I've been slow in getting out our Schedule, but here is what we have on the books for 2011.
All the WKC Fitness Trainers courses listed below will be taught by me. Any WKC Strength and Conditioning course or Sport Coach course will be taught by Valery Fedorenko, and I will be assisting.
Valery Fedorenko and I will be in Asia at the end of May!
May 27th - WKC Fitness Trainers Course in Singapore
May 28th - WKC Strength and Conditioning Coach Certification in Singapore
May 29th - WKC Sport Coach Certification in Singapore
June 25th - WKC Fitness Trainer Course in St. Louis (This date is Tentative because we're not sure if the location will be ready yet)
August 6th - WKC Fitness Trainer Course in Limerick, Ireland
August 12th - WKC Fitness Trainer Course in Minneapolis, MN
August 13th - WKC Strength and Conditioning Coach Certification in Minneapolis, MN
August 14th - WKC Sport Coach Certification in Minneapolis, MN
September 17th - WKC Fitness Trainer Course in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada)
If you are interested in registering for these courses or have questions regarding the courses, please contact me at cimes01(at)gmail.com or vist the WKC Store. Remember, in order to take the WKC S&C Course or the WKC Sport Coach Certification, you must already be a licensed WKC Fitness Trainer.
A few more dates and locations are likely to be added soon. If you are interested in hosting a WKC Fitness Trainer Certification or other WKC Certs, please contact me at cimes01(at)gmail.com .
CI
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Do you need more strength 2011?
I've had more discussions with folks on this topic recently, so it seemed appropriate for me to once again address this subject with my opinions ;)
Do you need more strength?(2008)
This seems like a stupid question still in 2011 :)
Since 2008, I've been teaching alongside Valery Fedorenko at our World Kettlebell Club Coaches Certification and taught quite a few one day World Kettlebell Club Fitness Trainer Certifications. We routinely get asked the following types of questions? Where do squats, deadlifts, and presses fit into the mix? Should we do supplemental grip work, i.e. Grippers for snatches.
Lots has happened since 2008, but not much has changed in regards to the view on this topic. One related topic of discussion is why women typically do better than men even though women are working heavier now than they were in 2008. One of the reasons is that the lifts with 2 bells are harder. It's true; they are. I worked through a cycle of them in 2008 and worked my way to 10 min and near 70 reps with 20s and did 7 min with the 24s. It was a great challenge, and I did it so I could use it as an excuse for not bettering my snatch haha. However, I think this difference or difficulty has been somewhat blown out of proportion when trying to explain the success of the men in this country vs. the women. Let's face it, all of the men I have coached save one can exceed the Jerk numbers they need for their desired rank. The snatch is always the limiting factor and that's pretty typical with women as well.
What you mean you don't need no presses?
Have you ever seen the Ice Chamber women like Master of Sport, Sara Nelson do Jerks? Folks, I got news for you, her fixation is as good as any I've seen. She's powerful. I judged her set when she achieved the 28kg Strongsport rank in Long Cycle weighing less than 60kg. She has hit WKC MSWC long cycle numbers in training with a 24kg. Master of Sport, Emily Friedel has exceeded MSWC Snatch numbers with 75/75 in late 2010 and has hit or exceeded the required number of jerks as well. Without much 24kg training, she attained CMS IUKL Snatch rank with the 24kg recently. Neither Sara nor Emily do presses. I know for fact that Sara would not be able to press a 20kg, yet she has jerked a 36kg. These women are not the exception. There are other great examples in the USA and abroad.
Women pick up on jerks and to some degree snatches more quickly than men because they don't have the strength baggage (baggage meaning flexibility issues from benching or other grinds and reliance on strength to do the lifts). This seems to also be true of Girls and Boys. They are forced to adapt and learn the techniques or it simply won't work for them. Of course, I was the exception to this rule.
A message for the already bad ass strong folks.....
When I started the sport in 2004, I was relatively strong. I've been lifting weights for 26 years and up until 2004, my training consisted of mainly powerlifting type exercises and sets. By 2005-2006, I could press the 32kg for 4-5 reps per hand, and remember doing double 28s for 5 reps and pressing a pair of 24s was nothing for me. I was ok with snatching. But, I had a very difficult time learning the jerk. By 2007, I decided that I had to stop pressing. It was interfering with my ability to develop the speed and power that I would need for the Jerk.
That journey definitely gave me the ability to empathize with men who have a hard time learning the jerk (most specifically developing the first bump and flexibility). Moreover, it clarified the role of strength and training for this sport.
