Ah ha Moments!

    I love those "ah ha" moments in people.  Those times when a client comes back and says "I get it...now I understand how this transfers into daily life."  From an outsiders view I am often looked at as the "kettlebell guy".  I guess that makes sense...after all I have choose the kettlebell as my tool of choice.  Once given the chance to work with me, people realize it's about more than just the kettlebell.  It's about working with a person, finding their weak spots and making them stronger.  Teaching good form that will transfer to everything else.
    Recently I was speaking with a gentleman about his program.  I asked about his goals and what he was doing to achieve them.  One the questions I asked was if he did any deadlifts.  His answer was more or less "No".  His reason was  because he wasn't very good at it and it made his back hurt.  This is a gentleman who can bench press over 300 pounds (weighs in around 190) but can't deadlift his own body weight.  I took the time to look at his deadlifting form, correcting his spinal position.  I discussed with him the same principles I teach clients when learning the kettlebell swing.  After a little review he attempted a few deadlifts around  175 pounds.  Oh...his comment,  " ah ha...now I see why my back hurt  before"  Unfortunately I can't tell you how his deadlift has progressed from that day as I have not seen him again.

Bad deadlift form!

    I tell people from the moment I begin working with them, "If you take nothing else away from this, take the principles I am going to teach you".  We talk about how the skills I teach them will not only make them stronger today but hopefully add quality years to their life.

    Yesterday I got a phone call from a new client.  She told me how she had spent the entire day moving gravel.  Normally by the end her back hurts so bad she can't walk for days.  this day was an exception.  Earlier in the week we had met and worked together for the first time.  I spent around 45 minutes teaching her proper spinal alignment,  kettlebell deadlifts and swings.  She tells me, "I took the principles you taught me and applied them to shoveling gravel",  "I am amazed at how well I feel, normally I can't walk after this kind of work".   It's moments like this,  I am reminded how well this stuff works!

   
     In the end it's not about the kettlebell.  It's about what you take away from the training session.  The kettlebell is nothing more than a teaching tool.  

Track and Field taught me everything I know

     I often look back on my days as a high school track & field standout.  Although I don't like to talk about it much, I can't argue with the fact that it made a deep impact on me as an individual.  Not long ago, while visiting California,  I had the opportunity to spend some time with Sr. RKC Franz Snideman.  The two of us share similar passions; the RKC system and track & field.  Yes, we both come from different worlds within track & field but it's our similar love for the sport that got us talking (well...maybe me talking mostly)  You see, I believe that all those years spent running around in a circle taught me the most important lesson in life:  Accountability.



     I can still remember reading an old Runners World magazine, almost nightly, which featured an article about Steve Prefontaine.  It didn't matter that "Pre" had died a year before I was even born, I wanted to be him.  I read everything I could find about him.  I guess you could call him my childhood idol.  What inspired me the most was his will to win, to be the best without excuses.  In my mind he was the definition of mentally tough.  I was determined to be the best, not because I had the most talent, but rather because I refused to quit.

      "A lot of people run a race to see who is fastest. I run to see who has the most guts, who can punish himself into exhausting pace, and then at the end, punish himself even more."   Prefontaine

     What does all of this have to do with accountability and the RKC?  Well, as far as the RKC goes, I feel the same bounding with fellow RKC's as I did with the athletes I competed against in track & field.  Maybe it's because we all share something in common...Accountability. 
      As senior in high school  I experienced a disappointing 2nd place finish in the 1600m state track finals.  I had a run a 4:10 and lost by .02 seconds.  I was disappointed in the loss...not my performance.  It was my first loss in a season dedicated to winning that single race.  After all these years, I would still not change the way I ran that race.  I gave everything I had and had no excuses.  In the end I had still accomplished something most people have never done....and I did on my own.  Yes,  I had great coaching, teammates and family support but all of that only goes so far.  I had to be accountable for myself, every training day, every race...every day! I did not have 5 other teammates to pull me along if I had a bad day.   Nobody was going to get it done for me.
    Accountability!  If you want something bad enough in life, in the end, it has to be YOU that goes after it.  It's like Sr. RKC Dan John says  "does you behaviors match you goals".  A trainer or a coach can teach you the skills to succeed, they can "push you" in workouts.  They cannot teach you accountability, that part is for you to figure out.

New Class Enrolling Now

New Class to Start June 28!
First two are Free

Come train with the only RKC teaching in Northern Colorado!

    Kettlebell classes are set to begin Elite Martial Arts and Krav Maga in Fort Collins.  Join me as we get into the "swing" of things.  Classes will run every Tuesday and Thursday at 06:45 pm.  During this time you will have a short instruction or "practice" session followed by that intense workout you've been looking for.  You'll soon understand what others are talking about when they refer to that killer kettlebell workout.   So grab a friend and "swing" on by...it's time get the results you've been after.  

Remember you will receive your first two classes FREE!

Cost: $40 per month (separate KB Package)
          $08 per day drop in
       

Elite Martial Arts and Krav Maga is located at 232 E. Monroe in Fort Collins in the Foothill Mall parking lot behind Tres Margaritas.