Franz's Blog: An Athlete's Pursuit of Excellence

Sandbag Training......are you serious???

2011-12-16T06:50:00.000-08:00

Yes, very serious!!! Sandbag training is EFFECTIVE! But not as effective as the movement science behind it. Without a doubt, the modern pioneer of effective Sandbag training is Strength coach Josh Henkin. Nobody has done more to advance this obscure tool than Josh and when Josh speaks, I listen.

The following is a testimonial I have for Josh and his Sandbag Certification.

I have had the honor and privilege of knowing Josh Henkin for the last 14 years. Josh and I met in Arizona at a gym in the 90’s and it was clear to see at that time that Josh was determined to teach and train people with the best strength and conditioning methods available. I credit Josh for exposing me to Kettlebells and of course Sandbags. Personally and professionally I owe a lot to Josh because I know of very few people in the fitness industry who continue to grow, learn, share, teach, coach, encourage and empower people like he does. I can count on one hand the number of people who are as educated and experienced as Josh. He has literally taken every certification out there and continues to learn from the brightest and the best. What he has done to contribute to the evolution of strength methods is powerful and his development of his LIFT certification program is the pinnacle of his career in my opinion.

I had the privilege of taking Josh’s Sandbag L.I.F.T certification earlier this year in Los Angeles and to say I was impressed is an understatement. This two day course was packed with hands on training, practical programming and direct Q and A with Josh throughout the entire weekend. Let me highlight why I think this course should be taken by any serious student of strength and conditioning.

1) This course is QUALITY BASED with movement excellence as the goal. Improvements in total body integration along with enhanced body awareness are the first things I noticed after day one. Josh has an amazing ability to dissect movement down to its most basic and fundamental patterns and then immediately and harmoniously teach you how to integrate all of the body. He then seamlessly progresses into more COMPLEX PATTERNS.

2) It’s not about lifting HEAVIER all the time. Josh explained how easy it is to fall into this trap. Just get stronger and all your problems will be solved. NOT TRUE! Josh made it very clear why just putting more weight on the bar will not necessarily make you a better athlete. It may make you stronger at that one lift but it won’t guarantee you better athletic success. The body must simultaneously get better at various patterns of movement along with improvements in coordination, power production, agility and MOBILITY!

3) The importance of training in all planes of motion, ESPECIALLY in ROTATION! Training in all three dimensions simultaneously is essential and is easy achieved with Sandbags. But don’t be fooled. It’s not the typical rotational nonsense we see in the functional training movement. Josh’s rotational progressions are the real deal and should and must be taken seriously. I was HUMBLED when I couldn’t successfully complete even some of the basic sandbag rotational movements.

4) The PROGRESSIONS are safe, fun and more importantly effective. Josh takes all body positions, grip possibilities, foot stances and gives you clear instruction on how and why to progress. I was almost overwhelmed with the depth of detail that Josh goes into covering the different body positions alone.

5) His new Sandbags are so fun to use with all of the new grips possibilities. The new bags are much more durable than any sandbag I have ever used. The POTENTIAL and infinite amount of drills, exercises and patterns is really, REALLY COOL!

6) This is a HANDS ON COURSE!! BIG TIME!! There is no sitting around and only discussing theory. You get your hands on these SANDBAGS from the first 10 minutes of the course. What I love about his course is that Josh always emphasized POSTURE and BODY POSITIONS over muscles. Huge emphasis on proper DIAPHRAGMATIC FUNCTION AND BREATH! The emphasis on MASTERY is what makes Josh an AMAZING COACH. The certification was full of excellent coaches with lots of experience. We were all humbled with even the slightest change of body position or foot position. The CREATIVITY that Josh has infused into his LIFT system is incredible. Honestly, I am JEALOUS that I didn’t think of some of these possibilities on my own.

7) Josh emphasizes what is going on INSIDE your body (the intention you have while performing the movements) rather than focusing solely on the EXTERNAL. This is MINDFUL practice, purposeful practice!!!! Of course you feel like you are working but that is a bi-product of focusing on the proper intentions.

8) The section on Assessment was very cool. What I liked about it was that Josh taught you how to assess various movements and muscle activation patterns such as PRONE HIP EXTENSION and then taught us how to find the correct Sandbag movement to improve our glute function and hip mobility. Every single person improved their Hip function immediately with the Sandbag movements, specifically the BEAR HUG SQUAT.

9) Josh taught us how to successfully combine the TRX and the Kettlebell with Sandbags. As a Senior RKC Kettlebell Instructor in the RKC system, I can confidently say that the SANDBAG methods Josh has come up with are an excellent compliment to the RKC Kettlebell methods and system.

10) The PRORGRAM DESIGN section was worth the price of admission alone. On day two we had to demonstrate to Josh our knowledge of the sandbag exercises by designing a program for a very specific type of athlete. This was fun yet challenging because it forced us to really think through the essentials of intelligent programing and implementation.

11) Another BONUS was that Josh gave every student a copy of his HIGH OCTANE Sandbag DVD covering many of the essential and foundational sandbag movements.

Overall I couldn’t have been happier with the LIFT certification. It opened my eyes to a new tool which I now love and to programming progressions which are pure genius! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you take the LIFT certification and continue to grow, evolve and improve your health, body function and intelligence. Congratulations Josh, this course is the GOLD STANDARD in Sandbag Training.

Hardstyle goes to South America!!!!

2011-12-02T09:03:00.000-08:00

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

Very excited to have taught along side of Yoana Teran the first ever Hardstyle Kettlebell Certification in South America. Last weekend on November 26, 2011 (and also my Birthday), we taught an HKC in Caracas, Venezuela. I am still so excited and jazzed from the experience. All of the students were eager to learn, professional, focused and enthusiastic. There will be great things to come out of Venezuela and I forsee an explosion of Hardstyle Kettlebell methods all over Venezuela and the rest of Central and South America.

In fact let's go ahead and include the great country of MEXICO in that line up as well. We will be heading to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico in March of 2012 to teach the first ever HKC in Mexico!! Exicting times for Dragon Door, the RKC School of Strength and Revolution Fitness!! We have much to be thankful for!!

We want to thank our host HKC Monica Sancio for helping us bring this incredible HKC certificaiton to Venezuela. We also want to thank our sponsors Gatorade as well as HKC Eduardo Gonzalez for all of his help and support during the weekend. More pics and Venezuela updates to come!!!!

Are you Kettlebell Juggling?

2011-11-15T07:12:00.000-08:00

Just got back from Fort Collins, Colorado where I taught an HKC certification. RKC Aaron Pierson was the host and was a excellent host to say the least. We had a rather small group but what was really cool was that many of the top RKC Colorado Instructors came up to watch and assist. Josh Hillis, Valerie Hedlund, Gus Petersen, Shari Wagner, Jim Perry and Heather Hubbard. It's always great to get talented RKC's together because ideas organically come to life and we all learn off each other! Really enjoyed my time in Colorado (although I am glad to be back in San Diego.....I don't like being cold and I love the ocean).

Now onto Juggling. The day after the HKC Aaron Pierson and I had the opportunity to drive to Denver and spend two hours training with RKC Gus Petersen and his lovely wife Karen. Gus is the creator of the K.A.T (Kettlebell Athletic Training System.) The K.A.T. system is an all-Amerian system of kettlebell juggling moves that's as physically demaning and mentally engaging as your chosen sport, athletic endeavor, or outdoor adventure. I have alway been curious about kettlebell juggling but have never had any serious coaching. To say I was impressed with Gus and his juggling is an understatement. It was some of the most challening and fun training I have ever done. The amount of hand eye coordination, FOCUS and quickness that is needed is off the charts!!! Neurologically I felt alive.

Gus took us through his foundational juggling movements and coached us through a step-by step progression that allowed to start juggling right off the start. Gus's coaching is so effective yet so simple. He got me to do things that I thought I would never be able to do. I was so impressed with what Gus can do and the creative mind that he has, I will be hosting a joint workshop with Gus sometime in the near future. Details to come!

Here is a video compilation I put together of our session with Gus! Truly is amazing what is possible with kettlebell juggling. The MINDFULLNESS it requires is more than you could imagine!

How many of you are doing kettlebell juggling? Thoughts and comments are welcome.

Sprinting......why you should be doing it

2011-11-07T10:24:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday I was forunate enought to give a brief lecture at the Hardstyle Ventura Workshop on the importance of SPRINTING and the many positive benefits of including this primal movement into your regimen! It was amazing to see 50 plus people performing sprint technique drills and focusing on the basics. Just like we teach at the RKC, anybody can pick up a kettlebell and swing it; but not everyone can properly perform the KETTLEBELL SWING. It is no different with sprint technique; everyone can attempt to run fast, but not everyone can run well.What I want to share with you today are some of the main principles I taught the group.

"You run on the ground - you sprint over it." - Perry Duncan

Why Sprint?

Being able to move fast could save your life (and someone else as well)
It keeps you functioning a very high level throughout life
Better communication and activation of fast twitch fibers
Can build MUSCLE and encourage FAT LOSS
Makes you LOOK better - which is why the majority of people train anyway

Positive hormonal reaction - Growth Hormone and Testosterone
Anabolic Stimulus
The most practical way to demonstrate ballistic HIP EXTENSION
The ultimate in power training with just your bodyweight
Some of the highest power outputs have been found in sprinting
Very dynamic form of strength training / mobility training
PALEO PEOPLE would say that sprinting was needed for evolutionary reason to catch prey or escape predators
The ability to sprint at high intensity is a very good sign of orthopedic and neuro-endocrine health

Like any movement worth doing, the secret is learning CORRECT technique. Although explaining proper technque in detail is far beyond the scope of this blog post, here are some essentials that you must know about proper sprint technique.

PROPER SPRINT POSITION

Head is held high and is the beginning of running tall
The torso erect
The hand of the driving arm comes up to the level of the face
The shoulders are relaxed
The hips are high enough above the ground to allow the driving leg to extend fully to the ground
The ankle of the recoevery leg clears the knee of the driving leg - MOST IMPORTANT****
The ankle fully extends at the end of the leg drive

Next post I will show the drills that I taught in learning proper sprint mechanics.

Question to all of you: are you currenty sprinting, why or why not?

Your thoughts and comments are always welcome!

Ginastica Natural Workshop with Senior RKC Peter Lakatos

2011-10-23T16:16:00.000-07:00

Ginastica Natural Workshop

Taught by Senior RKC Pater Lakatos

When: Thursday November 17, 2011 7pm - 9pm

Where: Revolution Fitness, La Jolla, CA

Host: Franz Snideman Senior RKC / Yoana Teran Casabianca RKC Team Leader

Price: $69 (when purchased before October 31)

* price will go up to $99 on November 1

We are very excited to be hosting Senior RKC Peter Lakatos from Hungary. Peter will be teaching a two hour workshop on Ginastic Natural. What is Ginastic Natural?

Ginastica Natural was developed by Alvaro Romana, from Brazil. Peter has spent extensive time training with Alvaro and has become a gifted teacher and practioner in this method of movement.

Here are some of the principles and benefits you will learn of at this Ginastica Natural workshop:

based on Natural Movements of Primitive Man

based on activities performed in nature or in any natural environment

exercises can be practiced outside or inside

Ginastica Natural is based on Jiu-Jitsu ground movements

basic gymnastic bodyweight movements

dynamic stretching and breathing techniques

combines strength, flexibility, power, coordination and agility

through dynamic breathing techniques the practioner will greatly improve mental and motor control

This is a hand on workshop and you will be learning the details and fundamentals of this incredible movement system. Peter has spent years studying this system. Through his years of training and experience Peter has also come up with some rather extraordinary methods for using these primitive movements for athletic enhancement as well as for corrective measures.

Who should take this course?

Any RKC or HKC that is wanting to learn how to move better and with more fluidity and grace

Any type of strength coach or trainer who wants to learn how to personally move their bodies better and help their clients do the same

Any type of athlete who is not currently satisfied with mobility and flexibility

Anybody who wants to look, move and feel better

If you have questions, e-mail me : franz@revolutionlajolla.com

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10 Random Thoughts

2011-10-05T21:07:00.000-07:00

Every now and then I like to blog about random cool things that I feel are worth sharing and our making a difference in my life and in my clients life. For those of you that know me, you probably notice that I don't blog too much. If you don't know me, hopefully you'll find some information on my blog that will prompt you to make some positive changes in your health and fitness journey. Let's dive right into the topics....

1) Recovery weeks - The older I get and more wear and tear I have on my body the more benefit I get from taking de-loading weeks. These are weeks where my volume is cut way back (sets and reps) and the intensity is cut way back as well (load). I think it is a HUGE mistake to continue to push the envelope. There is nothing wrong with getting stronger, however, eventually you have to pay the piper some time. Learn to back off every couple of weeks and listen to the warning signs your body is giving you. Constant aches and pains, lethargy, poor sleep and mood swings could mean you are pushing the training a bit too hard. The goal of training is get stronger and healthier not weaker and sicker. Most workouts should feel "Good" and you should leave feeling fresh and energized., not trashed and sick!

2) Program Minimum under times of Stress - When life gets stressful (and we will all cycle in and out of stressful periods of life as long as we are alive) we need to find training methods which allow us to continue to train without smashing our immune systems into the ground. Pavel's Program Mimimum of GET UPS and SWINGS is just what the doctor ordered. It could be as simple as this:

Monday - 15 Minutes of Get Ups ( sets of 3 per arm) + 20 swings (two hands on KB).
Tuesday - Walk, get outside for some fresh air
Wed - 15 Minutes of Get Ups (heavy singles) + 10 swings (heavy KB-two handed)
Thursday - Stretching - breathing - mobility work...should not feel like a workout
Friday - 15 minutes of Get Up Ladders (1 each side, 2 each side, 3 each side). Finish with 2 sets of easy swings (25 reps per set)

That is a sustainable training program for a couple of weeks during times of high stress and/or limited time. Constantly focus on the QUALITY of movements and try to get through the first week without feeling exhausted or worn out).

3) Get some SLEEP - this doesn't sound too sexy or important but trust me, it is. It seems rather obvious and simplistic but I think lack of sleep causes a lot of auto-immune issues such a fibro-myalgia and other similar types of disorders. Try to get to bed before 10:30pm (and earlier than that if possible) and watch how much better your joints and muscles feel in the morning. Possibly look into getting a ZEO sleep device to monitor your sleeping patterns.

4. Fish Oil - take your Omega 3's. - Do I really need to even be talking about this? The truth is yes...I still meet people all the time who are not taking fish oil and eat little fish such as wild caught salmon. Read what Robb Wolf author of the Paleo Solution has to say about Fish Oil here.

5. Look into Fascia work - Yes, that means rolfing, anatomy trains type of soft tissue work. I personally think the the connective tissue/fascia is still a huge key in getting people well and getting people to move pain free. Yeah I know, it's all about the nervous system, but you sure as hell can't wiggle your pinkey toe and expect your fascial trains to open up (at least it hasn't worked for me). Check out Anatomy Trains by Thomas Myers. The challenge I see with fascia work is that it takes a very skilled practitioner with lots of experience and great touch to soften up and bring health to your fascia. I for one have a lot of practice to do in order to master this fascial work.

6. Get into NATURE more often - Again, this sounds so simple and easy but how many of us consistently get out into nature (ocean, beach, mountain, rivers, streams, hiking, deserts) and re-connect to a more simpler natural way of living. I for one feel the negative effects of excessive work loads and too much connection to technological devices...damn cell phone and computer! I don't want to live with out a cell phone or computer but I certainly feel the negative effects on my physiology and mental state from constantly checking text messaged and being addicted to checking my e-mail. Get out into nature as often as possible....better yet..do some MovNat training!!!

Check out MovNat and what Erwan Le Corre and Clifton Harksi are going. I highly recommend their workshops.

7. Two workshops I want to take:

a) I want to take the Indian Club Workshop with Brett Jones and Dragon Door. Ever since I started using Indian Clubs last year, I fell in love with them. Talk about mindful movement......Indian Club Training is mindful movement to the max.

b) MovNat Certification - with Erwan Le Corre and Clifton Harksi
- I has the honor and privilege of taking a one day MovNat workshop with both Erwan and Clifton in the summer of 2011 and was beyond impressed. As soon as the certification is up and running I plan on becoming certified in their method. I see it as a great compliment to the RKC system.

8) I love COLDTONE Ice Cream....that's right.. I love it ! It may kill me sooner or later or cut my life span but it certainly brings a lot of joy and happiness to me and my family. I specifically like the Cake Batter Ice Cream with Reeses Peanut Butter Cup, Cookie Dough and chocolate syrup mixed in! Ironically I am usually leaner the day after I eat this! ahhhh...genetics!!!

9) EVERNOTE - love this App for making my life more organized and for sharing ideas with others. This has been huge fore me because it automatically sinks all of my notes and projects with any computer I have and my cell phone. If you struggle with organization (like I do), get this: www.evernote.com

10) HKC is an incredible workshop - The more I teach these HKC one day certifications, the more excited I am about the incredible depth that is invovled in the big three movements: Swing, Get Up and Goblet Squat. The secret in learning about anything is to teach it! The more you teach, the more you learn. So if you want to learn about more about the Swing, Get Up and Squat, teach it to as many people as you can. You will learn more from teaching than anything else.

Here are the next couple of HKC workshops I will be teaching:

Fort Collins, Colorado HKC November 12, 2011
Caracas, Venezuela HKC November 26, 2011
Houston, Texas HKC December 10, 2011
Modesto, CA HKC January 21, 2011

And there we have it! My 10 random (but important) thoughts for the day!

Your thoughts and comments are always welcome!!

My MovNat Experience on Venice Beach!!!

2011-08-28T16:32:00.000-07:00

On August 7th, 2011 I had the privilege of taking my first ever MovNat workshop in Venice, California with founder Erwan Le Corre and one of his top instructors Clifton Harski. I have been following Erwan and his MovNat principles since I first discovered the MovNat webpage a couple of years ago. Clifton and I also have done some RKC style kettlebell work together in the past and he was also the first person to expose me to what a MovNat style training session even is. As a full time RKC Kettlebell Teacher and Kettlebell Studio owner, I have not been this excited about a new style of training in a long time. The MovNat experience for me was life changing and further made me appreciate movement in some rather profound ways.

Below are some of the Key Principles and Methods that I learned from this workshop.

Moving well has more to do with intention, awareness and relaxation than I had previously thought. Erwan did an amazing job on emphasizing the importance of always being aware of gravity and where in your body you are "FEELING" the effects of gravity. For example, when standing upright the obvious place where we feel gravity is in the feet. When crawling on your hands and knees, you feel gravity's effect on your hands and on your knees. When hanging from a pull up bar with your elbows and forearms pressing down on the bar, that is where you feel gravity. Moving well in nature or whatever environment you find yourself in an "INTERNAL" job. It is mindfullness taken to the extreme. Rather than focusing on muscles or external things, your focus in constantly switching from contact point to contact point!
Where you CONNECT TO THE EARTH is where you should focus. This is a natural extension of the first point I made. Balance is maintained and efficiency in movement is enhanced when you focus on your contact point!!! The second you take your mind off of your contact point (or multiple contact points) is when you lose balance, go into excess tension and overwork. This concept has roots in the work of Moshe Feldenkrais and again emphasizes the INTERNAL workings of thought, attention and focus rather than only be concerned with the external environment and conditions. I would argue that unless one is INTERNALLY focused one cannot be truly aware of the external conditions that are present in a meaningful and reliable way.
Adaptability is the GOAL!!Your ability to adapt to whatever environment you are in is the difference maker in moving well, training intelligently and SURVIVAL. Being able to immediately adapt from climbing a tree, to jumping from rock to rock and then diving into a river and swimming to safety is key. How does one achieve this ability to harmoniously blend and weave together multiple bio-motor abilities such as Strength / Power / Endurance / Agility / Coordination / Mobility / Speed and Problem Solving? The answer is in exposing yourself to many different environments and performing many different type of movement challenges such as:

Climbing
Jumping
Carrying Objects
Sprinting / Running
Crawling
Swimming
Balance challenges
Diving into Water
Lifting objects from the ground
Dragging Objects
Throwing Objects
and many more .....

The myriad of movement challenges are endless and one only has to get creative and imaginative to improve.

4. Studying and watching animals in Nature is very eye opening into the concept of efficiency. Gorillas and Monkeys do not struggle in moving on land or from tree to tree. In fact, they make it look easy and graceful. Humans on the other hand need to learn this graceful movement and thank God it is something that can be practiced and learned. Erwan made several funny jokes about how tense we were all getting trying to get ourselves up on top of the pull up bars and how trying harder actually worked against us.

