RKC School of Strength

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Motivation

How I Set A Guinness World Record For Turkish Get-ups… And Then Beat It!

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Both of Colleen Conlon's Guiness World Book of Records Successful Attempts

On July 17, 2021, I set the Guinness World Record for “Heaviest Weight Lifted by Turkish Get Up in One Hour (female).” I completed 133 Turkish get-ups in sixty minutes using a 16kg kettlebell. I finished lifting a total of 2,182 kilograms.

On December 4, I beat the record by completing 188 reps in the same time with the same bell. I finished lifting 3,008 kilograms.

The Journey Begins

During the 2020 lockdown, after transitioning my personal training business online, I decided it was time to step up my own kettlebell practice. I was already dead serious about my training, so I started thinking about what bigger goals I might have. At the time, I was doing a lot of kettlebell swings every-minute-on-the-minute (or “EMOM”), and thought to myself, “Is there a challenge for this?”

After some time passed, I went to the Guinness World Record website. I discovered a record listed as, “Heaviest Weight Lifted by Kettlebell Swing in One Hour.” I wondered if there was a record for the Turkish get-up. I searched further and found that there was—but not in the female category. All too often, we impose limitations on ourselves. I was determined to explore my true potential. I thought: “Why not me?”

After brooding in doubt for a few months, I sent in my application. In March of 2021, I began training for the Guinness World Record.

I worked with Senior RKC Annie Vo as my coach. Annie had beaten world records herself, and I knew she would be the perfect fit. In accordance with her programming, I did a lot of Turkish get-up EMOMs—some heavy and short, others long and light. My workouts lasted anywhere between 10-90 minutes. In approaching my goal, my initial game plan was to aim for 2-3 reps per minute with a 20kg bell and I trained as such, but my plan would have to change. It seems I failed to read the fine print.

Colleen Conlon practicing get-ups

Expect the Unexpected

The week before I was prepared to set the record, I discovered that in order for a Turkish get-up to qualify for Guinness, the bell MUST be pressed up and brought down using only one arm. I was not prepared for this. Prior to this discovery, I had been using both arms to press. At the time, I couldn’t single arm press the 20kg. It was even a struggle to press the 16kg! I had only one week to prepare under my newly found circumstances. (Lesson learned: read the fine print!)

The day came. Annie flew out and I had no choice but to follow through. I kept my eyes on the prize and stuck with the plan, using only one arm to press. On July 17, 2021 I performed 133 Turkish get-ups, just over two per minute and set the Guinness World Record! While this first attempt was very exciting, I knew it wasn’t the best I could do. Had I known all the details up front, and trained accordingly, I could do better. The next several weeks were dedicated to push patterns.

Losing Myself

On December 4th, I did 188 Turkish get-ups, just over three per minute and smashed the current Guinness World Record, previously set by me! Breaking this record was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, both physically and mentally. The first time, back in July, I knew I had more to give. This time, nothing remained inside me. I died and was reborn.

Although I never got to a point where I felt like I couldn’t do one more rep, I was maintaining 85% of my max effort for the entire hour. It felt as if I was crying on the inside. I took five mini-breaks and in those moments I saw darkness. It took everything in me to get out of my head and tell myself out loud, “YOU CAN DO THIS!” I never had an out of body experience before, but I did during this hour. I was told afterward that I was grunting and screaming at times, but I don’t remember.

One of the biggest things that helped was having my support team with me. My husband Tim, Annie, and Danny Kavadlo were all there to assist and cheer me on. If I were alone, I would’ve quit, but having Coach Vo by my side helped keep me in line. (Not to mention the fact that she flew across the country to be with me. I couldn’t let her down!)

Tim, Colleen, Annie, Danny

What I Learned

I am capable of doing hard things. Back when Annie and I were coming up with our game plan, we knew based on studying the male record, that three reps average per minute with the 16kg would give me the greatest number. On one of my first sessions in preparing for this record, I tried to do three per minute for 10 minutes with the 12kg and I failed. The thought of doing that with 16kg for an hour terrified me. But it’s from failure that we grow. Had I not been met with obstacles, I may not have grown as fierce. In the beginning, it was too hard for me, but with the right training plan, consist hard work, and the right coach, I was able to do it in the end.

Willpower is a muscle that you need to train. Every session on my own, I had to remind myself of my “why”. There were many moments I wanted to give up, especially during the last attempt, but because I spent so much time in the longer EMOMs, many of which were 90 minutes, my willpower muscle was well conditioned.

Colleen Conlon headshot

Find Your Fierce

We all have the ability to create our own reality. I wasn’t an athletic kid and I did not grow up playing sports. I never had a “Big Game” moment. Not even close. I realized that if I ever wanted that opportunity in adulthood, I had to create it for myself, so that is what I did.

If there is something you want, it’s probably not going to magically come to you. You have to go out there and make it happen, and you can. I know this because if I did it, so can you.

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Follow Colleen Conlon, RKC-II, PCC on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamcolleenconlon/

Kettlebells for Life

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Lori Crock Kettlebell cossack squat

Every Spring, I enjoy looking back and reflecting on what I am grateful for over the last year. One of those things is the RKC School of Strength and my students who enjoy using kettlebells as much as I do.

As I reflect on seven years of teaching strength and conditioning (and a dozen certifications and workshops later) I can honestly say that what has prepared me best to be a strength coach is the RKC School of Strength.

Here’s why: I don’t have to struggle to plan programming for my students. It’s all here—a way to train students to become stable, mobile, strong and flexible for life. This system is safe, interesting to the mind and body, and accessible to all fitness levels. It’s fun, time-efficient and truly a system of health that promotes longevity.

I’m grateful for my students who keep coming back for more…

At my gym, our programming is 80% kettlebells and 20% bodyweight. It’s based on both the RKC and PCC (Progressive Calisthenics) fitness systems.

Many of the students have been training with me since the beginning of my kettlebell journey more than five years ago. They keep coming back for more because the RKC School of Strength challenges both the brain and the body.

I find that students can continue to train this way for life. We can easily adapt the training to their changing personal health and fitness levels. Wherever my students are in the moment—and this true for D1 athletes, everyday working folks, or retirees—they can train optimally.

