A week of learning!

A week of programming!

I was in Omaha, Nebraska last week with Mark Snow of SG Human Performance . Getting ready for RKC 2, I asked Mark to design my program. This visit was to go over some things, and assess my readiness for RKC 2 in April. I was also there to attend the FMS combo workshop. I did the CK-FMS back in October, so this was a review for me. I was fortunate to be an assistant for the first day of the workshop.

First things first, I'm jacked up. Having to list your injury history, and then look at them on a white board for a week, can do that to you. After looking at my injury history, SFMA and FMS score I said to Mark, "If I walked in and asked me to train me, I wouldn't do it". "I'd be scared sh#tless".

I arrived on Tuesday afternoon and went straight to the gym from the airport. Being on 2 planes (the second one might as well have had a single propeller) I felt really stiff. I grab a foam roller to un-glue some things. Of course "Dad" walked in and I got scolded. SMR work has an effect on your movement screen so we put it off until Wednesday morning. Instead Mark did a SFMA assessment and some trigger point therapy. One word, OUCH. It did pay off, as there were several triggers in my neck that needed to be addressed. The rest of the afternoon was spent going over correctives, deadlifts and power swings. There was constant assessing going on. Some drills would work, others would cause pain. One corrective in particular (Kettlebells From the Ground Up 2) worked everytime. After dinner I went to my room to sleep.

Ah, the sleep thing. I have a herniated L5 - S1. I haven't slept comfortably in a bed in over a year. Most times I sleep in a recliner, since it's one of the few things that don't irritate my back. Going to certifications, workshops and seminars is always tough. I was hoping this trip would change some of that.

Wednesday morning, I wake up with no back pain. Hmmm, something must be working. I went to the gym and got my screen in. 13/21. Not where it needs to be, but a major improvement from the 5 I had in October. My lowest score, a 1/1 on rotary stability. Of course with my back the way it is, it was no surprise that was the low score. A few drills to see if we could bring that up, as well as some Kalos Sthenos TGU and armbars. I also got a neck massage to release some of the triggers in my neck and pecs. Some kettlebell drills and correctives rounded out the morning. The afternoon session was a few circuits of goblet squats, swings, bottoms up presses, weighted pullups and pistol progressions.

The Pharaoh demonstrating the TGU with Mark Snow at Midland University

Thursday morning I go with Mark to Midland University, where he teaches 2 classes. In his first class, he covered the active straight leg raise and shoulder mobility. Many of the student athletes in his class had some issues. Hopefully, they take the things they are learning in the class and stick with the correctives. After class, SMR work and some kettlebell drills. I'd been having some trouble with the snatch and couldn't figure out why. Mark pointed out I wasn't using glutes. I started to tighten them up and the bell flew up. Something I've known, but needed someone else to remind me. As I've said before, everyone needs a coach, and this week proved it for me. In the second class, Mark taught the students the TGU.  Tons of learning going on at that time. Students, starting to understand how their bodies move (or don't move). The TGU is truly a fascinating exercise, as it requires good movement and stability. It also points out weak links. That evening we went to the event center to set up for the FMS combo course. In all of this my dude Kareem was stuck in Chicago. He was coming in to take the 3 day combo course. Snow in Chicago cancelled his flight and he was on stand-by. Luckily, he made it to Omaha (I think he hired a farmer to bring him in on a crop duster).

I didn't do any training Friday - Sunday. That was for the FMS course. You can always learn something new, even when you've taken a course before. At the CK-FMS, we did more correctives with the kettlebell. During the combo course we did a lot of correctives with the Gray Cook band. There was some R & R as Kareem and I went to a hockey game (oh there were some funny stories with that). We also had a chance to play Buck Hunter (if the Zombie apocalypse occurs, I want a Glock), and learned the Nold Shooting Stance. It was amusing, and actually similar to the shooting stance of soldiers in World War 1.

Before going to the airport Monday, I went to the gym for another training session. One of Mark's new students, Rhonda, thanked me for working out when she was there. She said it was inspiring.  I thanked her, because it was inspiring to watch her. I told her that somewhere in NYC, there is a woman who wants to learn about kettlebells. She may have a similar story and I would be able to share that.

As I said, it was a week of learning. Learning about myself. Learning about the FMS. Learning different approaches to teaching classes. Learning the NoldMy friends laughed when I said I was going to Omaha for a week. With all the learning I did last week, how could I not have gone to Omaha?

Pharaoh out!

90 days until RKC 2!

Wow, 3 months away. I remember sitting in my hotel room in Hawai'i last August a few days after the RKC (I know tough life). I looked at the Dragon Door schedule and saw the dates. I signed up without a second thought. Still high off the experience of Level 1 I made the purchase. Dave Clancy has been doing a countdown on Facebook. The countdown started about 6 months ago. Complete with days, hours, minutes and seconds remaining. With the date fast approaching, my palms just started sweating.