As I said in 2008, your strength will serve you well initially. If you came from a strength background, the bells don't feel heavy and that does help in terms of making it less overwhelming. Still, the issue is that many don't develop the qualities that they need to be better lifters whether that be speed, power, endurance or flexibility.
Maybe lifting Kettlebells doesn't stroke your ego like lifting a barbell!
Would I ever say that squats, pressing or deadlifts have no value? Absolutely not. However, if your goal is to become a better Kettlebell Lifter and achieve a significant rank, then you have to ask yourself whether or not you really need these things to achieve your goals, especially in the beginning when you have yet to develop technical proficiency with the lifts.
Let's face it, some folks really don't want to give up their strength training regimens. They like lifting heavy shit. So, for those individuals, it may take them longer to achieve a significant rank, or it may never happen. It's all about priorities.
If you are at your wits end in terms of improving your numbers, and you are sure your technique is just fabulous, your program is the best on the planet and not your limiting factor, then taking a break from the lifts for a few months and focusing on strength work may be worthwhile. However, if technical improvements seem very hard to achieve and you are doing heavy pressing or deadlifting, you may want to rethink your strategy.
CI
Do you need more strength?(2008)
This seems like a stupid question still in 2011 :)
Since 2008, I've been teaching alongside Valery Fedorenko at our World Kettlebell Club Coaches Certification and taught quite a few one day World Kettlebell Club Fitness Trainer Certifications. We routinely get asked the following types of questions? Where do squats, deadlifts, and presses fit into the mix? Should we do supplemental grip work, i.e. Grippers for snatches.
Lots has happened since 2008, but not much has changed in regards to the view on this topic. One related topic of discussion is why women typically do better than men even though women are working heavier now than they were in 2008. One of the reasons is that the lifts with 2 bells are harder. It's true; they are. I worked through a cycle of them in 2008 and worked my way to 10 min and near 70 reps with 20s and did 7 min with the 24s. It was a great challenge, and I did it so I could use it as an excuse for not bettering my snatch haha. However, I think this difference or difficulty has been somewhat blown out of proportion when trying to explain the success of the men in this country vs. the women. Let's face it, all of the men I have coached save one can exceed the Jerk numbers they need for their desired rank. The snatch is always the limiting factor and that's pretty typical with women as well.
What you mean you don't need no presses?
Have you ever seen the Ice Chamber women like Master of Sport, Sara Nelson do Jerks? Folks, I got news for you, her fixation is as good as any I've seen. She's powerful. I judged her set when she achieved the 28kg Strongsport rank in Long Cycle weighing less than 60kg. She has hit WKC MSWC long cycle numbers in training with a 24kg. Master of Sport, Emily Friedel has exceeded MSWC Snatch numbers with 75/75 in late 2010 and has hit or exceeded the required number of jerks as well. Without much 24kg training, she attained CMS IUKL Snatch rank with the 24kg recently. Neither Sara nor Emily do presses. I know for fact that Sara would not be able to press a 20kg, yet she has jerked a 36kg. These women are not the exception. There are other great examples in the USA and abroad.
Women pick up on jerks and to some degree snatches more quickly than men because they don't have the strength baggage (baggage meaning flexibility issues from benching or other grinds and reliance on strength to do the lifts). This seems to also be true of Girls and Boys. They are forced to adapt and learn the techniques or it simply won't work for them. Of course, I was the exception to this rule.
A message for the already bad ass strong folks.....
When I started the sport in 2004, I was relatively strong. I've been lifting weights for 26 years and up until 2004, my training consisted of mainly powerlifting type exercises and sets. By 2005-2006, I could press the 32kg for 4-5 reps per hand, and remember doing double 28s for 5 reps and pressing a pair of 24s was nothing for me. I was ok with snatching. But, I had a very difficult time learning the jerk. By 2007, I decided that I had to stop pressing. It was interfering with my ability to develop the speed and power that I would need for the Jerk.
That journey definitely gave me the ability to empathize with men who have a hard time learning the jerk (most specifically developing the first bump and flexibility). Moreover, it clarified the role of strength and training for this sport.
As I said in 2008, your strength will serve you well initially. If you came from a strength background, the bells don't feel heavy and that does help in terms of making it less overwhelming. Still, the issue is that many don't develop the qualities that they need to be better lifters whether that be speed, power, endurance or flexibility.
Maybe lifting Kettlebells doesn't stroke your ego like lifting a barbell!
Would I ever say that squats, pressing or deadlifts have no value? Absolutely not. However, if your goal is to become a better Kettlebell Lifter and achieve a significant rank, then you have to ask yourself whether or not you really need these things to achieve your goals, especially in the beginning when you have yet to develop technical proficiency with the lifts.
