Dec 31

I have a class at noon today then I'm heading to Santa Barbara to workout with some friends on the beach. Yes, Dec 31 and working out on the beach how rough is my life. Tomorrow I'm heading in to the mountains to find my favorite road and sit up top and watch motorcycles and cars tear at the pavement.

The weather is back to normal from the cold 5os to the upper 60s to low 70s. A boy could get spoiled by all this, I guess that is why I moved out here.

This week has been good Senior RKC Geoff Neupert and his wife stopped out and visited on their way down to LA. It is always good to hook up with my brothers from the RKC. We have really become family.

Speaking of family I think my brother is coming out the first week of Feb. to got to a concert and supercross race. That is if he gets off his ass and buys a plane ticket!

2009 promises to be fantastic with so many new possibilities on the horizon. Happy New Year!

This song makes me laugh!

The reason is not the song but the story that I have that goes with it. I was listening to this song to day and it brought me back to a story about my brother in college.

He had fallen asleep on the couch with this cd playing. He woke up and this song was playing in the background and he got all freaked out until he was completely awake and figured out what was going on.

Hell Yeah!

JEB is going to let me borrow his bike for a couple of weeks. Here is the KTM Super Duke in action.

Feels like home.

Yesterday was a day I will remember for a long time. I headed south towards Temecula CA to visit the Burleson clan which is now 6 strong!!!! JEB and Heather have been good friends of mine for years and there now four kids have become a great source of unbridled terror ( like kids only can). It is always an adventure with them and what a blast. It reminds me to not take things so seriously and enjoy the day.

So JEB and I set up the HUGE trampoline that Santa brought and didn't realize the size of such a beast. The kids on the other hand were very happy with the whole thing. After that we did one of my favorite things in the world. We loaded up motorcycles and headed out to the local motocross track so the kids could ride. There are four little Burlesons Bird (10), K (7), GG (4) and Kai ( 6 months?). We took the three older ones and yes the four year old rides his own bike.

The track makes me feel at home no matter where I'm at in the world. I was raised going to races of all kinds, cars, bikes , trucks anything with a motor and wheels we were there. No main stream stuff for the Nepodals just dirt and noise. Anyway we hit the track which was muddy and wet!! All three suited up and off they went. GG made it 1/4 of a lap and the mud proved to be to much and flopped off face first into a mud hole. This made him cry, not because he was hurt but he couldn't see a damn thing. His goggles were covered!!! The rest of the day went smooth. Then we loaded up drove home cleaned up and headed out for some Mexican food and called it a day. Thanks to the clan it was fun as always.

Its funny that the track makes me feel at home, but I have spent so much of my life at one it makes sense. Its the smell, the people, the dirt and the noise. To this day my Mom could sleep all day next to a track, just as long a family member or friend isn't racing. I will never lose the desire to ride and get dirty. Thanks to my Mom and Dad for that, that is what being a Nepodal and Burleson is all about!

Christmas DVD from my brother

I have already watched it twice. Thrillbillies Double Wide

Christmas shopping

I went to the mall today to pick up a few last minute things. I was rocking the kilt and noticed a very interesting thing. Guys won't look you in the eye and girls all make eye contact and smile. I have yet to wear the kilt and not have a woman make a comment about it. If guys only knew they would all be wearing on, but I don't think the have enough guts to wear one. So I will continue to rock the kilt!!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS to all and may next year be the best year ever, I know mine will be.

weather in CA vs OH

Here is a CA weather advisory

Issued by The National Weather Service
Los Angeles, CA
6 am PST, Mon., Dec. 22, 2008

... COOL AND UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL AFFECT SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA THROUGH MUCH OF THE WEEK...

A FAST MOVING COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TODAY... BRINGING SHOWERS AND GUSTY WINDS TO THE AREA. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT SHOWER ACTIVITY TODAY WILL BE ACROSS VENTURA AND LOS ANGELES COUNTIES. THE SHOWER ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE TO DIMINISH FROM THE NORTHWEST THROUGH THE DAY.

Here is an Ohio Forecast

Tonight

Lo: 7 °F

Partly cloudy. Flurries this evening. Lows around 4 above. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph. Wind chill more

WALL OF DEATH!

Went to the Lamb of God show Friday night. It was supposed to be me, Jen Tim and Laura but ended up with just Laura and I. For those of you that don't know Lamb of God they are know for the Wall of Death. This is a mosh pit activity that is like brave heart battle scenes. This clip explains the whole thing. Yes, I did it Brave heart style kilt and all. What a blast!!! Mosh pits are such a good time and good core training.

TRAINING

Training lately has been all grinds. I tend to gravitate to this style of training when my schedule gets busy. So it has been stuff like get ups, presses, pullups and suit case dead lifts. Suit case deads always make my obliques sore for days.

I have been doing two BJJ classes on both Tuesday and Thursday. I have found that if I tons of ballistic kettlebell drills on Tuesday and Thursday my body can't recover enough which beats me into the ground. The next two weeks will be more laid back with the holidays.

Gracie Barra gets more exposure

The MMA news ran a headline story about Professor Erik's Fighting Fitness classes.

The days melt together

I haven't posted in a few days because they are all running together. Classes are picking up and privates picking up as well. On top of that jiu-jitsu classes are going great.

It still doesn't feel like Christmas is around the corner. What kills me out here is watching people in the grocery store with their coats, hats, boots and gloves on. Keep in mind we are talking about temps in the mid 50's!!!!!!!!!!!! You would think the were walking out into 5 inches of snow. I also here get asked about walking around dressed like that. You know my normal gear, flip flops, shorts, t-shirt and hoodie. I hope I will never get to this point, if I do shoot me.

Nice

I got home from a busy morning to find a huge card in my mail box. It was from Venice High School and was signed by all the students. It's nice to know that they took something away from my presentation. Not that I had to prepare anything but they actually listened to what I had to say which is refreshing. I will gladly go back anytime Kirsten wants me to and put a little more hurt on them.

Back to School

Yesterday I spent the day at Venice High School. I was there because fellow RKC and bad ass chick Kirsten Farrell teaches at the school. I told her that if she ever wanted me to come and talk to her kids I would be all over it. So I was there all day and had a great time showing all of her students what kettlebells are all about. All the classes did a great job and seemed to have a good time. Even the girls that didn't really want anything to do with them had a smile on there face by the end of the class.

These kind of days are always a good time. Nothing like being the center of attention for a whole day.

Pictures below

Venice High School

Happy Birthday Mom!!

We both love and miss you. Have a great day,

Love
Doug, Jen, Max, Peanut and Willa

Yesterday

I had a cool day yesterday. I did a private session in Agoura Hills. Their house rocks because it sits on the side of a mountain and overlooks the valley below. Then there is the road that leads up to the driveway. It is unreal and really makes me wish I had my motorcycle. There is a dinner at the bottom that always has hundreds of motorcycles and riders shooting the shit and getting ready to ride up the twisted pavement that leads to the top. When you get to the top there are hundreds more motorcycles on the top shooting the shit and getting ready to ride back down.

Yesterday after my session I drove farther up the road and found a wicked hairpin in the road and parked in the dirt in the middle and sat there for almost two hours. I was lost in the sound and smell of bikes racing up and down the road. This is home to me!! Two wheeled machines at the closest you can get to flying and I really miss having one.

