In LA for the RKC...

I am in LA for the RKC this weekend and then heading home on Monday - only to turn around and fly to MSP on that Thursday for the FMS - quite the exciting time!!

Will blog more if I can but don't get disheartened - I will be back soon!

Sorry for the gaps...

Just been very - very busy with travel and work but will get some informative stuff up soon.

Otherwise I have been letting my left thumb heal up and working on my I-phase drills - feeling really good!

Long time no Blog...

Sprained thumb, I-phase, video shooting, and back on the road tonight...

Lots to blog on and little time to do it but here is a recap of the "bright spots -

Sprained my Thumb on Thursday of last week holding a pad for a kick - blamo - sprained thumb but due to some Z health work I am healing quickly and feeling pretty good - just still have to be careful with it. These things happen. ;)

I-phase was great! Lots of information and progression for me and lots of new tools to use on my clients and with great success already! Zachariah Salazar and Dr. Cobb worked with using some T-phase work and I am doing my first successful lumbar circles and feeling really good!
Tremendous weekend with great friends - old and new - Thank you to Courtney and Geoff Neupert for putting up with me - I mean putting me up for the weekend. Thanks to Dr. Cobb, Kathy and the Z-Health gang and Zachariah and Leah for their friendship and help over the weekend.

Video shooting - After I-phase I made the drive up to Chatham, VA and the home of Gray Cook and family and after being up too late and up too early we put in a 10 hour filming day on our next project. I am very excited about this video and will have details as they become available.

Now I am headed back to the airport to fly to Boston to teach tomorrow...(cue music..."on the road again - just can't wait to be on the road again........)

So many things happening right now and very, very busy but will have more to blog this weekend and next week.

Training 7/9/08...

Prep work:
Thoracic rotation
ASLR

32 kg Get-ups x 10 r+L
various styles - hip lift, leg sweep, OH squat

32 kg One arm Swings 10+10 x 5 sets

Overhead Squat Get-ups revealed yet another asymmetry between left and right - Left side was very difficult where the right was easy and felt great. Something to look at....
One arm swings were with a concentration on hiking the KB and overspeed eccentrics - great stuff.

Off to Durham, NC tonight for I-phase of Z health - really looking forward to it!!
Will blog when I can - hope everyone has a great weekend!

VO2 Max Training today...

Prep work:
thoracic rotation
ASLR
Goblet Squat x 5
one arm swings and a few snatches to find my groove

16kg VO2 Max - 8 reps per 15 seconds x 60 sets

and done - very done.

Had a good 4th - hope everyone else did as well. Not an active 4th but a good one. ;)

Training 7/2/08

Prep work-
Thoracic rotation
ASLR

40 kg Get-up x 5 singles each arm
40kg Goblet squat x 5, 5
40kg SLDL x 5+5, 5+5
4okg MP x 5 singles each arm

Just needed a heavy day to balance out the VO2 Max work.

"How would you define mastery of the basics?"

A great question from Sean on my last blog post about the RKC Level 2 and it deserves an answer.

Does a boxer ever stop perfecting his/her Jab?
Does a Martial Artist ever stop perfecting his/her stance or front kick?
Does a Kettlebell athlete or trainer every stop perfecting his/her swing?

I have made the observation before that there is a difference between swinging a kettlebell and knowing how to perform the kettlebell swing.

Everyone can appreciate the level of dedication and pursuit of perfection that Tiger Woods has placed on his golf swing, putting stroke etc... The comment..."He plays at another level" is often applied to Tiger's game. Obviously there is a difference between swinging a golf club and knowing how to swing a golf club.
But do you pursue the same level of perfection and achievement in your goal activity?
Or do you "workout"?

When I refer to mastery of the basics it is this level of pursuit that I am referring to.
I learn a bit more every time I pick up a kettlebell - sometimes it is what not to do - sometimes it is an enhancement that elevates the swing or snatch to a new level for me.

And that is just the personal physical and mental pursuit of my own mastery of the tool.

There is a whole other level of mastery for teaching and training others where the personal mastery of the principles is molded and adapted to the individual. Skill in assessing the person to be trained and trying to remove the negatives before piling on the "good stuff" and then guiding and developing that individuals mastery of the activity.

Too dramatic? Too "over done"?
Perhaps - but not to someone striving for mastery.

I demand this of myself and expect it from fellow RKCs.