Let's face it, some folks really don't want to give up their strength training regimens. They like lifting heavy shit. So, for those individuals, it may take them longer to achieve a significant rank, or it may never happen. It's all about priorities.
If you are at your wits end in terms of improving your numbers, and you are sure your technique is just fabulous, your program is the best on the planet and not your limiting factor, then taking a break from the lifts for a few months and focusing on strength work may be worthwhile. However, if technical improvements seem very hard to achieve and you are doing heavy pressing or deadlifting, you may want to rethink your strategy.
CI
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Time To Relax
I procrastinated for a while on this article, but finally completed it recently. It's hopefully a good and concise explanation of our views on speed, stability, tension, relaxation and how those attributes are coordinated with breathing.
Check it out.
Time To Relax
CI
Check it out.
Time To Relax
CI
Monday, August 16, 2010
Just Added WKC Fitness Trainer and Coaches Certifications
We've added several new courses for the fall. The dates for Australia will be advertised soon. But, we are targeting mid-Feb 2011.
There will likely be a few more added. If you are interested in attending any WKC Coaches Certification course or the Fitness Trainers Certification, please contact me.
Fitness Trainer and WKC Coaches Certification.
There will likely be a few more added. If you are interested in attending any WKC Coaches Certification course or the Fitness Trainers Certification, please contact me.
Fitness Trainer and WKC Coaches Certification.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Different Roads
I had the pleasure of teaching a great group of folks at Complete Kettlebell in Niles, OH over the weekend.
Inevitably, the question (or some variation) always arises: To what degree should we emphasize technique with our clients who are only interested in Fitness?
I've been lifting KBs for 7 years now. I've been competing in some capacity for over 6 years, and teaching for 5. Over the last 2 years, I have done many things in terms of teaching to get better at teaching. I will teach anyone. You don't become a better coach or instructor by only teaching athletes who pick up on things easily. I'm a better teacher from taking on the more challenging assignments. I take pride in the fact that I have taught folks who considered themselves to be un-athletic and got them moving better!
Inevitably, the question (or some variation) always arises: To what degree should we emphasize technique with our clients who are only interested in Fitness?
Anti-Elitism.....
There seems to be an attitude that KB Lifting techniques used in the sport are too technical for the non-competitive masses just seeking fitness. Personally, I think that is elitist bullshit. It stinks of someone who thinks that most people won't be able to pick up on the techniques at a safe passable level. Sometimes it resembles rank inexperience and it could be that they lack confidence in their own capabilities as instructors to teach techniques in a manner in which folks will grasp. Perhaps they lack knowledge to develop effective programs/protocols with KB exercise selections that are geared towards fitness or could serve as an addendum towards an existing GPP program.
There seems to be an attitude that KB Lifting techniques used in the sport are too technical for the non-competitive masses just seeking fitness. Personally, I think that is elitist bullshit. It stinks of someone who thinks that most people won't be able to pick up on the techniques at a safe passable level. Sometimes it resembles rank inexperience and it could be that they lack confidence in their own capabilities as instructors to teach techniques in a manner in which folks will grasp. Perhaps they lack knowledge to develop effective programs/protocols with KB exercise selections that are geared towards fitness or could serve as an addendum towards an existing GPP program.Is the fitness enthusiast going to do the volume or put in the time to perfect the technique with the same zeal as a KB Sport competitor? Probably not. They probably aren't going to use the same weights or same protocols either. However, there are movement fundamentals and mechanics that can and should be taught to everyone who wishes to pick up a KB regardless of their competition aspirations, and whether they do only KBs or integrate KBs into other training. Everyone can benefit from learning how to breath correctly and how to employ tension and relaxation at the right time..This all heightens body awareness which will have carryover to other activities. Otherwise, they just need to put down any silly free weight and sit their ass down on Machine Row at their local gym.
We can debate those fundamentals, the mechanics and the protocols that should be prescribed to learn them, but I think everyone reading here knows which side of the fence I sit on this matter.
Thinking like an Athlete.....
I've been lifting KBs for 7 years now. I've been competing in some capacity for over 6 years, and teaching for 5. Over the last 2 years, I have done many things in terms of teaching to get better at teaching. I will teach anyone. You don't become a better coach or instructor by only teaching athletes who pick up on things easily. I'm a better teacher from taking on the more challenging assignments. I take pride in the fact that I have taught folks who considered themselves to be un-athletic and got them moving better!