Does not feel like November

I was thinking about this for the last few days. On Thanksgiving we were sitting out side in the sun waiting for the turkey to be done. It just feels like another day out here. I was invited by Fabio an Gini to join them for dinner at Professor Raul's( also a Gracie Barra instructor ) house for turkey day. Jen was at work and I had no plans so I went with them and had a blast. Before I left I cooked Jen a turkey dinner so she would have something to eat when she got home. I'm good like that!!!

Dinner was fun lots of conversation about training both kettlebells and jiu-jitsu. Then the topic of Brazil came up because Fabio and Gini are gong back for Christmas. Through the course of the conversation Fabio told me that he wants to set up a kettlebell seminar in Brazil and was going to work out the details. Sweet, Jen would love this trip for sure, I guess I will have to fly Bones out to watch the dogs for a week or so. I will keep you informed on the Brazil front.

Training has been really good. Jiu-jitsu at noon and 7:30pm on both Tuesday and Thursdays plus kettlebell training. I have been working lots of heavy presses lately, I want all the kettlebells that Dragon Door make to feel light when I press them. I was at a clients house today and I made him use the beast for his swings. Then it popped into my head that I haven't pressed it for a few months so I had to try. My first attempt was crap! I didn't grip it hard enough which made my clean crap and the press worse. Waited a few minutes and tried again and right up it went no problem. I will be buying a beast in San Jose this Feb. so I can play with it more.

Favorite Warrior Diet dessert

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/ 2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/ 4 teaspoon ground cloves
• Pinch of salt (optional)
• 1/ 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 whole eggs
• 4 egg whites
• 1/ 4 to 1/ 2 cup of maple syrup (adjust sweetness according to taste)
• 1 15-oz. can of organic pumpkin
• 15 oz. nonfat ricotta cheese (or farmer cheese)
• 4 oz. fat-free cream cheese

You can substitute these cheeses with organic, low-fat cottage cheese. However, this will change the texture of the cake slightly.

Preparation:

Combine cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt (optional) in a small bowl. Set aside. Lightly beat vanilla, eggs and maple syrup in a small bowl. Set aside. In a food processor, combine pumpkin and cheese until smooth. Add, alternating egg mixture and spice mixture, to the pumpkin and cheese mixture. (If you don't have a food processor, a blender will work, but mix eggs first, then gradually add pumpkin mixture.) Mix well, approximately three minutes.

Bake in a preheated 425° F. oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool and rack for about two hours. Serve room temperature or chilled. Do not freeze; freezing causes the filling to separate. Pumpkin cheesecake tastes so good that, unfortunately, it disappears too quickly. It's like an open invitation for a binge. The sweetness can be adjusted according to your taste. It goes very well with organic yogurt or low-fat sour cream. As you can see, this dessert is high in protein, low in fat, relatively low in carbs and highly nutritious.

It might really rain

It looks like we are going to get a proper rain this afternoon and evening. There is a 90% chance of rain and it feels like it is going to rain. Now keep in mind they are only talking about rain today and in the morning, not an Ohio week of rain.

One Jiu-jitsu class down today and one more to go tonight. I was given my first strip today, baby steps. There are so many things that need to be done right for each movement and there are of course counters to all movements. When I wrestled I tended to be defensive and wait for the other person to make a move and catch them with a counter. Having a great time with the classes and I am looking forward to many more.

Always worth it

Hit the road with four friends and headed to Sacramento to attend a stretching and abs workshop by Pavel. The five ( me, Rusty, Tim, Laura, and Sean)of us shared a car and hotel room and had the best time. True to form Pavel delivered wit a much softer fist. Since a good portion of the people there had no idea what the kettlebell or the RKC are all about they were treated with kids gloves. They did get a small taste of what we are all about, just enough to peak their interests in our other workshops.

I don't think any of us will be forgetting this trip any time in the near future. We learned more than stretching and abs in the last two days. I have a feeling there will be more road trips for the five of us soon.

November Really???

I can't believe it is November 19th, still feels like a good summer day in Ohio. I have had several good observation in the last week.

Driving to Santa Barbara on Saturday I could see the smoke hovering over the ridge from the fires, I could also smell them. Which give you a strange feeling because you know that people have lost everything they own in a matter of minutes. One of those people is Dr. Rusty Smith one of the two owners of the gym where I teach in Santa Barbara. I felt helpless when I found out because I could only offer him a place to stay and that was it. If anybody can fight through this it will be Rusty!

On a better note on the way to class Monday night in Santa Barbara the sun was setting over the ocean as I drove. Ten minutes later the sky was a deep purple red and there were 10-15 dolphins just swimming along. How cool is that!!!

Jen and I took the bulldogs to the beach and Peanut got over her fear of the waves and was all in it. She did however learn a lesson. If you drink enough salt water it WILL come out of both ends of your body. Today at the beach she didn't drink a single drop.


Talked to both my parents and brother yesterday. Yeah 4" of snow and ice with more on the way. Can't say I really miss that. It didn't really bother me when I live in Ohio but it is real nice not having to deal with it now.

New classes coming soon

I will be starting a new group of classes at the Gracie Barra Ventura academy starting Dec 1st. I will be posting the schedule as soon we work out all the details.

Installed rings yesterday

At our new place I installed some power rings for pull up, push ups and all things in between. I put up some eye bolts in the carport and ran the straps through them. The neighbors looked at me like I was nuts as I pumped out pull ups in the car port. I have had these for three years but I never had a place to put them until now. I will take a picture tomorrow.

My training has been good, lots of everything. Once a week I have been doing the snatch test just to keep my skills up.

Forever and a day since I have posted.

Life is starting to get really busy again. I have been doing the jiu jitsu thing 4 days a week plus training those guys 4 days a week. Today I stared with two more of their guys. These guys really get what kettlebells are all about. On top of that they are going to open a ton of doors in their world. It's really great to train some of the meanest fighters and jiu jitsu guys that walk the planet.

The weather is great as always and eveything else is good. I can't believe that it is November 12th. 75 today with 80's coming this weekend really tough out here.

Here is just one of my new clients Fabio Leopoldo



My training has been going really great all the basics. Swings, get ups, MP, snatches, squats and pull ups.

New style snatch test.

Today I had a busy morning class, my workout, Brazilians and Jiu-jitsu. My workout was simple I did some active straight leg raise, single leg dead lifts,ans swings to warm up. Then planted myself in front of clock with a 24kg and on the top of the minute 10/10 snatches for 5 minutes. The first two minutes were slow it took me about 45 seconds to get twenty done. The last three my pace was much better taking about 35 seconds to get through the 20 reps. 100 reps done without a problem it makes me wonder how the first round of new tests will go in San Jose. I think it might be easy but I'm not sure. After that I did some long distance overhead walks followed by armbars and called it a day.

Classes have been slowly but surely picking up and I have been getting more contacts from potential kettlebellers.

