Spring training and competitions!

Kettlebell Private Training in Boulder @ Body Balance Gym, 2747 Iris Ave.:*

Personal Training Schedule:

Monday times available after 3:30 pm

Wednesday times available after 3:30 pm

Sunday times between 10 am and 4 pm
Contact me to reserve your times! mindbodyenergetics@gmail.com

Kettlebell Fitness (for whatever your level is): $75/hour

$350/pack of 5 training sessions

Girevoy Sport (for people already familiar with kettlebells): $60/hour, trainers pay $40/hour

$280/pack of 5 training sessions, trainers pay $185/pack of 5 training sessions

(trainers = personal trainers and CKTs)

*Special prices for Body Balance gym members and Body Balance trainers! 

Check the link below to pre-pay for great deals.

link to register page

**Competition reminders and new KBSport competition announcements!**

Local Competition

Sunday May 26th, BOLT Standard, Denver, CO

$25 to compete in up to 4 10-Minute events!

Link to BOLT registration page

Competitions in US

Saturday, April 6th IKSFA NY Open KB Sport Championships, Long Island City, NY
$85. Registration closes March 24th.

Link to registration

Saturday, April 27th IKSFA Northwest KB Open Spring Invitational, Sumner, WA
Registration cost dependent on the number of events performed.
Traditional and Additional KB events available. Check the links below for your event!

http://nwkbspringinvitational.brownpapertickets.com/
Link to registration

Saturday, May 18th KettleBell Classic Pro/Am, Dayton, OH
Registration: Single Event $25, Multiple Events $45, Relay Only $15
Biathlon, Long Cycle and 3-Person Relay

http://thedirtygym.com/2013-kettlebell-classic
Link to registration

Saturday, June 1st Mid-Michigan Open KB Sport Competition, Spring Arbor, MI

Early Registration: $55, goes up (April 2 to May 1) to $65, late registration $85

Grand Opening event of the official IKSFA training facility in the US!

https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=14487
Link to registration

Saturday, June 8th IKFF Chicago Kettlebell Classic, Chicago, IL

Early Registration: $50, goes up (March 17 to April 20) to $60, late registration $70

http://www.chicagokettlebellclassic.com/Event_Info.html
Link to registration

Contact me for more information, if you are ready to train kettlebell fitness or GS with me, or have comments/questions:
mindbodyenergetics@gmail.com

Best wishes for safe, strong training!
Christian

Look Straight at the Fire

Ceremony has been the most awakening experience of my life.

Before half of my readers click away, allow me to define ceremony: a set ritual or routine that has a beginning, middle and end with results that are (mostly) predictable; also the act of collecting certain elements/objects to complete an event.
Everyday ceremonies include breakfast, meetings at work, classes, and the bedtime routine. And of course preparing for a Kettlebell Sport training session. These ceremonies become like habits to us, thus requiring a low-level of awareness to complete. However, certain elements (including people) can determine the experience we have. For example, at the gym you find that the socks didn't make it into your bag. Or there is a group that usually isn't there during your gym time, and they are using your equipment. The absence or presence of key elements will affect your training.

High-level ceremonies include rites-of-passage, weddings, graduations, etc. And of course, GS competitions. I can say with complete confidence that the person leading these ceremonies has a big responsibility on his/her shoulders. Rituals of this nature are rich with meaning on multiple levels. In highly focused ceremonies people are offered a look at their role in the bigger picture. When the person leading a high-level event is well-suite to his/her position, all the participants bring or do something that contributes to the ceremony, emerge awakened to their role in the community and are loaded with wisdom to integrate into everyday life. Here is one example of said wisdom:

Don't look right, don't look left, just look straight at the Fire.

Fire is a dual element of Inspiration/Light and also Purification/Refinement. It is a metaphor for the Creative Spark in the heart of humanity. And and extremely appropriate representation of the effort required of a Kettlebell Sport athlete.

I've been training for Kettlebell Sport only three years now, but I am clear about my training sessions being a ritual. I arrive with a gym bag full of gear. As with any ceremony, not everything comes out of the bag, but some things cannot be managed without. In the past three years almost every variable has arisen to test my determination to complete a training program. It's clear to me that I'm supposed to compete.