Lori Crock assisting at an RKC Workshop

The RKC system is inexhaustible—there’s always more to learn about our bodies, the movements, and kettlebells to make us better for life and sport.

The physical and mental stimulation from our training applies to everything we do: lifting, carrying, reaching, bending, sitting, getting up and down off the floor, standing, walking, running and resting. All aspects of our lives can benefit from what we learn about our bodies using the RKC system.

We do not entertain our students with workouts. The challenge of moving well under load is entertaining in itself.

Our system is a way, not a workout. Those who understand this concept can’t get enough of it! I feel blessed and grateful to retain so many students for years.

I’ll be honest. It can take time to find people who appreciate our somewhat “counter-culture” methods. We don’t promise visible abs in six weeks or make other outlandish marketing claims.

First and foremost, the student has to show up and work under the leadership of an RKC certified coach. Both parties—the coach and the student—must make a commitment to see results.

Students who commit to learning our methods stay and flourish. As a teacher, it’s exciting and incredibly rewarding to build long-term relationships with my students and help them achieve what they never dreamed possible.

Theda and Al Training Mobility

An Example Close to Home:

Before training with me and using the RKC system, my husband Al trained on his own or with his buddies. Three shoulder surgeries later—including two surgeries on one shoulder—I told him he needed to start training with me.

Now, he hasn’t had any more injuries and his shoulders are strong and stable. He consistently trains three days each week, and he improves in some way each session. Believe it or not, the strict press has become his strongest movement!

It isn’t easy to coach your own spouse, but it is a joy to watch him to lift while moving with ease and strength—especially since he’s been pain and injury free for the past five years. We both hope to train with this system for the rest of our lives.

Kettlebell Training for Life

I could share a story about each of my students and how the RKC School of Strength has helped them achieve something in their lives that they never imagined—in and outside the gym. I’m sure you can too, if you use the RKC system.

It’s a privilege to train people with a system I’m confident in—and to use honorable, time-tested methods that make people better and more courageous athletes for life and sport, at every age.

Feel free to share your “kettlebells for life” story in the comments below.

 

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Lori Crock, RKC Team Leader, FMS II and MovNat MCT II. Lori owns MoveStrong Kettlebells in Dublin, Ohio where she teaches small group kettlebell classes to all ages and fitness levels and continues to be amazed, inspired and educated by her students. Her email address is lori@movestrongkbs.com

Is a “Fun Workout” an Oxymoron?

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Mike Davidov and Dan John

Is there actually such a thing as a “fun workout”? This might be one of the fitness industry’s most perpetuated myths. What’s behind the sales pitch? The two terms—fun and workout—are individually open to interpretation. When combined, it’s almost impossible to argue against someone convinced that their exercise is as fun as watching their team win the season.

Could the promise of a fun workout mislead a vulnerable newbie into thinking they can take the work out of their training?

To me, the word “fun” describes things like eating ice cream or seeing my favorite band play live. Working out is, well, work. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been putting in the work. I’ve worked out for five years straight and before that, sporadically since I was a teenager. I have definitely enjoyed a great deal of the process. In fact, I think getting strong is the coolest thing you can do—and virtually everyone has the power to do it.

But, I’d be lying if I said there weren’t days I had to begrudgingly drag myself to my living room to do a brutal kettlebell or barbell workout. I’m only human—and that means at least subconsciously trying to expend as little energy as possible while consuming everything in sight. Any other behavior is unnatural, and this is what we’re up against!

Of course, some workouts are fun. When I look through the glass wall into Studio A at my local gym, I see a ton of smiling faces. They’re having a blast in there. But are they working out …or dancing? Is there a difference? Let’s leave that question alone for now, but they are definitely in the class for the purpose of fitness—burning calories, getting in steps, working to stay head in the uphill battle to feel good. Everyone has their own reasons—fitting into smaller size clothes, keeping up with the kids, or feeling strong and mobile.

In Max Shank’s book Ultimate Athleticism, he lists three categories of fitness goals: aesthetics, performance, and health. He argues that if you focus on health, the other two usually follow—to a point. I tend agree. Healthy is attractive, capable, and powerful. I believe that if you want to truly call yourself physically healthy, you must strive to strike a balance between endurance, muscular endurance, and strength.

Mike Davidov, RKC-II

I didn’t always love to lift. But once I learned the skills and set solid goals with a structured plan to achieve them, I was hooked. For me, that’s fun, it’s also work, but it’s fun work. If I want to optimize my health, I need to address my glaring weaknesses in endurance activities, and I swear, I’ll start tomorrow…

The group class in Studio A is crushing it with endurance, but are almost completely neglecting strength training. They were promised a fun workout. Lifting heavy weights is hard, has a steep learning curve, can be monotonous, and the strength payoff can take months. Try selling that to someone who just signed up to have a little fun while they take a bit off the waistline! Most will go for the path of least resistance. And at no fault of their own, there’s very little chance that they will make the leap to the other side of the gym.

So, while I could really use some of the class (or time on the track) it would just be work to me—even though I would be improving my health. Similarly, those in the cardio and met con class can benefit from learning some of the skills of strength. I would encourage them to hire a trusted coach and take a page from Dan John’s playbook: pick one move for each fundamental human movement—a push, pull, squat, hinge, and a carry. Then, just stick to those five movements for a few months.

Cardio and metcon workouts can be a delightful surprise each and every time, but strength is different. Strength takes time to develop, and the discipline to keep the workouts simple. If you try and go too heavy too soon, the risk of injury can be high. Start slow, learn the moves and keep the effort at a safe and comfortable threshold. Add just one or two reps or a few pounds to the lifts each week. You’ll know when you’re ready to push it. While you might not sweat as much, embrace the fact that getting strong is a fantastic way to get lean.

If we’re lucky, most of us are fond of at least one pillar of fitness, and can enjoy the path. But to be well rounded, and truly fit, we’ll need to do some work—but it will be worth it. We can also be grateful that at least some of our workouts will be “fun”.

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Mike Davidov, RKC-II is also a NESTA certified personal trainer, and host of the Strong Arguments Podcast.

The Fitness Program of the Future—Now!

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Kirk Adams, RKC Get-Up

I’ve been in the fitness industry for almost 18 years. Most of that time has been spent looking for answers to age old questions:

  • How can I best help my clients reach their goals?
  • How can I get my clients to workout more consistently?
  • What are the best tools and exercises to get them the most effective results?