Three day in the books

I started training Fabio Leopoldo on Tuesday which was followed by my first Jiu-jitsu class. Then the other instructor at the academy Erik Klinger found out I was a kettlebell instructor and wanted to train as well. Wednesday morning 7:30am I trained Erik which was followed by a private Jiu-jitsu session. Today Thursday morning taught class on the beach at 7am. Then went to the gym and did my kettlebell training, followed by training Fabio, Gennie ( Fabio's wife) and John a fellow Jui-jitsu student. After that I went home checked on the dogs and was off to Jui-jitsu class.

It has been a busy but fun day. Class tonight and then I can eat dinner.

What a crazy day!

I had a good class at the beach this morning. Everybody did a really good job and busted their butts. Then I went to the gym to do my training. I taught Monday nights class clean and jerks, which I haven't done in ages. They felt good so that is what I'm going to focus on for the next few weeks. As I did those I saw the Brazilians teaching a class. When they were finished I grabbed them and we got our kettlebell on.

After the kettlebell session they asked me if I was free at noon and if I wanted to take a BJJ class. It was nice to be a student and absorb information. Jiu Jitsu is a technical art that really makes you think. Being a newbie is great, I'm really looking forward to learning these skills.

On teaching them kettlebells it is very different. Fabio's English is pretty good his wife has a tougher time with it though. This will help me teach down the road. When you can't use your normal teaching style you have to be more creative. The good thing about kettlebells is that you can teach it without hardly any words.

Finally they are getting it.

I had a good conversation with three of the trainers from Maverick's gym, one of which is part owner. They are really starting to understand that I know what I'm talking about. They are getting that kettlebell exercises are much more than they appear. Ego in personal training has always been an issue. What most trainers don't understand is that it is OK to say you don't know how to do something. Instead most of them think they can just watch somebody do something and then teach it, WRONG! Pavel talks about this at every RKC I have been to and with good reason. A client will respect you more as a professional if you are willing to not go outside of your expertise. Saying you don't know but will find out is much better than guessing and getting it wrong. So man up and admit that you don't know all there is to know about exercise. Once you do this it will open your eyes and you will learn much more and become a better trainer.

On another note I had a meeting with Fabio Leopoldo last night. He has seen me training with kettlebells and wants to start training twice a week with me. SWEET! Jiu Jitsu really appeals to me, from grade school through 10th grade I wrestled and loved it. I think we are going to trade services. I sat and watched his class last night and there was a really good vibe. He is an MMA fighter but his classes a really laid back and they are all about the technique and not trying to break an arm.

Wednesday at the mall

I had to go to the mall yesterday because I dropped my watch off the kitchen counter face down on the tile floor. I knew from the sound that it wasn't good. I turned it over and I was right smashed the crystal into pieces. Off to the watch store in the mall to see what they can do. Send it out to Citizen to get it fixed. On the way out of the mall I stopped by the farmers market in the mall parking lot and bought a ton of veggies and fruit for the next few days. That's right in the middle of the mall parking lot a local farmers market. There is one somewhere in town everyday of the week. On the weekends there are several so you don't have to go to the store to get FRESH produce you just stop by the mall.

I felt the need for volume

So I hit the gym to do some high volume presses. 24kg 20 sets X 5/5. The people there still don't get what this is all about. They look like they want to ask questions. Instead I ask them if they want to try class on Wednesday nights and they all tell me it's to hard.

What is the deal with socal people being so soft????

These two could be brothers

I was watching a UFC fight last weekend and noticed a resemblance between one of the fighters and a dead rock star. The fighter Keith Jardine. The dead rock star front man for Alice and Chains Layne Staley.


Here is Jardine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cLnGRy2K-s

Here is Staley.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZE9i3TZfDI

New place to live!

Finally we are done, we have all our stuff in the new place. We are still in boxes but we are in and close to the beach so all is great. I drove bells to the beach for class this morning. I was almost there before I left so that was really cool. This place is going to be cool.

The dogs are getting use to sharing a house. We are in a duplex where we have the bottom so it will take some time to get them not to react to every bump and sound from upstairs. It's been a day and a half and they are already better than yesterday.

Training yesterday was moving everything out of the garage while Jen was at work. The last of which was the washer and dryer. This is always a good time. Nothing makes me feel better than grabbing a washer out of the back of the truck and walking it over to its new home. It does have a tendency to freak out the neighbors, walking around with a washer in your hands. This is WTH at its finest.

Pink Flamingo

This is my nickname for a guy at the gym where my new class started last night. It seems he is always there, morning, noon, and night. Every time I see him he is in his tight tank top and his high$ shoes. He loves the mirror and himself very much. The reason for the name is simple. Every exercise I have seen him do, he does on one leg. I'm talking everything, lateral raises, bicep curls, tricep push downs and everything else under the sun. So I would bet that he read an article in Muscle & Fitness about "functional training". His answer do it on one leg. My favorite thing about him is that when he takes his leg off the floor he hooks it behind his calf on his support leg. Which if you try it is almost as stable as standing on two feet. It always amazes me how people interpret things. God only knows what he would come up with if he started training with kettlebells from watching youtube. Then again I have seen those people too and they are just as messed up. Long live the PINK FLAMINGO!!

Old stomping grounds

Fellow RKC Matt Schinabeck has started the Cleveland Kettlebell Club.
Pretty cool, they get together once and month and enjoy the pain. Nice job guys, I will have to hook up with the crew the next time I'm on the north coast.

Not again

Head cold again, same yet different. Here is how it happens. Jen works in a nursing home and so whatever they get she brings home. Most of the time I I don't get it but this time I it got me. So feeling like crap I taught class last night and this morning. After my morning class I went to the gym where my new kettlebell class starts tomorrow night. I was in the need to sweat. I went over to an area by the cardio. Warmed up and then hit snatches. I started slow, 24kg and the first set sucked 15 L/R then 10/10, 10/10,then is sucked it up and hit 40/40. That felt good. I then just did 3x3 pull ups, arm bars. Brettzel and pump and call it a day. I thought I was feeling better then I got home loaded the dishwasher and started to sweat, can you say fever. So I will be laying low today.

CA vs OH

Since moving to CA. in mid-January tons of things have gone down. The price of gas is crazy. The JEEP is a gas hog. I'm paying rent for no good reason. The house I'm renting is in foreclosure. I'm moving three blocks from the beach. :) I got promoted to Senior RKC. Jen has been busting her butt. There are more farm fields in CA than OH. COLD out here is 45 degrees. Rain is something that might happen and if it does it makes headlines on the news. Fruit is always in season. Starbucks is now a place you get coffee only if you have to. Mom and Pop coffee shops are the way to go. 75 and sunny is norm. Everybody surfs. Everyone stops by the ocean once a day just to watch the waves for 5 minutes. People are happy here.

Switching things up some

Training has been going really well so nothing new to report there, but I'm switching up some things on the food front. DOn't worry I'm still all over the Warrior Diet just changing my beverages some. I have been drinking coffee like it's my job lately so I'm going to switch to green tea after my cup of coffee in the morning. I don't know why but it just seems like the right thing to do. I will let you know how things workout.

The ball is rolling!

I start teaching class at Maverick's Gym on the 15th @6pm. I have bee making my appearances at the gym for my workouts. I would much rather be at the beach but I know that I need to be seen to peak interest. I know there are one or two trainers there that are not happy that I'm going to be there. I think they feel I'm stepping on their toes, I prefer it to be more of a stomping on the toes.