When regular gym folks pick up ProGrade kettlebells it's obvious to me within the first 10 minutes if GS is a fit. When it's right for them, people want to continue to struggle with it, learn it and let it change them. A relationship is created that people will give into. It occupies their workouts, they want more training, more efficiency and good equipment. Soon after learning the main lifts they may look at their chances of achieving ranks, and if they are naturally competitive learn what it takes to win in their weight class.

Those folks who aren't right for Kettlebell Sport do what I did when offered Olympic Weightlifting, look at the effort, skills and time required to begin to be good at it and then take a seat with the other spectators. When we know we are not for a sport, we stand aside with respect to the athletes who are drawn to it.

Those of us who are at home in athletics know what it is to find a challenge that must be achieved. It's the thing that rivets our focus to the exclusion of everything else. Like my teacher said, there is no use looking at what other people do or what they think of you doing your thing; the Spark is very personalized between the lifter and the Fire. When the challenge has you, nothing else exists anyway. No one else gets it, but might have an idea what a privilege it is to witness. A coach understands the importance of it to the lifter and can watch your progress from across the gym.

Best wishes to you for efficient, effective and safe training.
mindbodyenergetics@gmail.com

It's all in the details

With kettlebells as a fitness tool on the rise, attitudes about "correct technique" are rising in proportion. Though my personal goals are in Girevoy (Kettlebell) Sport, I support all correct training techniques. In my opinion, the most important part is safe, effective technique for a specific goal. For the sake of helping those new to kettlebells, without any particular bias, I offer basic observations about the techniques offered at any gym based on the type of kettlebells in the house.

If you walk into a gym with cast iron weights, here's what you need to know:

• Most personal trainers have some experience with the cast iron weights.
• The smaller ones are lighter, the bigger ones are heavier. The weight is stamped in pounds and kilograms on most bells. 
• A fantastic tool to improve Cardio-vascular endurance and for Strength & Conditioning if used correctly.
• Excellent tool to improve range of motion and flexibility if used correctly.
• If practiced correctly, basic kettlebell exercises have a high potential to correct back and knee problems when nothing else has worked.

4 different weight sizes.

Basic exercises: Two-Hand/One-Hand Swing, Sit-up Get Up, and various Squats.
Intermediate exercises:  Clean, Press/Push Press, Turkish Get Up, Russian Twist, and various Deadlifts.
Advanced exercises: Windmill, Snatch, Clean and Jerk, Doubles, Bottom-up and Overhead Squat.

A trainer who has learned from a good source focusses on details at the foundation of kettlebell work. Things to look for:

• Shoulders are back and legs/hips are straight at the top of a Swing.
• The breathing pattern is obvious and trained. 
• In a Turkish Get Up or overhead exercise, the athlete stops in rest positions.
• In overhead exercises, the wrist, elbow and shoulder are "stacked" and look natural.

By contrast, an athlete or trainer who has learned from "YouTube University" can be seen Swinging the kettlebell with shoulders and hips going in different directions. The overhead position looks treacherous, the lifter's wrist and/or elbow are bent. Major red flag if the lifter passes a kettlebell over his/her body when changing sides for the TGU.

Special mention must be made of CrossFit-style gyms, known for rapid-fire functional training formats. What to know:

• Continuous Circuit Training is a time-tested conditioning and weight loss exercise format. 
• Just because they have pro-grade kettlebells and Eleiko bumper plates does not mean they teach correct technique.
• It is rare to walk into a functional training facility during a workout because they happen so fast.

The focus can be seen in the effect. In the aftermath of a WOD (Workout Of the Day) we see what is important to trainers and athletes. Signs of well-informed lifters:

• The presence of a chalk bowl (which also represents focus on Olympic Lifts).
• Time in the gym schedule for "Clean and Jerk/Snatch Skills" or Skill Training. 
• Trainers have initials after their names, such as RKC, CKT, IKSFA, WKC or AKC (the K means Kettlebell), and are willing to put extra time into gym members who need special skill training.
• Gym members use wrist covering and put time into stretching and recovery.