There are many sources for answers—and many great systems producing outstanding results. About eight months ago, I was fortunate to join the Dragon Door family when I passed the RKC Level 1. It was an amazing weekend filled with learning, challenges and camaraderie. Since then, I have taken RKC Level 2 and have been fortunate to assist with an HKC and RKC Level 1. While these experiences have taught me many things, the most important is that what Dragon Door has to offer—specifically in the RKC and PCC—is exactly what people and the fitness industry need!

To get the most out of a fitness program, make progress and reach goals, it is important for people to work out as consistently as possible. Just the thought of having to travel to a gym before or after work—then spend an hour or more fighting over equipment—is enough to keep even the most dedicated person from sticking with a fitness program.

Kirk Adams, RKC Push-Up

An ideal fitness program—the fitness program of the future—would be short, portable, and use minimal equipment. Kettlebells and bodyweight training check all three of those boxes. Get-ups, swings, and complexes like cleans and presses offer so much “bang for your buck” that you can get a great workout without committing much time at all.

With a few kettlebells and maybe a pull-up bar, you can create a workout program with almost endless variety and challenge. These exercises are also extremely portable. Whether you’re at home, the office, or on the road, it’s easy to get in your workout—and there’s less room for excuses.

Kettlebell and bodyweight training reinforce several of the most positive aspects of the fitness industry. Most people would benefit from mastering and strengthening basic movement patterns with exercises that focus on improving their ability to squat down, lift, push, pull, and carry weight. This more functional approach can help people easily accomplish daily tasks and with less pain.

Kirk Adams, RKC Goblet SquatIt’s important for a successful training system to be appropriately challenging for everyone—no matter where they are on their fitness journey. Some of the best elements of both the RKC and PCC Workshops are the built in progressions and regressions for each exercise. Whether it’s someone’s first day of training or they’re an elite level athlete, these systems have safe exercises and workouts which will challenge someone to improve. This is an excellent way to bring more people into a fitness lifestyle and encourage them to continue training for a lifetime.

Training consistently and reaching your fitness goals is always harder when you go it alone. Having a community by your side with standards that hold you accountable help increase your chances for success. Dragon Door has built that community through its courses, books, and instructors. A community gives people somewhere to turn to when they have questions or need support along their journey. Dragon Door has also set standards for basic and exceptional levels of fitness based on gender, age and weight. These standards are excellent training goals. These goals and community accountability can help everyone stay consistent with their training even when personal motivation drops.

The most successful fitness programs have a few things in common: consistent workouts which can be done any time, anywhere and exercises that improve our ability to move well and get stronger no matter our current fitness level. But, people also need a community for support and standards that motivate. That’s why I’m excited to be part of the Dragon Door family. They’ve provided me with the knowledge and tools to help myself and my clients be better tomorrow than we are today!

 

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Kirk Adams, MS, RKC is the Head Performance Coach at Golf & Body NYC

Take Responsibility and Achieve Your Goals

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Angelo Gala Kettlebell Snatch set-up
Photo by: Katie Pietrowski Photography

Lets face it; exercising consistently is hard work. Showing up to your local gym, box or calisthenics park on a regular basis takes a level of commitment that most people just do not have these days. Knowing that over 90% of us who set out to achieve our New Year’s resolutions are doomed to fail, it’s easy to give up once we begin to struggle because “everyone else is doing it.” Let’s take a look at a few variables we can control which will help us achieve success in our journey to a greater level of fitness.

Know Your “Whys”—Then Create a Support Group

The first step in achieving anything great is establishing a goal. It doesn’t matter what your goal is (we all have different interests and priorities), but you need to pick something that’s important to you. When I say important, I don’t mean “It would be cool if I could press the beast kettlebell some day.” The goal should be something that tickles you somehow, and creates a visceral response. You need a reason that achieving this goal will make your life better.

The journey towards your goal should make you better physically, emotionally, spiritually, or provide a tremendous sense of accomplishment. Understanding your “whys” will get you through your training on the days when you just don’t feel like doing it.

Once you know your “whys” it’s time to align yourself with people who will support your journey—rather than instigate the negative self-talk that can derail your commitment, potential or ability. Your family, your partner, and your fitness community all need to be supportive of your goals. If any of these peers are not on board with your vision, it’s time to find a new support network that will lift you up rather than keep you down.

Angelo Gala Back Lever
Photo by: RX.Photography

Rule # 1 – It’s Your Fault

This rule will pop up over and over again. Taking personal ownership of your journey is the first priority. Too often people are quick to point fingers at their coach, their programming, their financial situation, their stressful job, etc… Remember excuses are like a$$holes, we all have them. It’s time to cut the crap and own it.

Ask yourself: are you doing everything in your power to be compliant with your coach, programming, or nutrition guidelines? I get it. Life is a four letter word, and sometimes things happen that get in the way. You had to stay late at work, your kids got sick, or you slept in. These things happen to everyone so don’t be like everyone else and use them as a scapegoat. Accept that your timeline just got pushed back a little bit, it’s OK.

Take Care of Your Body and Focus on the ‘Unsexy’ Stuff

This is the easy part, right? We dig fitness, so clearly we’re doing all the right things. Unfortunately, working out consistently is just a tiny part of the equation. What you do outside the gym comes into play with achieving your goals more than what you’re doing inside the gym (assuming you’re training at the correct intensities and providing the adequate dose response).

Be attentive to lifestyle factors that affect your training. Get eight hours of sleep at night. Go to bed and get up in the morning at the same time EVERY DAY. You’re a night owl? BOGUS! In this instance, ignore your preferences and understand that as humans we naturally align with the circadian rhythm of the sun. That means when the sun rises, we should be rising. When the sun is setting, our bodies are entering shut down mode. Our hormone levels rise and fall with the sun, so regardless if you want to stay up late and watch your favorite show, under the hood your cortisol levels are high and your body needs sleep to recover. Understand that eight hours of sleep from 12am-8am is not as good as getting eight hours of sleep from 10pm-6am. Go to bed early if you really want to be the best you possible. If you don’t get the results desired, revert to Rule #1.