There are plenty of fat people can't we all just get along??? The real problem they have with me from what I can tell is that I don't do curls, pushdowns, crunches or run on a stupid treadmill.
Today was simple a minute of swings, minute of get ups for ten minutes with 24kg. Then 3x3 pullups done the right way and 3x3/3 pistols. All of this in 28 minutes and I was done. The owner still doesn't believe that I don't do any isolation work. So I had a little talk with him about the myth of isolation. I think I will be giving that speech a good bit in my near future.

On another note. We found another house to move into on the 15th. I had several conversations with a lawyer about my house being foreclosed on and what we should do. It comes down to this CYA (cover your ASS) because nobody else will. The bonus is that we are paying less and we will be three blocks from the beach where I teach classes twice a week!! Hell yeah, the ball is rolling in the right direction for once.

Classes are picking up as well so all is right in the world.

Getting there

Slowly but surely I'm feeling better everyday. I have done little training so tomorrow I'm heading to this gym were I will be teaching a night class in two weeks. So I will go and plant myself in the middle of of the training floor and show them what kettlebells are all about. I was there for a meeting with the owner after which I huge out and observed. What I saw was nothing new lots of trainers with clip boards sitting on swiss balls. The kettlebell exercises that I witnessed were something special. That is all I'm gonna say about that.

Being sick sucks

Being sick sucks!!!!!!!!! The plan to for today was to train hard, but a fever sapped the life right out of me. So I think I'll it will be a grease the groove day with 4okg military press.

Remember one thing

If your wife is sick don't use her tooth brush!!!!!! When I came home from my travels I pulled into the drive way about 1 in the morning. I was all amped up from the week end and just threw my suitcase in the closet. about 1:30am I decided to hit the sack went into the bathroom to brush my teeth but my tooth brush was in my bag. I grabbed Jens' and brushed away. Yeah, great idea because she was sick as hell. Guess who is sick now??? I feel like #&^! I could have avoided it so I will have to suffer the wrath that is a summer/fall cold. Training has been pretty good I don't feel as strong as normal but that isn't a huge shock since I can't breath and my throat is all swollen. Heading to Santa Barbara tonight to put a hurting on everybody. It has been two weeks so they should be ready to roll.

Hit the gym again

I hit the gym today where I will be teaching classes once a week in the near future. I got a little better reception this time. Part of it had to do with an article that was published about me last weekend. I also think people are getting used to seeing the crazy guy swinging that thing around in the gym. So I think that once class starts things are going to be crazy. So for my workout I did 5 minutes of snatches with the 24kg for 100 reps. Then 24kg overhead walks around all the cardio equipment. I did 6 laps 3 left and 3 right. This got a ton of people talking and asking me questions which is just what I wanted. Things are looking up.

Here is a scary thing. I read a list of things you can do with Kool-Aid other than drink it. I tried one today to clean you dishwasher. Two packets ( the stuff you have to add sugar to) of orange Kool-Aid and start the cycle. I opened it up when it was done and the thing was spotless.

Sept RKC 08

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This weekend will go down in history. At this weekends RKC I felt the world stop spinning for just a split second. I have been blown away by my whole experience since my cert. in 2005. I told my team this weekend about when I came through I thought that is was just another certification. Then I meet Master RKC Brett Jones and knew that I was wrong. I still feel the same way getting on the plane after an RKC weekend as I did the very first one I attended. It takes over your mind and if you use it it will change your life. This something I try to instill into my team every time I teach.

Pavel has changed my life and there are no words that I can say that would be enough. So I guess that Thank you will have to do until I find something better. To those of you that I have taught I hope I have made the RKC as important to you as is for me. This will always be my aim with every swing of the bell.

For those of you that haven't heard yet I was promoted to Sr. RKC this weekend!!!!!!!!! I can't believe it and I don't think that it has really sunk in yet and I don't know if it ever will.

Thank you to everybody who has helped me along this path. The journey is just beginning.

Heading out

Hitting the road this morning and heading for ST. P to spread the illness that is the RKC. I love getting together with the best minds in the industry and putting the hurt on people. I get so pumped to see the changes that take place from Friday to Sunday afternoon, changing lives one drop of sweat at a time. So if you are heading out there and you are on my team I hope you are ready.

I'm also heading to Ohio for two days after the RKC to check in and make sure that everybody is still busting their butts.

Getting it done!

I've spent the week getting ready for St. P so I have been a busy little worker bee. All my homework is done, just a few tweaks left. Kilts and all other certification uniforms are clean. I have one more Grad workout today and all is well. I will worry about a new place to live when I get back.

I went to a gym that wants me to teach kettlebell class last night to do a workout. It's your typical bodybuilding type crowd which was very entertaining. They all give me the stink eye as I started with my 5 minutes of get ups and then planted myself in the middle of all the meatheads to do snatches 5 x 20/20 and real pull ups 3x3. The looks were making me laugh on the inside. I only had one guy ask me about the bells, "are you a fighter???". I have decided that from now on maybe I should just say yes to that question. The rest of the people watched without watching if you know what I mean. There were several women that looked very interested in what I was doing. I was about to tell them that is was OK to ask, but then they got into their tricep pushdowns, so the next time. The more people see me the easier it will be for them to ask me what the hell I'm doing. Right now I'm just the crazy guy swings that ball around!!

Stress!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stress is a great motivator sometimes. I found out yesterday that the house I rent is going into foreclosure. How did I find out?? I had a hunch and 10 minutes of internet fishing confirmed my hunch. SO now not only do I have a ton of things to get done for ST. P but I need to start looking at my options for housing. On a good note I really came up with a few great ideas for the cert. Plus I know how I feel when I attend the certifications so all will be good.

How come I always end up bleeding when I battle with the bulldoggs???

PS The landlord told us nothing, NICE!

Bad planning

I was so into my homework I didn't realize that it was time for my workout. So I jumped in the JEEP and hit the field. Order of the day the grad workout, since I have to lead it in about a week. 2 24kg bells and 100 yards. I had two killer tunes on the Ipod both from Pantera, song one Suicide note part 2, song two Domination great stuff and ready to roll. At about the 50 yard mark both lats cramped up!! What was that all about? Did it slow me down? HELL NO!!!! I was more determined than ever and pushed on. After I was done I couldn't figure out what was going on, until I had one thought, I didn't drink any water today. Hello that is kind of important.

As I was pulling the links for the two songs I listened to for my training it hit me. That is some rough stuff!! I didn't always listen to this type of music. It's all my brothers fault. You see we both worked at a car stereo shop for a few years. I blew the motor up in my car and while it was getting fixed I rode to work with Bones. He had one of the loudest car systems in the state and loves his heavy metal. The next two weeks were ball to the wall heavy metal everyday to and from work. Then I got my car back, and the first day I had it, I found myself with one of his tunes stuck in my head, ALL DAY! From that point on it was a lost cause.

The scary part now is I listen to stuff and don't think that it's that heavy. I do get a kick out of pulling the JEEP up next to people with my choice of music playing. The shaved head, heavy metal, sunglasses and the kilt put them right over the edge. They will avoid eye contact at all costs and I wonder why people think I'm mean. LOL

American Bulldog battle

These are my to small females playing. It started with a stick(which is now dead and all over the place) that they pulled off the tree. Then it was time to wrestle. Sounds like they love each other? After the fights, sleepy time. The other noise in the background is Max chewing on his bubblegum, a tennis ball.

