, high endurance drills, and then more!
This day set the pace for the rest of the weekend. There was no room for comfort. Lunch and dinner had a possibility of being cancelled. As Steve Maxwell humorously put it, “you could all live off your body fat for a few days!”
Sr RKC Instructor Brett Jones addressed the class. He made it very clear that no one would just “get” the cert because we showed up and paid our money. We had to prove that we were worthy to call ourselves RKCs because when we called ourselves RKCs, we represented him, Pavel, John, Andrea, Steve Cotter, Steve Maxwell, and all the other RKCs. It is a small community and they did not want its reputation ruined by those who lacked the qualities to be an RKC.
When the day was over, there was no doubt in anyone else’s minds that we were in for some work that included blood, sweat and tears. I was so happy that day one was under our belt, and I was looking forward to dinner, and day 2 of training. The body was sore, but curiously, I felt a strange sense of strength knowing I completed the first day of the RKC.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
1st Workout since the RKC
Sunday April 30, 2006
It's been a week since the RKC. I feel good, and have been eating well to let the body recover. I have been going a little stir crazy not hitting the KBs since I went with the family to visit friends in Michigan right after the cert. We even went into Windsor, Canada since it is right across the bridge from Detroit.
CAUTION: Despite what it says on the internet, definitely bring your birth certificate or your passport. You will face major delays trying to get back in over the border.
Workout:
Joint Mobility Drills (did the whole Steve Maxwell tape:20 mins. He is an awesome person. Quite inspiring.)
BWO dead hang pullups 5 x 5 (body weight 204.5 lbs)
Double Clean and Press (long cycle) 2-24kg 5 x 5
Double Front Squat 2-24kg 5 x 5
Windmills 16 kg 3 x 3
I am paying serious attention to strict form. Pressurize the abs, shoulders sucked in the socket, pulling down with the hip flexors, opening up the chest, push out/hinge the hips, breathe behind the shield.
I feel good in the summer night! I just have to get some mosquito spray!
It's been a week since the RKC. I feel good, and have been eating well to let the body recover. I have been going a little stir crazy not hitting the KBs since I went with the family to visit friends in Michigan right after the cert. We even went into Windsor, Canada since it is right across the bridge from Detroit.
CAUTION: Despite what it says on the internet, definitely bring your birth certificate or your passport. You will face major delays trying to get back in over the border.
Workout:
Joint Mobility Drills (did the whole Steve Maxwell tape:20 mins. He is an awesome person. Quite inspiring.)
BWO dead hang pullups 5 x 5 (body weight 204.5 lbs)
Double Clean and Press (long cycle) 2-24kg 5 x 5
Double Front Squat 2-24kg 5 x 5
Windmills 16 kg 3 x 3
I am paying serious attention to strict form. Pressurize the abs, shoulders sucked in the socket, pulling down with the hip flexors, opening up the chest, push out/hinge the hips, breathe behind the shield.
I feel good in the summer night! I just have to get some mosquito spray!
Back from the April RKC
MY RKC EXPERIENCE: APRIL 2006
Pre RKC: I am in St. Paul, and Cheri and I went to the Meet and Greet in the Hospitality suite. This room was full of testosterone and muscles, but I did not see any of the attitudes normally associated with a room full of A type personalities. Everyone seemed to feel the way I did, excited, but nervous about day 1. The big snatch test was on everyone’s minds. For myself, I thought I would come in weighing 198 in order to snatch the 1.5 pood (53 lbs.) 64 times. But a couple of weeks out, I weighed 202-205. I thought about dieting down, but in the end, thanks to reading several posts on Dragon Door, (Thanks Mark Riefkind) I realized I would be better served by eating well, and coming in strong. I have to admit, not trying to diet down kept my stress levels down, and I was really excited to start my snatch test. I ran into Tom Shook, the other RKC hopeful previously trained by Ken Black. He had taken a seminar with Ken in the past with his dad. I was not at that seminar, so we had only heard of each other from Ken. I also met Kenneth Jay from Denmark who was conducting a study on the effects of kettlebell training on untrained persons vs. traditional training methods. I am looking forward to his study being published. I did not stay long, but I took note that I was on Team Du Cane. As I was leaving, Pavel Tsatsouline, Kettlebell guru, walked into the room. He shook my hand and he asked where I was from. He stopped when I said, Sacramento, got a new look in his face, and said, we’ve met before! He had remembered me from the Learning Exchange Power to the People/Super Joints seminar in 2004. I was very stoked that he remembered me two years after the fact. Pavel is very down to earth, approachable, and extremely knowledgeable beyond compare.
I went to bed very excited to start the RKC and hit my numbers in the snatch test!
Pre RKC: I am in St. Paul, and Cheri and I went to the Meet and Greet in the Hospitality suite. This room was full of testosterone and muscles, but I did not see any of the attitudes normally associated with a room full of A type personalities. Everyone seemed to feel the way I did, excited, but nervous about day 1. The big snatch test was on everyone’s minds. For myself, I thought I would come in weighing 198 in order to snatch the 1.5 pood (53 lbs.) 64 times. But a couple of weeks out, I weighed 202-205. I thought about dieting down, but in the end, thanks to reading several posts on Dragon Door, (Thanks Mark Riefkind) I realized I would be better served by eating well, and coming in strong. I have to admit, not trying to diet down kept my stress levels down, and I was really excited to start my snatch test. I ran into Tom Shook, the other RKC hopeful previously trained by Ken Black. He had taken a seminar with Ken in the past with his dad. I was not at that seminar, so we had only heard of each other from Ken. I also met Kenneth Jay from Denmark who was conducting a study on the effects of kettlebell training on untrained persons vs. traditional training methods. I am looking forward to his study being published. I did not stay long, but I took note that I was on Team Du Cane. As I was leaving, Pavel Tsatsouline, Kettlebell guru, walked into the room. He shook my hand and he asked where I was from. He stopped when I said, Sacramento, got a new look in his face, and said, we’ve met before! He had remembered me from the Learning Exchange Power to the People/Super Joints seminar in 2004. I was very stoked that he remembered me two years after the fact. Pavel is very down to earth, approachable, and extremely knowledgeable beyond compare.
I went to bed very excited to start the RKC and hit my numbers in the snatch test!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