5. RELAXATION and TENSION are co-dependent, but relaxation is what allows us to sustain graceful,SAFE and powerful movement. Not that tension doesn't have its' place, but usually excess tension prevents us from enduring movement challenges in potentially dangerous environments.

This is where I see a great marriage between the RKC School of Strength Principles and the MovNat principles. At the RKC we teach and stand by the following five principles.

1st) View of Training as PRACTICE, not "WORKING OUT."

2nd) Yin/Yang focus on relaxation and tension

3rd) Use of Speed Endurance training for development of power, different types of endurance and promoting fat loss.

4th) "Safety is viewed as a part of, not the opposite of, performance."

5th) Reverse Engineering of what the strongest and most coordinated people do naturally

I especially want to highlight the 4th principle. Erwan did a wonderful job of teaching us about risk tolerance and just flat out stupidity and danger. It is safe and wise to challenge yourself in the beginning with environments that have little potential danger and risk. As you masters some of the basic challenges, your risk tolerance goes up as does your confidence to move into more difficult situations and environments. However, some risks are just not worth it because there is always a higher tree, a higher ledge or more dangerous obstacle to surmount in which the benefits are just not there (if you fall.....you may not make it). I thought this concept of risk tolerance and reward was outstanding and one that needed to be addressed. All in all I know that people will be better suited and fit to handle difficult and potentially dangerous environments when one focuses on less dangerous challenges in the beginning. Because Erwan and Clifton emphasize the focus on movement PRINCIPLES, the environment is secondary to learning to move well.

So, as we teach in the RKC and as MovNat teaches, SAFETY is viewed as PART OF, not the OPPOSITE OF, PERFORMANCE.

I also want to highlight the first RKC principle, a VIEW OF TRAINING as PRACTICE and not WORKING OUT. Erwan was very clear that there must be an element of PLAY and enjoyment in our MovNat sessions. Rather than just mindlessly focusing on sets and reps, focus on very specific motor skills and qualities that you want and need to improve. Also, be free and open to exploring the possibilities of movements. Again, the focus in INTERNAL and not so much external.

On a personal level, I found that by the end of the day I was more ALIVE (though exhausted), more FOCUSED and more AWARE of my body in a very new yet FRESH way. Movement was FUN and I had developed a new confidence in my body and it's potential to PERFORM and MOVE better. Not only do I plan on continuing my MovNat PRACTICE but I plan on educating others how the RKC principles (and that includes the Functional Movement Screen Principles) and MovNat principles are really expressing similar truths about the human body and what we are capable of doing.

Very excited to see where this goes and am very excited to get certified as a MovNat Coach as soon as soon as the certification is up and running. Thanks for reading!

10 Things I Learned at the San Diego RKC last Weekend

2011-08-25T07:44:00.000-07:00

Last Weekend marked my 8th year assisting or teaching at RKC certifications. This was my first as a Senior RKC as I must say it was perhaps my most fun and memorable RKC event to date. The teaching, the students and my other RKC peers made it an incredible weekend. Those of you that have taken the RKC understand what I am talking about. We truly do have an amazing community and a very unique group of committed and capable individuals that collectively make up a very lively and effective system that we all know as the RKC school of strength.

Dan John, one of the most gifted teachers I have ever met, gave a great talk on Saturday afternoon titled "WHAT IS THE RKC." Dan encouraged all RKC candidates to write down the top 10 things they had learned that were profoundly important to them. For that reason I am writing this blogpost in honor of Dan. What a great idea and what an essential habit to form after all workshops. The following are the top 10 things that I learned over the RKC weekend.

1) "Be a PERMANENT BEGINNER." That's right, remain a permanent beginner as you start your kettlebell journey. Dan talked about how he considered himself a beginner with kettlebells because that way you are striving to get better each and every day. Their is no destination where you finally arrive at kettlebell mastery. Always stay humble in your learning and always seek out those better than you.

2) INTEGRITY is being the same person at all times. It is being consistent in behavior and conduct regardless of the group of people you are around. It is living a principled centered life and sticking to your values and morals at all times. Pavel and Dan have this quality which makes this RKC community so much more special.

3) SWIM the kettelbell down in the snatch. This one is from Pavel. I have never heard that one before. Literally think of doing a front crawl and pull the SWIM the kettlebell down and back between the legs. That means your arm and torso come closer together. This was an A-ha moment for me!

4) Fail with integrity! This is from Master RKC David Whitley.It's ok to fail but fail with integrity. That means you give it your very best effort and commit to the lift. However, the outcome, regardless of what it is, doesn't matter. Do your best and have the right attitude and that is enough.

5) Connect with people at their level! This is one that I realized during the weekend. Try and meet people and see things through their perspective. Sometimes we try to conform others into what we think they should be. Meet people where they are at and respect their own personal process and journey. We are all different and thank God for that.

6) Focus on the INTERNAL. This is not necessarily anything new but it did get driven home after Pavel kept talking about the internal nature and focus of the RKC movements. We teach intention, position, posture, breath, and where to channel the force. This is fundamentally an internal focus, much like an eastern martial art.

7) BE PREPARED!!! Do your homework before the RKC!!! People get really NERVOUS and RKC certifications!! Help them to channel that nervous energy into better performance and skill work. This is where the art of coaching comes in. Talk with your team, keep them focused but help them feel confident in their preparation and skill work. As we know, the best antidote to fear and nervous energy is preparation. Take the RKC seriously, prepare and show up ready to go!!!

8) Humbleness and Humility!! This should be obvious but often people have the opposite qualities. Those students that lack humility never pass the RKC!! Is talking back to an instructor about how you are right and we are wrong in not a smart idea!!!

9) The RKC community is SPECIAL and people sense the awesomeness of this community!!! Embrace this community, give back to it, and it will give back to you!!!

10) The DEADLIFT posture and position is KING!!! Never forget that SWINGS and GET UPS really do work if you focus on mastery!!! Watching people improve over a 3 day weekend is amazing and something I never tired of watching!!!

There it is!!! If you are an RKC reading this, let me ask you, what did you learn????

Traffic Light Principle and How It Effects Your Training

2011-07-31T12:06:00.000-07:00

Just finished watching Dan John's Intervention DVD and I must say that any serious strength coach or fitness enthusiast will highly benefit from Dan's Knowledge. There is nobody in the fitness industry that is able to weave together cutting edge training principles with philosophy, theology and practice life experience like Dan John. Dan is absolutely one of my favorite presenters in any field. He makes you bring up the bigger issues of life and has a way of speaking straight to your CORE VALUES which in turn makes you question your thinking, training and future. In watching the 3 part DVD sets Dan reminded me of a principle that I originally learned at the CK-FMS back in 2008. The concept is the TRAFFIC LIGHT principle and it is a very clear and simple method of assessing your training readiness.

Imagine you are driving and you pass through a green light at the traffic light. This green light represents forward movement, momentum and speed. There is nothing hindering you or telling you to slow down. When you transfer this to training, a GREEN LIGHT represents a period in your life when things are going smoothly and progress is easy to attain. Let's look at some green light attributes:

Sleep is plentiful and restful
Nutrition is more than adequate and you are fueling your body to grow muscle and repair
General Health is excellent / Immune system function is high
External Stress such as toxic relationships, a bad job, being broke is out of the equation
Your Social life is good and your have meaningful relationships with friends, family, etc..
Mental outlook on life is Positive. MOTIVATION is High! Expectations for the future are Optimistic.
Perhaps the fact that you have Medical Insurance gives you peace of mind

Now let's use the same analogy of the traffic light and now imagine you are driving and the traffic light TURNS YELLOW. Immediately you are put in more of a threat mode as you now know that danger could be in front of you if you do not make a quick decision. Yellow lights signify CAUTION. It doesn't mean that anything negative has happened but it is giving you a signal that you need to SLOW DOWN!!! In regard to training a YELLOW LIGHT would mean:

Your body is giving you some signals that training volume and intensity may need to be altered and possibly reduced
Pain and discomfort in your body may be increased during this time
Life stress such as increased family and work demands are making it more challenging to recover from intense training
Nutritional habits may have taken a turn toward not fueling your body adequately or toward eating the poor food choices on a consistent basis
Sleep quality is down. Getting adequate rest seems rather difficult during this time
Mental and emotional health is still good but you can tell that you are not as mentally sharp or emotionally stable as you would like to be
Pregnancy is usually a Yellow light situation for the mother and for the father

The RED LIGHT represents true challenge in your life and represents lack of forward movement and progress. There are times in all of our lives when we enter these RED LIGHT periods where because of serious challenges our training needs to be altered in a major way. Here are some potential RED LIGHT attributes and potential situations:

You have recently had a major injury that requires bed rest or surgery
You have lost a job or perhaps your job has been transferred to a different part of the country and you need to pack up your stuff and move your family half way across the united states
Major health set back (heart attack, disease, you need a serious operation)
Perhaps you are getting Divorced or there has been a death in the family
You are under an incredible amount of mental, emotional and physical stress

All of these RED LIGHT situations are major players in the sense that they will not only modify your training but they will modify your entire life. We all go through YELLOW AND RED LIGHT situations in our lives and therefore are forced to tackle them head on. Having been through many red light situations in my life I can tell you that whether you like it or not, training will be put on the back burner for periods of time. However, that does not mean that you have to STOP training. What it does mean is that you have to be brutally honest with yourself and what you are able to successfully recover from. If you are in a red light situation, it may not be the time to run those 2 marathons you were planning on running or climb mount Everest. Sometimes just doing the basics and bare minimum are enough.

Another very important piece of advice Dan gives is to look at your training or the training log of your client/athlete and do the opposite. If they are mainly doing Bench Presses, Pull Ups and Power Cleans, have them work on Loaded Carries, Squatting variations and Hinging patterns, The fact that you are training patterns will alone often get people stronger and more importantly healthier. After all, there is a difference between HEALTH and FITNESS.

Health is having your organs working well, oxygen coming in and out of your body and generally being safe in the manner in which you live your life. FITNESS is the ability to perform a task. Ideally we should have the HEALTH side of things nailed down first if we truly want to be able to sustain our FITNESS.

more to come........love Dan John and his wisdom!!!!

Your Thoughts? Comments?

More on Ground Based Movements.....

2011-05-31T11:20:00.000-07:00

Okay....this is an extension to my previous post but I am seeing more and more miraculous cases where clients are coming in to see me with chronic pain and dysfunction. Most of these people are seeing physical therapists, getting body work, you name it, they are doing it! I am not trying to toot my horn but these people are getting better VERY QUICKLY and it is not because I am doing anything magical (well.....we can call it FMS magic, he he he).

I had a very athletic woman who came in today to see me and she actually scored quite well on the movement screen (16/21). The challenge is that she injured her left hip flexor in yoga which might have stemmed from an overuse injury from all of her endurance sports. Whether she has a TEAR in her psoas/groin area or not, one thing is clear: she did not have the ability to disassociate her hips from pelvis/low back area,. While performing the HURDLE STEP test, she clearly compensated by using her low back and pelvis to try and lift her hip over the hurdle. It was UGLY!!!! She scored a 1 on both legs!!! Obviously getting her one leg proved to me that she has no business distance running right now because she cannot even stand on one leg and flex her other hip. Everything else in her FMS was fine. Her mobility in the shoulders and ASLR were both #3's.

What to do????

I gave her the rolling patterns as showed in Mark Snow's VIDEO posted in my previous BLOG POST!!!
I also gave her the Stability Ball Posterior Rock and it worked wonders. She got up and nailed a solid 2 on her Hurdle Step and she was SHOCKED!!! In my opinion her deep stabilizers were not firing at all causing her to use her prime movers (more global muscles) to do the job as mobilizers and stabilizers (which they were never designed to do anyway). Most of her issues seem to be NEURAL in nature!!!

Stability Ball Posterior Rocking: Maintain a Neutral Spine and you MUST breathe using your Diaphragm during the entire movement: Start by pushing with two hands and then go to single hand. Focus on breathing!!

Once again...I am even more convinced that rolling and ground based movements are often overlooked!

Thoughts?

The POWER of GROUND BASED MOVEMENTS

2011-05-16T21:02:00.000-07:00

My Daughter Marianna at Gymnastics

Getting on the floor is healing for many reasons(we'll go over those reasons in a bit). For one, it is far less threatening on your body and for overpowered athletes that have stressed out nervous systems I find that people respond very well to ground based mobility, rolling, stretching and breathing work. Lately I have been experimenting with the Gray Cook posterior stability rock (or Quadraped Rocking) for chronic pain clients and it really seems to calm down the pain and genuinely make them feel better when they get up from the floor.

Now keep in mind that I am not a trained medical professional nor am I licensed to treat pain, hence I am very clear with people that I do not treat pain. My expertise is in getting people to move better and usually that means that people begin to feel better. In my experience people that are in chronic pain tend to do better when you start them on the floor for the following reasons:

1) The ground gives you a break from GRAVITY

ANTI-GRAVITY

That doesn't mean that the laws of physics cease to exist but it does it mean that their is less gravitational stress going through their bodies. This especially helps people that have lumbar disc issues such as bulging discs or herniations. Having been through two disc bulges myself, I spent many days and nights on the floor because it was the only position that allowed me to move. I would have loved to spend some time in a Zero gravity chamber during my disc injuries (although actually we know that zero gravity for extended periods of time causes muscles wasting and loss in bone density).

2. Ground based rolling, crawling movements, positions and postures reboot your ORIGINAL OPERATING SYSTEM
The original operating system was the HYPER MOBILE system we were all born with when we entered this world. Think of babies; they are born with lots of mobility, stretch, tissue pliability and over the first years of life develop the STABILITY to safely move from the floor to standing and navigating around on two feet. Getting on the floor and re-visiting these ground based movements can re-establish connection with primitive movement patterns that could be limiting the way your nervous system is functioning. If you are in pain, keep getting injured or are not performing well, there is a great chance that you need to re-visit many ground based movement patterns. Check out Gray Cook's SECRETS of PRIMITIVE PATTERNS DVD.

Try Rolling (thanks to RKC, CK-FMS Mark Snow for these videos)

3) Ground based movements allow you to RE-LEARN how to breathe properly

Belly breathing is natural in infants. I have curiously been watching my three old daughter Marianna and my one year old boy Esteban Andres develop and it has been astonishing to see how much they use use their bellys while breathing. Belly breathing is something that we stop doing as we get older and take on the stresses of modern life. This has disastrous consequences on our health, performance and movement. Lying on your back or face down and practicing belly breathing is a great way to re-establish communication with the diaphragm. When the diaphragm is working well it stimulates our inner unit (Transversus Abdominus , multifidus & pelic floor muscles to reflexively stabilize our lumbar and sacral illiac joints). When the inner unit is working properly it allows the outer and more GLOBAL muscles such as the Glutes, Erectors, Psoas, Rectis Femoris, Lats, Rectis Abdominus, and Obliques to take on their essential role as PRIME MOVERS and actually move us around. Those muscles were never designed to be stabilizers!

4) Ground based movements allow us to break poor movements habits and build new improved ones

There is just something that feels so good being on the floor, rolling around, playing and discovering our body.
Babies never learned to stand up by doing smith machine squats, hamstring curls or leg extensions. They learned to stand up because they rolled, rocked and crawled. They went through SEQUENTIAL LEARNING. We are not a collection of individual pieces. Our brains think in terms of patterns and whole movements and tasks. Therefore we must:

Train the whole
Know thyself
Move from the Ground UP

Can anyone say KALOS STHENOS!!!! Greek for "beautiful strength." Get all of Gray Cook and Brett Jones' DVD's and Books. They are life changing if you apply them!!

The bottom line is that most of us need and should spend on the floor daily working our weaknesses, re-booting the original operating system by working on those primitive patterns and by improving our breathing.
I hope this has prompted you to take a look at your entire workout goals and has at least convinced you that you may need to add in some corrective ground based work.

Thoughts? Ideas? Your Experience with some of these movements?

Dragon Door TV KRIBS Video

2011-05-04T09:25:00.000-07:00

Super cool that our studio Revolution Fitness was featured on the Dragon Door TV KRIBS section. Also, Congratulations to Yoana for being the Comrade of the week.

Random Thoughts

2011-04-21T17:22:00.000-07:00

Went on an amazing hike today at Torrey Pines State Park overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean. If you ever get out to San Diego you MUST hike these trails. Not because they are incredibly difficult but because they are undeniably beautiful!!! Don't believe me? Than you just gonna have to go for yourself and check them out!!

RANDOM THOUGHTS

1. Having a PRACTICE is more important than WORKING OUT

This is something that I have been thinking about for a while and I think it really takes time to get the point on your life where you develop a PRACTICE and not WORKOUT habit. Just like someone has a Yoga practice or martial arts practice, developing your kettlebell skills takes time, effort, study, humility, discipline, focus, patience and persistence to name a few. The desire to get it a workout is for amateurs and novices. If you use kettlebells treat it as a practice. The emphasis is on the INTERNAL workings of your body and mind and not just on "breaking a sweat." Your focus in on principles, not how many times you felt you were going to puke. The natural by-product of focused and precise movement (swings, squats, snatches, get ups, presses, pull ups) is an effective workout. Focused internally guided movement will challenge you big time.

If you are starting kettlebells my advice is to pick a program (Enter the Kettlebell would be a great one / Right of Passage) and stick to it. Stay on that program for 6 months to a year. Yup, that's right. It will take you at least one year to become competent in the basic Kettlebell movements. It will take a lifetime to master them.

2. Eat more Vegetables and Greens

This might sound like a no brainer but how many of us actually do this on a daily basis. I will be the first to admit that I go through periods of time where I eat lots of vegetables and greens and then go through times where I eat very few. The end result of me eating daily greens and salads in increased energy, better bathroom visits, healthier looking skin, and better mental clarity. This is where I think the PALEO style of eating is superior because it has you eat lots and lots of veggies and ditch the refined carbohydrates. Every day I hear people tell me, "I can't lose weight and I am really frustrated." And then I respond, "Well, what are you eating?" The conversation usually ends right there. My advice is to eat at least one large salad every day with protein, veggies and lots of organic goodness.The bottom line is that we all need to eat less CRAP (refined carbos) and eat more vegetables and greens.

3) Get a Lacrosse Ball

Recently I have fallen in love with a lacrosse ball because it just makes me feel so good! Well, not really! It actually can be quite uncomfortable at times but seriously, this ball has really helped me work on problematic areas in my body. At night time I like to like on the floor and place the lacrosse ball on the following areas:

Infraspinatus / Teres Minor / Lats
TFL
Glutes
Plantar Fascia (bottom of foot)

Go easy at first and as your muscles allow you to go deeper you will be able to. Try and do 5 to 10 minutes of lacrosse ball work every night for one week and notice how much more mobile and healthier your soft tissues feel.

Thoughts? Comments?

The Swing = The Center of the Universe

2011-03-23T12:26:00.000-07:00

THE UNIVERSE

THE SWING

Heresy you say!!! Pure Heresy! I'm not talking about the actual universe I am talkling about the exercise and training universe. In the world of the Russian Kettlebell Challenge Master RKC Mark Reifkind said that the kettlebell swing is the "Center of the Universe" and he was right on when he said this. The SWING really is the center of the "movement" universe followed by the GET UP in a very close second place. Now of course I am not saying that there are no other movements worth doing because there are many movements that I feel are "ESSENTIAL" and worth doing. But when it comes to kettlebell training the SWING is KING of all kettlebell movements because it teaches you how to use your hips in a powerful, explosive and athletic way.

Ever try swinging a dumbbell? Feels strange and awkward doesn't it?

Every try swinging a barbell between the legs? Obviously you cannot do this!

So for those people opposed to kettlebell training...blah...blah...blah! Obviously those people have not ever experienced the benefits of what properly done kettlebell training gives you.

It is hard (almost impossible) to find a movement that gives you MUSCULAR, CARDIOVASCULAR and ENDURANCE training all at the same time. It also teaches you do move from the hips which immediately increases MOBILITY and FLEXIBILITY and give you a rock solid lower back and strong spine.

Running is better? I don't think so (at last not for most people). The impact of running will catch up with most people and I offer swings as a great solution to people looking for some great cardiovascular training who also can't afford to put more mileage on their overworked frames.

I agree with Mark Reifkind that the Swing gets looked over in spite of its foundational properties to all other movements. The Swing is not as fancy or fun like a heavy clean and press or heavy snatch. Some people try and race to TGU a very heavy KB overhead which is an impressive feat of strength for sure. But somehow the Swing seems to get overlooked.

Want to get a better Clean? A better Snatch? A better Deadlift?

By advice for you: GO BACK TO THE SWING!

Here are some Swing tutorial videos I did that can be very helpful if you are new to kettlebells.