Change

Here is a story about the human body and what it's able to do with a bit of hard work.

The story of a fellow kettlebeller. www.howdoyoumove.blogspot.com

Smoker

I have been smoking food a ton since I've moved to California. I did some in Ohio but you had to have a good weather day. Out here it's pretty much everyday. So on the weekends I throw 8-10 pounds of various flesh. The secret is a mix of spices that I rub on the day before and put it in the refrigerator. Fire up the smoker with a couple chunks of wood and 4-5 hours later you have protein for the next couple of days. Lovin it!!! I'm so glad I have teeth.

Training has been going well lots of get ups and grad workout stuff. I also have a press workout that I have to figure out for the Sept. cert. TONS of homework to do this week.

Grad workout today

I hit the local park with a pair of 24kg to do the grad workout. If you look real close at the second picture you can see the bells at the finish by the bus.

We rule!

Saturday I had the chance to finish the journey for my final UCLA team member. I went to the beach and retested the three issues we needed to take care of for him to pass. Well it was obvious from his warm up swings that he had done his homework, 15 minutes later he is an RKC. That make 100% passing score for my UCLA team. You better believe it!!! This was our view as we tested.

Who would have thought

I met Pavel for the first time in 2003 at the Arnold Classic in Columbus, Ohio. It was great to meet the myth in person. Then two years later I was a certified RKC. I would have never in 1000 years ever imagine what was to come.

Last night Jen and I had dinner with Pavel and His wife Julie. There is nothing like good food and company. It was a great evening, I will speak of the top secret stuff when I'm told to and no sooner. On the way home it really hit me how amazing my life has really been so far. The only thing I wish is that my Grandpa and Grandma Nep were here to see it. I don't really miss to many things. I have always been able to tuck things away and it's business as usual. I really miss them both.

Love this line

Whoever appeals to the law against his fellow man is either a fool or a coward.
Whoever cannot take care of themselves without that law is both.
For a wounded man shall say to his assailant,
'If I live, I will kill you. If I die, You are forgiven.'
Such is the rule of honour.

Swings

I hit swings and swings and swings this morning. I'm not in Rif's zone but he is a volume junkie!!!!
24kg swings of various types 10x20 reps in 8 minutes. No slow songs today just heavy stuff.

Two things i love

Hardcore trucks and Metal!! I want to drive one of these when I grow up!

IT was all good

I rewrote the the paper the I deleted, so that was good. I ran all my errands and stuff, that was good. Then I walked the dogs, good. Did active leg raise and some 24kg kneeling presses, good. Turkish get ups 24kg first song by Sepultura, ratamahatta awesome, second song by Down, Lifer awesome. I was feeling good at this point I had been doing get ups for about 10 minutes and was pumped was going to go for a third song off of Jen's ipod. Then the BAD happened the third song came on the artist, the Fray, the song How to save a life, damn I just put the bell down and just walked way. It was going so well. what a shame!!!!!

Have you ever......

wanted to kick yourself right in the ass!!! Yesterday I did, right after I erased and article that I was going to submit to Pavel and Dragon Door. It even asked if I was sure I wanted to do that and I was all like sure. Then I clicked and thought $@#% I just erased that didn't I. Answer:YES you dummy! So today I will be doing get ups and rewriting the article.

On a good note classes are going really good. New faces every class, along with the regulars. I'm glad that people are starting to get it.

Blasted through it!

I was inspired this morning. So I did my workout really early for me. Simple was the name of the game. Active straight leg raise, 24kg two handed swings 6x20 then single arms swings 10/10/10/10, Overhead walks, pump stretch and done. The dogs were not real happy with me walking around the house with a kettlebell over my head so there was lots of barking.

Jen has decided to start a blog, which is great, she needs an outlet. I'm proud of her for busting her butt out here.

Hardstyle

I was pulling some huge weeds in the yard today. I would sumo squat grab the base of the plant create tension and pull. Hell yeah who needs a shovel!!! After that I dragged the huge pile of weeds to the trash. Then I busted out swings and walked the dog.

Journeys

Today I received an email from one of my UCLA team members telling me their story, as I read the email it really made me think.

How lucky am I??? I get to meet people from all walks of life and help them along on their journey. Where doesn't matter, just that they are still on the trip. If you never take the step you never go anywhere!!! I'm proud of all those that have gone through the course, especially those that I have had on my teams, because we ROCK!

Brettzel

I have been working the Brettzel trying to open up a restriction on my left side. It caused by an old hernia surgery. I didn't know it was causing a problem until the CK-FMS but now I feel it doing everything. It has gotten better but wow what a pain in the ass, or groin. Today I worked hard rolls which is really restricted by the scar. Then I worked on the kneeling press progression and some TGU. Sweating like a mad man, who needs a damn treadmill.

Things from the past.

I was listening to some tunes today and I ran across a song from a band called Down and the song was Stone the Crow. It took me back in time to my first tattoo(sorry Mom). I remember it like it was yesterday, not 13 years ago. The Down CD was playing the whole time I was getting tattooed. That was going to be my only tattoo!!! Those of you that know me know that it wasn't.

That song made me think about my tattoos, I can tell you just what was going on in my life when I got each one. They are the road map of my life and I would never change that for anything. Here is the video for Stone the Crow.

Things are getting strange

I almost can't help myself. Today i was walking down the sidewalk and there was a guy in front of me that was walking all kinds of crazy. I was so close to asking him what had happened to him but I didn't want to bother him. I mean he was just walking along minding his own business. I'm sure that's the last thing he wants to do is tell some stranger why he walks all crazy. So went about my way making up my own reasons why.

Training was good today.

Prep work, active straight leg raise, T-spine mobility and single leg dead lift
6 minutes of various swings 24kg
24kg overhead walks. My neighbors think I'm nuts
Walk the Bulldogs, People always ask how big my dogs are well here you go. This is Maximus. He is almost 5 years old and he weighs 140 pounds. To give you and idea of his size that is a 40kg kettlebell sitting next to him!!! YES HIS HEAD IS THAT BIG!!!!!

By the way

I'm all about the program minimum this week. Swings M,W,F and TGUs T,TH,Sat. Simple but not easy.

Observations

I have really been paying attention to the way people move since I've been back from the CK-FMS. Not that I didn't look before but I'm much more aware now.

A prime example has been to Olympics. The movements are so fantastic that when one is off just a bit you can see it almost immediately. It has been pretty cool to watch and wonder what they would score on the screen.

Everything from swimming(of course), marathons, weight lifting, gymnastics and of course ribbon dancers(LOL). The one thing that keeps coming back to me is how healthy are these people. Phelps eats like a pig. Distance runners are so unhealthy it is amazing. Gymnasts look like they are healthy but then you look closer and they are taped up all over the place(Ask RIF). Weight lifters, well lets just say I watched the women's super heavy weight. There was one women, I think that's what she was, that weighed in at almost 400 pounds. The commentators said she was the heaviest athlete at the games!!! AND what is up with the kineso tape?? It is everywhere. Who needs to compensate when the tape can do if for you.