Angelo Gala Sphinx pose
Photo by: Katie Pietrowski Photography

Be Authentic

This may be the most challenging variable. Our egos push us to think and act in ways that aren’t necessarily in our best interests. Be honest with your abilities. If you’re currently following a squat cycle based on percentages, use numbers that are extrapolated off your most recent max (within the past three months). Do not use numbers based off the max that you want to hit. If you haven’t tested before you start the squat cycle, then test and know where you currently stand.

Authenticity also applies to lifestyle factors as well as movement quality. If you aren’t sleeping properly, you won’t make the same progress from your efforts. If you aren’t eating to support your activity levels or goals, progress may not happen at all. Stress levels through the roof? Your body can only handle so much stress before it implodes or shuts down. Remember: exercise is a mechanical stress and it needs to be factored into the total equation. Everyone has the capacity to tolerate different levels of stress. It is not a one-size-fits-all formula.

Are you able to reach your arms overhead without lifting your ribcage, or do you “fake” the mobility? Common sense tells me that it may not be the safest idea to begin working on your full press bridge until you’ve achieved adequate ranges of shoulder and rib cage mobility—or you will risk crashing down on your head. Again, own it and fix the things you have control over. Remember, “Your ego is not your amigo.”

Do Your Homework

Your homework may include showing up on time and getting your regular training session done. But I’m not just referring to collecting sets and reps of lifts or 400m run repeats. In this case I’m referring to improving your foundation. Grey Cook, MSPT has said, “First move well, then move often.” Prioritize creating balance in your body. Many of us have postural deviations, tight muscles or strength imbalances from years of playing competitive sports or from years of sitting at a desk trying to build a career. The body is an amazing machine and will find a way to become strong in positions or movements that are frequently utilized. Dedicate time in every training session to improving your squat mobility, overhead position, or re-pattern and strengthen an (often) under-appreciated core. I know this stuff isn’t as fun as picking up heavy things or unlocking a new calisthenics move, but without proper and balanced movement, you may never reach your goals. Worse yet, you may expedite an impending injury on the way.

Learn Your Body’s Rate of Adaptation

The ability to respond to training can be simplified into two categories: are you a fast adapter or are you a slow adapter? A slow adapter is an individual that will need to practice more patience with their journey. If you’re a fast adapter, congratulations! To some extent you’ve won the genetic lottery. Fast adapters can look at a new movement and duplicate it almost flawlessly within their first few attempts—assuming they have adequate levels of strength and mobility. Slow adapters may require weeks of proper patterning before they acquire some level of competency. You’ll learn your rate of adaptation along your journey with some trial and error. If you adapt quickly, still focus on the building blocks of the basics to promote longevity and durability. If you’re a slow adapter, don’t get hard on yourself and definitely don’t fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others. Embrace the journey you’re on. It just might take longer to build strength or develop new skills compared to some of your peers.

Angelo Gala Barbell Snatch pull
Photo by: Katie Pietrowski Photography

These are just a handful of factors that can play a big role in whether or not you achieve something great. We all have the power to make big improvements to our current level of fitness. It helps to take a step back and look through a wider lens to observe what’s really going on. Go ahead and try to apply some of these concepts and notice if your progress improves. Keep in mind that fitness is a highly individual journey. We all need different levels of focus on each of these factors due to unique starting points, levels of commitment and genetic predispositions. When in doubt, revert to Rule #1.

 

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Angelo Gala is both a Master RKC, PCC Team Leader and Co-Owner of EDX Fitness in Lafayette, CO. He has been a fitness professional for 15 years working day to day with a wide range of clientele.  He helps the average “Joe” get fit and out of pain and prepares athletes to qualify and compete at the CrossFit Games. His specialties include improving restricted movement, getting strong(er) and energy system development (anything that elevates the heart rate). Angelo is available for remote coaching and on-site workshops. For scheduling he can be reached at a.angelo.gala@gmail.com.

Is Your Training Making You Better?

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Paul Britt's clients training Pullups

Why are you training? What is your goal? Is your goal to lose weight? Be stronger? Play better? Is your training working? If not, then you must re-evaluate your training and see what is keeping you from reaching your goal. Are you injured? Are you tired or sick? If so how did it occur and how do you get better? Why train in a way that does not make a positive difference in your life? You are exercising for a reason—it could be improved performance, fat loss, or even stress relief.

Do not just exercise on autopilot; keep the goal the goal. Keep the goal in the forefront of your thoughts. You must have your goals and visions in your daily operating system so that they are always present. This will allow you to adjust your plan, because when you are doing something that does not fit the goal, you know it. If what you are doing doesn’t make you better and move towards your goal, there is no real point in doing it. If you know what you are striving for, everything should lead you to that goal.

You need to look at your plan, evaluate where you are and ask yourself if it is working. If not, don’t despair, just look for alternatives in diet and exercise. No plan, pill or tool will be the magic answer. Try something, evaluate it and repeat until you find what puts you a step closer to your goals. Remember, “better is better.” A tiny improvement is still an improvement and it is a start.

You don’t always have to leave a “sweat angel”!

Do Not Train in Pain

Training in pain is just a faster way to the “Dark Side”! The only outcome you can expect when you train in pain is injury, compensation, and a failure to reach your goals. Unless you are peaking for a specific purpose—like an Olympic gold medal—then don’t go here. What benefit will be gained from injury? If there is pain, stay away from what causes it, and see your doctor. Stop training until released by your medical professional.

Have Fun!

I push myself hard all the time, but I always have fun with it. If you are not happy when training, you are missing all the benefits. If you are not happy or having fun, then exercise becomes “just another thing I have to do”. It should be a positive experience that you look forward to. I try to make my training fun and enjoyable. If it is something you dread, you will not get any real benefits from your time and effort. It should be time away from work and stress. Live in the moment and do not think about the stress from the day/life for an hour.

Take a Break

It is okay to take a break. You can push really hard for 4-5 weeks before your body says “enough”. Put your plan together so that you have time to relax and recover. You need to schedule down time every 3-4 weeks in your training cycle or you will break. The down time can be just a change in activity, hiking instead of running, playing at the park instead of being in a gym. Change is good and speeds up recovery. It also takes the drudgery out of training.