Video 1: Breaking down the kettlebell Swing
Video 2: Breaking down the kettlebell Swing
Video 3: Breaking down the kettlebell Swing

That's doesn't mean you abandon your other training but it does mean that you constantly have a place in your training plan for the "PRACTICE" of swings. That's right PRACTICE!!!

The Swing is an internal job.....it requires intention, thought and focus on how and when you move. Invest in the swing.....spend time on it....the investment in time is worth it...and the dividends are tremendous!!!

Anyone can swing a kettlebell............but NOT ALL PEOPLE CAN DO A KETTLEBELL SWING!!!!!

Correct your form first and then start building a base. It could be as simple as setting the timer for 10 minutes and seeing how many sets of 10 you can get in those 10 minutes. Next workout try and beat the the number. Keep going until you cannot beat that number and then change the program. Perhaps you set it for 15 minutes and do the same thing. The idea is to progressively increase the reps from workout to workout.

For a great DVD on the swing I recommend RCK Tracy Reifkind's PROGRAMMING THE KETTLEBELL SWING.

What has your experience been with the kettlebell swing? Are you even doing swings???

Thoughts and comments??

The Barefoot Craze!!!!

2011-03-03T14:12:00.000-08:00

Whether you are a runner, kettlebell user, fitness fanatic or outdoorsman, switching over to using the Vibram Five Fingers can dramatically improve your athleticism, performance and health.

It’s not just a fad folks. Big chucky shoes are on the way out……and simple, barefoot style shoes are here to stay? Why you ask? Because most shoes officially suck!!! Yes, I said it! They SUCK! I spent most of my life is chunky running shoes with giant soles and my body was a mess. I’ve officially been wearing Vibram Five fingers for over 2 years now and my feet are the healthiest they have ever been. My ankles are getting more mobile and the forces entering my body feel like they are distributed in a much healthier and efficient way.

I realize that there are many different types of “minimalist shoes” but the ones that I have experience using are the Vibrams. Having tested the goods I know the results I have had wearing Virbrams and they are the real deal!

If you have any desire to feel healthier, function well and move more athletically, than you should definitely look into getting a pair of the Vibrams and including some barefoot training into your current programming.

Here are my 5 top reasons why you should ditch the running shoes and go barefoot/Vibram style.

1) Immediately gives your feet, toes and ankles better awareness of where your feet are and how they are functioning.

2) Increases MOBILITY in each individual toe, forefoot and ankle.

3) Strengthens your feet and your legs.

4) Naturally fixes gait and running style. If you are heel striker when you run, you will NOT be with Vibrams. Why? Because it hurts. It changes your gait to more of a forefoot striker first and then a slight heal tap at the end. This one aspect alone may re-ignite peoples running careers (not that I am a huge fan of distance running).

5) Makes you feel like a Ninja. In other words, improved reflexes leads to increased agility, coordination and speed.

Bottom line. Add some barefoot training into your program. Better yet, ditch your shoes and get some Vibrams.

Please leave your thoughts, comments and experiences with barefoot training and VIBRAMS.

Want Success in your Training? Follow a Plan

2011-02-23T18:27:00.000-08:00

This might sound obvious but if you want training success follow a plan and stick with it for a while. We live in a time where there is so much information available that it so easy to become overwhelmed. The term "Paralysis by Analysis" comes to mind. New trainees (and older more experienced trainees) often don't see the results they want because they do not have a plan and they have no consistency is their training. I am guilty of this as well.

Here is a Simple Blueprint for training progress:

1) Clarity of Purpose!

What is your goal? What are you trying to achieve? Are you trying to gain muscle mass? Get lean? Perhaps you want to increase your Squat, Bench and Deadlift numbers. Or maybe you just want to be able to play with your kids without getting overly fatigued. Whatever your short term and long term goals are, be CLEAR! You cannot successfully arrive at a destination if you have no clue where that destination is. This principle has to be number one because without it all other factors don't matter. So once again....clarify your goal.

2) Find the Program that Fits your GOALS

Ok, congratulations! Now that you have your goal, time to find the best program to get you there. If you are reading this blog it's likely that you have been exposed to kettlebell training and currently use them. Great. There are so many good programs out there right now by Pavel and other instructors that you really have no excuse on not achieving phenomenal results from your training. Here are a few that I would recommend:

For Fat Loss I would recommend the following programs:

Master RKC Geoff Neupert created an awesome fat loss program called : KETTLEBELL BURN
The Results people have achieved on this program have been nothing short of incredible.

Revolution Kettlebell Fat Loss Program (Shameless plug of our product...he he).
This is a 12 week nutrition and kettlebell training program designed to get you to lose fat and improve your lifestyle habits. The principles we teach in this program serve as a long term foundation for long term permanent changes.

For Muscle Mass / Strength and Power Gains I would look into the following programs:

Pavel's RETURN OF THE KETTLEBELL.
This the program that I am currently using and so far I have put on 7 pounds of lean body mass in less than six weeks. Based on double kettlebell movements I couldn't recommend this program enough. Brilliant yet simple programming will get you strong and pack some muscle on your frame.

Geoff Neuperts KETTLEBELL MUSCLE.
This program is based on Geoff challenging Complexes which put multiple exercises back to back which creates some serious systemic stress and metabolic disturbance. This program has been getting people all over the country (and world) crazy strong. If you want mass and strength both of these programs will get the job done.

For people wanting to prepare for the RKC Certification try the following:

Pavel's ENTER THE KETTLEBELL.
This program get you good at the basics: Swings , Get Ups, Presses. I personally think all KB enthusiasts should go through this program at least once before they do any of the other programs I have mentioned here.

For people wanting learn the best in CORRECTIVE EXERCISES I recommend the following products:

Kettlebells from the Ground Up DVD and Manual - A must have if you are serious about moving well and functioning at the highest possible level.

Hats off to Gray Cook and Brett Jones. Where would I be today without the SECRETS SERIES of DVD's;

SECRETS OF THE SHOULDER / SECRETS OF THE HIP AND KNEE / SECRETS OF PRIMITIVE PATTERNS / SECRETS OF THE BACK SIDE

And the list goes on and on!

3) Pick the Plan and stick with it!!!!

It's that simple folks. Decide on the plan, pull out your calendar and flat out get it done. Commit to at least 3 or 4 months with a plan and do not waiver. I truly now see and understand that RESULTS will come with persistent, consistent work. It's like Dan John says,"Champions are built on punch the clock workouts." Half the battle is just showing up. Plan your work and then WORK YOUR PLAN!!!!

The only thing that matters is consistent effort in the same direction. Remember that you cannot get good at all things at the same time. Having a lot of variety in your plan means that you will be really crappy at a lot of different things. Not cool! Focus, buckle down, and follow the plan already!

The Power of INTERNAL FOCUS during your training

2011-02-18T17:34:00.000-08:00

Everyone wants results when they train. Scratch that! Most people want results YESTERDAY!!! People are inpatient when it comes to training because they expect immediate results. Now I'm going to agree with most that RESULTS are very important but I think there is a deeper underlying issue at work here. We can get so focused on the result that we forget about the PROCESS and the immense benefits of cultivating a PRACTICE.

Much like a martial art (internal focus), I would argue that 99% of the fitness enthusiasts out there are focused on EXTERNAL and outward principles. The longer I train, learn and experience,the more I have seen the errors in focusing on the external......the weight of the load, how you look in the mirror, how ripped your abs are. Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with looking your best and having lean abs because we all want lean abs. But until one cultivates a PRACTICE of internal focus during their training, I believe long term health, strength and vitality are impacted in a very negative way. I thank and credit Pavel and the RKC for helping me cultivate these principles.

I would even say that I have spent most of my training career focused too much on external goals and have focused less on the internal mastery aspects of skill, breath control and postural alignment. Developing skill in these areas takes many years and perhaps because I am older now I now have taken more of a long term approach toward my health and training.

Too many injuries, painful mornings and now PARENTHOOD have thankfully forced me to make some changes. Now because I am father, I want to be functional enough to play with my two children as they grow up and set the example of how one can train intelligently and still see phenomenal results. I truly think that you can get very strong, mobile, agile and powerful without absolutely trashing yourself.

I have compiled a list of 5 areas I think all of us as avid students of the iron game / athletics must take seriously and apply for long term health.

1) Focus on POSTURES and POSITIONS rather than loads

I love heavy weights and think all should get to the point where they can lift some respectable loads. However, those loads should be directly tied to your ability to OWN specific postures and positions. If you don't own your Deadlift form, forget swings. Work on the DL until you own it!!!

2) Reset abdominal function by restoring DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING
If you have studies any of Gray Cook and Brett Jones material this should make sense. Proper function of the diaphragm is essential to reflexive core stabilization. Fix people's breathing and great things happen. Health improves as well

3) PRACTICE how to use TENSION and RELAXATION
Tension equals strength. It also means slowness. Relaxation is speed, quickness and power. We need to balance both as both are essential. The RKC School of Strength does a wonderful job elaborating on this concept. If you have more interest, take the RKC certification and get certified.

4) Work on your CORRECTIVES
Yes, find what doesn't move in your body and get it to move. What lacks stability needs to be taught to stabilize through controlled movement. Better yet, find a CK-FMS or a therapist who understands and uses the SFMS / FMS methodology. Removing the parking brakes from your body will allow you to play with your kids (and press heavier KB's too).

5) QUALITY over Quantity
This one is truly simple and brilliant. Practice great reps when you train. Seriously! Your movements should look clean and seamless. If they don't, find someone who can help teach you to get them to look great!

TRAINING NOTE:
I know, I know. I just said to be focused on the internal and not the external. External Results will actually be much better when you do focus on the internal aspects of training. Many people have wanted to know what I am currently training so thought I would publicly talk about it. Double kettlebell drills have historically hurt my shoulders but not anymore. My internal focus, stretching and mobility work is making a huge difference. Here is what I have been up to in my training.

Just finished my 5th week of Pavel's Return of the Kettlebell Program and I must say that I am super jazzed about my results. 7 pounds of muscle in 5 weeks ain't too shabby!

Please leave thoughts, comments, and ideas! More to come.....

What I learned from the Mastermind Workshop

2011-02-15T12:59:00.000-08:00

I Just finished a MASTERMIND marketing seminar with John Du Cane of Dragon Door at the Grand Hyatt Manchester hotel in downtown San Diego. It was for many reason the most PROFOUND and life changing workshop I have ever been to. To see what CEO John Du Cane has done with Dragon Door over the last ten years is INSPIRATIONAL and when John speaks, I LISTEN.

The interaction with other TOP RKC's was worth the price of admission alone! The energy and ideas exchanged was REAL and it was INCREDIBLE!!!

This was the first MASTERMIND workshop I have ever been to. In fact, it is the first seminar I have ever been to that was 100% dedicated to marketing. As a professed lifetime "Non-marketer", this seminar forced me out of my comfort zone in a big way. It also showed and taught me several things about myself:

1) I haven't valued the power of marketing (because if I had I would have learned, studies and applied the best of what's available).

2) I have no real SYSTEMS in place to grow my business and therefore LEARN about what works and what doesn't work.

3) I am ROBBING my best customers and the rest of the world of giving them the BEST OF ME!

You see, what I came to understand is that if I shrink myself, my business, my life and place it in a tiny little box, I not only rob myself of success both in internal character and external rewards, I ROB other people from getting the BEST of me, of what I have to offer them.

How and why is this information valuable for you?

Well, think about it seriously for a moment! If you have God given gifts, talents and potential that you are not using or developing, you are literally SHRINKING yourself and the potential you have to share with the world.

I don't know about you.....but life is short and I don't want to go to my death bed with all of my talents and abilities trapped in a box because I never was BOLD enough or STRONG enough to develop them and share them.

So when you look at marketing from a different perspective.......it changes things a bit doesn't it? Marketing doesn't have to be this boring, scary way of convincing people they need you and your services.....it can be a fun journey where you get to share your passion and gifts with others to positively impact their lives.

What I learned at the workshop just makes so much sense. People naturally want to be lead and told what to do. We all want help and direction and the TRUTH is that we ALL NEED help and direction.

So to me, Marketing is sharing passion and knowledge and making a difference. I am not going to go into DETAILS about what was taught because that is private information but I will share and continue to share how this information is transforming my life and my business.

I leave you with this question: In what ways are you shrinking yourself and your potential because of bogus excuses, lack of discipline or just flat out procrastination???

Look at your Calendar...it will show you what you value.

Part II of this post is coming soon! Please do post your comments and feedback.

ROTK Seminar Review

2011-01-18T10:06:00.000-08:00

On Saturday January 15, 2011 Pavel came to San Diego and taught his Return of the Kettlebell Workshop. It was the second year in a row he taught this in San Diego and Yoana and I were honored to host it again. It always amazing to learn from Pavel and to realize how much knowledge he has is quite humbling. Every workshop I attend of Pavel’s is always a huge educational experience and I’m sure all the students would agree with me. We had a great line up of assistant instructors including RKC II Tim Shuman, RKC II Thayne Shatah, RKC Alex Verdugo, RKC TL Paul Daniels and RKC Cassie Charlebois. RKC Level II Max Shank also came for the second half of the workshop and dropped a knowledge bomb on all of us with his expert instruction on the Push Press and Jerk.

We started off the workshop with a great joint mobility session from RKC II Karen Smith who was in attendance and from there got right into SWING practice. We spent the majority of the morning going over SWINGS and then DOUBLE SNATCHES (which are a big part of the ROTK program). Pavel also spent quite a bit of time teaching MOBILITY drills for the T-Spine and shoulders. We learned some variations of the BRETZEL stretch, how to properly use the Foam Roller for opening up the T-spine in all directions, as well as some effective TRX stretches.

The second half of the workshop was all about JERKS, PUSH PRESSES, FRONT SQUATS and FLEXIBILITY training. Pavel wraped up the seminar with a phenomenal talk on program design.

Here are some of the main principles that we went over:

The Swing is the foundation of all kettlebell movements. You MUST LEARN how to static stomp into the earth during every part of the swing.
The main reason people have trouble in their double snatch is that they do not continue to drive their feet into the ground. In the top position of the double snatch you must still STOMP into the ground. Failing to do so forces you to overuse your arms and leak power. You want the KB’s to float up in the air. This will happen if you use your hips well.
The grip position is different for Presses and Jerks. Presses require a crush grip while Jerks/Push Presses require a soft hand and finger position.
Never compromise your postural integrity. Find a balance in your posture, not the exaggerated flexed posture of a GS competitor nor the ultra puffed out chest of a bodybuilder. A neutral upright posture is what is needed.
People often forget to power breathe or breathe at all during swings. Fixing your breathing during swings sometimes is all that is needed to feel more solid and take away lower back discomfort.
Goblet squats are an excellent warm up/mobility drill for Front Squats and Deadlifts. Try PRYING your hips in the bottom position and shuffle your feet from side to side to achieve great mobility. Make sure that the elbows are pressed against the Vastus Medialis (the tear drop muscle in your quadriceps on the medial side). Keep your chest up tall!
With MOBILITY and FLEXIBILITY you must be PATIENT. Do not TRY to be flexible. Let it happen at it’s own pace. Do NOT MOVE INTO PAIN.
Use total RELAXATION when entering new ranges of motion in your flexibility training. Breathe into the tense areas. RELAX on the EXHALE. Flexibility requires a lot of patience. Most people do not get flexible because they are not patient and they do not WAIT OUT their muscles. Often longer durations are needed in each stretch to make permanent changes in the tissue.
3 S rule: use STRENGTH, SPREAD the LOAD, Find SPACE while stretching.
Other important Flexibility factors: Learn to RELAX!!!! PRY back and forth, side to side, in every direction. This is Brilliant and works every time!
JERKS: 3 D’s
DIP / DRIVE / DIP
The Jerks involves timing and coordination. You must learn to maintain great posture during all three phases of the Jerk. It is okay to come up on to your toes during the DRIVE phase but you must keep the heel planted when you catch the weight on the third DIP and when you CATCH the KB’s as they come back to the start position.
When DRIVING the KB’s up it helps to think of sliding your feet forward on the ground almost as if you were doing a KNEE EXTENSION Machine. Of course you will not be able to physically do this but your INTENTION should be kick your legs out as this will help the KB’s get in back of you in the top position.
PROGRAM DESIGN: ROTK uses the BLOCK System which uses 2 weeks of GRINDS and 2 weeks of BALLISTICS.
Why Blocks? Because you cannot get good at many things at one time. Your body and mind have limited adaptation resources at any time.
You make the GREATEST GAINS when you start something new, or at least something you have not done in a while.
USE IT OR LOSE IT. Once you stop training you will get out of shape. The Block system helps solve many training problems. Two weeks of strength followed by two weeks of power is not enough time to lose either of these attributes.
The GRIND block will bring up the slow strength and MASS. Then for two weeks you will stop grinding, knowing that two weeks are not long enough to lose your muscle. The EXPLOSIVE movements will focus on a different mechanism of hypertrophy stimulation, explosive strength endurance and other types of endurance. Then you return to two weeks of grinds and continue cycling these two blocks while progressively increasing the weights and volume.
THE ROTK is great because it gives you the best of both worlds: Strength, Muscles and Explosive power endurance.
The IMPORTANCE of CYCLES
Everything in NATURE is CYCLICAL. Our bodies have cycles. The Seasons are Cycles. The Universe is Cyclical. Our training must be CYCLICAL!!!
You MUST NOT HAVE ONLY ONE GEAR!!! You must be Cyclical with your training.
You cannot train “ALL OUT” all of the time. Have several different gears.
DO NOT POINTLESSLY “Work yourself out”. Have goals…have a plan……work your plan.
Think of a training session as a “LEARNING LESSON.”
You must balance out your HARD training with easy training and relaxation. Slow relaxed stretching at night is effective at helping you sleep more deeply.
Remove stressful things out of your life. Maybe it’s a brutal Mortgage, a terrible job, a bad relationship….whatever it is…do your best to minimize toxic people, environments and situations. Do this and your training will improve.

OThis was just a sampling of the topics we went over. There was more,much more!!! Hope this was helpful for the readers!

Lessons learned from Pavel's Power to the People Professional Workshop

2010-10-11T18:04:00.000-07:00

On Saturday October 9, 2010 Pavel taught one of the best courses I think I have ever experienced in terms of depth of knowledge and practical application. Most of the people there were either HKC's, RKC's or Team Leaders so it was a rather talented group. Add in Team Leaders Mark Cheng and Dennis Frisch (and of course my lovely wife Yoana), RKC's Alex Verdugo, Gabby Perez Eborall, Petra Van Baar, Melody Schoenfeld, Cody Bramlett, Spencer Starr Julie Cousens, Cassie Charlebois and HKC Dave Leddick and you had a strong group. Also had Matt Kinsell ( a competitive powerlifter) who really made things interesting with his incredible technique, enthusiasm and raw strength.

DEADLIFT

There are essentially two types of deadlifting techniques and many variations within each one.

DEADLIFT TECHNIQUE - STERNUM OVER THE BAR

You must bring the shoulder slightly forward of the bar which means that the sternum will be directly above the bar (you should be able to tell from the photo that my shoulder are slightly forward of the bar & that my I have shifted my weight to my toes. That doesn't mean my heels are off the floor I am just emphasizing loading up the toes to be able to drive off of the balls of my foot)
The weight is evenly distributed in the foot from front to back. The weight goes through the center of your foot which is the natural balance point
If you chopped off your big toe, but left the first metatarsal, go half way from this joint and half way from the heel
This is a very effective method for leg drive. You want to think of pushing the feet forward as if you were doing a leg extension on a machine. You are keeping the weight on the entire foot but you are pushing off the balls of the feet.
With more quadricep activation you have more involvement from all muscle groups and that can lead to a very powerful deadlift
Eye position is important. The exact eye position seems to be rather individual. Some people do better looking up while others do better by looking 7 to 8 feet in front of them on the ground, and other somewhere in the middle
You can still do this style of the sternum over the bar but can have more of a vertical shin which would get your glutes more active in the beginning rather than the quads. With the knees forward version teh quads work more at first but as you clear the knees the glutes kick in.
The knees forward version works well for an athlete with really balanced strength. If not, this version of deadlifting may not be for you. If you have weak quads and a strong back you may want to use the shoulders over the bar method or just sit back in the foot a bit more.
BOTTOM LINE: You have to experiment with this technique and find the position that makes your deadlifting look seamless and smooth. Pulling a heavy deadlift should feel solid and good. If it doesn't, keep experimenting with your style.

Advantages:
More balanced muscle activation can lead to huge strength.