My training has been good to date. Going to the CK-FMS in October got me to address some issues I had with my body. No not the "does this kettlebell make me look fat?" kind of issues. But the issues of a 40 year old that has been lifting, running, jumping and throwing things since high school.  Doing correctives isn't meant to be fun, it's meant to keep you doing the "fun" things. Thanks to my coach Mark Snow I have correctives built in to my programming. Even better is I've started to include them in my Small Group classes (shhh don't tell them it's good for them, I've been sneaking them in!).

Still the plan is to be in St. Paul in April with my fellow RKC's. It will be nice to put a face and voice to several of the people I only communicate with through some form of Social Media. It will be good to share ideas with fellow RKC's on programming, class structure and running a facility. I can't wait to learn from passionate and knowledgeable RKC's. It will be good to fire up the group, not that I know anything about firing up groups of people.

Do I have doubts? Hell yeah I do. The half body weight press, with my shoulder history worries the heck out of me. A solid pistol with my crappy ankles worries the heck out of me. But that is the beauty of it. If I don't try, then I'll constantly say, what if? If I don't get the press or pistol in April, I have 90 days to complete the tasks. 90 days and more knowledge and tools in the arsenal. Plus if I truly don't think I'm ready for April, the next RKC 2 is in July in Italy.  Can you say extended vacation?

So what does this mean for the next 3 months? Smart training, no distractions, a grumpy Pharaoh (of course I'm never grumpy), nervousness, excitement and learning.

Pharaoh out!

Everybody needs a coach, especially me!

Many of you know I've signed up for the RKC 2 in April of next year. I did all of my technique stuff for level 1 on my own. As a result there were some hitches in my swing and TGU. The RKC weekend is more of a conditioning focus in my opinion. Level 2 is a different story.

There are lifts which I've never done and more importantly my technique in some of the level 1 skills and level 2 skills need some cleaning up. Most importantly I need to remain injury free (well as injury free as my broken old body can be). So for the next 3 months my training is being programmed by Mark & Nikki Snow over at SG Human Performance .

Me and my Coaches!

Biggest thing for me is to be coachable. What does that mean? The coach made the program, the athlete (in my case old athlete) needs to follow the program. The program is going to balance me out. Most of us, myself included avoid our weaknesses. Add to that my FMS screen (a 5 in October now a 12) my own training had me doing things that constantly hindered my movement. Based on my current screen my programming will allow me to improve my technique and my screen.

When I mentioned getting a coach someone in class commented ,"why do you need a coach?" Manny Pacquiao has a coach, Muhammad Ali had a coach, Magic Johnson had a coach, why wouldn't I have a coach. I don't need a workout partner saying "atta boy" or "all you" or "looks great". I need someone to evaluate my progress, check my form, correct my mistakes. Lastly I got a coach to be an example. If I tell my students something in class, I need to do the same. If I say to a student take 3 weeks off to reset it's because I've done so myself by listening to the coach. I'm very excited for the next 3 months of training and hopefully take a trip to Nebraska in February to work out with my coaches at their facility.

Pharaoh Out 

5 months until the RKC 2

The Kettlebell Gauntlet

150 days until the RKC 2. I saw one of the RKC's posted today on Facebook counting down the days until the cert. Whoa! Things just got serious. I had to give myself a timeout after taking the CK-FMS in October. I took 2.5 weeks off and just worked correctives focusing on ASLR, T-spine and shoulder mobility. Was it tough to take that brief time off? No, because the GOAL remains RKC 2. Taking time off to reset was needed after the grind to get to the RKC.

I started working out again 4 weeks ago. This is the program I followed.
Mobility prep - ASLR, arm bar, t-spine, ankle, open 1/2 kneeling
5-7 minutes naked TGU
2x5 tactical pullup (chest to bar)
2x5 double kb deadlift 24kg & 32kg
2x5 Goblet Squats 24kg

I started off doing 2x5 double kb deadlifts at 24 & 32kg's. I don't have a pair of 28's so that was the reason for the jump. 5-7 minutes of naked TGU. Get your minds out the gutter not "nekkid". My focus on those TGU's was doing every step 3 times per side before proceeding to the next step. 2x5 Goblet squats with 24kg and 2x5 tactical pullups. Those 4 movements were to re-establish my base and keep me from doing damage to myself. And when I say damage I don't mean injury. I mean undoing the 3 weeks of correctives. I followed this base program for 2 weeks training 4 days per week.

