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.