Disadvantages: If your glutes are not up to par with your back strength you will have a very difficult time with this style

DEADLIFT TECHNIQUE - SHOULDERS OVER THE BAR

Dr. Mark Cheng is the perfect model for the shoulders over the bar method. This methods allows you to WEDGE yourself between the ground and the bar more and creates a lot of stability in your low back and spine.

You will notice that the spine is more vertical, the stance is wider and the toes are turned out to 45 degrees. Doc is a perfect fit for this style and Pavel told him that he is built perfectly for this style.
This style requires a lot of hip mobility and flexibility. consequently it is much harder to get into.
Pavel taught that during the set up of this style, you wanted to make it very hard to get into the lift. Almost imagine that you are wearing some type of restricted suit that made it incredibly challenging to get down to the bar.
Keep the ARMS VERY LONG. Grab the bar keeping the triceps activated, lats engaged and shoulders back. You want to think of "breaking the bar" which keeps the shoulder back and down. Similar to the GET UP, you want shorten the "X" in your back. Lat and contra-lateral glute will come engage and come closer together. Shorten all of those muscles.
With the shoulders back and down you simultaneously trying the bring the hips closer to the bar. This creates the WEDGE effect that Pavel teaches in his STRENGTH STRETCHING DVD.
Sumo version is very good for people with strong legs(and glutes) and good flexibility
Also easier on back
There is also a SWING STYLE SUMO which is very similar to the RKC Hardstyle Swing. This is also called the VERTICAL SHINS Version. It shifts your weight to your heels. Toes are not loaded so there is very little quadricep activation. It heavily overloads the posterior chain muscles (hamstrings, glutes, lumbar erectors). It also activates the RIGHTING REFLEX so you don't fall backwards.
With the swing style DL you must touch the bar with your shins.

GREAT DEADLIFT VARIATIONS

JEFFERSON DEADLIFT - This smokes your quads big time!!!! Great way to develop your Quads. I think other people call it the Straddle lift. More of a squat than a DL.

BEHIND THE BACK DEADLIFT (sorry- no photo for this one)- Teaches you to recruit quads as well and balances out the muscle recruitment to all leg muscles.

DEADLIFT TO JUST BELOW THE KNEES - This is a great version to teach you not to RUSH the DL and really grind the weight off the floor very smoothly. Pause each rep for 3 seconds at the knees and then return to the floor. Perform this for 2 reps and then one 3rd rep come all the way to the standing position.

DEADLIFT - 1/4 INCH OFF FLOOR - Only bring the weight off the floor enough to slide a piece of paper underneath the weight plates. This again develops tremendous patience and a LOWER GEAR for your deadlifting practice. Very tough but instantly rewarding as it teaches you to be smooth and slow in the beginning and safe your acceleration for the end. Pavel says that it is often better to make the first half of the deadlift hard and slow which will make the second half smooth and graceful. Better to have this then to start off easy and fast only to finish with an ugly, difficult looking effort.

Specialized Variety Vs. Invariants (Constant's)

This was perhaps one of the most interesting parts of the seminar. This is heavily outlines in Pavel's PTTP PRO book on pages: 38-60. It's basically the same but different principle. It teaches us how to add variety to our training without losing the principle focus on each life.

SV exercises mimic the lift the athlete wants to improve. These are reliable assistance exercises.
You focus on changing SURFACE FEATURES:

Stance - (heels together, one foot in front of the other, squat on balls of feet and press)
head position (apply pressure to the back of the bench while doing the BP - careful w/this)
Grip- (going snatch grip on DL / Double overhand grip / use no chalk to strengthen grip)
Incline Angle
Speed - (faster or slower - but shouldn't change order or technique of lift)
Added bands, chains, water resistance,etc.
Implement (KB's, kegs, rocks, logs, etc.)
Range of motion (deadlift only to the knees or stand on a platform for increased ROM)
Displacement of weight (Zercher SQ's / elevate the heels or toes on the DL)
Assistance Gear - briefs, suits (things that artificially make you stronger

BENCH

Load your Lats (push and pull from the lats)
St up is everything. Must have weight on shoulders and feet (shoulder blades together)
Bring the bar to the highest point on your sternum (almost the abdomen)
Push yourself into the Bench
Think of "breaking the bar" with the lats
Big arch in back / Puff you chest
Load up legs (feet should slightly in back of you)
BP is a fully body exercise

SQUAT

Pavel loves the Zercher Squat - it will make your DL and SQ much stronger
Pavel could write a book just on the effective SV drills.

And there was so much more................................this is was one power packed seminar.

If you ever get the opportunity to attend a PTTP workshop, do it!!! Pavel was able to personally tell every single participant which DL technique was best for them!

Return of the Kettlebell Workshop with PAVEL

2010-08-25T07:49:00.000-07:00

RETURN OF THE KETTLEBELL WORKSHOP

How to Dramatically Increase your Kettlebell Strength, Build Muscle and Lose FAT with Double Kettlebell Drills

One Day Workshop with CHIEF RKC PAVEL

Also Featuring:
Senior RKC Doug "Kilt" Nepodal
RKC Team Leaders Yoana and Franz Snideman
RKC Team Leader Lauren Brooks
RKC Team Leader Paul Daniels

When: Saturday January 15, 2011

Where: La Jolla, CA

What is the ROTK Program?

If you are familiar with kettlebells and have successfully been through Pavel's “Enter the Kettlebell” program, you will not want to miss this seminar as it represents “the final fruit of Pavel's research – combining the very best of ancient lifting wisdom with modern day scientific break-throughs.”

The primary focus for Pavel's new program for Explosive Muscle Gain and Fat Loss is the proper use of Double Kettlebell movements.

What will this Seminar do for me?

I'm going to take a wild guess that you are a kettlebell enthusuast, am I right? I'm also going to jump out on a limb and assume that you are not HAPPY with your current results and that you desire to be STRONGER, LEANER and more FLEXIBLE! Let's also throw in the possibility that you would also like to have better conditioning that will tranfer over to your every day life. Are these assumptions correct? I believe in all sincerity that they are correct.

Their are many reasons to take this seminars but the number one reason in my experience on why you should invest your VALUABLE time, money and effort in this workshop is that Double Kettlebells SAVE YOU TIME!!!

Since TIME is the most valuable thing you have, you owe it to yourself to invest in information that will get you FASTER REUSLTS and in LESS TIME! Pavel's ROTK methods are pure genius. SHORT, BRIEF and INTENSE training sessions get you to your goals faster.

That means you spend less time training and more time living life with the health, strength and vitality that you deserve.

What are the main Double Kettlebell Movements?

You will have Pavel personally teach you how to maximize and improve the following movements:

Double Cleans
Double Front Squats
Double Snatches
Double Presses
Double Jerks
Double Viking Push Presses

What else will I learn?

Mobility, Stability and SPEED!!!!!

Increase your thoracic, shoulder and hip mobility

Increase your athletic potential and performance by learning how to explosively use your hips
Skyrocket your cardiovascular fitness and stamina
Make your joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments more resilient

Double KB drills have a very GLOBAL effect on all systems of the body, including the hormonal system, the nervous system and the muscular system. Double Kettlebell exercises means faster gains in muscle, strength, power and stamina!

What Else Will I Learn?

THE SCIENCE OF BIG

– Why the Ketlebell is superior to a barbell for repetition quick lifts
- How to perform the Double Clean
- The importance of the “V” grip for the double cleans and why your rotator cuff will love it
- The proper rack position for guys and for girls
- Why and how to fully straighten out your arms in all overhead kettlebell lifts
- Why not to “scoop” and how to correct it
- The importance of breathing behind the shield
- How to match your breathing properly: Anatomical vs. Biomechanical
- How to perform he DOUBLE SNATCH – The Ultimate Expression of Full Body Power
-How to build huge shoulders and your upper back with the FRONT RAISE SNATCH
- How to perform the Side Raise Snatch
- The Single VIKING PUSH PRESS for Viking Muscles
- The Double VIKING PUSH PRESS
- The difference in grip between the Kettlebell Press and Kettlebell Push Presses and Jerks
- The Correct Spine and Rack position for JERKS and PUSH PRESSES
- How to Dip properly in the Jerk
- How to Drive and then Drop explosively in the DOUBLE CLEAN AND JERKS

-But that's not all, you will also learn how to GRIND AND GROW:

-The Double Press for Double Muscle Gains
-The Double Military Press done after a Snatch
-Learn how to Squat well in only half an hour
-Learn how to find your proper squat stance
-Learn the GOBLET SQUAT
-Learn how to find your netural spine and decrease back pain
-Open up your hips with the RKC Hip Flexor Stretch

MORE.....

-How to get Mobile Shoulder for effortless overhead lifts
-How use a pull up bar to open up your chest and T-spine
-The Kettlebell Straight Arm Pullover
-Why hanging from a pull up bar is great for flexibility and spinal decompression
-The difference between the RKC and Girevoy Sport Rack Position for Jerks, Push Presses, and Presses
-Why the overhead walk is necessary for shoulder mobility and shoulder stamina
-Pressing from partials squats

MORE...

- Kettlebell Touch and Go Sumo Deadlifts with 2 Bells
- BEHOLD THE POWER OF RUSSIAN "BLOCK TRAINING"
- Learn about the Russian secret of TWO WEEK BLOCKS

The Return Of The Kettlebell workshop was amazing!!!!!! Anyone that has a chance to take a workshop with Pavel and misses the experience is cheating themselves. Not only did my skills improve at the ROTK workshop I became a better trainer because of the knowledge Pavel shared with us.
David White, RKC Level II
Dear Yoana and Franz,
Thanks for putting on such a great seminar! With such an advanced program as Return of the Kettlbell, the hands on technical guidance of Pavel and the rest of the instructors was worth the price alone. Learning the ins and outs of the program was invaluable as well. Even if one doesn't intend to undertake the ROTK protocal itself, we learned enough about it's concepts and applications that one could apply them to various other protocals and be a better trainer and lifter for it.
Best
Dennis Rittenhouse RKC
This was one great workshop, and after having had a chance to go home and try out the movements we learned, I realize just how good it actually was. The level of instruction was nothing short of superb; there were plenty of instructors to go around and each was dedicated to making sure you were learning what to do and how to do it correctly. While I was worried that I wouldn't fit it due to my age, 60+, I found just the opposite (although the Amazon women scarred the hell out of me!) The pacing was just right as we moved constantly with time for breaks. It started on time and ended on time and by the end of the day, you knew you had been Pavelized!
Dana Strout
Pavel's Return of the Kettlebell seminar was worth every penny. The instruction covered large areas of training with incredible detail. Expect to fill pages with notes even if you've read the book and practiced the drills; whether you're an RKC or not. You'll improve upon Enter the Kettlebell drills, build the Return of the Kettlebell skills, learn how to incorporate everything into a cohesive program, and even gain a few surprise additions to your training toolbox. A day-long seminar will give you enough information to work through for months of training at home.
K.C. Carnine, NASM CPT and RKC

I had a great time at the seminar. I only discovered kettlebells about a month before attending so I was pretty green with it all. An hour or so in, I realized the whole thing was going to be way over my head and started to worry the day would be a total waste. Quite to the contrary, the Revolution Fitness team was so generous with their time and attention. They were with me at every exercise helping me get the most out of it and take my KB training to the next level. I learned so much.
Thank you.
Londin Winters
"Just arrived back in DC and wanted to post a belated thank you to both of you for organizing a fabulous event. The instruction and information provided by Pavel was, yet again, exceptional. Well worth the trip from the east coast. The ETK+ protocol was especially intriguing to me and one I will put to good use. I hope you repeat this workshop in the future and I encourage all to attend. Thanks again to both of you, Pavel, the other instructors and attendees for creating a very special event."
Best Regards,
Jim Skislak
Don’t miss your chance to learn from Pavel himself, the perfect blend of instruction and hands on practice. It is an unsurpassed opportunity to learn from the Chief, all the material in ROTK and then some. You just can’t get that kind of instruction from the book alone. Pavel has an amazing ability to help individuals “connect the dots” between reading and doing! I am so grateful I was able to attend! Lots of “ah ha” moments to be had!
Petra Vanbaar, RKC

Thanks for organizing this quality event! I appreciate the work you did providing hotel and restaurant information prior to the workshop and for putting together the dinner plans afterwards. I enjoyed the workshop and learned a great deal. The people attending were all enthusiastic about learning. Pavel is always an amazing teaching experience. The assistant instructors were also helpful. There was a lot of new information in the ROTK workshop. From double kettlebells to the tactical pull up bar and TRX applications…lots of great information that I’ve been applying since my return. Thanks again for hosting.
Ron Jones, MS, RKC

Here what Strength coach and RKC Team Leader Dan John has to say about this magnificent program:

"I'm not sure I can speak highly enough about "Return of the Kettlebell." Maybe it's the little things, like how we are walked through the squat with pictures that answer so many questions for the novice or the several pages dedicated to the Hip Flexor stretch. Honestly, the devil is in the details when it comes to working the hips and shoulders and the RKC system is clearly miles ahead of anybody else when it comes to exacting explanations of how to deal with the "four knots."

It could be the "big things." I never thought much of Double Kettlebell Cleans because I have such a history with the O lifts. Maybe, just maybe, it could be because I never did them right! Something as simply as the "V" position changes the lift forever and, if you need to be gassed, go right ahead and do a set of ten. Not enough, add some Front Squats.

I'm not sure most people reading the book will understand the challenge of the training system outlined. A double snatch followed by double presses followed by Front Squats? Good luck! "

Dan John RKC TLAnd here is what Master RKC Jeff O'Connor has to say:

As a casual read, this is a fantastic book and anyone will benefit from the knowledge shared. But, for the serious student of the "Iron Game" this book (like all of Pavel's) deserves multiple reads. The details and training gems contained in this book are numerous and invaluable. It's not about the sets and reps, it's about the technique and application. Using the lessons taught in this book will definitely pack dense athletic muscle on your frame. Don't cheat yourself, earn it with ETK and then apply RTK. You will get results.

Jeff O'Connor, Master RKC - Talala, OK

And read what Master RKC Mark Reifkind has to say about ROTK -

"Pavel hits another home run with his new book "Return of the Kettlebell". I shouldn't,nor should anyone, be surprised at this considering the his already state of the art and groundbreaking body of work but here he goes again, covering new ground and teaching us all that the applications of the kettlebell are much deeper than anyone ever thought.

One of the main things that differentiates Pavel and the RKC from every other 'wanna be' kettlebell course or book is that the man understands the bell is a tool and HOW one uses it is the key to creating an almost unlimited array of training gains, from insane cardiovasuclar endurance to, now, incredible muscle growth, all with the same basic tool.

Using the key principles of the RKC, just in new configurations, Pavel teaches us how to 'muscle up' with double bell work, overload eccentrics and how to use explosive power as well as high tension to get the job done and build some serious muscle.

When powerlifing squat god Donnie Thompson says double bell front squats make him work then ALL should listen!Bravo Pavel, again, for leading the charge of the bleeding edge of the state of the art.No matter what the training goal, Pavel has a kettlebell solution that WORKS. Get this book and dvd! "

Rif

Mark Reifkind Master RKC Instructor - San Jose, CA

WHAT WILL THIS COST ME?

You have until November 30 , 2010 to get $100.00 off

$399.00 until November 30

$499.00 after that

e-mail:revoinfo@revolutionlajolla.com

Cancellation Policy

$100 Cancellation Fee

No Refund after January 1, 2011

How To Have It All From Your Kettlebell Workouts

2010-06-10T13:22:00.000-07:00

My good friend, Geoff Neupert, Master RKC, just had his long-anticipated book, "Kettlebell Muscle" published.

I bought it.

You should too.

Here's why -

I first met Geoff way back in 2005 at our buddy Josh Henkin's house. He was doing a free seminar on Olympic Lifting. It was great information. He made it so simple, but best of all, applying what we learned from him yielded fantastic results!

And that's pretty much it about anything I've ever used or seen that Geoff's done - fantastic results!

For example, I'm currently doing his "Kettlebell Burn" program (sorry I checked with Geoff - it's off the market until he puts the finishing touches on it) and I wanted to modify it, because honestly, I don't need to be any smaller.

So I called him up and asked him what I should do. He told me how to modify and "voila" - I got the desired results I was looking for! (Yoana's doing the program too and seeing great results too...)

Back to "Kettlebell Muscle" - Geoff has come up with a unique approach to literally have it all. In this book, he shows you not only how to get stronger, but leaner, and better conditioned too. And the best part is that you can do it all in less than 75 minutes a week! You read that correctly, less than 75 minutes per week.

So, you really can have it all - you can get stronger, change the shape of your body, lean out, and get in phenomenal shape when you use "Kettlebell Muscle."

But, Geoff wanted me to tell you that this book is NOT FOR EVERYBODY. If you've been using kettlebells for less than a year - don't buy this book. You should also have some experience with the double kettlebell exercises. If you don't, you shouldn't buy this book.

If you have any questions about "Kettlebell Muscle," Geoff is doing a FREE call where he'll answer any questions you may have. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you take advantage of this offer because you'll be surprised at how much you will learn.

So here's what you need to do now to take advantage of this one time offer:

1. Go ask Geoff your biggest question here:

=> www.kettlebellsecrets.com/recommend/kettlebellmuscle1

2. Make sure you copy down the following information about the call or print out this email:

=> When: Thursday, June 10th, 2010, 8pm EST, 5pm PST

=> Where: (919) 424-5871, Conference ID: 890301#   (Local numbers:http://SafeTeleseminar.com/Local)

3. And finally, make sure you get on the call 10 minutes early - there are only 100 lines available and you'll want to make sure you're on to see if Geoff answers your question.

See you on the call!

Franz

All 3 Pull Up Videos

2010-05-11T19:19:00.000-07:00

Okay, so many people asked where they could watch videos one and two. Here is the link to all three pull up videos.

ALL 3 PULL UP VIDEOS

Leave me your thoughts and comments. I would love to learn what is working for you and your pull up progress!

Can You Do a Pull Up? Video Part 3

2010-05-05T16:28:00.000-07:00

This is the Video 3 in my series on Improving your Pull Ups. Learn whether you are a "TNT" (dynamite) or "Gun Powder" Puller! Watch the video and you will understand the analogy!

PULL UP VIDEO 3

Power to the People Seminar with Pavel

2010-04-26T15:40:00.000-07:00

Power to The People Seminar
by Pavel

When: Saturday October 9, 2010
9 to 5pm

Where: La Jolla, CA

(breaking news: just confirmed that Senior RKC Doug Nepodal, RKC Team Leader Dr. Mark Cheng, and RKC Team Leader Paul Daniels will be at this seminar assisting Pavel)

Irresistible Strength and a Body-to-Die-For + How to Add 100s of Pounds to Your Squat, Bench and Deadlift with Advanced Russian Techniques

We are very excited to announce that we will be hosting Pavel’s “Power to the People” Seminar on October 9 in La Jolla, California. This seminar will combine the best of Power to The People (original) and the new Power to the People Professional. For many of you that have been involved with Dragon Door’s educational seminars and have had the privilege of learning from Pavel, Power to the People had an enormously profound effect on how, when and why you train. I have to admit that reading the book for the first time in 2002 was not only liberating for me but set a new course in the direction of how I would train myself and my clients. This Book completely altered how and what I would focus on for the next 8 years.

I am totally convinced that Pavel's information will be life changing for you!!!!

Many of you have heard of or have painstakingly read and studied Pavel’s Power to the People Book. Not only did it set a new paradigm in the fitness industry, it started a “shift” away from high rep bodybuilding muscle routines and toward “real strength training” that originated in Russia and Eastern Europe.

Pavel’s message to me was clear and powerful: Train for Strength and Train for Function!!! Stop micro-managing muscles and start training for function.

Also, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” “Don’t judge a man’s strength by the size of his Biceps.”

WHAT WILL THIS SEMINAR DO FOR ME?

This incredible one day seminar will teach you:

*How to get super strong without training to muscle failure or exhaustion
*How to hack into your 'muscle software' and magnify your power and muscle definition
*How to get super strong without putting on an ounce of weight
*Or how to build massive muscles with a classified Soviet Special Forces workout
*Why high rep training to the 'burn' is like a form of rigor mortis—and what it really takes to develop spectacular muscle tone
*How to mold your whole body into an off-planet rock with only two exercises
*How to increase your bench press by ten pounds overnight
*How to get a tremendous workout on the road without any equipment
*How to design a world class body in your basement—with $150 worth of basic weights and in twenty minutes a day

But there is much more............