The past 2 weeks I've added weight to the TGU and added a few more exercises. My training sessions now are generally 45-50 minutes long. 15 minutes is mobility prep and working on my lowest scores from my FMS screen. The latest program is as follows

Mobility prep - ASLR, arm bar, t-spine, ankle, open 1/2 kneeling
6-8 bells 12-36kg
Goblet squat - 5 reps at each bell focused on hip and ankle mobility
TGU - 1 rep each side alternating heavy and light kbs (12-36,16-32 etc). This was inspired by Brett Jones.
2 hand swing - 5 reps each bell (16-36kg)
1 hand swing - 5 reps per hand each bell (16-36kg)
Clean - 3 reps per hand each bell (16-32kg) (2 times in 2 weeks)
Snatch - 3 reps per hand (16-28kg) (done 1 time in 2 weeks)
Tactical pullup/chinups

The pullups/chinups were done in between each exercise. Example TGU right/left 1 TPU/1 CH. When I can I throw some box pistols in the mix. So far feeling good. Pretty soon it will be time to include more of the level 2 movements into the mix. Right now still trying to clean some things up. 5 months is plenty of time to get ready with smart programing. Which means I'm going to let someone else "drive the car". Everyone needs a coach and I need someone else to navigate this course so I address my weakness, address my mobility issues and make sure I stop trying to drive a 1971 Buick like its a 2011 Ferrari.

Pharaoh out

CK-FMS Weekend - I'm a bad person, but I can still swagger clap!

Arrgh!!!! The CK-FMS Pirates

I'm a 5! On a good day I'm a 9 or 10.

What am I talking about? The Functional Movement Screen. A few basic tests that tell you how you move. Of course it's a bit more complex than that but that's the basis of it. The scoring is simple you can get a 0,1,2 or 3 for each movement. Some things (Shoulder mob for example) get scored per side. I knew I was a mess physically going to the workshop, I had no idea what type of mess I was. If you just show up take the test and have no pain you can get at least a 7.

Does this mean I'm a bad person? No, but it does mean I have A LOT (cue Brett Jones pause for effect) of work to do. An ideal score would be a 14 with no asymmetries (balanced). First things first I have to take some time off and address my injuries and pain. Yes I said take time off. So if you're a client of mine or take a small group class and I screen you, don't give me the but, but, but if I tell you to rest and work correctives for a week or 2. Don't tell me that not running, taking class or doing swing for a week is going to kill you. If you get injured as a result of any asymmetries it will be A LOT (cue Brett Jones again) longer than 2 weeks you'll be off.

My mobility "Dad" and "Mom" Mark and Nikki Snow

What does this mean for me? 2 weeks of doing correctives and crocodile breathing (belly breathing). I thought I was going to be doing pistol progressions until a check of my ankle flexibility. 4 inches is good for running (yes this means A LOT of you shouldn't be running). After some foam rolling and stick work I managed to get 1/4 of an inch on the right ankle (Achilles rupture) and 1/2 an inch on the left. The best way to describe this is to use the analogy Brett and Gray repeated this weekend. You have 2 employees, 1 takes a 15 minute smoke break every 15 minutes, the other guy keeps working. A body of imbalances and dysfunction (but I'm not a bad person). So I'll be working some of the correctives I learned this weekend. What does this mean for you? Well if you're my client expect to get a movement screen in the next week. First because I care and second because I need practice. I need to submit a case study to receive my certification.

This was a great weekend, even with my dysfunctions. I got to meet some new RKC's, get my form evaluated and checked, learned a ton of stuff and saw some friends from the San Diego RKC that I attended. I have a new tool in the tool kit to use as well. Well off to the gym to work on my active straight leg raise and loosen up my heel cords so I can get some mobility in these ankles.

Pharaoh out!!!

Don't forget the fundamentals

Often in training we push the envelope. How much can I lift? How fast can I go? How many reps can I get in x amount of time? How fast can you run a 5K? How fast can you do your RKC Snatch test?

How many times do you go back and work the basics? How many times do you actually go back and take care of the foundation? How many times do you try to improve your technique so that the end result will be a much better outcome?

Recently with my training I've noticed something was missing in my swing. It also meant that my cleans and snatches lacked the necessary "oomph" needed to be efficient. So today's training for me called for 2 hand swings and 15 minutes of snatches. Remembering what my swing felt like during my RKC certification I decided to work from the ground up. I started off with deadlifts, working on rooting and the vertical plank. Next came the hover so I could feel the weight and lock everything in place. Next was the hike back so I could let gravity control the bell. Last was the hike to stand, firing my quads and glutes. After 10 minutes I began my 2 hand swings. I found exactly what I was missing since the RKC. 

Does this mean my swing is perfect? Ha! Hardly! I have made some changes to my swing. Next week I travel to Minnesota for the CK-FMS certification and hope to have some more tweaks done to my swing. But today showed me that going back to the foundation is something that's needed in order to make improvements. 

What does this mean for you? Well if kettlebells is your thing take some time once or twice a week and drill the fundamentals of the swing. If you're a fighter, spend time shadowboxing and really be critical of your technique. Use the drills you first learned when you learned how to jab. Are you a runner? Think about what you're doing with your arms, sit on your butt and do arm drills. Stand facing a wall and do wall runs. It may add 20 extra minutes to your training session, so be it. Isn't the end result worth 20 extra minutes?

Pharaoh out!