Breaks are good for you, even if you do not think they will help you reach your goals. You cannot drive a Ferrari at 190mph all day, every day without some wear and tear. You have to pull into the pit and take a few minutes/days to recover before hitting the road again.

Training Does Not Have to be Your Life

Exercise should be something that makes you feel better, move better, and get stronger. It should not be something you dread, or that causes pain or injury. If it does any of those things, evaluate what you are doing and make sure it is in alignment with your goals. Spend the minimum amount of time needed to make the changes to reach your goals.

Your Life Needs to be Your Life

Exercise should make you more useful and capable so that you can be there for your family, friends, and loved ones. Be fit to enjoy your life for a long time with your loved ones.

Pau lBritt Group Training Squats

 

Now that we have discussed a few thoughts on training, where do you go from here? Everyone is at a different place in their life, training and recovery, but the points still work and they must be adapted for the individual. For example, I am now in Chiropractic School full time. My typical day starts at 4:50am and ends at 10:30 or 11pm. I am at school from 7-5PM, drive home for up to 90 minutes, and when I get there I have two teenagers and a child under one year old to deal with—along with my own training, meals, studying, and I have to try and find a few minutes to tell my wife that I love her. There are days when I might get only three hours of sleep a night for several nights in a row. If I did not follow the rules, I would end up burned out even more, and injured due to training. I have to train as it is my stress relief and helps me maintain my fitness level so I can teach at certification workshops.

Considering all of that, what do I do? I base my life on Strong Medicine. It is the guidebook for living a healthy and hopefully long life. I have fully bought into the concept of the Stress Cup. When it is full, or close to full, I know I need to back off somewhere—and that usually means backing off of hard training. Strong Medicine is part of the blueprint for my future practice. Buy it, read it, and implement the plans for eating, sleeping, recovery and stress management.

How the Strong Medicine Plan Works in My Life:

I eat as clean as possible every day by eating lots of vegetables and some protein at every meal. I try to keep a good source of energy, antioxidants and building blocks in my system to help with recovery. I am also very particular in supplementation with fish oils, antioxidants and other similar vitamins and minerals. I check my grip strength in the morning and before I train to determine how hard I can train that day. Here’s an article I wrote about grip strength and training on the Strong Medicine Blog.

I plan simple workouts that I can easily scale to the appropriate level for the day. I like to get some training in every day. I try to make sure at the very least, I do 100 kettlebell swings.

The following plan can have anywhere from 100-200 or so swings. The number of swings will depends on your sleep, time to train, and overall Stress Cup level.

Paul Britt Training Justine with 32kg
The kettlebell you use is up to you, Justine is swinging a 32kg kettlebell.

Monday

Swing/Squat.

10 swings followed immediately by 1 Squat, 10 Swings/2 squats, 10 Swings/3 squats, 10 swings/4 squats, 10 swings/5 squats. I will start the next series at 5 squats and go to 1 for my base of 100 swings. If it is a heavier day, I will go back up the ladder and/or back down for 200 swings. This can be body weight or Goblet Squats with weight.

Tuesday

Swing/Pushup

I follow the same plan as the Swing/Squat

Wednesday

Swing/Pullup

Hmm, there is a pattern here…see above.

Thursday and Friday

I start with Swing/Squat and Friday would be the Swing/Pushup. The following Monday, I would start with the Swing/Pullup.

I like bodyweight work but this could be done with any combination of exercises. You could do presses, double kettlebell front squats, kettlebell rows etc. whatever you need to add to your session. I tend to keep rest to a minimum. I find that it is easy to hit almost 90% of heart rate max doing the exercises as a superset, then it takes about 30 seconds for my heart rate to drop to about 70%, when I can perform another set. This is basically the Burst Cardio idea from Strong Medicine. I use this approach to keep training while staying strong and healthy.

 

 

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Senior RKC Paul Britt has been an RKC kettlebell instructor since 2006. Paul trains people at workshops and privately. Paul is currently attending Parker University working on his Doctor of Chiropractic degree Paul has served as an assistant instructor at many RKC and HKC Courses, is a Certified Kettlebell Functional Movement Specialist (CK-FMS) and works with some of the top Chiropractors in North Texas. Please visit his website for more information or to contact him

How to Keep Training When Life Gets in the Way

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Phil Ross Master RKC One Hand Handstand

Other than the excuse of “I don’t have the money to train”, the other top excuse for not exercising is “I don’t have time”. The money issue is usually more a question of priorities. At my gym, it costs about five dollars a day to join my classes. That’s not much when it seems like many people spend $3 to $5 on their morning coffee, $10-15 on lunch and waste even more on other frivolous expenditures. If it still isn’t in the budget, people can always work out at home with books like Convict Conditioning, Survival Strong, or Master the Kettlebell for a small one-time investment. But, budgeting to join a class could be as easy as packing your lunch and making your own coffee. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. I’ve been almost penniless—twice—and never stopped training. Excuses are like armpits, everyone has them and they all stink! But, my focus for this post isn’t savings, it’s time allocation.

“No time, no time, no time…” That’s no excuse. Make time! It doesn’t take much. Pick an activity and do it for one hour, three times a week. Do something else for 20 to 30 minutes a day on your “off days”. If you still can’t manage one hour, three times a week, start by doing this little workout to get your juices flowing—all you need is 30 minutes, a floor and a $10 jump rope:

The goal is 1000 jump rope skips (200 per round for 5 sets), 100 push-ups (25 per round for 4 sets) and 120 abdominals (30 per round for 4 sets). Here’s the order: jump rope, push-ups, abs, jump rope, push-ups, abs, jump rope, push-ups, abs, jump rope, push-ups, abs, jump rope. End the workout with planks, bridges and stretching.

With kettlebells, you can do a 12 or 20 minute Tabata interval sequence. Pick 3 to 5 exercises, and set your interval timer for 20 seconds of work/10 seconds of rest and hit it! Your heart rate will rise and you’ll be sweating in no time! For example, you could pick three exercises like double kettlebell swings, double kettlebell front squats and double kettlebell presses. If you pick five exercises you might add double kettlebell rows and cleans. There are endless combinations. Pick a few that work well together. A bodyweight exercise only version could be burpees, push-ups and abs. End the workout with bridges and stretch out. There are endless possibilities.