*How futuristic techniques can squeeze more horsepower out of your body-engine
*How to maximize muscular tension for traffic-stopping muscular definition
*How to minimize fatigue and get the most out of your strength training
*How to ensure high energy after your workout
*How to get stronger and harder without getting bigger
*Why it's safer to use free weights than machines
*How to achieve massive muscles and awesome strength—if that's what you want
*What, how and when to eat for maximum gains
*How to master the magic of effective exercise variation
*The ultimate formula for strength
*How to gain beyond your wildest dreams—with less chance of injury
*A high intensity, immediate gratification technique for massive strength gains
*The eight most effective breathing habits for lifting weights
*The secret that separates elite athletes from 'also-rans'
*How to become super strong and live to tell about it

MORE....

*A unique drill that Paul Anderson invented and used with great success to build his deadlift…
*How to make your muscles jump to your commands…
*The two ways of getting stronger through training the nervous system—and the misconceptions about both…
*How to get stronger for longer—with less effort—using the phenomenon of synaptic facilitation…
*How to try no harder than usual—but "magically" beat your previous best…
*The 6 key secrets of dynamic correspondence you need to employ to guarantee a greater PR…
*How to engage different muscle groups while performing the SAME movement…
*Two ways to ensure you stay fresh while still making gains…

*Why are the Russian IPF champs SO strong?...
*What it took a Ukrainian lifter to break Kaz's twenty-three year old world record…
*Should powerlifters employ jumps for greater leg strength?...
*Between the extremes: a system for extraordinary results from Ukraine's #1 coach…

*How Russian lifters quickly get back in shape after a layoff—or how to take a curveball and knock it out of the park…
*Eating your cake and having it too: How a Russian lifter modified Smolov's intro squat cycle to minimize abuse and maximize rapid gains…
*Discover a proven system for adding 50kg to already big benches—in just 4-5 months… Pages
*Could this be the #1 set and rep scheme for superior strength building?... Pa

Look at what Senior RKC Dan John has to say about POWER TO THE PEOPLE:

"This is a graduate program in getting strong. If the RKC is the "School of Strength," this is the special ops class. Honestly, just pick the book up and pop open a chapter. Here are the programs, the thought process, and the actual systems used to produce stunning lifts in the three powerlifts.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. As my "Must Have" collection of books spirals higher each year, I am comfortable in saying that this book will quietly show the door to one or two of the books on my previous lists. It is that good."
—Dan John, author of Never Let Go

"Power to the People! is absolute dynamite.
If there was only one book
I could recommend to help you reach
your ultimate physical potential,
this would be it."
—Jim Wright, Ph.D., Science Editor, Flex Magazine, Weider Group

"Pavel, thank you for bringing this fantastic training information to the public. I have always felt that getting stronger has a direct correlation with getting smarter. Trying something new, or adding in that missing element of training or form may be just what you need to push through those strength plateaus."
—Brad Gillingham, 2 Time IPF SHW World Powerlifting Champion

"Power to the People Professional is another excellent publication from Pavel. The book contains a wealth of information that will help lifters improve their Squat, Bench, Deadlift and Total. What is refreshing is the no frills approach: everything is written to the point and with no fluff. Advanced lifters must read this book."
—Andy Bolton, 6-time world powerlifting champion, official world record holder in the squat, deadlift and total

"A marvelous collection of thoughts ideas and theories by some of the top strength coaches in the world. The book is full of great information."
—Louie Simmons, Westside Barbell

"I am thoroughly enthralled with Power to the People Professional. There is real passion in this book and it shines through in the characters that populate PPP: these men come alive as Pavel breathes life into their unique lives and diverse methods. Per usual, Pavel's impassioned pursuit of various strength methodologies is peerless; his gathering of tactical techniques makes this book a strength and power wellspring. There is enough substance and meat and grit between the covers of this book to keep the serious power man busy for the next five years.

Highest marks. Excellent on a multitude of levels. This book is a goldmine of tactics and techniques."
—Marty Gallagher, author of The Purposeful Primitive

"Wow. wow, wow, wow! One of Pavel's genius attributes is to take the very complex and state it so simply that anyone can grasp it. He showed us this perfectly in the original Power to the People!, distilling the essence of strength training into a slim manual that became my bible for teaching the basic principles of how to get strong and why they work.

Now, with Power to the People Professional, Pavel has written what is sure to become one of THE most revered books in the pantheon of powerlifting guides; right along with Ernie Franz's The Ten Commandments of Powerlifting, Hatfield's The Complete Guide to Powerlifting and the entire works of Louie Simmons. It is a masterpiece of powerlifting information, history, math, physics and biomechanics STILL written in a way that is ultimately understandable.

Brilliant! An instant classic. ANYONE interested in powerlifting and competitive strength, or strength at ALL NEEDS to have this book. This will not just be read but STUDIED.

Bravo Sir, not only a homerun but a Grandslam."
—Mark Reifkind, Master RKC, former Coach IPF Powerlifting Women's Team USA

WHAT WILL THIS COST ME?

You have until July 1, 2009 to get 150.00 off.

Early Bird Registration: $349 July 1
$399.00 until August 1
$499.00 after that

e-mail:revoinfo@revolutionalajolla.com

Cancellation Policy

$100 Cancellation Fee

No Refund after October 1, 2010

Moving from the Thoracic Spine Video Part TWO: The BRETZEL!!!!

2010-04-13T16:47:00.000-07:00

THE BRETZEL

In the first video "Moving from the Thoracic Spine Part One" we showed you a visual example of the human spine and why we must rotate from the thoracic joints. We discussed how the lumbar facet joints are not designed to tolerate a lot of rotation. In short, we need lots of mobility from the hips and thoracic spine to move with strength, power, grace and safety.

In Part Two we are sharing with you a very powerful thoracic spine stretch/mobilization exercise called the "BRETZEL." This is a stretch we learned from Master RKC Brett Jones and FMS Creator Gray Cook. The reason this stretch is so powerful is because done properly it re-educates your spine to move from the thoracic joints.

To see the video click here: BRETZEL VIDEO

Our Baby Boy is here!!!!

2010-04-09T11:02:00.000-07:00

We are proud and excited to announce the birth of our second child. His name is Esteban Andres Snideman Teran and he was 7 pounds 6 ounces and was 19.5 inches in length. Looks a lot like Marianna (our daughter) in my oppinion. Yoana is doing great and birth was fantastic. Yoana was her usual self and powered through it. All the kettlebell training really helped her, BIG TIME! The Doctor and nursed were shocked at how well she did and how she breezed through it. They told her they don't get patients like her :)

Thank God for this beautiful addition to the family and May God give us wisdom, guidance, strength and love to help raise this child into a man of integrity, strength, power, adventure, peace and love! Please pray the God gives Yoana and I the tools and wisdom to guide him down the right path and to help him unleash the God given talents he has!!!!

Power to us all!!!

Can Ropes Really Improve Your Movement?

2010-03-16T17:44:00.000-07:00

VIDEO on Rope Training

If you are a strength coach, trainer or fitness enthusiast who stays current with the times, you no doubt understand that the brain never thinks of activating individual muscles. Thanks to pioneers such as Vladimir Janda, Stuart McGill and Gray Cook, we know that the brain operates in terms of movement patterns and never thinks muscle isolation. The days of stupid bodybuilding nonsense being applied to the general public as well as to the preparation of athletes is hopefully coming to an end.

The real key in getting anyone to function at a higher level is to first assess and discover what is out of balance (asymmetrical), what is weak and what doesn't move well in your body. Once the mobility and stability issues are addressed in your body you can begin to lay down good exercise selections such as rope trianing. The following video hopefully represents a new paradigm shift in how the fitness industry will approach rope training as an opportunity to "improve movement" skills rather than just "get a workout."

Watch the video and let me know what you think.

RKC II is coming soon

2010-02-16T19:13:00.000-08:00

RKC level II certification will be taking place in San Jose at the end of February. I have to admit that Level II kicked my butt last year. Very tough course and will take your absolute best to pass it!

Here are some Pistol videos I did last year to help people achieve a perfect pistol!

Video # 1

Video 2

This is how I felt today...

2010-02-09T19:09:00.000-08:00

Some days just don't go your way. I had a filling removed today at the Dentist and had a really bad reaction to it. My heart rate was racing super high the entire time. And my face still feels numb.....5 hours later....yikes! I don't like this feeling!

I also found out that my mother is in the hospital which is tough to swallow. Like I said...some days are just "rough" to get through.

Even though I had a bad day it pails in comparison to a fellow RKC who died yesterday. RKC Scott Hines passed away yesterday. May God rest his soul. Please hold up his family in prayer.

I hope you like this video. I certainly did!

Kettlebell Birthday Cake

2010-02-03T07:38:00.000-08:00

My Birthday was back in November and I was so excited about my cake. My brother in law Ethan was very thoughtful and had a cake made for me in the shape of a kettlebell. The only thing wrong was that it says I am 37 years old...not true.................I am 36 :)

Return of the Kettlebell Seminar was Awesome!!

2010-01-24T08:10:00.000-08:00

On Saturday January 16th we hosted Pavel as he taught his famous ROTK seminar. It was a jam packed day as he went over his very effective double Ketttlebell seminar and the subtleties of double kettlebell exercises. I want to thank all the participants who came out and created a great atmosphere for learning and training. Many RKC's were in attendance and it was great meeting many new people.

Yoana and I also want to thank Pavel and the following RKC's who helped out:

Senior RKC Jon Engum
RKC TL Dr. Mark Cheng
RKC TL Paul Daniels
RKC TL Michael Castrogiovanni
RKC Cassie Charlebois

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Overall, here are some take home points that we all need to know and apply:

T-Spine mobility and shoulder health is a must prior to embarking on the ROTK program or if you plan on doing double KB drills overhead. You might be able to get away with single KB overhead work with one KB but it's never going to happen with two KB's. If you lack mobility you will injur yourself and see zero progress. That means that for all of us with tight shoulders that we have got to normalize our T-spine and shoulder mobility.
The Drills that Pavel taught for improving T-Spine Mobility were a combination of hanging in different angles from a TAPS bar and the other ones resembled positions you would find in the Turkish Get UP. He also did an incredible Thoracic extension drill that you performed over the knee and thigh of a partner.
Pavel also emphasized the importance of the abdominal musculature doing its' job and stabilizing the rib cage on the pelvis. We did many combinations of PLANKS but one of the most effective variations was a fisted plank on one arm. Think of a Renegade Row but with no kettlebells. Place the fist underneath you and allow zero rotation in your body. Your pelvis must be totally square to the floor and you must be braced (abs, glutes and lats maximally engaged).
Doing Double Snatches and then into double military presses is difficult. And then immediately adding the Front Squats after that sequence is BRUTAL!!!
On the Clean and Jerk Pavel taught a new technique with the intention of doing a small leg extension on the DRIVE portion of the JERK. Tough to explain....I'll have to make a video soon and share it with everyone.
The Program Design section alone was worth the price of admission. Pavel taught us a new program that bridges the gap between the ETK and the ROTK. He calls it: ETK PLUS
The ETK + is a nice hybrid program that allows you to use double KB drills and still be able to compete in sports or do other activities. The ROTK does not afford you that luxury as the intensity and volume are too much to realistically do anything else. You can find the ETK + article at: http://www.ironmind.com/ and click on MILO: A Journal for Serious Strength Athletes. You will have to subscribe to the online magazine for a fee but it is an awesome journal that is well worth the price.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Miami HKC: Final Week to Sign Up

2010-01-12T16:44:00.000-08:00

With Senior RKC David Whitley
RKC Team Leader - Yoana Snideman
RKC Team Leader - Franz Snideman

Sunday February 7, 2010
Miami, Florida

Last day to Sign up is Friday January 15th!!!!!!!

Become one of the First HKC's ever on the East Coast!!!!

HKC Prep Course in Miami and Upcoming HKC

2009-12-08T09:30:00.000-08:00

HKC Prep Course in Miami

When: Saturday December 19th, 3pm -5pm

Where: Host by: Equilibria Fitness

9851 NW 58 ST, SUITE 114 DORAL FL. 33178

Click here for sign up info

And coming in February........

Hardstyle Kettlebell Certification is coming to Miami!!
February 7, 2010
With Senior RKC David Whitley
and RKC Team Leader Yoana Snideman
RKC Team Leader Franz Snideman

Sunday February 7, 2010
Doral, Florida

Return of the Kettlebell Seminar with Pavel

2009-11-29T18:10:00.000-08:00

RETURN OF THE KETTLEBEL SEMINAR

with Pavel

Learn the Quickest Way to Build Muscle, Achieve Fat Loss and How to Increase Strength, Power and Stamina

When: Saturday January 16 9am - 5pm
Where: La Jolla, CA

WHAT WILL THIS COST ME?

You have until November 1, 2009 to get 150.00 off.

Early Bird Registration: $349 until November 1
$399.00 until November 30
$499.00 after that

Kettlebells in Spanish!!

2009-11-17T16:06:00.000-08:00

Kettlebells are invading Latin America!!! We are very excited to announce the release of "Kettlebells En Espanol: Movimientos Basicos." This is an instructional DVD going over in detail the six RKC Basic Movements:

1) Swing
2) Turkish Get Up
3) Clean
4) Military Press
5) Snatch
6) Squat

Everything is in Spanish and we are already planning a very busy 2010 for seminars and events in Miami and South America!!!

VIVA LOS KETTLEBELLS!!!!

Fall is here….changes are healthy!

2009-11-02T16:29:00.000-08:00

Well, fall is finally here and I am excited. I love the change of seasons even though you could argue that San Diego really has 2 seasons: Great weather and good weather. The weather in San Diego has got to be one of the most comfortable and best climates in the world……and that’s a FACT!

Life has been very busy! Busy and super productive. Here is a quick recap of the last couple of months and of the months to come:

Return of the Kettlebell Workshop with Pavel

Yoana and I are very excited to be hosting Pavel on Saturday January 16, 2010 for the RETURN OF THE KETTLEBELL workshop. It is going to be an amazing workshop that will take all who attend to a completely different (and higher) level. I am so excited I can hardly stand it. The turn out will be great and the level of instruction will be top notch. Many top level instructors such as Mark Cheng, Mark Toomey, Michael Catrogiovanni and Paul Daniels to name a few will be there. Rumor has that the IRON TAMER himself may come….but that is to be determined.

April 2009 - We moved Revolution Fitness to a much nicer location in downtown La Jolla.

June 2009 - Yoana and I went to RKC Level II ---- we were team leaders there but learned more than we could have ever imagined. We were both totally blown away by the material and the entire direction of the RKC school of strength. It truly is a school and one that I am damn proud to be part of.

August 2009 - RKC San Diego - the first and most highly attended RKC certification ever! It was awesome having it in our back yard. Both Yoana and I had the privilege of being TEAM LEADERS at this event. It was as this RKC that Yoana told me that she was pregnant! BEST news ever! Baby number two is due in April!!!!

August - Dragon Door announced they would carry our new ROPE DVD: The Revolution Solution: Combining Ropes and Kettlebells for Maximum Fitness and Fat Loss. I am very excited about our rope program and getting it cranking in the Kettlebell community. The bottom line is that ROPES rule and if you are not using them, you need to be!

October 2009 - Yoana and I filmed the first ever Kettlebell Instructional DVD in SPANISH. We are very excited about this project and about introducing the HARSTYLE of Kettlebell Training to the Spanish Speaking countries of the world.

November - 2009 -Changes to our Website are coming….

So far 2009 has been a very productive year and a year in which a lot of goals were realized. All in all we are super blessed. The absolutely biggest blessing has been watching my 22 month old daughter Marianna grow and change daily. Being a parent is challenging but by far the most rewarding endeavor I have ever done!!!!! All you parents out there will understand!!!

Very exciting time to be alive…the world is a bit crazy right now but we all have the power to help many people with their health, their strength and by encouraging them to live better lives. Sorry for the rambling…just some thoughts and experiences I wanted to share with everyone!

Return of the Kettlebell Workshop with PAVEL

2009-09-21T17:46:00.000-07:00

Learn the Quickest Way to Build Muscle, Achieve Fat Loss and How to Increase Strength, Power and Stamina

When: Saturday January 16 9am - 5pm
La Jolla, CA

Pavel is coming to San Diego to teach in person his best selling book and DVD "Return of the Kettlebell."

What will this seminar do for me?

-Dramatically increase your strength using double kettlebell drills
-Increase muscle while decreasing unwanted body fat
-Increase your full body power which means “more speed”
-You will become more explosive, harnessing more POWER than you have ever experienced
-Increase your thoracic, shoulder and hip mobility
-Increase your athletic potential and performance
-Skyrocket your cardiovascular fitness and stamina
-Make you more resilient

If you are familiar with kettlebells and have successfully been through Pavel's “Enter the Kettlebell” program, you will not want to miss this seminar as it represents “ the final fruit of Pavel's research – combining the very best of ancient lifting wisdom with modern day scientific break-throughs.”

The primary focus for Pavel's new program for Explosive Muscle Gain is the proper use of Double Kettlebell movements. Why double kettlebell drills?

Double KB drills have a very systemic effect on all systems of the body, including the hormonal system, the nervous system and the muscular system. Double Kettlebell exercises means faster gains in muscle, strength, power and stamina!

What will you learn?

THE SCIENCE OF BIG

– Why the Ketlebell is superior to a barbell for repetition quick lifts
- How to perform the Double Clean
- The importance of the “V” grip for the double cleans and why your rotator cuff will love it
- The proper rack position for guys and for girls
- Why and how to fully straighten out your arms in all overhead kettlebell lifts
- Why not to “scoop” and how to correct it
- The importance of breathing behind the shield
- How to match your breathing properly: Anatomical vs. Biomechanical
- How to perform he DOUBLE SNATCH – The Ultimate Expression of Full Body Power
-How to build huge shoulders and your upper back with the FRONT RAISE SNATCH
- How to perform the Side Raise Snatch
- The Single VIKING PUSH PRESS for Viking Muscles
- The Double VIKING PUSH PRESS
- The difference in grip between the Kettlebell Press and Kettlebell Push Presses and Jerks
- The Correct Spine and Rack position for JERKS and PUSH PRESSES
- How to Dip properly in the Jerk
- How to Drive and then Drop explosively in the DOUBLE CLEAN AND JERKS

-But that's not all, you will also learn how to GRIND AND GROW:

-The Double Press for Double Muscle Gains
-The Double Military Press done after a Snatch
-Learn how to Squat well in only half an hour
-Learn how to find your proper squat stance
-Learn the GOBLET SQUAT
-Learn how to find your netural spine and decrease back pain
-Open up your hips with the RKC Hip Flexor Stretch

MORE.....

-How to get Mobile Shoulder for effortless overhead lifts
-How use a pull up bar to open up your chest and T-spine
-The Kettlebell Straight Arm Pullover
-Why hanging from a pull up bar is great for flexibility and spinal decompression
-The difference between the RKC and Girevoy Sport Rack Position for Jerks, Push Presses, and Presses
-Why the overhead walk is necessary for shoulder mobility and shoulder stamina
-Pressing from partials squats

MORE...

- Kettlebell Touch and Go Sumo Deadlifts with 2 Bells
- BEHOLD THE POWER OF RUSSIAN "BLOCK TRAINING"
- Learn about the Russian secret of TWO WEEK BLOCKS

And so much more! Pavel will literally share his best muscle and strength building techniques for FAST RESULTS! You are guaranteed to get much stronger and more reslient from this workshop!

Here what Strength coach and RKC Team Leader Dan John has to say about this magnificent program:

"I'm not sure I can speak highly enough about "Return of the Kettlebell." Maybe it's the little things, like how we are walked through the squat with pictures that answer so many questions for the novice or the several pages dedicated to the Hip Flexor stretch. Honestly, the devil is in the details when it comes to working the hips and shoulders and the RKC system is clearly miles ahead of anybody else when it comes to exacting explanations of how to deal with the "four knots."

It could be the "big things." I never thought much of Double Kettlebell Cleans because I have such a history with the O lifts. Maybe, just maybe, it could be because I never did them right! Something as simply as the "V" position changes the lift forever and, if you need to be gassed, go right ahead and do a set of ten. Not enough, add some Front Squats.

I'm not sure most people reading the book will understand the challenge of the training system outlined. A double snatch followed by double presses followed by Front Squats? Good luck! "

Dan John RKC TL

And here is what Master RKC Kenneth Jay has to say:

"Now Pavel sets the standard from man to monster in his new and absolutely magnificient book Return of the Kettlebell. If Enter the kettlebell gave you the strength and physique of Spiderman then Return of the Kettlebell will make your skin green and turn you into a copy of Dr. Bruce Banner's alter ego.

