WE GOT BELLS

I have been intrigued by kettelbells and have been using them for the last 4 years; this includes using them in my own training as well as using them as training aides with my clients. Many times people ask me if they were to purchase just one thing to have at their home to train with, what would that be? In the past, I would have said a Swiss Ball aka, an exercise ball… you know one of those big blow up rubber balls. Now, I recommended Swiss Balls because of the amount of stability based exercises that could be performed.  But, now after being introduced to kettlebell training, I have come to the conclusion that having just one kettlebell can give you a full body workout targeting such things as; stability, strength, power, stamina, dynamic range of motion and even endurance. Now there are other training aides out there that with a little imagination could do the same thing, but because of the unique shape of the kettlebell your work load can drastically change by simply changing your grip, so when you add in that factor, I can’t think of another single peace of equipment that can provide all of that flexibility.

When I purchased my first kettlebell, I never had any formal training and my arsenal of exercises was limited, so like most people who are looking for more information I turned to the Internet where I came across all different types of exercises, but the one thing that I consistently saw while doing my research was the name Pavel Tsatsouline. So, here is this guy who was in and trained the Russian Military, a guy who had single-handedly started the kettlebell craze in the United States. Pavel has written and produced so many books and DVD’s on the kettlebell topic that it would make you think that he is the end all be all master of the kettlebell training. However, upon further investigation I noticed that through his company you could also get an RKC (Russian Kettlebell Certification).  So, as a personal trainer who firmly believes in continuing your education and broadening your knowledge, I entertained the idea of taking the course, but then I dug a bit deeper into the kettlebell world and noticed that there were other organizations that could certify you, there is AKC (American Kettlebell Certification) and also the IKFF (International Kettlebell Fitness Federation) and their certified course is CKT (Certified Kettlebell Trainer). With three different organizations offering kettlebell certifications, I started diving into more research comparing apples to apples and oranges to oranges. I really liked what I saw in practicality, as well as the philosophy that the founders of the IKFF presented. When you go to the top of the IKFF, there are two guys, Steve Cotter and Ken Blackburn. If you were to google or go to youtube.com and type in either one of their names you will find a slew of information, as well as instructional videos, demonstrations, and clips of them competing in kettlebell competitions. These two are not only gifted teachers, but are phenomenal athletes. For me, company integrity is huge. If the people at the top of any company are going to “talk the talk,” then they should be “walkin the walk.”  Saying no more, the crew and I at F3 Fitness, went with the IKFF and their CKT course.  Ken Blackburn himself came to F3 Fitness and did an outstanding job of educating us on the proper techniques of the staple kettlebell exercises.  The Private Certification was an enjoyable, hard working 9-hour day.  The Certification started at 9:00 a.m. with 15 people in attendance including 7 of F3’s own; Myself, Brian, Ian, Justin, Cedrick, Kenny and Nik. Ken had a great supporting cast with him that helped in monitoring form, and demonstrating techniques.  Ken’s crew included; Kurt Funk, Bob Budai, and Mitch Blackburn (his son). The day started out with about 45 minutes  of dynamic warm up exercises.  Anyone who knows me, knows I am a huge fan of dynamic and mobility exercises before jumping into a serious workout.  Ken, introduced us to a few I had never seen prior to the certification, including a few that were great stand-alone exercises (my classes are gonna love me…muuu ah ah ah ahhh!) I was pumped, the day was starting off right. Then outside of a few breaks and lunch, we worked for the entire time. Most of us struggled a little, not due to lack of fitness level, but because we have been training with kettlebells for a few years and have become accustom to a certain way of doing things and now we had to forget what we learned and grasp the new concepts.  Muscle memory is huge in performing exercises correctly without having to think about it.  So, to say the least, reprogramming the brain on the new techniques was challenging.  We learned proper grip, form, execution, breathing and even on how to rest under load. The exercises we learned consisted of several variations of the swing, clean, press, push press, jerk, snatch, squat, roll down and the windmill.  At the end of the day we were tested on what we had learned by performing the exercises and Q&A.  It was a little crazy for me due to the forearm cramps I kept experiencing right before I had to test.  In between each exercise demonstration I had to run and get my forearms massaged out (9 hours of kettlebell work had taken its toll), thanks again Johanna. When the smoke cleared and the dust settled there stood 15 new CKT’s ready to honor the IKFF and their great philosophies and techniques in the world of Kettlebell Training.

In conclusion, I really work hard on going through life not having expectations, in regard to the IKFF and the CKT course, if I did have any expectations they would have been blown away.  The amount of useful knowledge that was gained is immeasurable and priceless.  Since the certification, the warriors and I have been working on the new techniques and passing the knowledge on to all of our clients and friends.  So, far everyone is enjoying the change and has adapted very well.  Thanks again to the IKFF crew who took the time to share their knowledge; Ken, Mitch, Kurt and Bob.  You always have a home away from home at F3 Fitness.  For those interested in getting more information on the IKFF, go to www.Ikff.net.

G-man