Here’s a real life example of how I kept training in a very busy time…

It was crunch time. I had less than three weeks before the photo shoot for my upcoming book with Marty Gallagher, Ferocious Fitness. I needed to be in peak condition, so missing my training was out of the question. My training had been going according to schedule, but then life happened—as it often does—when you own a business, are a parent, a spouse, have older parents, and have dogs, too.

Right before noon, I got a call from my six year old daughter’s school. She was sick and needed to come home. Since my wife was at her job 40 miles away from home, I also needed to take my daughter to the doctor. I told my blue belts what to cover in our noon Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class, and I was out the door.

The first available doctor’s appointment was 2PM, and it was already 12:22 by the time I picked up my little one. After I situated her on the couch at home, I had 1 hour and 38 minutes to workout, eat, shower and get her to the doctor. Game on!

I went into the garage and hit it. I started with the 5 Geometric Bando forms (Point, Square, Cross, T and the Line), three times each. Then I did a nonstop circuit with Neuro-Grip push-ups and kettlebells. I did four sets of the Neuro-Grip push-ups and three sets of the other exercises:

  • 25 Neuro-Grip push-ups
  • 10 hand to hand kettlebell swings
  • Table top push-downs, 10 seconds, 6 reps
  • Single kettlebell front squats, 5 reps each side
  • WOD-QB roller: 5 seconds out and back, 5 reps to the center and each side
  • Single kettlebell high pulls, 8 each side
  • 4 way neck, 10 seconds dynamic tension in each direction
  • Single kettlebell rows, 8 each side

I ended the workout with 5 sets of uneven kettlebell shrugs (20 reps per set). 
Since I didn’t have time for a “real” lunch, I made a shake with a banana, a splash of OJ, water, a tablespoon of peanut butter, and egg white protein powder—then chugged it. I took the next 7 minutes to shower, get dressed and get in the car. (I’m glad I’m bald at times like this!) At 1:45PM we were off to the doctor’s office, and made it on time. It even worked out that we were able to pick up her prescription, and drop her off at home with the sitter by 3:15PM. I had plenty of time to teach my 4PM kettlebell class, and since my wife got home from work early, I was able to teach my classes through 9PM.

I could have easily bypassed the workout and no one would have thought less of me—except for me! My point is that these scenarios happen fairly often. A sick child, a parent who needs help, a dog eating the carpet, network problems at the studio… Life happens, but if you roll with the punches, you can still fit in your workout. You can do it!

Strength and Honor,

Coach Phil

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Master RKC Phil Ross is the creator of many strength and conditioning programs, including The Kettlebell Workout Library DVD set. Visit www.philross.com to learn about his programs, classes, and workshops. Subscribe to his YouTube channel for more workout and exercise info.

Why Recertify?

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Dan John Instructing at the 2016 San Jose RKC

As I review my half-century in the weightroom (I started lifting in 1965), I begin to see our world of strength through the lens of something Arthur Schopenhauer noted:

“When you look back on your life, it looks as though it were a plot, but when you are into it, it’s a mess: just one surprise after another. Then, later, you see it was perfect.”

With my massive collection of Strength and Health magazines and the short-lived American Athlete magazine, I can pick up an issue from just after World War II and see articles about how to repair the wounded warriors. The training presented for injured veterans was just like what most people now consider training: laying down on machines, isolation work and a few sets of about eight to ten reps. While that kind of training is perfect for someone with compromised health and fitness, it’s not optimal for elite sports performance!

I can read articles from the 1950s and see kettlebells used for leverage work, curls and grip training. I have found swing articles from the 1960s that emphasize dangerous overflexion at the hinge and overextension at the plank.

Yes, kettlebell work had basically devolved into a mess. Powerlifting had pushed Olympic lifting out of the way, and the bench press became the answer to every question. It wasn’t a good answer. Some excellent coaches and trainers were pushing the strength envelope, but others were bogging us down. Speaking of bogging us down in the mess, one famous strength coach advocated using mud as resistance and noted “progress will be made.” It works for pigs, so why not?

“Whadduya bench?” became the fitness standard. We saw the rise of the machines for leg training—as if leg presses indicated anything in the field of play or nature. The world of lifting was a mess.

Dan John's Goblet Squat
Dan John’s Goblet Squat

And then, the kettlebell returned and all credit—all credit—goes to Dragon Door if you wish to be historically sincere. As an Olympic lifter, I couldn’t fathom how these kettlebells could help me. I was surprised when I learned that the swing (done correctly and not how I first did it) made me a better Olympic lifter when I better understood the hinge. As much as I knew how to coach the squat, the horns on the kettlebell allowed me to teach pushing out the knees with the elbows. And, I invented the goblet squat.

One arm pressing trumped most of the overhead work I was doing with throwers as it demanded the hard work of the whole chain of anti-rotation muscles.

I became a better coach with kettlebells. But, I wouldn’t have been ready for them when I first saw them in Strength and Health.

As if kettlebells were a part of my coaching life’s plot, they arrived exactly when they needed to arrive…like what Gandalf says about wizards.

I learned enough to fill my head at my RKC certification in San Jose in 2008. Oddly, I learned even more a few months later as an assistant at an RKC at UCLA. And, I learned more again and again and again…

I started coaching in 1979, and thirty years later my head was being filled again!

 

I tell people all the time, you can’t think through a ballistic movement. To understand the swing, snatch and clean, you need to “hear” the standards, drills, corrections, and the insights several times before it “clicks.” Oddly, your technique might be seamless, but you might not be able to coach someone who has a simple error in their technique. Or, you might be able to “see” the problem, but your own technique is muddled.

When it comes to the goblet squat, get-up and press, are you really prying, packing or patterning the correct path? Or, are you just getting the reps in? Are you putting the kettlebell down like a professional every single time? How is your breathing? Your tension?

Hip Hinge Coaching San Jose RKC

You need other eyes. You need community.

You need to recertify!

I work with a handful of RKCs daily. It is a rare few weeks, when someone does NOT take me aside and point out that I’m making a basic error. On paper, I am a Master RKC—but in my own training, I am just another person swinging a kettlebell. I try not to get lazy. I try to stay packed and attack the hinge.

…but sometimes I don’t.

Over time, skills degrade. “Safety is part of performance,” except when we get tired, lazy or pressed for time. There are no excuses for lack of safety!