Pavel has outdone himself and laid out the plan for explosive muscle gains and extraordinary strength- only one thing is required of you if you chose to follow the path.. you gotta have the heart to follow it through... just be careful you don't Incredibly HULK your shirt in the process :) "

Kenneth Jay, MRKC - Slangerup, Denmark

And read what Master RKC Mark Reifkind has to say about ROTK -

"Pavel hits another home run with his new book "Return of the Kettlebell". I shouldn't,nor should anyone, be surprised at this considering the his already state of the art and groundbreaking body of work but here he goes again, covering new ground and teaching us all that the applications of the kettlebell are much deeper than anyone ever thought.

One of the main things that differentiates Pavel and the RKC from every other 'wanna be' kettlebell course or book is that the man understands the bell is a tool and HOW one uses it is the key to creating an almost unlimited array of training gains, from insane cardiovasuclar endurance to, now, incredible muscle growth, all with the same basic tool.

Using the key principles of the RKC, just in new configurations, Pavel teaches us how to 'muscle up' with double bell work, overload eccentrics and how to use explosive power as well as high tension to get the job done and build some serious muscle.

When powerlifing squat god Donnie Thompson says double bell front squats make him work then ALL should listen!Bravo Pavel, again, for leading the charge of the bleeding edge of the state of the art.No matter what the training goal, Pavel has a kettlebell solution that WORKS. Get this book and dvd! "

Rif

Mark Reifkind Master RKC Instructor - San Jose, CA

WHAT WILL THIS COST ME?

You have until November 1, 2009 to get 150.00 off.

Early Bird Registration: $349 until November 1

$399.00 until November 30

$499.00 after that

This may be Pavel's most comprehensive Kettlebell seminar ever.......take advantage of this and sign up!

I just talked with Senior RKC Doug Nepodal and he said he will be there as will RKC Team Leader Mark Toomey.

It will be an event for the record books..........make sure you are there as more and more Seniors and Team Leaders (and perhaps some MASTER RKC"S) will be there as well!

San Diego RKC

2009-09-03T08:56:00.000-07:00

Another RKC has come and gone! The pleasure of this RKC was having it in our own backyyard, beautiful La Jolla! The JCC was the perfect location with an easy 2 min walk to the Marriott Hotel. Overall it was the best RKC I have ever been to!

My regret is that I didn't take a group photo of my group: TEAM FRANZ :(
All of the students were fantastic and reminds me of why being part of the RKC community is so special. A huge CONGRATULATIONS to all the students who took the RKC and to all the newly minted RKC's! For those that didn't pass, many will pass soon by completing the snatch test or sending in a video of improved Ketllebell technique.

Below are some photos of both Team Franz and Team Yoana combined and then Team Franz.

My assistant Instructors and Yoana's assistants were phenomenal and absolutely rocked! Thank you to Os, Naina and JJ...you guys rule!!!!! Steve, Dustin and Fran...great working seeing you all!!!

This Guy is Amazing!

2009-08-25T19:13:00.001-07:00

Every now and then you see someone move in a such a way that it makes you question the potential of human movements and what is possible. Without a doubt Demian Walters (the guy in the video) is such a person! The things he can do just flat out amazes me........watch the video and let me know what you think.

Great Video about Moving Naturally

2009-08-13T09:20:00.000-07:00

Found this cool video from RKC Os Aponte's Facebook page. Really makes you want to run around in the wild and feel primal! It is such a cool time to be alive right now because we can use the base of knowledge we have about health, physiology and training and take it outside and move, have fun and explore our bodies and what they are capable of. The only thing I would change from the guy in the video is that I would wear my Vibrams's outside to have a bit of foot protection.

In this video you will see the guy use all of his bio-motor abilities:
* Strength
* Power
* Coordination
* Agility
* Endurance
* Mobility
* Flexibility
* Speed

and tons of different types of movements:

* Squating / Lunging / Stepping
* Crawling / Rolling / Flipping
* Sprinting / Jumping / Walking / Running
* Pushing / Pulling / Climbing
* Throwing Objects / and more.....

Check it out and let me know what you think.

Sign up for the Double Kettlebell Seminar with me and Senior RKC Geoff Neupert

Okay...I admit it......

2009-08-11T09:10:00.000-07:00

I am a BREAKDANCING freak. My twin brother Keats and I used to have a breakdancing "crew" growing up in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We used to take a piece of congolium (similar to linolium) down to the Santa Fe plaza on the weekends and breakdance in front of the public. It was a total blast and to this day I still have aspirations of getting back into breakdancing....although not sure I have the mobility to do what B-Boy Junior does in the following video. This guy is the best breakdancer I have ever seen, PERIOD!!!!!! Check it out and let me know if that doesn't inspire you to move more and move with more grace, power and motor control!

Tip # 2 for Better Pistols

2009-07-29T08:55:00.000-07:00

In our first video I went over the importance of starting the pistol from the ground up and learning how to properly set your feet to activate all the leg muscles. In this video I go over Tip # 2 for better pistols!

Click the Link below to learn about a powerful workshop that my good friend Geoff Neupert Senior RKC and I are doing in San Diego in September. Check it out if you are serious about strength and faster results:

Double Kettlebell Seminar with Geoff Neupert / Franz Snideman

Powerful Tip for Better Pistols

2009-07-23T20:23:00.000-07:00

Watch this video to figure out how I was able to learn pistols on my weaker left leg.

Another reason why keeping your first metatarsal was explained to me through an e-mail by Senior RKC Geoff Neupert. Geoff says the following:

"Also, another reason to keep the big toe down is the flexor hallicus longus runs from the big toe to the tibia - it is an ankle plantar flexor. But when the foot is down, like in the pistol, and the knee comes forward, it is stretched. It then becomes a knee extensor - as it contracts it pulls the tibia back on top of the ankle, therefore acting on the knee from below..."

To learn more tips from myself and Geoff click the following: More Tips

The Controvery over "Balance Training"

2009-07-16T07:30:00.000-07:00

While in Phoenix last weekend visiting my twin brother Keats Snideman, we were able to briefly interview him about the topic of "balance training." Keats dispelled many of the myths in the fitness industry and gave some great advice on how we might improve balance and overall athleticism.

Watch and let me know your thoughts!

Keats'website is www.coachkeats.com

I am also excited that he will be attending the RKC in San Diego this August. It will be awesome to have him in the RKC family!!!

To sign up for our newsletter go to www.revolutionlajolla.com

How to Improve your Pull Ups Video: Part Two

2009-06-22T21:35:00.000-07:00

Okay.....here it is. The long awaited part two video on how to increase your pull up power. In the last video I talked about the importance of shortening your abdominal muscles and literally ZIPPING up all the muscles in your torso. That means your pelvis and rib cage come close together before doing the pull up. That is what tightens up the midsection and creates more compression which in turns creates tremendous strength and power. Compression means more strength!!!!

In this video I talk about overloading your lats with a handstand push up against the wall and then immediately going over to the pull up bar and firing one perfect powerful pull up. Why does this work? Well, I don't really know but my guess is that the handstand push up overloads your lats to such a high degree that you end up hyper-stimulating the LATS to the point where your once slow weak pull up now feels fast and powerful. I had one of my clients do this and it really helped her!!!

Give it a try and give me you feedback!

Ropes and Kettlebells: Our New DVD!

2009-06-18T09:38:00.000-07:00

We are excited to announce our new DVD, "The Revolution Solution: Combining Ropes and Kettlebells for Maximum Fitness and Fat Loss." We wanted to come out with an educational product that shows how we integrate Kettlebells and Ropes together. Ropes are an excellent compliment to kettlebells for many reasons.

This DVD is very unique as it explains in detail the foundational rope exercises that we use in our training studios in San Diego. If you have not used ropes you must try them because they get the body very fit and conditioned in a very short period of time. In the next 3 to 5 years you will start seeing almost every gym in the country with Ropes. We have been fortunate enough to always gravitate toward the best training methods and mark my words; ropes will be HUGE in the fitness industry.

Purchase Here

Here is what's covered in the DVD:

*Learn how to successfully integrate kettlebells and ropes for maximum fitness, fat loss and overall conditioning.

*Be an early adopter! Men's health recently called rope training the "2009 Best Cardio tool of the year." Be one of the first trainers in your area to use this incredible tool.

*Discover over 30 rope drills that you can instantly use and apply to your training.

*Learn how Franz and Yoana utilize kettlebells and ropes for power and speed athletes.

*Learn over 10 drills that combine ropes and body weight exercises.

*Learn how to successful design programs for your clients with kettebells and ropes.

*Learn how to perform the actual Kettlebell / Rope programs that Franz and Yoana use with their clients and in classes.

*Learn how to effectively SMOKE your client in less than 5 minutes with one Rope/ Kettlebell Complex.

Get the DVD Here!

If Civilization Ended today.....Would your fitness help you?

2009-06-05T08:36:00.000-07:00

When I first took the RKC certification in April of 2003, I remember then Senior RKC Rob Lawrence saying that if civilization ended tomorrow, a kettlebell would be a practical way to stay fit because you could literally travel with it and bring with you wherever you went. Let's take a different scenario ( a rather scripted movie like end of days scenario, I know), imagine if civilization ended as we know it. No more ruling government, no technology, no civil laws or courts; just bands and tribes of people trying to eat, survive and protect themselves from nature and others.

Here is the question I ask of you: Would your current methods of fitness help you?

Could you survive? Would you have the strength, power, speed, explosiveness, agility and mental toughness to stick it out and protect you and your family? If this answer is NO, you probably stick to a fitness regimen of Pilates, Yoga, walking and Richard Simmon's "Sweating to the Oldies." I don't have a problem with people doing Yoga, Piliates (although I do have a problem of people sweating to the oldies with Richard Simmon) or even walking. There are wonderful things one can learn from Yoga and Pilates, and walking of course is a pre-requisite for living. The challenge I have is with the mindset that by themselves Yoga and Pilates as a stand alone system are enough to prepare you for living in perilous times.

Let's take Yoga for example. I know some Yoga practitioners that can flat out perform some amazing things. Handstands isometric puh ups, incredible balancing poses that would make spider man crincge, and many more. The health benefits to learning how to breathe properly and let go of tension obviously are a plus. But let's go back to initial quesion. Would this be the best way to condition your body and mind for an "end of civilization" scenario. I would argue that it is not the best way. A way, yes, the best way, no! Long static yoga poses do little to increase the CNS's ability to recruit the muscular system in an explosiv way that would be required. Yoga also would not help you lift a 200 pound boulder out of the way to make room for setting up camp.

Now for Pilates! YIKES! I think there are many principles that are beneficial in Pilates such as long spine and creating length in your structure. But to dedicate the majority of you time to performing exercsies lying on your back or in a prone position seem rediculous in my book. If you do Pilated please don't e-mail hate letters because I am not saying you cannot do Pilates or that there in zero benefit, but to EXCLUSIVLEY use pilates as your only method for fitness is a huge mistake. The load (springs) you use in Pilates is not real in my book. Pick up a heavy deadlift off the floor or press something heavy overhead. Even swinging a kettlebell blows away any functionality claims that the Pilates people swear by.

The bottom line......if your fitness doesn't make you function better and perform better while standing on your feet....... you wouldn't survive long if civilization ended. Is your Yoga and Pilates giving you the real world fitness you would need to survive? I am fully confident that people who include deadlifts, RKC style kettlebell training, some sprinting or intense type of running, bodyweight explosive exercises and odd object/strong man training would do very well in the scenario I am talking about. That doesn't mean you shouldn't stretch, do Tai Chi, Z-health and other parasympathetic activities, it just means you should perform standing full body movements such as :

Deadlifts and all of their variations

Cleans

Snatches

Squats

Presses (both horizontal and vertical)

Rows (pull ups as well)

Shouldering exercsies with all sorts of different objects

Lunges and Stepping patterns

Jumping

Climbing

Crawling

Sprinting

Throwing (this would be very important for killing food)

and more......

Those would constitue the basic movements you would need to be able to perform well and with precision.

Power to us all! I certainly hope civilization doesn't end tomorrow :)

Vibram Five Fingers: My New Digs

2009-05-21T08:38:00.000-07:00

Very excited that I bought my first pair of Vibram Five Finger (VFF) Shoes last weekend. I've been following others people's blogs about these shoes for the last year and was instantly ingrigued the first time I saw them. I have worn them every day since I got them and here are my immediate thoughts on the VFF's:

1) My hips and ankles have more mobility, as does my t-spine. There is an exercise called the DECK SQUAT which I usually cannot do well because I lack mobility in my hips and ankles. Well, that has all changed with my VFF's. The deck squat is now rather simple and feels very fluid and loose. I haven't done any strething in a while, so the only thing that has changed is my wearing of the new shoes.

2) ENERGY is much better! Overall I feel more ALIVE, more in tune with my body. I think because the shoes are practically like being barefoot, I have have a better connection to the ground and the earth. It's almost like my feet have been in a coma for 35 years and they are finally starting to WAKE UP! It is a liberating feeling to wear the Vibram's and the thought of wearing my other normal shoes sounds horrible. Now granted, I have only worn them for 4 days so far, but if I feel this good, why would I go back to the heavier, thicker soled shoes?

3) Posture and Gait have improved! I have pretty funky gait because I have a fairly big assymetry in my pelvis. My right leg has always been substantially shorter than my righ tleg and because of that I have always had awkward gait. Even though my gait is still light years aways from being perfect, it just feels better. This is subjective, but I feel as if my feet are starting finally move. Always had stiff tight feet and perhaps this is my road to foot mobility NIRVANA!!!

4) Feel my toes working and moving! I have a really difficult time extending my toes, especially my big toes. I have suffered from Turf Toe (a stiff big toe) since I was a child. My toes are finally starting to move thanks to the shoes!!!

I will post more in the weeks to come on my experience with the Vibram Five Finger shoes. My advice to all of you would be to get a pair of FREE you feet from shoes!!!!!

Betsy Collie RKC II and Geoff Neupert Senior RKC

2009-05-13T21:36:00.000-07:00

The following videos are of Betsy Collie RKC II and Senior RKC Geoff Neupert from North Carolina. Fist of all, both of them are not only some of the nicest people you will ever meet, they are both gifted athletes in their own crafts. Watch these two videos and please do not try them at home! Betsy and Geoff are very talented and super strong!!!!!! To say I am impressed is an understatement!

Kettlebell Juggling

2009-05-02T22:32:00.001-07:00

Found this You Tube Video of KB Juggling and RKC Dan Cenidoza's website! WOW! This is super amazing as I have never seen anyone do what this guy can do with a kettlebell! You have got to check this out!

Ropes and Kettlebells! The Perfect Fat Loss Combo

2009-04-14T21:28:00.000-07:00

Let's be totally honest.....most people deep down inside want to look good and be lean. Yeah, yeah.....I know, people want to function good and move well. But if you were to honestly ask yourself why you workout and eat well, being lean and looking your best is probably highest on the list. There is an emotional need for people to feel comfortable in their own skin.

We have found Ropes and Kettlebells to be one of the best combinations for quick effective fat loss. Once you try our fat loss workouts with ropes and KB's you will be convinced as well.

Just a reminder that our Ropes, Sandbags and Kettlebell Seminar is on May 30 & 31 at Revolution Fitness in La Jolla, CA. The registration deadline is May 5 so be sure to sign up before then!

http://www.revolutionlajolla.com/FatLoss.aspx

Something is Happening at Revolution........

2009-03-24T22:49:00.000-07:00

After 4.5 years at our current location we are moving Revolution Fitness to a new facility located in downtown La Jolla on Girard Avenue, one the nicest and busiest streets in all of La Jolla.
We are grateful that we had the experience of growing our business in our current location on La Jolla Blvd.
There will be more classes and some very new and exciting programs happening at Revolution!!
So stay tuned for more details about the new facility.

Improving your Pressing Strength

One of the true tests of full body strength and power is the ability to press a heavy weight overehead. If you have not completely experienced the benefits of kettlebell military pressing, perhaps now is the time to start performing this incredible exercise. For those of that have experience with the kettlebell military press we want to give you some extra tips that could increase your pressing strength.

One of the principles that I learned from my twin brother Keats Snideman and strenght Coach Charles Staley some years back is the concept of "same but different." Essentially what this means is that rather than totally abondon the movement you are trying to get stronger in, try performing the same movement but in a different way. For example, rather than doing the strict kettlebell military press you could try the following variations of presses:

1) KB Palm Press

2) Bottoms Up KB Press

3) Double KB Press (2 KB's in the same hand)

Why does the "same but different" principle work? It works because it forces you to recruit your muscles and body in a slightly different way. For example, the Palm press for many people improves the "groove" or pathway of the military press, enhancing the biomechanical efficiency of the press. The Bottoms up press in a similar way can also improve the groove of your pressing pattern as well as strengthen your wrist (which in most people is a huge weakness). The Double KB Press totally overloads your grip causing the central nervous system to over recruit practically every shoulder, arm, hand and finger muscles as well as a huge overload on your CORE.

The bottom line is that if you have stagnated in your pressing or are just bored with your pressing, try one or all of these movements for the next 6 to 8 weeks and watch your kettlebell military press sky rocket to a new level!

Let us know what you think about this post and the video!

If you would like to recieve our weekly blog videos, sign up for our free newsletter. Go to our home page and fill in your e-mail on the bottom left side.

Yoana TGU with 24kg

2009-03-16T15:55:00.001-07:00

Okay...........I have a confession to make! I am so tired of hearing girls talk about their "FEAR" of getting bulked up by lifting weights. What a crock of sh*t. My lovely wife Yoana weights barely 110 pounds is not "big" or "bulky". Most women erroneously believe that weight training means huge muscle growth. Well, muscle growth is a great goal and one that I believe we should all do...but gaining muscle is just flat our difficult. Any muscle a women gains is for benefit and is not a "negative" at all.

In fact I would claim that most muscle gain on a woman would probably make them smaller, not bigger. Just look at Yoana. She is not big. If you were to take ruler measurements of her arms, hips, abdomen and thighs, they would probably be much smaller than the average woman. The bottom line is that gaining muscle will make you look harder, more dense and more athletic. Gaining muscle is very hard work and takes years of proper nutrition, recovery and intelligent training. The fear of getting huge is based on a myth and just isn't a reality for most women.

The goal of women should be similar to men..........get strong, stay strong, be strong.

Yoana is stronger than most average men. Give a 24kg kettlebell to most men and they will not stand up with it, and definitely not as gracefully as Yoana does.

Bottom line....lift weights......perform big movements like Turkish Get Ups, Presses, Pull ups, Deadlifts, Squats, Cleans, Swings and Snatches and watch your body get hard, ultra strong and watch your stamina / conditioning go through the roof!

Let us know what you think about this post and the video!

If you would like to recieve our weekly blog videos, sign up for our free newsletter. Go to our home page and fill in your e-mail on the bottom left side: http://www.revolutionlajolla.com/

Yoana's Power Workout

2009-03-10T22:24:00.001-07:00

Of all the bio-motor abilities, POWER may be one of the most important. What exactly in power? Power is the ability to express the strength you have quickly and explosively. A Powerlifter who can deadlift 700 pounds is exactly more strong than he is powerful. Powerlifting should actually be called STRENGTH LIFTING because all that matters is that the weight eventually gets off the floor. There is no time limit in powerlifting. A heavy deadlift may take the athlete 15 seconds to get up. But if the deadlift is eventually finished than it is a valid and legal lift.

Olympic lifters are true power athletes, as are sprinters. Moving a weight off the floor as in the barbell clean and jerk requires tremendous strength and POWER. Watch an accomplished Olympic lifter and you will see that bar fly up very quickly. Or watch a 100 meter sprinter burst out of the starting blocks and you will see POWER.

Research has shown that elderly people don't fall because they lack cardiovascular endurance or balance, they fall and break their hips because they lack power. They lack the ability to recruit their muscles quickly and therefore their "breaking" mechanism turns on too late or even worse, doesn't turn on at all. That is when the broken hips and fractured pelvises eventually get the best of many elderly people.

If you are still alive, you need to work on POWER! Regardless of your age, power is a quality that will make you make faster, make your body more resilient and frankly will improve your quality of life!

Watch as Yoana takes you through a POWER workout based on speed and quickness!

Please let me know your thoughts about Power training and Yoana's workout!

INCREASE YOUR PULL UP STRENGTH

2009-03-03T18:17:00.001-08:00

There are few exercises as effective as the pull up for upper body strength and power. This version that I'm going over in the video is called the tactical pull up, which is exemplified by a rigid, tight body and contracted mid section. Ideally the tactical pull up will have more narrow grip than I am showing in the video.

Please leave your comments on the video. I would love to hear what you all think about pull ups!!!

The Seminar you have been waiting for....

