Officially HKC Certified

Above: Pavel Tsatsouline, RKC Chief Instructor
Above: Danny & Juan Martinez

Above: New HKC's: Danny, Erika, Juan, ? , Brett

Above: Dustin Ripptoe RKC II, CK-FMS

Above: David Whitley Sr.RKC

Above: My Team Leader, Shaun Cairns Sr.RKC (South Africa)

Above: Maria & Jo with their T.L. Jon Engum Sr.RKC

It's official. My wife Jo and I, along with our friend Brett Hughes, received our HKC Kettlebell Cert. this past Saturday, from Pavel Tsatsouline. It was a great experience, and we look forward to improving our personal skills, and those of our students.
More to come...

HKC Bound!

I'm excited to announce that my wife and I will be attending the inaugural Hardstyle Kettlebell Certification, hosted by Dragon Door, in Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN on Sept. 26th. This certification is a branch of the original 3-day RKC.
This is a one day event, and it will be a chance for us to improve our lifting and coaching skills. This course will be taught by Pavel Tsatsouline, RKC Chief Instructor, and all four of his Master Level Coaches, Kenneth Jay, Mark Riefkind, Andrea DuCane & Brett Jones. Also most of the Senior RKC's will be in attendance also, which is a huge plus!
We look forward to joining the Dragon Door family, learning from these great Coaches, and expanding our knowledge of lifting, and teaching kettlebells.

Atlanta RKC Workshop

Here are some pics from my weekend in Atlanta, at Condition Kettlebell Gym. It was an amazing experience to train beside 18 RKC Coaches, along with the upper level coaches listed below. It was great to train alongside people who were so passionate about kettlebells, especially considering I was not an RKC! Thanks to David Whitley, who encouraged Jo and I to attend the first ever HKC in Sept. we look forward to it.

Thanks to the following...

Kenneth Jay - Master RKC

David Whitley - Senior RKC

Sara Cheatham - Senior RKC

Will WIlliams - Senior RKC

Delaine Ross - Host & RKC II

Stephen Belan - Host & RKC II

Dustin Ripptoe - RKC II & CK-FMS

...and the other participants, for the motivation and inspiration!!

Footwear for Kettlebells

There has been a lot of talk lately on proper footwear for kettlebells. Contrary to what you might think, the best footwear for kettlebells, and free weights, is BAREFOOT, or shoes without a soft heel (Vibram Five Fingers, Converse Chuck Taylors, Addidas Racing Shoes etc.) Current research is showing that a cushy heel (running shoes) are not actually beneficial for your feet.
When lifting weights, the flatter/firmer your shoe soles are, the better. At home, barefoot is best. Also, it's best not to lift on soft mats. This can cause you to loose your balance, and hurt yourself; I know, it's happened to me in the past! Barefoot, on a firm surface is best.
As Pavel says..."happy feet are fast feet"!

Some Advice...

If anyone you know mentions the 'KettelWorX', or 'KettleNetics' programs, do them a favor, and tell them NOT to buy either one!! I ran accross some footage of these programs online, and I thought I was going to puke! Absolutely pathetic!
If you want authentic kettlebell training, look for products from Dragon Door (RKC), Art of Strength, Steve Maxwell, Steve Cotter, Brett Jones, David Whitley, Jeff Martone, Mike Mahler, Sara Lurie, Lauren Brooks, Greg Mihovich, just to name a few. These people are the real deal, no fluff, no BS.
Kettlebells were introduced to America by Pavel Tsatsouline in 1999. He is responsible for training all of the above Coaches, and the status that kettlebells have risen to in the U.S. If you want to meet with a qualified kettlebell coach, go to DragonDoor.com, and click on 'RKC Instructors', then scroll down to the section titled 'RKC Instructors - United States', and click on your state, and you will see a list of coaches.

Unfortunatley, there are many 'wanna be's' out there, who want to jump on the bandwagon, now that KB's are popular. They are watering-down how a kettlebell was intended to be used, and passing it off as legitimate KB instruction, all in the name of $$$. They are taking a legit strength & conditioning tool, and trying to imitate 'Mc-Gym' areobic classes, and disgracing the reputation of the kettlebell. Also, the weights used are rediculous; 2-10 lbs for women, and 10-20 lbs for men.
Kettlebells were not meant to be 'easy', but rather a doable challenge, for everyone. They are used like other 'free-weights', and the method is a blend of Powerlifting & Olympic lifting. It requires hard work, determination, sweat, and a desire to improve your level of fitness. You WILL be rewarded for your effort, IF you do the work! Women can and should be using weights from 18-53 lbs; some women are using 53-70# on a daily basis, and no, they don't look like men! Men, depending on their size and fitness level, should be using 35 lbs. up to 88 lbs.
A little off topic but... one of the biggest MYTHS about womens training, is that using moderate to heavy weights will make them gain size, and look man-like. This is generally not true. Yes, some men & women can put on size easier than others. For most people to put on size, they must follow a very specific weight and nutritional routine. Strength training will make you strong, not big. It makes your muscles dense, which is the true definition of "toned". If you train to get big, you can, even women, but it's a choice. Having 8-10% body fat, is primarily the result of a very strict diet. Oh, and one more thing...a crunch is the most over-hyped exercise in the world. There are much better exercises for your midsection; some done with a KB (Windmill & Turkish Get Up), barbells, and some with body weight.

If you want quality KB products, go to the web, and look up the names I mentioned, and ignore the infomercials you see on TV! Do you want the $19.95 version...or the real deal?? The choice is yours, but just remember; "you get what you pay for"!! Don't be a SUCKER!!

If you have any questions, email me, I'd be glad to answer them.

Recommended Products

The 'Recommended Products' Post from below, has been updated. Why? Well, since Anthony DiLuglio (Punch Kettlebells) has introduced a new, USA-Made Kettlebell, and it's VERY competetively priced. This is great news! Anthony DiLuglio produces many fine products, and his mentality is "I will do everything I can, to have my products made in the USA". And with this new USA kettlebell, he has raised the bar again.

Dragon Door was the only company offering a USA-Made bell, from 1999, to Mar. 2009. They said the USA foundries were to costly, and that they could not continue the USA production, and switched to a Chinese foundry/supplier. Dragon Door have always been the leaders in the kettlebell world, and will continue to be a dominant force. Hopefully this will encourage them to re-introduce the USA bells, because obviously, it CAN be done at a fair price.

Maxbells also have some very nice bells. The finish is a very smooth paint, with no texture. So far, I don't see this as a negative or positive, compared to other bells, just different. They have good spacing between the bottom of the handle and the body of the bell. Very nice.

In fairness to Dragon Door, I ended up with a 20kg Chinese bell, by mistake, and it is a very nice bell. If someone asked me, I would not hesitate to recommend them. But, if you want to support American workers in these rough times, there is only one choice...Punch Kettlebells.

4-3-10 Update: Lifeline USA, now offers USA-Made Kettlebells, at a very good price! I've put my hands on one, and they are very nice.

Pics from todays workout