I’d like to start this post off with a huge CRONGRATULATIONS to my trainer, Kerry Swick of Pittsburgh Kettlebells, who recently became RKC level II certified over this past weekend. It is truly an honor to be training under this spectacular woman! Seriously everyone, if you need proper instruction on Kettlebell technique and you live in the city of Pittsburgh, please please PLEASE contact Kerry! I have been working with her for nearly 8 months now and I can attest to the fact that she not only will bust your ass and have you begging for mercy (that’s part of the fun, I swear!), but she genuinely works with you to correct your form and pushes you to be the best person you can possibly be. If you end up checking out Pittsburgh Kettlebells, tell Kerry that Janelle sent you her way, and she’ll know you mean serious business!
Now that you know who I train with, let’s talk about what I train with. If you have been following this blog, by now you should understand that I have fallen in love with all things kettlbells. What is a kettlebell you ask? In short, a cannonball with an iron handle attached at the top of it. Need a visual? Check out my iron family! (note: iron is pronounced “ahrn” in the city of Pittsburgh. There’s you’re daily dose of Pittsburghese!)
Fun fact: All my Kettlebells have Russian names! Just to throw this out there, first person to guess them all gets a Kettlebell Class at Pittbsurgh Kettlebells on me! All leave you with the first letter of each of their names. Good luck! (also, this will only last for this week. As of 5/9/2012, you’re time is up! Sorry kids! Got to place constraints on this one! So here you go: A, S, N, I, D, V, M.
Back to basics. The kettlebell is a cast iron weight that is used to perform a lot of ballistic exercises. What does that translate to? Think high repretition power lifting, only without the super heavy weightload (unless of course we are talking abotu the 48 kg Kettlebell, which converts to a whopping 106 poounds. They don’t call it “the beast” for nothing!) With these iron bad boys you can swing, snatch, squat, row, lunge, and basically do anything you can think of to get an aswsome cardio/strenght training wrapped into one. If you are looking to do a full body workout and only have 15 to 20 minutes to spare, then comrades, you have found the answer to your problems. For more information, visit www.dragondoor.com. I highly recommend starting out with the books “Enter the Kettlebell” and/or “From Russia with Tough Love.” I have both of these guides and I can tell you they are the best beginning manuals for anyone brand new into the awesome world of Kettlebell fitness. As Pavel would say, “Power to you!”
So why do I train in the first place? 2 years ago I was bumming around a fitness blog when someone said they no longer had to run/sprint because they picked up a kettlebell instead. Curious, I started google searching this unique little device and purchased my on 12 kg (26 pound) kettlebell from Dragon Door. I quickly became addicted and well, the rest is history. Currently I am training for my Hardstyle Kettlebell Certification. This is the entry level certification for kettlebell fanatics wishing to being their path towards teaching others how to train properly with kettlebells. Many of you who know me personally have noticed my transition from being a completely ill and sluggish individual to reaching my athleticism over the past few years. As I stated before in my about me section, I have a series of bizarre health issues that lead me to focus on eating right and training smarter for optimal functionality. In my oppinion, kettlebells are the be all end all of functional fitness. Plus, they are just too much fun to NOT train with. I love them, and in all honesty, I attribute these little Russian babies for piecing the jumbled puzzles of my life back together.
I want to take the time now to make a public statement so yinz guys don’t misunderstand me here. While I would LOVE to think I am an expert in Kettlebell fitness, I must humbly admit I am not. What I can do for you at this stage in the game is to help you out with exercise ideas for fun work outs and help you with basic kettlebell moves. I am not yet qualified to seriously critique your form, sign you up for my personal coaching, or what have you. I am only saying this because a lot of you (and by “you” I mean my fellow Burgher friends) have asked me to set you up with training protocols. I cannot and WILL NOT DO THIS until after I am certified. If you woudl like to work out with me, I have no problem for you stopping by the south side so I can show you a thing or two. Other than that, I highly suggest you check out Pittsburgh Kettlebells and get acquainted with Kerry. With that in mind, many f you have asked me about my future youtube posts. I DO plan on posting my own workouts online at some point, but this is going to be done more so for form critiquing. I have some compensated injuries I am working through at the moment and need all the help I can get. So, going along with that, if you are a certified Kettlebell instructor and plan on following this blog (which you should be doing now anyway because I’m awesome! :-p) , please stay tuned for my future youtube casts. I mean it. I really need help with form right now as I work through some issues I have with my shoulder and back. Any and all constructive criticism is GREATLY APPRECIATED!
Well, that sums it all up for today. Just thought I would check in with all of you. I am zonked from my training session tonight. Time to grab some food. I’ll leave you with my work out and my post workout dinner to give you all an idea of how I train and what I eat. Until next time, eat smart, train hard, and enjoy your life!
Training Day 3: So Many Squats! So many Swings! So Many Rows Inbetween!
Warm Up
Functional Movement Drills-bridges, wallslides, hamstring stretches, leg raises.
3 set of 6 Goblet squats with a 16 kg bell
Work out
6 sets of double 12 kg clean and squats
alternated 6 sets of double clean and squats with 6 sets of 8 , 12 kg rows each arm.
Ended workout with 4 sets of 25, 16 kg swings.
Totals: 18, 16 kg goblet squats. 40 double 12 kg clean and squats. 48 rows each arm (total of 96 rows), and 100 16 kg swings. Completed in 20 minutes (took some extra rest with squats. They can be killer).
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Post Work out Dinner