2009-02-25T11:42:00.000-08:00

New Seminar Combining Sandbags,
Kettlebells and Ropes

with:

Josh Henkin, CSCS RKC TL
Franz Snideman RKC TL, NMT
Yoana Snideman RKC TL, PT

Ask yourself the following questions:

Are you satisfied with your current training results?

Are you satisfied with the results of your clients?

Are you bored with your current training and ready for a change?

If you are a fitness professional are you ready take your business and training to the next level?

Are you as lean as you would like to be?

Are you as strong and powerful as you should be?

Do you know what your major weaknesses are?

If you answered "no" to any of those questions you owe it to yourself and your clients to take this seminar and learn from coaches who have literally been in the trenches helping people like yourself transform and significantly improve their fitness and athletic ability for a combined 40 years. If you are ready to learn from 3 seasoned veterans who help people acheive their goals every day, than mark your calendars for the last weekend in May and get yourself to San Diego.

Sandbags, Kettlebells and Ropes Seminar!!!

When: Sat May 30 - Sun May 31

Where: Revolution Fitness, San Diego, CA

Cost: $199
(register by April 1st and save $30)

Go to: www.paypal.com

Acct: revoinfo@revolutionlajolla.com

High Octane Sandbag Training

meets

The Revolution Solution: Combining Ropes and Kettlebells for Maximum Fitness and Fat Loss

Here is what's going to be covered:

High Octane Sandbag Training - by Josh Henkin, CSCS, RKC TL

Learn why sandbags are the favorite tool of the best athletes in the world

Find out how to create programs that will not only produce amazing results, but make sure you never get bored!

Discover over 100 drills that you can start using tomorrow!

Learn how to challenge beginners or elite athletes

See how to you will never need to perform another core exercise

Find out the secrets to eliminating most causes of back and shoulder pain

The Revolution Solution: Combining Ropes and Kettlebells for Maximum Fitness and Fat Loss - by Franz and Yoana Snideman, RKC Team Leaders

Learn how to successfully integrate kettlebells and ropes for maximum fat loss

Discover over 30 rope drills that you can instantly use and apply to your training

Learn how Franz and Yoana utilize kettlebell and ropes for power and speed athletes

Learn over 10 drills that combine ropes and body weight exercises

Learn how to perform the actual kettlebell / Rope programs that Franz and Yoana use with their clients and in classes

Learn how to effectively SMOKE your client in less than 5 minutes with one Rope/ Kettlebell Complex

And the Grand Finale....

How to Effectively Combine Sandbag, Kettlebell, and Rope Training!

Each day will consist of 8 hours of jam packed information. This seminar is HANDS ON, so come ready to learn and ready to work. You will be moving, training and challenging yourself with some of the best conditioning tools out there.

Sandbags, Kettlebells, Ropes and DVD Products
will be available for purchase at a discounted price!

Sandbags, Kettlebells and Ropes Seminar!!!

When: Sat May 30 - Sun May 31

Where: Revolution Fitness, San Diego, CA

Cost: $199

(register by April 1st and save $30)

Go to: www.paypal.com

Acct: revoinfo@revolutionlajolla.com

If you have questions e-mail us at: revoinfo@revolutionlajolla.com

New DVD Coming soon!

2009-02-22T10:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Yoana and I filmed a new DVD we are calling " The Revolution Solution": Combining Ropes and Kettlebells for Maximum Fitness and Fat Loss. We ended up filming the instructional section in our gym and the workout section outside on a cliff overlooking the ocean (spectacular views). It should be ready by the beginning of April.

Why did we film a DVD on ropes and kettlebells? Because we find the combination of ropes and kettlebells to be a highly effective way to increase fitness levels and increase fat loss. If you have not tried the combination of these two powerful tools we can assure you that they are challenging and RESULTS producing.

We will be taking pre-orders fairly soon and will update the blog as soon as that happens!

Pistol Progressions and Tips | Yoana Snideman

2009-02-17T07:54:00.001-08:00

In this video Yoana explains how to progress from a pistol on a high box, to a low box and then eventually all the way down to the ground. The pistol is one of the best single leg exercises you will ever do. Is it challenging? Big time. But if you get this exercise down you will not only have a highly powerful strong set of legs, you will have legs with muscle and less bodyfat.

Abdominal Training using the Wheel

2009-02-09T21:48:00.001-08:00

People always ask us for abdominal exercises. Well, here you go then. For less than ten dollars you can purchase a wheel and when performed properly, your ABS will get stronger and will get more toned ( I hate that word). Check out as Yoana and I show you how to perform the "evil wheel" the correct way.

Also keep in mind that no exercise will melt off fat from the midsection if you are wolfing down too many calories on a daily basis. Long term you must cut your calories and optimize the quality of food you take it. Remember the term, "Junk in, Junk out." If you eat junk food just remind yourself that the cells in your body will be replaced with the food that you are eating. Do you really want your eyeball tissue and liver cells to made from Krispy Creme doughnuts and Big Macs?

Double Kettlebell Fat Loss Routine

2009-02-03T14:58:00.001-08:00

Double kettlebell drills are a favorite of mine. If you have never done double KB drills you are missing out! You can keep the movements rather basic as the increased weight will provide quite a new challenge. The double KB drills will work you, BIG TIME! Check out this video where I demonstrate a very effective double KB routine! Enjoy!

Kettlebell and Rope Fat Loss Training

2009-01-27T22:35:00.001-08:00

Kettlebell training flat out works. Most of you know that by now. But what many of you may not know is how effective rope training is, especially when added to kettlebell training. Check out the video to see Yoana take you through a challenging kettlebell bell / rope combo fat loss routine!

RKC Booth at LA Fitness EXPO 2009

2009-01-25T21:18:00.001-08:00

Yoana and I stopped by the RKC Booth at the LA Fitness EXPO over the weekend. It was great seeing other RKC's there and thanks to Justin Garfield and Pavel for putting it together. We didn't stay long but did manage to film a couple of kettlebell execsies!

Bodyweight Exercises for Executives

2009-01-22T16:53:00.001-08:00

John Maher Professional Surfer YouTube-Sequence 1-MPEG-4 800Kbps

2009-01-16T21:44:00.001-08:00

This is our client and friend Michael Maher's son John Maher, one of the best up and coming BIG WAVE riders in the world. John absolutely SHREDS these waves!

WOW!!!!!!

What Makes a Good Strength Coach?

2008-12-29T14:51:00.000-08:00

This is an excellent question. I was just listening to a Mike Boyle Podcast on this subject and it prompted me to ask myself what I believe makes a great strength coach.

With the fitness industry now becoming a more respected industry and a viable profession, what qualities make up a great strength coach? Ask many coaches and trainers and you will get different responses. Here is a list of qualities that I believe make a great strength coach. This is by no means an exhaustive list but just some essentials that I think are important for current strength coaches and for people wanting to enter the fitness industry.

Quality # 1 - Focus on serving your client, not yourself

This is hugely important. When you take on a client, whether they be a housewife or a high school athlete, ask yourself what is your motivation working with that client. Are you training them to make yourself look better & more successful or are you training the person wanting to help them achieve their goals and accomplish their dreams. The most successful trainers and coaches I have ever met have been SERVANTS! Yes, that is right. They have learned to SERVE others and to pour their passion, their soul and their energy in to helping that person rise to higher levels. This is the most important aspect of being a coach in my book. Serve others, listen to them, encourage them, love them and guide them. People really don't care how much you know or who smart you are. They care about the fact that you genuinely care about them. Do that and you will have a client for life!

Quality # 2 - Passion

If you have passion you will have energy. Passionate energy will drive you to learn, apply and grow. The more you learn and the more you grow the better your clients will perform and better results they will have. Nobody wants to hang out with a trainer who is boring, lacking enthusiasm and passion. People want to be around passionate people. Ask yourself this question; when was the last time you hung out with a boring person who lacks passion and wanted to get hang out with them again in the future? The answer is probably never again would you want to hang out with them. A great strength coach has Passion, LOTS OF PASSION! Passion gives you energy and energy is contagious. Passion is also a choice........you choose to be passionate about strength, fitness, conditioning, health, power, kettelbells.......you fill in the blank. If you want to be a great in anything you must have passion as that passion will drive you to learn and to empower yourself which ultimately allows you to EMPOWER others!!!!

Quality # 3 - Initiative

We have all seen people with tons of talent that haven't done anything with their talent. Chances are you know many people right now who would fit this profile. Talent alone will get you no where if you lack the INITIATIVE to take action. You must take action and get the ball rolling. If you are planning on becoming a world class strength coach you must start by taking your fist seminar or reading your first book. Most of the best coaches I know are great not because they are necessarily more talented than others, they are great because they take action ALL THE TIME! Initiative is one sets apart the best from the best. People who are LESS TALENTED than most often become the most successful because they out study, out train and frankly work much harder than people with tons of talent. Having lots of talent sometimes can be a curse if you fail to plan ahead and prepare yourself like most less talented people do. The best strength coaches have the initiative to get the ball rolling , take some risks and put themselves into a position where they might fail.

QUALITY # 4 - Learn all the time!

The best strength coaches are constantly learning. I think of people like Josh Henkins who I have know for over 12years. Josh since 1996 has constantly been studying under the best and brightest minds in the industry and has taken just about every certification out there. In fact to this date he still takes certification and by no means feels like he has "Arrived" and is above taking seminars. The best of the best continue to study, to grow, to read and attend seminars. It is super humbling to me to see a person like Pavel taking seminars and certification so he can grow as a coach and as a leader in this industry. If Pavel is studying like he is, shouldn't we be studying as well? My twin brother Keats Snideman is also one the brightest minds I have ever seen in the fitness industry. The amount of knowledge that he possesses is scary and it is because he is a ferocious reader. I know of not one person who reads the amount of fitness, health, nutrition and science books like my brother. If you want to be a great strength coach, read alot, attend seminars, and pick the brains of the best and brightest in the fitness field.

Quality # 5 Stick with the Basics but be open to new ideas

This has been one that I have struggled with in my career as a trainer. I am a constant learner and am therefore always looking for new methods, new tehcniques, and new ideas. The challenge I have had is that earlier in my career I would totally abandon older, proven techniques and completely jump ship. I really got hooked with the whole wobble board, swiss ball and balance training in the mid to late 90's. I swallowed the "functional training" pill and became a functional guru. Well, with my best intentions in mind, I quickly realized that my clients were losing their muscle mass and thus were losing enthusiasm because I has stopped loading them. It was a couple of years later that I realized I had lef the best and most proven principles behind in order to become a "whoopie cushion" guru.

More than decade a later I have left behind what didn't work and kept what did. I believe it is always good to experiement and be looking for better and more efficient ways to improve your training and programing. But it should never be at the expense of plain old fashioned classical weight lifting. In my opinion the following movements should never be left behind or forgotten:

* Squatting (barbell or kettlebell)

* Deadlifting (barbell / kettlebell or dumbbell)

* Pressing (both overhead pressing and horizontal pushing)

* Pulling (Pull ups, Chin ups, Rows)

* Cleans (barbell and kettlebell)

* Snatches (kettlebell and/or barbell)

QUALITY # 6 Stand on the Shoulders of Giants

This easily could be a sub-category of Quality # 4, (learn all the time), but it must be said. Learn from the best and you will minimize the amount of time it takes you to become excellent and proficient in your craft. There are some GIANTS out there that have proven systems and methodologies that work. Does that mean you cannot be innovative and creative? Of course not, but it means that correct principles are the compass to get you to where you want and need to go. Principles never change! Model people who are successful and take what works. Always, I repeat always give credit to those who have helped you and have been gracious enough to invest their time and energy in mentoring you.

QUALITY # 7 Fail Forward

Do not be afraid to take risks (although better to take calculated risks...obviously). Try things, do things, take action. You will fail and make mistakes......and this is totally normal. That makes you human and will make you more humble. Take responsibility for your actions and for your failures. As John Maxwell says, "you cannot learn from your failures if you refuse to take responsibility for them." So true! At the end of their lives, successful people will have failed more than unsuccessful people for the simple fact that they actually attempted a lot more things in life!

So there it is. Not an exhaustive list but definitely some qualities that would make a strength coach a "better"' coach!!!!!!

Back to Squatting with the Barbell

2008-12-19T07:26:00.000-08:00

I have not squatted with a barbell on my back since the 90's. Years of SI joint issues and two disc herniations kept me from squatting with barbell. Why? It hurt too much. Years later I can proudly admit that perhaps it was my technique that was keeping me from barbell usage. My twin brother Keats Snideman was just out visiting me in November and he showed me a different technique. The technique he showed me was the LOW bar version of keeping the barbell very low on my back, literally 1/2 an inch below the spine of the scapula which is pretty darn low. I had never even tried this version. It almost feels as if the bar might slp off my back it's so low. What keeps the bar in place is the TIGHT contraction of all the upper and mid back spinal musclues (rhomboids, middle and lower traps, erectors, posterior deltoid). The only limitations are in my wrists/forearms and in my shoulders as I still lack the adequate flexibility in those areas.

The version not only feels better it on my back I feel much stronger in my hips. Years of kettlebell swings and snatches has strengthened my hamstrings and glutes but have not strengthened by quads. I feel that the quadricep muscles are starting to come alive for the first time in almost a decade!

Much of this information can be found in the Book Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe, perhaps one of the best strength training books I have ever read. If you are a strength enthusiast, this is a must have book!

Hollidays, Training and Birthday's

2008-12-02T14:11:00.000-08:00

We got back from Hawaii a couple of weeks ago and what a trip it was. So fun to see Marianna experience the beaches, the pools, the turtles, the fish. Everything is so amazing through the eyes of a child. I wonder what she thinks when she sees and experiences all these things for the first time. If I could make it back to Hawaii once a year I would be very content. Hopefully we can make it happen every year.

Training wise I took a week completely off when I got back from Hawaii and have ramped it back up this week. Training calendar looks like this:

Monday = Conventional Stance Deadlifts / Incline Bench Press / Weighted Pull ups
Tuesday = Sprint days at the Track / Speed work / 20 meters, 30 meters, 40 meters
Wednesday = Back Squat (with the bar really low on the back) / KB Clean and Press / Pull Ups
Thursday = Speed work on the Track / More 20's, 30's & 40's
Friday = Back Squats (again) / Snatches / Weighted Pull Ups / Heavy KB Clean and Press
Saturday = Active Recovery / Lots of Stretching
Sunday = Walk / Russian Sports Massage

(and Grease the Groove COC gripper work every day)

My strength goals are to increase my strength primarily in my Squat, my press and my Pull Ups. Also working on closing the number 2 COC gripper. Almost there!I will sprinkle in some swings and snatches to keep up a decent base of conditioning, although I feel as if my track warm ups are getting me in decent condition. My Speed goals are to get my 100 meter dash time back down to the low 11's by spring and to sprint a 10.8 or 10.9 second 100 meter dash by summer. I turned 35 years old last Wednesday so I know I am racing against my age and my lack of sprint conditioning. However I feel that I am more strong in ways I never was back in my mid 20's. I don't recover as fast as I did but I feel that I still have plenty of speed ready to BURST out.

Training, Change and Vacation Time!

2008-11-05T15:37:00.000-08:00

Change has come! Whether you are a democrat or Republican this country needed a change in a big way. I pray that Obama does a great job as our new president. Only time till tell!

This Friday I am taking the Family to Kona, Hawaii for a much needed vacation. Very excited to take our daughter on her first "Hawai" trip ever. Should be fun. Looking forward to unplugging from the hustle and bustle of every day life and spending some time with the family in what may be one of the last "Garden of Eden" locations in the world.

Today's Training
Weighted Pull Ups
24kg 5,5,5

Swings
24kg 10 sets x 20 reps = 200 reps

Monday
Double KB Front Lunges
16kgs 4 sets x 5/5

Clean and Press w/32kg (COC Trainer Gripper in hand)
5 sets x 2/2

Swings
32kg 3 sets x 20 reps

Busy Weekend for Revolution Fitness!

2008-10-28T15:41:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was super busy. On Saturday I gave a one day NSCA sponsored RKC Prep Course to over 50 NSCA personal trainers in Irvine at Koh Physical Therapy Lab in Irvine, CA. This was the part two course after Pavel's level one course he did earlier in the month. Congrat's to all who participated. Thanks to RKC's Yoana Snideman (my lovely wife of course) Robert Budd, Cassie Charlebois, Paul Daniels and Steve Belinger for assisting. They all did very well and represented the RKC with pride and with honor.

There were comments from the first seminar that people wanted fresh and new material for this workshop. The problem was that none of them had even come close to mastering the RKC Drills of: Swing / Get Ups / Clean / Press / Snatch and Front squat. I made it very clear to the students that the RKC is not about seeing how many cool variations of exercises you can do, it is about mastering the basics. If you don't have the basics, you will not pass the RKC, not even close!

On Sunday Yoana and I were at the La Jolla Farmers' Market 10 year anniversary where we got a booth and marketed our business to the locals. It was fun....but I was ready to take a nap by the end of the weekend. Very busy......but all good stuff!!!! Revolution is growing!!!!!

Training Today

Weighted Pull ups
w/16kg KB 4 sets x 6 reps

Double KB Front Lunges
w/16kgs 4 sets x 5/5

Bottoms Up Press
24kg 2/2, 2/2,

Monday Training

Clean and Press
32kg 1 set x 2/2 w/Trainer Gripper in opposite hand

Swings w/32kg
5 sets x 20 reps = 100 reps

Kettlebells........My life has never been the same again!

2008-10-22T14:28:00.000-07:00

So here I am listening to Josh Henkin's Interview with Anthony Dilugio from Punch gym and Art of Strength and it brings me back to how my journey started with Kettlebells. I was certified in April of 2003 along with a stellar class of strength coaches and trainers that have all gone on to do huge things in the fitness industry and push the fitness industry to new heights. Who was there at the April RKC 2003?

Josh Henkin
Anthony Dilugio
Jason Brown
Steve Rochet
Josh Everett
Steve Cotter
Mike Burgner
Tim Larkin
Shawn Mozen (Agustu KB's)

Check out Josh's Interview with Anthony here!

and many more. From what I can see everyone on that list has gone on to do huge things in this industry and continues to influence people in a MAJOR way. I am proud to be part of that group.

And since then my life has changed in ways I could have never imagined. I came back from the 2003 cert on FIRE, and told Yoana that we were going to open up a Kettlebell studio and that is jsut what we did. Next month in November will be 4 years that we have been open and it has been a dream come true for both Yoana and myself. And it all started on a friday afternoon in fall of 2002 in Santa Monica. Like a lot of people, my life was forever changed when I met Pavel Tsatsouline. A client of mine and I met up in Santa Monica and hired Pavel for two hours to help us get started using these kettlebells. The bottom line is that the session changed the direction of my life forever. It was also brutally hard and showed me how dysfunctional I had become using corrective exercise for years. From that day on I stopped using the wobble boards, woopie cushion discs for standing on, and all the other "functional" toys and got serious about my training. I had essentially "wasted" so many years on balls and boards and started focusing on my kettlebell skills. But it wasn't until the April 2003 Certification that I was able to really get the technique downs and progress as a kettlebell student and athlete.

And today.....today I am more excited about kettlebells and health than I was back in 2003. Am I where I want to be? No. Am I headed in the right direction with my training? Yes. My body feels better than it ever did when I was doing the "functional training" and I attribute that to Pavel and to kettlebells. Are kettlebells the only tool I use? No, but they certainly make up a fairly huge chunk of my training and I don't see that changing in the near future.

As Anthony Diligio says, Joint mobility and corretive exercise are built into the kettlebell movements, especially the foundational RKC movements:

1) Swing
2) Turkish Get Up
3) Cleans
4) Military Presses
5) Front Squats
6) Snatches

If you can get those movements down, even if they don't look pretty in the beginning, you will look and feel better, period! I know I am preaching to the crowd here but those six movements above are life changing and so is the RKC!

Power to all of us! I thank God every day for the opportunities He has given me and Yoana and I am so glad to be alive at a time like now where their is a Renaissance in the fitness industry like their right now!

Finding the Right Groove

2008-10-14T21:33:00.000-07:00

(Our precious little Angel, Marianna!)

Last Tuesday I had the honor of working out with Mike LoBue (track and field coach and strength coach for SDSU). Needless to say, he put me through a tough workout....so tough I had to rest the remainder of the week. But it was tons of fun and it taught me first hand about the SAID principle. He had me use an Axle (thick barbell) for DL's and Clean and Push Presses along with Plyo's on high boxes, pistols, swings, Double KB clean and Presses, and some sledgehammer work. It was tuns of fun...but it smoked me.