I do have to say that all of them are doing their thing and doing it well. We all make sacrifices for our passions, god knows I have, but at what price. I guess that it is just human nature to push and see what else we can do. Like I've said many times you can always grow more skin. Just try to keep those compensations to a minimum and all the world will be right again.

UCLA pics round 2

The cold is dead!!

I'm just finishing up with the St.Paul bug thank god, but now my wife has it and I'm in big trouble. She says I'm a carrier and that I always get her sick.

This laid back week has been good for me though. I spent the week on my CK-FMS stuff and I'm feeling pretty good. So workout this week were corrective drills and staying loose. It was kinda nice.

It's about time!!!

I was driving to class tonight and yawned and it happened. My ears finally popped!!!! They have been plugged up since I landed on Sunday night. The cold is still holding on but at least I can hear now. I have been working the Brettzel and the corrections I need to make because of our findings last weekend. Nothing major but it can always be better.

I have also been working on my get up. You see the way I learned it 6 years ago is very different from the way we teach it know. To force myself to learn the new teaching cues I volunteered to teach this section at the RKC in Sept.

This sucks

Well it happened I picked up a cold on the plain on the way to St.Paul Thursday. It started to rear it's ugly head on Sunday morning and was full blown somewhere over the middle of the US. By the time I landed I knew I was screwed. While landing my ears wouldn't pop and the pain was unreal. They did let go a bit but I still can't hear all that well. Now my head feels like a balloon and I can't hear a damn thing. Oh yeah and I can't breath through my nose and all my food tastes like crap. WOW what a skirt I'm being!!! Well I hope this will be gone soon and life will be good.

On a good note I just read a blog entry by a ULCA RKC and it was moving, she really understands that the RKC is more than a piece of paper.

CK-FMS

What a ten days it has been. I taught the UCLA RKC was home for two days and off to St.Paul for the CK-FMS. Last weekend was like summer camp, getting to see all my good friends and making new ones. The thing that was really amazing was stepping back and looking at the caliber of the people that were there, it was the cream of the crop!! Pavel went through the course if that tells you anything.

We learned a great deal this weekend. One of the most significant being, RKC's as a group are pretty stout and our style of training tends to build a strong symmetrical body. This does not mean that we are without our compensations. I found out that a hernia surgery in 2000 has caused a slight restriction in my hip which limits the extension of my hip. This then translates into a compensation in my back. It was a real eye opener, but now I know what I have to work on.

If you haven't been run through the movement screen you need to be, it will really open your eyes and show you what you need to work on. Thank you Gray, Brett, Pavel and Dragon Door for a great weekend.

The kilt will now be a staple at any future RKC. I must have had 20 people ask if I had it with me and of course I did and rocked it like an RKC!!!!

September 2005

September 2005 was the date of my RKC. I can't believe it has been three years already. It feels just like yesterday. I remember sitting on the plane and thinking about how unreal the whole weekend had been. I get that same feeling now but from a different point of view. I get excited for my team members and now family members because they have no idea how much this will change their lives. You hear the stories time and again about the change in the path that your life was on before and after the RKC. It isn't a coincidence, this is one of the most powerful experiences on the planet. The last day of the cert is always the hardest for me because I know that some people won't make the cut and it's my job to let them know. I have to tell them that they still have work to do and the journey is just starting.

The ones that do make the cut start down a new path as well. Trust me you won't look at life the same way after becoming an RKC. I had a client ask me once if the RKC was a cult. If it is I'm drinking the kool-aid and going down with the Chief Instructor because he has given me opportunities that I could have never imagined. I only hope that these feeling are passed on to the team members that I take along for the ride. The RKC family gets stronger as each certification comes and goes. What will the next three years bring?

Last day of the LA RKC

This is what it is all about.

I sit here at 12:03am with a body that wants to sleep and a mind that won't stop. The reason? I just got home from teaching at the first ever RKC certification in LA. A weekend of three hot days,24 hours of training and one fantastic Team Nepodal!!!! I love to teach this course, it changed my life when I went through and I hope is does the same for all those that I have on my team. I couldn't have done it without my two great assistants Rik and Stephanie, Thank you!

Thanks to the whole team for all the sweat, tears, blood and PAIN that you tackled this weekend. Teaching a group like you guys makes me love my job more than ever. I'm glad to have shared this weekend with you it was special and will not be forgotten.

Thanks again to Robert, Kirsten, Pamella, David, Dave, John, Mike, Matt and Dina you are truly awesome individuals and I'm glad you are now part of my family.

I survived

IT happened today, the first thing that came out of every bodies mouth when I told them I was moving west. The dreaded earthquake. There was 5.4 earthquake about 90 miles from our house in Chino Hills. I was sitting in a chair reading my RKC manual and I thought wow I feel something moving. I looked up at the light fixture in the room and it was swinging all over the place. I looked at the clock 11:42am, my first earthquake in CA. This however isn't my first earth quake. There were two in Ohio and one of them was a month or so before I left, kinda strange. Anyway after about 20 seconds it was over and I went about my day. It was however ALL over the news even though there were no major problems, even at the epicenter. I guess they have nothing better to do.

I went to beach and was supposed to do a grind workout but wasn't feeling really strong. So instead I worked on a get up that came to me in a vision the other night while I was eating dinner. It is a look what I can do kind of movement, and it's pretty damn hard with the 24kg so I will try the 32kg soon maybe in LA. I will make sure Rif or W2 get video of it for sure. I would tell you what it is but I don't want anybody to kill themselves doing it.

My Brother Can do anything!!!!!!

I got kettlebell stickers in the mail today. Bones is a graphic designer, a bad ass Motocross racer, and killer metal front man. Yes that is him on his bike in the top 2 pictures. He is no joke!!! THANKS BONES YOU ARE THE BEST!!! I think you should go for what we talked about today for sure.

Beach runners

As I was waiting to retest a June RKC attendant this morning I watched several people running on the beach. Most run at a pace that a normal person can walk. Why run??? Then there was one girl that moved along at a good clip. Then my favorite, the guy that I thought was going to put my CPR skills to the test. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and say he is new to running. I watched as he lumbered closer and eventually stopped and collapsed on the sand. He and his Ipod were motionless for a few minutes then a wave came up and brought him to life. He looked angry when the waves got his $150 shoes all wet. So he moved back 5 feet and laid his stuff down and went off to wade in the surf. Now when I lay electronics on the beach I like to keep them dry. This guy wasn't worried about it until a big wave rolled up the beach and wet down ALL of his stuff. Call me crazy but if you leave stuff on the beach in an area where you just got wet wouldn't you think that it will happen again???? I gonna say that he was suffering O2 debt from the run(if you want to call it that).

Deep thoughts

I had a good turn out this morning. Everybody was in there own world and just busted it out. It was a good workout and a good way to head into the weekend. I don't normally train in the morning but today it felt right. I did a little combo of presses and swings 5/5 MP and 20 DARC swings x 5 sets. Then I went over to the swing set and busted out 10 minutes of hard swinging. Just kidding I went to the swing set and did pull ups 3x3. Then to the edge of the water and finished up with some Z and joint mobility. There is something calming about doing your joint mobility while watching the waves bang on to the beach.