Dan John Coaching San Jose RKCRecertifying will get eyes on you again. Recertifying for $500 means three days of expert teaching and evaluation from at least three people, if not many, many more. This is a bargain compared to hiring a personal trainer.

Whenever anyone returns from a retreat, a clinic, conference, or workshop, the enthusiasm and excitement drips off of them. They have clear eyes and a missionary zeal.

When I first embarked on my RKC journey, I came home and converted everyone I knew to the “Kettlebell Crusade”.

But, like all things, this wanes over time. It’s not bad or good, but without community, without an ongoing dialogue, the battery runs out of excitement.

Outside of an annual visit to “Kettlebell Kamp”, the best thing I can recommend is recertifying.

For as much as I learn during the day, I think I learn more at night. At dinner, we exchange emails, gym insights, training mistakes, and fixes. A wealth of information seems to fit perfectly on a napkin. My favorite RKC dinner moments are when John Du Cane gives me a “MUST” read book recommendations. I am forever grateful for his recommendations.

JDC does an interesting thing, when he asks for my book recommendations, he opens his phone and buys the books as I list them. If you believe in Shark Habits (“One bite!”) like I do, then this is a good example to follow.

It’s a rare day when I do NOT get a text, email, post, or message from someone I met at an RKC. It’s nice to recommit to the shared experience. But, people still move on, drop off and walk away. Recertify your way into a new group of people who can walk the walk with you.

For example, if you were certified before 2008, you missed the goblet squat. Since then, the get-up has been revamped several times. Finally, I think we’re teaching it with the appropriate steps, corrections, and drills. The sections on programming are tighter and clearer with more actual programs.

San Jose RKC Seth Munsey Group Getup

There are more swing drills and clearer correctives. In other words, the RKC is evolving. There was nothing wrong with the Sig Klein articles in Strength and Health, but kettlebells and kettlebell training has evolved. I rarely wear leopard skin and lace up boots when I train. (Note: I said when I train. My gym is judgment free, so you would be welcome to do what you need to do.)

I enjoy being part of this evolution. As much as I loved the original notion of the “kettlebell revolution”, the kettlebell won. If you are keeping score, I enjoy the kettlebell evolution ever more. Hundreds of people teaching thousands of clients with millions of swings will produce new insights, new ways of teaching and greater clarity with problems and issues.

I believe in investing in my continuing education. I sit in the front row at workshops and sign up for a weekend certification or conference at least once a year. It’s hard to find a better deal than the $500 for the three-day RKC recertification.

In 1993, with two little girls in the house, I flew out for a week-long discus camp at Dennison University. For that week, Tiffini worked full-time along with fulfilling full-time mommy and daddy work. It cost a lot—money we didn’t have—and it was a ton of work for me.

But, it changed my life. I have gone back every year since. It sharpened my coaching toolkit, opened my mind to new possibilities, and honed my own techniques.

We have earned back, in every way, this investment.

Look at recertification with the same lens: for $500, you are recertified for three years. More importantly, you’ll have a chance to fill your quiver of arrows, add new tools to your toolkit, experience a dynamic new community, learn new and evolving information, and get new sets of eyes on your technique.

The question shouldn’t be “why recertify?,” it should be “why not?”

It is the perfect way to plot your career.

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Master RKC, Dan John is the author of numerous fitness titles including the best selling Never Let Go and Easy Strength.

Dan has spent his life with one foot in the world of lifting and throwing, and the other foot in academia. An All-American discus thrower, Dan has also competed at the highest levels of Olympic lifting, Highland Games and the Weight Pentathlon, an event in which he holds the American record.

Dan spends his work life blending weekly workshops and lectures with full-time writing, and is also an online religious studies instructor for Columbia College of Missouri. As a Fulbright Scholar, he toured the Middle East exploring the foundations of religious education systems. For more information visit: http://danjohn.net

 

From the RKC manual:
There are four compelling reasons to recertify and keep your RKC status.

The number one reason to recertify is to keep your skill level up to the current standards of the RKC. This signifies the importance you place on continuing your education and keeping your personal athletic skills sharp.

The second reason to recertify is the obvious benefit you receive from the Dragon Door marketing machine, by being listed as an RKC on the DragonDoor.com website. This can lead potential clients to you and give you a presence within and outside your on community.

The third reason to recertify is the ability to network with like-minded trainers. This is an extremely valuable tool to help keep you current, offer support and advice in all manners of kettlebell training and professional issues.

The fourth reason, is to continue to receive a discount on purchases of kettlebell and Dragon Door kettlebell products. Orders can be placed by logging you’re your instructor account online, where qualifying products are automatically discounted, or by calling DragonDoor.com customer service at 1-800-899-5111 or internationally 214-258-0134. Identifying yourself as a currently certified instructor is required, so the phone agents know to use your account to place your order.

The Journey Doesn’t End with the Title

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Shari Wagner RKC Team Leader
My RKC workshop was in April 2009, and I didn’t pass at the workshop due to a failed snatch test. I submitted a video one week later to earn my RKC title. I recently stumbled across that fateful video and of course, I watched it.

I watched it with a little bit of shock and awe at the poor technique I displayed. I also watched it with a lot of pride. Pride for the hard work I have put in to improve my technique since then and pride for all I have accomplished over the years.

When I first learned the snatch, it was in the days of first learning the high pull. This caused me to have a very significant corkscrew. I worked and worked at fixing this corkscrew before attending the RKC to no avail, and it was one of the biggest worries I had going in to the workshop. It wasn’t the typical worry of not completing the reps, my worry was all about the technique.

I did improve my technique at my RKC workshop, but I still had some of that darn corkscrew. At the time, while not ideal, it was still considered passable technique. I kept plugging away at the technique, but that corkscrew still remained.

I eventually sought out some additional instruction, which helped quite a bit. I also started watching videos of other instructors doing the snatch. I watched the timing very intently, along with the arm position and the path the kettlebell took. I noticed that when they snatched, you could see the bottom of the kettlebell as it flipped over and it looked so smooth and effortless. When I snatched with the corkscrew, my arm was turning out the side, therefore the bottom of the kettlebell was turning out to the side. It also looked anything but smooth and effortless. It certainly felt like a lot more effort too.