Tuesday Training

Today I did what Master RKC Kenneth Jay wrote about in the RKC manual. Grab two different size KB's and press them in one hand. This forces you to keep your forearm vertical and makes you find the perfect pressing Groove. I gotta tell you....this just feels right! I think this will help my pressing woes, big time!

16kg + 12kg Single arm Military Press 1/1 x 10 sets = 20 reps

Single Arm Swings

24kg 20/20 x 3 sets = 120 reps

short and sweet. Felt great to train at home in our garage gym. I need to do this more often.

Re-thinking the PRESS

2008-10-06T12:22:00.000-07:00

Last week I finally was able to PR in the press by duck-taping a 10 pound weight plate to the bottom of a 32kg KB. Was able to only 1 rep on my right. PR!!! Left? Not yet :(
But I still feel like I am missing something. Something is still not quite working....especially on my weaker left side. Now I realize this is a common problem, especially for a right hand dominant person like me. Anatomically and functionally something still feels "OFF" on my left side.

After reading Kenneth Jay's article on Training for Maximal Strength with the Russian Kettlebell (in the RKC manual on page 127), I realized that I have been lifting primarily the 28kg and 32kg for low reps. What is Kenneth's advice? To go much HIGHER on the VOLUME. I had been maybe getting around 8 to 25 total reps per training session (and that is with both arms combined). Now I am going to keep the high load day in for sure...but I am just adding in a higher volume day to get my pressing volume up which I cannot do safely with a heavier bell.

In other words my Pressing volume is way to LOW. Therefore I am taking the advice of Kenneth and adding in one super high volume day on pressing with the 16kg with the goal of being able to get around 100 reps per arm per session. I instinctively feel that this is important for me and will help practice my SKILL of pressing as I am using a lighter weight. And that is exactly what I started off today with.....a high volume day(at least for me).

Monday (high volume pressing day)
Barbell Dynamic Lunges 95lbs 3 sets x 5/5

Military Press with 16kg
10 sets x 5/5 = 100 total reps

Double Swings w/ 16kgs
5 sets x 10 reps = 50 total reps

Sunday Training w/ Yoana
10 x 10 100 yards Tempo Runs at 60% effort.
BW exercises after each 100 yard run (jumping lunges, mountain climbers, jumping jacks, shuffles, burpees, fisted push ups)

On another note I was able to assist Pavel (along with some other RKC's) at Pavel's NSCA Kettlebell Seminar up in Irvine. It is always awesome to watch Pavel teach and hang out with him. Pavel is just such a class act and has so much integrity! I will be teaching a Level II Kettlebell Seminar for the NSCA (an RKC prep course) on Saturday October 25th at the same place in Irvine. Should be fun!!!

More Training

2008-09-30T18:46:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 3:5-8 ( I love the proverbs. Some of the best passages in the entire Bible)

"5Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;

6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight. ^[a]

7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD and shun evil.

8 This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones."

Last week I felt weaker than usual so didn't hit the training as hard. I'll slowly start to progress into more volume.

Training

Tuesday
TGU w/24 kg 1/1 + 20swings w/ 24kg

200 Rep Challenge w/24kg (see how fast you can complete 200 reps)
10 sets of 20 swings (2 handed)
Time = 7 min 32 sec (PR) Beat my previous PR of 7 min 42 sec

Monday
Bulgarian Split Squats
2x16kgs 6/6 x 3 sets

Clean and Press
Double Clean and Press
24kg 5 x 2 sets

Clean and Press (w. COC Trainer in opposite hand)
32kg 1/1 x 4 sets

Weighted Pull Ups
40kg 2,2,2

Saturday
Yoana and I hiked up Cowles mountain. Highest peak in San Diego.
23 min, 49 sec - Yoana beat me by 20 seconds

Trace Adkins - You're Gonna Miss This

2008-09-26T21:11:00.001-07:00

I am NOT a country fan. But this song by Trace Adkins is awesome. How often do we tell ourselves that life will be better when.....we get married.....or when we get that big promotion...........or when you weigh a certain amount...............or when you are old enough to drive a car......or when I get that car and house!

The fact is that life is so fast that we must stop and enjoy every STAGE of life because once it's gone.........IT's GONE!!!

Life is not a dress rehersal! The lyrics in this song are true! Listen to them carefully!

Blessings to all!

Franz

Fall is in the air!

2008-09-22T07:01:00.000-07:00

Living in San Diego is awesome. The weather is great year round..........but it does start to cool down a bit in the night and evening and you can start to smell fall in the air. I love it! I miss seeing the trees change colors like it does in Santa Fe, New Mexico where I grew up. As much as I miss the trees and mountains I would not trade the ocean for anything. Living by the ocean it's easy to get spoiled. I guess just seeing the vastness and SIZE of the ocean is just awe inspiring.

Tuesday Training
Bulgarian Split Squats
2 x 16kgs 3 x 10/10

Kneeling Military Press
16kg 3 x 8/8

Weighted Pull Ups
28kg 4,4,4 = 12 reps

Clean and Press w/ Gripper in opposite hand
28kg 4 x 3/3 = 12 reps each arm

Monday Training
Clean and Press
32kg + 5 pound weight taped on - 1 rep right (PR)
32kg + 10 pound weight taped on 1 rep right (PR) 80 lbs C & P - woo hoo

Sunday Training
Swings w/ 24kg = Yoana and I both got 200 swings in 7 minutes and 40 seconds. Blew my previous record out of the water which was a laughable 11 minutes.

Saturday
Pull Ups 12, 10
Hiked Cowles Mountain (the highest peak in San Diego County)

Friday
Did the workout with my KB Class. We performed everything in circuit format for 3 sets
Single Leg DL's 8/8
Kneeling Presses 8/8
Squat Thrusters 5
KB Prone Bridge 4/4
Ribbons 5/5
Swings 32kg x 10
Swings 24kg x 10
Swings 20kg x 10
Run around block

Thursday
Clean and Press
32kg 1/1 x 3 sets

Weighted Pull Ups
32kg 3,3,4
Tuesday
TGU
32kg x 1/1 x 3 sets

Bulgarian Split Squats
16kg x 2 10/10 x 3 sets

Franz's 88 lb. Kettle Bell Snatches

2008-09-15T15:43:00.001-07:00

Well, after judging the TSC I was so pumped up I had to try to set a PR in something. My previous best with the BULLDOG was 16 reps on the right arm and 6 reps on the left. My bodyweight 167 pounds.

NEW PR
20 Reps right arm

13 Reps left arm

Man, was that fun! I am definitely a power athlete more than a strength athlete. Pressing the BULLDOG has never happened, Snatching it, YES!!!!!

TSC Results

2008-09-13T16:32:00.000-07:00

Another fun and exciting TSC at Revolution. I never get tired of the TSC's because it is so fun to watch people give it their all and set PR's. If you have never been to a TSC or competed in a TSC, you have got to do it!!!!! It's not for sissies that's for sure. And as Mark Rifkeind says, "it's all easy until you start lifting heavy."

Unfortunately we had no women competitors this TSC but the men showed up and represented well.

Mike Baltren BW 224 DL 500 Pull Ups 15 Snatches 116

John Shilling BW 251 DL 500 Pull Ups 6 Snatches 128 (PR in DL)

Alex Wolf BW 231 DL 435 Pull Ups 5 Snatches 125 (PR in snatches)

Murray Birch BW 185 DL 415 Pull Ups 21 Snatches 114 (PR in DL, never did snatches before - yikes. Murray did amazing. Never touches a 24kg KB ever in his life before today)

Os Aponte BW 155 DL 355 Pull Ups 26 Snatches 111 (DL PR - way to go Os!!!!!!)

Mike Pellicio BW 162 DL 406 Pull Ups 17 Snatches 85 (Mike showed up having not trained at all since last TSC- very nice)

Firmen Sowres BW 161 DL 315 Pull Ups 15 Snatches 84 (PR's on everything. Never deadlifted before and never has tested himself like this!

Everyone did awesome! Congratulations to all who competed!

Wednesday Training

2008-09-11T09:38:00.000-07:00

I learned some very important things yesterday about my pressing:

1) My pressing technique is better after heavy weighted pull ups for singles or doubles.

Perhaps it is because this facilitated the lats firing more and also gets my grip out of "sleepy ville."

2) Using a gripper (the Trainer from Captain of crush) and crushing it right as I press the KB in the air works. Pavel is right.....so much more power because irradiation.

3) Doing heavy TGU's prior to pressing lights up my core and my pressing ability. I don't do these enough....these felt so good using the new RKC technique

Feel much better now about my pressing. Funny how things can change in one day. Tuesday I'm ready to jump off the Coronado bridge because I feel as weak as a kitten. Wednesday I feel like I am the pressing king of La Jolla.

The overall conclusion is that I have to get better at the "skill" of pressing and whatever other methods or tools are helpful, those I need to use.

Wednesday Training
TGU with 32kg 1/1 x 3 sets

Weighted Pull Ups
24kg 1 rep (warm up)
40kg 2,2,1,1,2,2 - 10 reps = these are coming along nicely

Clean and Press w/ Trainer Gripper in opposite hand
32kg 1/1 x 6 sets = 6 singles per arm

Snatches 2/24kg
10/10 x 2 = 40 reps

32kg snatches

2008-09-08T19:02:00.000-07:00

Decided to test myself on the clean and press with the 32kg......and it didn't go to well.

3 reps on the right / 1 rep on the left

Feels as if the Clean and Press ladders with the 28kg have done nothing to build my strength, at least not with the 32kg. Looks I have to keep pressing on as this could take a lot of time. The DAMN press just doesn't come natural to me....sometimes I feel like I'm going backwards...dammit! Frustration is at an all time high....something is just not clicking with my press. I feel as if my lumbar spine in perhaps keeping me from lifting big. I have had my L4-L5 herniated twice (actaully two severe disc bulges). That disc is basically flatened. I'm wondering if my body just doesn't want me to load it and thus is shutting of neurological flow to my muscles. That is the only thing I can think of.

Oh well, I have my PULLS such as snatches and pull ups to keep me going. Even if my clean and press plateaus (which it has for years), I can contine to get stronger with my snatches and weighted pull ups. Let's face it.............

I am a much better PULLER than I am pusher. I will have to earn the press......and looks like it might take me longer than I expected to press that BULLDOG! I will not give up, but I will not beat myself up if I do not get it soon.

Training Today

Clean and Press

32kg 3 reps right / 1 rep left (left side feels pathetically weak)

Strict military press (no clean)

24kg 5/5 x 3 sets

Snatches

32kg 10/10 x 3 sets = 60 snatches - these felt great!!!!

Keeping it simple!

2008-09-04T17:37:00.000-07:00

Focusing on the two movements has simplified my training considerably.....and I like that.
The only additional work I am doing is ASLR work and T-spine mobility work which is what came us as priority #1 on my Functional Movement Screen. So in a nutshell, here are my goals:

1) Get my ASLR to at least a score of 2 and fix the asymmetry.
2) Get my T-spine to move better and with better coordination and symmetry to help my achy shoulders.
3) To Press the Bulldog by next June for the RKC II.
4) To Pull up the BEAST to the neck.

Those are my goals. Achievable? Definitely!!! Hard work? For sure!

Training

Thursday August 4
Clean and Press Ladders
28kg 1,2,3 x 5 sets (last 2 sets, rep 3 was difficult)

Weighted Pull Ups
28kg x 4,4,4,3,3,3 = 21 reps

Tuesday
Pick Up basketball game --left me SMOKED!!! Ouch!

Monday
Clean and Press Ladders
28kg 1 rep x 5 sets

Weighted Pull Ups
28kg 3,4,4 = 11 reps

Swings
16kg 25/25 x 2 = 100 reps

Saturday August 30th
24kg Two handed swings 200 reps in 11:07 (brutal). (inspired by reading Doug Nepodal's blog. Although he got 200 done in 8 minutes. On a funny note, Yoana did 200 hardstyle swings with the 24kg yesterday in 7:56 and blew me out the water. But what do you expect- I'm a sprinter- we hate endurance. yikes! YOANA is a MACHINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

After the swings I was so tired. It just shows me how horrible my GPP and conditioning is. I don't like high reps. What a wuss I am, huh? I must start doing more swings to get my conditioning up. Is there any thing more important than swings? According the RKC Swings are the center of the universe! Better include them in a lot more!

It is not the critic who counts!

2008-08-29T15:55:00.000-07:00

It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

"Citizenship in a Republic,"
Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

One of my most favorite quotes of all time. In fact I had this engraved onto a beautiful piece of wood that I hung in my hallway in my house. Every time I read it I remember how important it is to take action and forget about people's approval or disapproval of you. In the end all that matters is what and how you act upon the dreams inside of your heart.

There is a saying that the talents and potential we have is a gift from God. Our gift back to God is what we do with those talents!I

Friday Training

Clean and Press Ladders (High Volume day)
28kg 1,2,3,4 x 1 (PR)
28kg 1,2,3 x 4

Weighted Pull ups
28kg 5,3,4,4,4,4 = 24 reps

Love Being a DAD!!!

2008-08-27T10:53:00.000-07:00

You gotta love the coconut bra :)

I gotta say that I love being a Dad. Every month gets better with our daughter and each month I like more than the previous one. It just keeps getting more and more exciting and awesome. All you parents out there will relate, the love you feel for a child is beyond comprehension. Rarely would you ever willingly die for anybody on this planet. But for your child, you would die in one second. In fact, the attachment I felt with Marianna when I first got to hold her was so strong, it was as if she had been in my life forever and I couldn't imagine life without her. How unreal? You know this little person for 1 minute and yet you would take a bullet for her without a second thought!

I think God uses children in our lives to teach us about life and about how he must unconditionally love us.

Training -

Monday August 25
Clean and Press Ladders (Easy Day)
28kg 5 sets x1/1

Snatches w/16kg
40 L / 40 R = 80 reps - nice finisher

Tuesday
Basketball (to help me work on explosive power, jumping and multi-directional agility)

Wednesday
Clean and Press Ladders (medium day)
28kg 5 sets x 1,2

Weighted Pull Ups
28kg 6 sets x 3

Goblet Squats
32kg 10,8,6

One Arm swings
16kg 25 L, 25 R x 2 = 100 reps

Blessings to all!

Fighting the good fight!!!

2008-08-22T17:02:00.000-07:00

(the above photo is my twin brother Keats with his boys and my daughter Marianna. Bottom photo is Keats and I with Marianna)

This week was tough in the sense that I could feel my body not responding to much of anything.....the reason being the my busy schedule and travel schedule finally caught up with me. I am smoked! Santa Fe 4 day trip followed by 4 days at the UCLA RKC, followed immediately by the CK-FMS. Whooooooooo! Mucho tired!

Very tired......and everything hurts. Need to get some long needed rest. Overall I am still excited with the whole process of improving my physical asymmetries because it is helping me gain victory over other lifestyle issues such as being over worked and lack of sleep. It's forcing me to re-structure my work schedule and take more time off to spend with the family and do things for me such as sleep, reading, track work, and massage. But I must FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT!!!!

Especially now since I have to be able to press the 40kg (BULLDOG) if I want to pass the RKC II next summer. I have alot of work to do.............A LOT!!!!!!! But I'm up for the challenge!!!!!

TRAINING (every day - Active Straight Leg Raise Corrective work, T-Spine Mobility work)

Last Thursday
Clean and Press Ladder w/28kg 1,2,3 x 3 sets

Last Friday
Sumo Deadlifts - 225 x 5 x 4 sets (Base conditioning)

Sunday - my first basketball game in over 4 years. Tons of fun as I got to play with former Chicago Bull Steve Kerr. What a nice guy. I had to take off until last Wednesday in order to recover. WOW!

Wednesday-
Clean and Press Ladder w/ 28kg 1,2,3 x 4 sets

Thursday -
Weighted Pull ups w/ 28kg 3,3,3,3,3,3 = 18 reps

Today (Saturday August 23)
Sumo Deadlifts - 225 x 5 x 4 sets
Clean and Press Ladders w/ 28kg - 1,2,3 x 5 (NEW PR!!!!!!!!!)

1 Timothy 6:12-13
But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Goals......which path shall I take?

2008-08-17T17:20:00.000-07:00

After implementing in the CK-FMS info this week, three things are very clear to me:

1) I need to get much better at addressing asymmetries in my clients right from the start. This is something that I have not addressed enough.

2) As Gray Cook said, "Always be structured and focused on the front end." In other words, let the movement screen set the direction of the training program. Too often do I prescribe exercises to clients that I enjoy rather than giving them movements that address their weaknesses or asymmetries. Also, having everything organized (folders, forms, exercise homework print outs) just makes the process so much easier.

3) I have not earned the right to use heavy KB right now! Gulp! That one hurts! I am strong...although much of that strength was built on a dyfunctional body! Let's just say that the 16kg is plenty heavy right now.

My clients are loving the concept of the FMS and I have allready performed it on two clients. Many more to come this week and the weeks to come! I think they are also excited to see me so excited! Much more posts to come about the results!

TRAINING
Last week I focused on the following areas because I scored low on the:

* Active Straight Leg Raise
* Shoulder Mobility - (T-spine in rotation is really the problem)

My program now is mainly:
*1/2 TGU's with light weights - focusing on slowing down and perfecting the movement.
* Kneeling KB Military Presses - both in lunge and tall kneeling positions -very difficult for me
* Sumo Barbell Deadlifts - focusing on the grip strength, tricep and lat involvement - very good!
*Swings - The center of the RKC UNIVERSE - I have never really focused on swings for any length of time. Now is the time to put the swing into full force.
* Right Hamstring Stretching
*Left Psoas, Rectis Femoris, TFL, IT Band Stretching, mobility and soft tissue work
* T-spine Rotations from CK-FMS Manual
* Some Z-health Mobility work
* Daily Grip work (GTG) for my left hand with te Trainer Captrain of Crush Gripper

So far now this is my focus...to get my body working better and better. The grip work on my left side is really starting to make a difference in full body function. Brett and Gray talked about not having more than a 10% difference between left and right and I for sure have a huge difference. Exciting times for sure!

I promise to update this blog more often! I PROMISE!!!

CK- FMS.........WOW!

2008-08-12T16:00:00.000-07:00

WOW!

That is what I have to say about the CK-FMS certification. My hats off to Gray Cook, Brett Jones and Dragon Door for putting on such a high quality certification. If you are an RKC, I highly recommend you take this cert. It beautifully ties together the hardstyle KB system with Gray Cook's Functional Movement Screen.

Seeing Pavel as a student also proved to me why he is such an incredible teacher and mentor, because he is a "student" first. RKC's have a great commander in chief in Pavel. We are lucky to be alive right now and reap the benefits of people like Pavel, Gray Cook and Brett Jones. Right now my head is spinning from the cert, but I am starting to piece everything together that I learned. Below are some of the primary principles (although not an exhaustive list by any means) of the CK-FMS system that stood out to me as being essential and significant.

1) The Functional Movement Screen is a system (not a program) that allows you to SCREEN clients for DURABILITY.

* Performance Vs. Durability = there is a difference. High performance does not always lead to durability.
* The Movement Screen is a DURABILITY DETECTOR

2) Advanced Pattern Detection = You must find the weak link in the chain.

3) Goldman Algorithm = Be consistent and methodical on the front end.
*Basically you have a movement standard and a baseline.
*You must have structure on the front end. This FMS is an algorithm that protects the therapist /trainer / coach against any biases and expertise. If you don't go through the screening you may miss the most important aspect that the clients needs to have addressed.

4) Asymmetries are the #1 indicator that can predict a future injury. Bottom line: fix asymmetries that come up in the screening process.

5)Core Stability is foot position dependent. Train different stance,including kneeling position, lunge position, single leg stance, etc.

6) Most of the space in our brain regarding movement is dedicated to the hands and feet. Bottome line: get strong hands (grip) and you will have stronger shoulders and a stronger body. Wear good shoes (Pavel has been preaching this for years).

7) The body never thinks in terms of individual muscles. Think Movement Patterns. The nervous sytem works by MOVING the body as a whole. I think we all know this but it's nice to hear again from some of the most knowledgeable coaches out there.

and there is so much more to write....I think I will wait to post the rest when I am not so sleepy!

Thanks to Aaron and Fawn Friday for having a get together at their house. The Friday's are the nicest people you will ever meet. So gracious and just so down to earth. Good people!!!!! Tracy and Rif were there at the party.....and let me tell you, Tracy knows how to cook great tasting healthy food!

It was nice to finally meet some blog friends, Franklin (my roomate at the cert), Sean, Gabi, Kate and Maura. It was also cool to see Mike T. Nelson and his girlfriend Jodi. It's alway great to see old friends and RKC TL's, Seniors, and now Masters Instructors. RKC school of strength is the place to be!