Being a boy rocks!!!

Here is the reason. I was walking into the store yesterday and I was coming up to a van with a family all standing around. As I got closer I saw why. There was a little boy about three years old peeing on the tire of their van. As free as could be shorts down and showing the world. This will set the trend for the rest of his life. LOOK WHAT I CAN DO! I have never seen a girl doing this.

Angry chick

Straight Line Stitch

Change in plans

I received my assignments for the LA cert and my workout has changed. So I worked on it yesterday and I think it will drill them into the ground. I noticed that most of the workouts are worked around the swing. This doesn't surprise me after hearing about the recent events at the level two certification. If you didn't hear what happened here it is in a nut shell. RKCs showed up that were having problems performing the basic drills(swing,cleans,press). As a result the whole first day was spent on review. Wow, practice what you preach!!! It always amazes me that once people are certified that they stop practicing the basics. There is a reason they are the foundation of kettlebell training. You can't build a house then knock the basement walls out and hope that it stays up. If you look at my past post about my training you will see that it is always the basics and rarely more. SO the change is good and I will deliver the goods come Aug 1-3 in LA. I hope you are ready!!!

Oh yeah!

Hit the beach with the gymboss yesterday and put the final tweaks on a killer workout that I hope I will be using in LA. That is all up to the EVIL ONE, he makes all the calls on certification work. Here are some hints. It's a circuit that is 4 movements. I did 16 sets in 12 minutes.

Messed up

I was a mess yesterday. I was going to train earlier than normal yesterday and I wasn't really feeling it. I grabbed a supplement called RPM that I got for free at the LA fit Expo for a little pick up. An hour later I hit the bells with a plan to practice the basics, double swings, double clean and press, anchored snatches and double front squats. I was going to go through all four as a circuit. I got through the first round and the RPM sent my heart rate through the roof. I thought I was going to puke. The circuit wasn't really all that awful but no more RPM for me. I went through one more time and I was covered in sweat and could hardly keep my heart in my chest. I called it a day way earlier then I had planned.

After that I walked the dogs and burned off the rest of the RPM. All I thought about on the walk was what a shitty workout I had and it bummed me out. So today no RPM and get it done.

People

I wonder about what people think sometimes. I was at the store yesterday and had an over weight lady in front of me. She was buying a Lean cuisine a Sobe Lean and four cases of regular Coke. What sense does that make??? Not that her other choices are good but Coke!!!

Fires

The wild fires in Santa Barbara are starting to slow down. These are the first fires that I have been close to since moving out here. They happen because it doesn't rain out here. The last time it rained was the day my Dad and brother were out. That was over a month ago and by rain I mean water came out of the sky. In Ohio when it rains it means puddles in the yard and you hope your power stay on. If it doesn't then your basement is going to flood because your sump pumps won't work. So what west coaster call rain is funny to me. With so little rain everything is dry as a bone. One spark can burn down tons of land and everything on it.

As I was driving to class last night the smoke had settled down over the road. It was so thick that some people had their lights on, but it didn't help much. It was a very strange feeling to know that the fires were the cause. About 1/2 way to Santa Barbara the smoke cleared and the sun was out and I was off to the beach. The fires were far from and never got close to the area were we train so it was business as usual.

KNOW THIS!!!!

You will train always for a hundred terrific reasons. Quit and it will be for no good reason at all!

This is on the back of one of my favorite t-shirts that I got from Dave Draper.

I wasn't really sure what I was going to do for training today. I headed to the beach at about 10:00am. Big mistake! Hello it's July 4th and my normal stop was packed with families and there was not one place within 2 miles to park. Next on the list, head to the store and get food for dinner. Mistake number 2 F@$^ing packed, get stuff and run!! Headed home without getting a workout done. I almost talked myself out of training today. I did have some laundry to do so as I was loading the washer what shirt did I come across. You got it the Dave Draper shirt. I finished loading the washer and grabbed a 24kg and hit the back yard.

Snatches 24kg 40/40, pump stretch and a better outlook on the day.

I'm such a metal head!

I heard this long on the way to the beach to teach class a 7 am. I was all pumped up when and the group payed the price. The Black Sabbath song War Pigs covered by Faith No More! I had to put up one more video. The name of the band is Crisis and the first time I saw them we didn't know it was a female singer for the first 10 minutes

Energy

My energy levels have been in the dumps for the last two weeks. I don't really know what the root cause was, it just killed all my drive to train and my diet was crap as well. I do have to say that it is very nice to teach class and feed off the energy of the group. I guess that we are all human and have swings in our energy levels.

Knowing that I have a ton of certs to teach in the next three months this has got me going again. I know my energy needs to be through the roof to teach these things. The LA cert is going to be huge and it needs to be one of the best certs ever. The exposure the RKC is going to receive is going to be unreal. I can't even imagine what is going to happen in the RKC world once this whole thing goes down.

Training this week has looked like this.
Monday, snatches, swings and H2H stuff
Tuesday, presses, front squats and H2H
Today I will be working on the workout complex that I hope I will be running in LA because it's a KILLER!

Update: Just got back from the beach and I got have the workout dialed in. Lets just say it involves the gym boss and about 15 minutes of pain.

Kettlebells rock

I love teaching classes. The energy in last nights class was killer, these guys are really starting to get it. Teaching class on the beach is always good and give us lots of exposure. I stayed after class and answered questions for about 30 minutes. Gotta love spreading the kettlebell flu.

One month and counting

I can tell that the LA cert is come up soon. I have gotten a couple of calls from people that have signed up and are getting a bit nervous. This is a good sign, the RKC shouldn't be taken lightly. I meet with one guy today and everything is looking pretty good. He just needs to remember to use his hips during high rep snatches. He gets is now just needs to keep it up. Tomorrow I have one more so we will see how he looks.

It's been awhile

It has been awhile since I have posted, I don't really have a good excuse. I have been up to the normal stuff, training, classes and swinging a kettlebell. I have had a ton of interest in kettlebells the last couple of days. The kettlebell illness is starting to spread in Ventura county. I'm really looking forward to the
LA cert. It's about a month away and should be very crazy. There is going to be a ton of people and the victim training on Sunday will be insane. I can't wait!!! BRING THE PAIN!!!

Straight forward

It was hot here today so I busted out a quick workout in the back yard.
24kg swing various types 1x40 and 1x60
36kg military press 3x3/3 and 1x3/3/3/3

That was all she wrote.

Beach

Hit the beach yesterday with Jen for a workout. I did swings 6x40 and pull ups 3x3.

That was the boring part of the session. At the end of the session I watched in amazement as the lifeguard sprinted out and saved two kids that were being pulled out by the current. This was real life, no Bay Watch slow mo giggling boobs tiny bathing suits. This was full on guy saving two kids from drowning. Then within 5 minutes he got a call on his radio and took off again. This time it was easily a quarter mile of more down the beach at a full sprint and into the water to save somebody else.

It takes a special type of person to do that job and one that is in great shape. Thank goodness he was there to save three lives yesterday alone!

Are you kidding me!

I know that I shouldn't be shocked at this point but things never cease to amaze me. I was at the store yesterday and picked up a bodybuilding magazine to see if there are any new programs that are going to change the world. JUST KIDDING!!!!!!!!