I took all of these visual and verbal cues and turned them inward, so I could feel it and visualize what it should look like. I snatched in front of the mirror because at the time I didn’t have a way to video myself. The short story is that it worked! I was finally able to snatch without a corkscrew. However…

I still had work to do to improve my technique. I was now keeping my arm a bit too straight and casting the kettlebell out a bit too much. More training and more work ahead, but I took it all in and worked hard because I was determined to get better. Being a type-A perfectionist and a Capricorn served me well in this case. Not only would this extra work help me get better, but it would help me help my students.

I later assisted at an RKC for the first time and it was the first time with the new RKC. When I tested my requirements for Keira Newton, she gave me a few additional tips that added to the improvements I had already made.

Then I witnessed how we now teach the snatch from the top down. I was amazed at its simplicity, yet it was extremely effective. It seemed so much easier to learn and to teach others this way. I even told the participants how lucky I thought they were to now be taught this way.

Each of these improvements I learned and made over the years has helped make the snatch feel more fluid yet more powerful. My big a-ha with the cumulative effects of each of these improvements is in how much it has helped the efficiency in my movements. I was expending so much additional energy in the way I was snatching before. Watching that video from 2009 now, I can see that so clearly. It honestly looks painful to me.

My moral of this story is that our journey of learning and improving doesn’t stop once we earn our RKC. The RKC helps give us our foundation and our starting point for teaching. But there is so much more to learn and so much more to do after we become an RKC. What makes us really good instructors is our quest to always do more, always be better and always serve our students.

Keeping our certification current is not about paying money to re-certify and keep the letters behind our name. We must improve our own skills, which in turn helps make us better instructors. We can only help our students improve when we help ourselves improve. We can also better help our students when we have access to the most current teaching standards, combined with all the tools we learned before.

If I had never learned the current way of teaching the snatch and if I had never corrected my own technique, I certainly could have still taught people. But I believe that I wouldn’t be serving my students to the best of my ability. That is, after all, the reason why we seek out those 3 letters in the first place, right? Never give up, never stop trying to improve and don’t let the journey end with the letters.

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Shari Wagner, RKC-II, CK-FMS owns Iron Clad Fitness in Denver, Colorado. She can be contacted through her website at IronCladFit.com, email: info@ironcladfit.com or by phone 720-900-4766. Follow her on Facebook: facebook.com/IronCladFitness and Twitter: twitter.com/IronCladFitness.

Discover the Greatness that Lies Within You

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Lori Crock Movestrong Kettlebells

This is the time of year when people adopt new healthy habits.

Gym owners and fitness professionals see an increase in inquiries, and we make an effort to differentiate ourselves from others.

In reflecting on this, and thinking about those of us who teach the RKC System of Strength, I believe it boils down to this: we are on a mission to help you…

Discover the greatness that lies within you.

Your greatness is already there. No matter where you are on your fitness journey.

It’s our job, as coaches, trainers, teachers—whatever you want to call us—to help you manifest this greatness in your training because this greatness carries into everyday life in many ways. Here are some examples:

  • Learning to bend and move using your hips to protect the lumbar spine.
  • Keeping tension out of your neck as you move and lift.
  • Engaging the strong back and abdominal muscles to ease the load on your shoulders.
  • Lifting, carrying and putting down heavy objects safely and efficiently.
  • Moving with ease in positions like the squat and lunge, before loading up with weight.
  • Understanding good posture and how to maintain it in your daily activities.

Lori Crock coaches a kettlebell student at MoveStrong Kettlebells

We coaches are challenged to create meaningful opportunities for you to learn, excel and reach past what you thought was physically possible. Here are some examples:

  • Guiding you from the hip hinge to the kettlebell deadlift, to the swing, to the snatch.
  • Challenging you to set up and finish every movement with the same mindfulness and attention to technique.
  • Helping you learn to listen to your body and understand the difference in feeling fresh, safely challenged, or fatigued. Then we teach you how to applying this to your daily training.
  • Regressing and progressing your training so that you look at your fitness journey in terms of months and years, rather than days and weeks.
  • Teaching you about mobility and recovery. And making it as high a priority as strength and conditioning.

Every time you train it’s a time to discover something new about you.

We who are coaches, trainers, teachers see it every day. We see smart training transform peoples’ lives. They soon have more enthusiasm, confidence, freedom, and joy in their bodies—in addition to the physical results. We see this as greatness and we want this for you.

Greatness has many faces. It’s showing up. It’s learning to move in new ways. It’s lifting heavy, heavier, heaviest. It’s a finding new grace and ease in your body. It’s listening, feeling, understanding. It’s getting up and down off the floor. It’s going faster and farther. It’s moving slower and more methodically. It’s trying something you feared.

Acknowledge improvement and celebrate this as greatness every time you train.

For the seemingly ordinary experience of moving and lifting, learning and practicing, training and recovering, whether alone or with others, touches not only the physical, but also the mental and emotional side deep inside us. This keeps us coming back for more.

For many of us, the most profound moments of discovery occur when we find a weakness, address it, then seek to rise up and defeat it.

Discovery takes courage. Discovery takes mental focus. Discovery takes patience.

We know that some physical skills take years to achieve, let alone perfect. Some physical skills might not be achievable because our bodies are different than they once were. How we respond to this can speed up or slow down the discovery process.

RKC snatch test John at Movestrong Kettlebells

We have imperfections and limitations that have stories behind them. Genetics, athletics, relationships, work, play, and life all impact how we move and feel. However, this shouldn’t stop us.

Stories mean we lived a little or maybe a lot. Some of us have been in harm’s way. Our movement and life stories might not be what we’d like them to be because things are not always within our control … but we can still make progress.

Our everyday lives, and our physical lives, intertwine and support one another.

The coach, trainer, teacher is challenged to work with you in a way that honors your past, guides you in present, and prepares you for the future so that you discover the greatness that lies within you.

 

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Lori Crock is an RKC Team Leader, PCC, and FMS-II strength and movement coach who owns MoveStrong Kettlebells in Dublin, Ohio. Lori teaches small group strength classes where she is inspired by her students who see their training as vital to their productive and happy lives. You can reach Lori at lori@movestrongkbs.com, her website, and follow her on Facebook.