One of the most empowering things you can do with your students is to get them to think like an athlete whether or not they will ever step onto the platform. As Coaches or Trainers it is our job to teach people movement (Motor skills, ect) and give them training protocols that will facilitate learning those movements. It is much easier to just put people through a workout and have the effectiveness of that workout measured by the sweat on the ground, torn hands, ect. Teaching skills and getting your trainees at some level to appreciate the skill is far more challenging. Training should be physically challenging and if you are a good enough coach or instructor, you can build skills and find ways to make sure your students still get an effective workout.
Why emphasize skills for those that just want a workout? Well, I won't talk too much about safety, because it's already been discussed. How about building coordination? In teaching skills, and good movement, we create body awareness. How about building their confidence? Believe it or not, folks don't just train for aesthetics. Folks want to feel better, and one way of getting them to feel better is getting them to move better.
Fitness is building the sport.....
Most if not all KB Sport competitors in this country picked up KBs initially for fitness. The sport is actually contagious. Competition gives folks goals and incentives, and many people who never thought they would compete are finding their way to the platforms. Many walked into their respective gyms to lose weight or get fit, and what happened? They saw the challenge of the sport and the ranks and decided to pursue it. I've seen this phenomenon occur in several gyms across the country: Ice Chamber, Club Liberty, East Coast Kettlebells, and Complete Kettlebell just to name a few.
Are Kettlebells the only way?
Of course not. Many folks take up Martial Arts for primarily fitness. Martial Arts are another arena in which learning skills is emphasized as much as just getting a workout, but in many cases (Depending on the Art), both can be done. I took MMA classes for years for fitness, but I went to each class and practiced the techniques just as if I were going to compete right alongside the men who did fight.
Any training modality that treats and respects their movements as skills is viable.
Once again Empowerment....
Is it any wonder that many of the folks that are dedicated to training for fitness today have previous athletic backgrounds? It's been stated that children that compete in sports are more likely to stay fit as adults. So, why not take Adults who don't have that background and empower them to become athletes whether or not they decide to rank or compete? I for one think it will make their pursuit of fitness much more enjoyable and enriching. They'll be much more likely to make fitness a lifelong pursuit.
Different Roads......
You may have found your way to Kettlebells because you were already an athlete and you were seeking a new competitive athletic challenge. You may have found your way to Kettlebells because you were looking to get fit and feel better or you wanted something different to add to your current training. Regardless of the road that was taken, everyone should have the benefit of learning the best techniques because everyone regardless of goals can benefit from them.
CI
Sunday, June 20, 2010
How to pick an Online Coach
Emily was gracious enough to do an interview with me awhile back, and I felt it is worth reposting:
How to Pick an Online Coach...
CI
How to Pick an Online Coach...
CI
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Gratitude Revisited
Nearly 2 years ago, I wrote a blog post called Got Gratitude. That post was fueled by a relationship change and some other events in my life at the time. I dedicated that post to my Grandmother who I loved and admired deeply.
Well, today would have been my Grandmother's 90th Birthday. She passed away on June 12th, 1995 right after she turned 75. So, I thought about her today, and thought it would once again be therapeutic to take stock in things in which I am grateful.
Followers of this blog probably know that my Brother Jonathan passed away 10 months ago. That event coupled with some other things has made this last year a very big challenge. I have found it difficult at times to process all of changes and found myself in despair. So, I just let it be and I returned to Gratitude.
I am very grateful for the obvious things; My friends who are always there to listen to me when I need to vent, but at the same time who are very honest with me; they tell me what I need to hear and not what I want to hear. Their actions are a constant reminder of the importance of friendship and cause me to strive to be a better friend.
I am grateful for a sport that has brought me together with some great people worldwide. It has provided me with an avenue to meet people and see places I otherwise might have never encountered.
I am grateful for all of my hard working/dedicated students that entrust me to coach them. I can honestly say few things are as rewarding as seeing a student gain confidence while making technical improvements in their lifts, and increasing their repetitions.
I am equally grateful for non-obvious things; I'm grateful for folks that I have encountered in business and in the sport that don't always act with integrity. These people remind me of how I should treat others. Their actions strengthen my resolve to be a better coach, better friend, and a better person.
While I can't say that I am grateful for my Brother's passing, I am grateful for some lessons I have learned. It did renew my resolve to live my life better and to the fullest. It was a wake up call for me in terms of how I spend my days on this planet now that I have gained some perspective on the tragedy. It is at least a part of the fuel for the changes that I am making now. In addition to that, it renewed my gratitude for my immediate and extended family. Even though I live 500 miles from most of my family, I have never felt closer to them.
So, once again, take inventory. If things aren't going the way you want, fall back to Gratitude and act accordingly. It works.
CI
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