I did read a section were a reader wanted to know how he could makes his back and lats thicker. Out of the 12 exercises there was only one that was worth doing, deadlifts. The biggest shocker of all no pull ups anywhere in the whole magazine. I'm a recovering bodybuilder(life long process) and I now have better development than I ever did. All of it without a single lat pulldown or seated row. How is that possible? Pull ups, snatches, swings and military presses(done the right way). So if you are looking to build a well developed back you are in the right place, keep reading RKC blogs and swing, snatch and pull ups. If you think you need a lat machine I will buy your kettlebells from you right now, just email me!!!!!

What I have been up to

Training has been pretty basic the last two days.
Monday was 5 minutes of swings 36kg and Military press 3x3/3 36kg
Today was 8am 5 minutes Get ups 24kg, Noon 5 minutes get ups 36kg, 3pm 5 minutes get ups 36kg

It's that simple!!! You don't have to have a elaborate workout set up with 1 million combos for it to be effective. As a matter of fact the more you mix it up the more mixed up you get. If you want to be good at a few things then work on those few things. If you try to do everything you will be good at nothing.

Training w/ KBs

I have picked up a few new clients in the last couple of weeks. It is nice to watch people swing a bell for the first time. The look of shock on their face when you put the bell down after the first set of real swings. They are amazed by how fast their heart is pounding and they haven't even taken a step. At that moment they get what kettlebells are all about. Who needs a treadmill, elliptical, or $150 shoes. One kettlebell and 10 minutes you are done!!!

Time to get your new body!

Ink and Iron

Jen and I drove down to Long Beach yesterday to go to the Ink and Iron Tattoo festival. What a great time!!! It was a tattoo show, old school car show, motorcycle show, burlesque show and pin up girl contest. Oh yeah and there was a ton of food, music and it was all held in and around the Queen Mary.

I was loving it!! Rocking the kilt with all the freaks and enjoying the day. We felt right at home.

W2

W2 and I went on a killer hike yesterday. Will has done this hike several times, first time for me yesterday. There were some sections that were killer steep and my calves were on fire. It was a great climb and I will be doing it again. There are times when doing something different really kicks it up. I needed this for sure got me pumped to train again. Thanks to big Will!!!

Drive

There are times in life when you have a tremendous drive, whether it is training, your job of whatever is floats your boat. Drive is what keeps you going. Then there are days like today. It felt like pulling teeth to get my ass swinging the bell. After 150 swings I had no motivation to train. 4 sets of snatches, presses and pull ups. When I finished a strange thing happened I had a good sweat going and I felt pretty good.

These are the days that stop people in their fitness tracks. You have to push through the days when you just don't feel like training you'll be better for it!

Tattoos

Here is a pic of my tattoo on my chest. A few people have asked about it so I figured I would post it.

Forgot I had these

John Brookfield put the hurt on us in Aug 2007. We had a good time and did some tough stuff!

Presses

That was the name of the game today and a bunch of them. I fell short of what was planned in my head but my body told me I was done with them.

36kg Military Press 8x5/5
Pull ups 3x3
Stretch
3 mile dog walk.
DONE

Great Weekend

My Dad and brother were in town to the last four days. We had a great time hagging out and going to the Motocross races at Glen Helen. What a blast. We also got to run around and go to the beach, check out some local art and race some indoor go karts. Bones schooled everybody there, which is no surprise to anybody that knows him. That kid can do anything. They headed back to Ohio at 6:00am. I'm sure they will be back out sooner than later.


I trained at the beach today and did the following.

DARC 24kg 2x20
Double 24kg clean and jerk 5x10
See Saw press 24kg 3x 5/5
Snatches 24kg 10/10/10/10
Sled drags in the sand 2x 300'

Friday

Hit some high volume presses and swings with 24kg today. That was really about it. Lots of running around.

Severe Weather Warning!!!

You got it a severe weather warning for southern cali today. What was the warning you ask? High surf and high winds. Holy @#$@ better not leave the house my hair might get tussled! So I braved the wind ( which was pleasant) and trained on the beach. Hit the top secret workout and some swing, bottom up cleans and press. That was about it.

The workout is really coming along now very smooth and flows really well. It should be a real killer.

Looking forward to this weekend. My Dad and brother are coming out. We are going to hit the first AMA National Motocross event of the year. Perks of living in California!!

Damn Right

I hit the beach yesterday and blasted out some presses. I started slow and realized I was guarding my back. The problem with that is I had no flow, by doing this I can feel it pull on my back. The fix, sack up and swing it like I man. Sure enough no problems with the back when I'm not trying to guard it. So the workout went like this,

16kg swings 1x20
36kg Military Press 8x5/5
36kg swings 1x20

Feeling great this morning!

Easy

I took the smart road today and started back easy. Since last weeks back issue. So I headed the the beach and did a ton of H2H drills with a 16kg. I also did the top secret bottoms up snatch rocket as showed to me by none other than W2!
I had my mp3 player going which i don't normally do, I put it on play all random. I have so many songs on there I don't even remember. During my session I learned several things from my MP3.

I learned how to fly. My milkshake IS better than your. I need five minutes alone. I'm the man in the box. Hey ladies!!!

Back in the saddle

I was feeling much better yesterday and I had a 2 hour session with a family. I had to show several demos and everything was good. Then they asked about the bent press. I was showing the movement and my back popped four times and all was right in the world. So I'll keep it simple today.

Rearing it's ugly head!

I have a back issue that has reared it's ugly head. This comes from a past injury. Here is the story.

In 2000BKB (before kettlebells) I was into body building and power lifting. I did all the regular stuff. One leg day it was time to squat. Well I was doing a warm up set of 225 and didn't respect the weight. I went rock bottom and started talking to my training partner lost tension and then I stood up. Well on the way up I felt my lower back take the brunt of the weight and that was all she wrote. I spent the weekend crawling around the house with a bag of frozen peas in the back of my pants.

Now years later I seldom have issues with my back. Every once and a while the oddest thing will fire it up. This time it was falling asleep on the couch two nights in a row. I'm walking around like an old man but all will be good in a couple of days. I do have to say that if kettlebells weren't my thing I would be a mess.

I'm off to foam roll, Z and joint mobility.

The difference in kettlebells

There has been some discussion on the difference in kettlebells so I took a picture of three of my bells to show people who may not know the difference. From left to right Dragon Door 24kg 2002, Dragon Door 32kg 2008 and Russian 36 kg year? The finish on each is very different. The Russian and the 2002 DD are the closest to each other. The 2002 is still my favorite ones and the ones I grab first when it's time to train. Now there is nothing wrong with the 2008 bell you just need to do 10 minutes of sanding and you will be all set.

Training today was good. I fell asleep on the couch last night which screwed my lower back up something awful. So I started the day with a bunch of joint mobility to loosen things up. Then went to Hardcore 360 and did pull ups with 12kg for 5x1. After that Jen and I climbed in the car drove two blocks and hit the beach. Where I did military press ladders. I kept the reps the same and increased the weight each set.

24kg 3/3
32kg 3/3
36kg 3/3

and repeat 5 times and call it a day.