Five weeks from today I will be lying on my bed in my hotel room in Minneapolis, MN, hopefully surrounded by loads of shopping bags from the Mall of America. The fun stops there.
The reason for my trip is to finally get certified as a Russian Kettlebell Instructor. I have been working out with Kettlebells and teaching basic Kettlebell exercises to my boot camp clients for over 3 years now. I did get another Kettlebell certification soon after I started my boot camp business. It was fine as far as getting me started and teaching me the basics and keeping me and my clients safe. However, I feel like getting another certification and getting it with the RKC is like getting my Master’s Degree in Kettlebell training.
The big difference between this certification and the others is that I have to pass a test before I take the course. Here are the requirements; http://www.dragondoor.com/certification_42.html. This is a video I found on Youtube of the certification that just took place in San Jose, CA.
I have really let me own conditioning go over the last year, so just getting ready to take this course has been challenging for me. The first thing I did was to hire an expert. I got my good buddy Dave Whitley, who is an RKC instructor to put together a program for me. He can be found at www.irontamer.com. The workout consists of 2 days a week of over 100 snatches done in sets with a minute rest in between. The other 2 days a week is general conditioning of double KB clean and presses, Turkish Get ups, double KB squats and heavy swings. Thank God, the sets of snatches starts decreasing next week!
Many days I didn’t think I was going to be able to do this. The first few snatch days tore most of the skin off of my hands. They have since healed but my husband says I have the hands of a laborer. I am following the hand care instruction and will be soaking and filing my callouses to keep them from pinching and tearing again…so far, so good.
My other problem has been not being able to get through all of my sets. By the time I reached my 9th or 10th set, my grip, my forearms, my stamina and my willpower were all toast. It was discouraging.
My friend Carol came to my rescue! Carol is a black belt in Karate and she taught me how to use controlled breathing to power through the tough spots. This is a technique that I will learn during my certification, but I needed to know it now! Carol was also willing to sit with me and count my reps and keep time for me. I hate to admit it but I am not self motivated and working out alone, especially doing something as hard as hundreds of snatches was not working for me. Just having someone there watching me, reminding me to breath and counting my reps has made all the difference in the world.
The breathing is pretty amazing. I’m not sure I can tell the difference in my body, but I have gotten though the workout with no problem. I think it’s like the Lamaze breathing during labor, who knows if it takes away the pain, as long as it takes your mind away from the pain.
The other thing I am using to get me through the pain is focusing on the Mall of America.
I have all confidence in you! It sure would have been fun to do the RKC together. If I did it, there is no way you can’t. You’re amazing!
Hugs~~
Angela
I think it is easier for all of us when someone is there with us to workout-even if the person it not working out, just know they are there makes a differecne. One of the best decisions I made was to tell a friend that I would do spin class with her. It keeps us both accountable to be there. We have now been doing spin class for over 4 years.
Keep do the breathing Laurel! It will make it eaiser!