Tension is Strength

I thought this was worth mentioning... The other night at the fire deptartment we were dispatched with EMS for assistance with lifting a patient. As usual the patient was upstairs and had to be carried downstairs, outside, and then placed in the ambulance. Also as usual, I was the one going backwards down the steps holding the end of the back board. This is the posistion that gets most of the weight and stress.

Going down the stairs I felt very nervous and unsteady as I was carrying a lot of weight. Then for some reason I started thinking about what I learned at the RKC: Tension is strength. So I took a breath in through my nose, braced my abs, clinched my butt, and tightened my whole body. Suddenly I felt solid, I felt strong. The patient felt light. The only thing that would have made it better is if I had tightened up before I ever lifted her. Never-the-less, lesson learned. Tension is strength.

Level 2

Well, I did it. Went to MN and completed the RKC Level 2 Workshop. What an experience. I've never met such a great group of people. DragonDoor and Pavel are the best at presenting great, useful information. I truly beleive RKC is to movement what Harvard is to law school. There is no comparison with any other fitness program out there. If you really want to learn what kettlebells are all about, or you just simply want to learn how to move properly, you need to go to an RKC workshop or find an RKC instructor. You won't be disappointed.

Nerves going nuts...

It's Thursday afternoon and i'm getting ready to head to MN for RKC Level 2. I think my nerves are going crazy. I've tried my best to recover from Level 1 two weeks ago. Been doing lots of swings, TGU's and Bent Presses. I did some light jump roping and pull-ups yesterday. I've laid completely off today. My hands seem to be healed. I guess i'm as ready as it gets. I know tonight will be sleepless. I love this stuff...

Who knew?

I've been training (myself) for 17 years. Religiously. I'm competitive. The world would stop if I missed a day. I was obsessive about it. All those years I trained because I felt I had to, not wanted to, but had to. I really didn't enjoy it; it was just something I did.

Then came kettlebells.... I found these beautiful round cannonballs about 4 years ago, and I've been in love ever sense. I LOVE to train. I look forward to it. Now I train because I want to. If you haven't tried them, you should. Get some and take 'em for a swing. Training can be fun.

Today
TGU w/ 32kg --> 2/2, 2/2, 2/2, 2/2, 2/2
2H swings w/ 32kg --> 20, 20, 15, 15, 15, 15
2H swings w/ 40kg --> 10, 10, 10, 10, 10
2H swings w/ 16, 24, 32kg --> 10/10/10, 10/10/10

Feels good.

Simple Life Part 1

Why do we always try to make things so complicated? If something seems complicated, does it make it seem better, smarter, or more effective? For instance, eating and nutrition. Is this really as complicated as all the diet books and media make it seem? I really don't think so. I think nutrition is supposed to be simple. If it grows naturally the way God made it, it is probably good for you. Eat it. Eat what you need, then move through out the day. Eat whole foods and move. Sounds simple. I think it actually works. People don't like simple though, we want complicated. We want new diet books, we want new exercises, we want magic bullets. Perhaps we are just supposed to live the simple life. We complicate everything. EVERYYHING: we complicate exercise, we complicate eating, we even complicate God. We want rules, regualtions, and hoops to jump through. But maybe all we really need is to move (or exercise if you wish), eat smart, and love God. Sorry, i know this started out about nutrtion, but nothing is simple. Right?