Signs that the gym lacks advanced training might include:

8 different weight sizes

The kettlebell selection is mostly yellow/16kg, green/24kg and red/32kg, are muddy and the handles are dinged-up; the gym members have bruised writs, blisters and shoulder injuries from the kettlebell work; or the trainer has no consideration for your level of fitness at the first workout.

CrossFit gyms have done great things for spreading awareness of kettlebells. Bringing the pro-grade equipment on board has made room for the most technical use of kettlebells, Girevoy Sport. Basic information about GS:

• A GS gym is a mythical place. Most typically it is a traveling seminar that happens in a gym with the word CrossFit or Kettlebell in the name. Serious GS athletes find a corner in the gym to train in and bring their own timer.
• GS is a competitive sport. The three traditional lifts are Jerk, Snatch and Clean&Jerk (Long Cycle).
• Even if an athlete competes as an amateur, a competition or Personal Record session is part of the training season.
• Pro-grade equipment is essential for an athlete to excel. A solid foundation and well-developed programming makes the difference in a person's competitive season.
• An athlete may be coached remotely, thus often videos sets for his/her coach.
• GS training increases an athlete's Strength Endurance and Work Capacity.
• Lasting benefits of training and recovery cycles will carry over from season to season.

The color-coded weights are referred to in kilograms. Both men and women will improve with progressively increasing weights from Beginner to Advanced:

Beginner-level: amateur class competitor, pink/8kg, light blue/10kg, blue/12kg, brown/14kg, yellow/16kg.
Intermediate-level: begin using doubles, brown, yellow, purple/18kg and 20kg (also purple), and green/22kg and 24kg (also green).
Advanced-level: professional class competitor, purple, green, black/26kg, orange/28kg and red/32kg.

A clear sign that Kettlebell Sport is being practiced in a gym is that there is chalk on hand. The kettlebells have paint missing around the middle, and the handles may be sanded and caked with chalk. Many GS athletes wear low-slung weight belts and weightlifting shoes. The trainer focusses on what may seem like minute details such as positioning of the handle, small movements of the shoulder or hip and breathing cycles.

Because few GS athletes learn efficient technique intuitively, people refer to World Class coaches when asked where to get good training. If you want to be a GS athlete or get the benefits of Sport training, prepare for some meticulous, patient training sessions to start. You must be ready to rest one day between training sessions and do good old-fashioned running to develop cardio-vascular stamina.

Feel free to check in with me regarding any aspect of kettlebell lifting or GS. I'm happy to work with lifters on their own level.
email kettlebellfitness@yahoo.com

Best wishes for effective, safe lifting!
Christian

Breathing and Lifting

Breathing was taught to me from the first time I touched a kettlebell: breathing and specific ways of using my breath throughout an exercise. The main technique was to pressurize my abdomen and "irradiate" strength, especially when finishing overload sets. For the first several months I got a head rush after heavy sets of Swings and sustained exercises like the Turkish Get-up, but was getting stronger and staying safe.

Didn't everyone learn kettlebells this way?

A major revelation in my lifting was the introduction of Girevoy Sport. Right away I learned that the "hard style" breathing pattern (above) would not work for sets longer than 2 minutes. The next thing that took me by surprise was to pay attention to breathing cycles in the rest positions and use them to maintain pacing for sets of more than 2-minutes.

What is the difference between a breathing pattern and a breathing cycle?


A Breathing Pattern is a specific synchronization of movement with the inhale and/or exhale.

• In weightlifting the use of pressurization and diaphragmatic breath patterning might include holding the breath through a phase of movement and release it at a resting point, or exhaling through the exertion. Under weight, the inhale often comes as a quick gasp with this pattern.
• The counter-balancing pattern is anatomical breathing, more often seen in cyclic activities such as rowing or stretching, that pairs compression of the body with the exhale and extension with the inhale. This is an aerobic, continuous breathing pattern. The breath is not stopped, only sped-up or slowed-down.

One Breathing Cycle is the completion of an inhale and an exhale.

• On a simple level, the breathing cycle uptakes oxygen for the body and releases carbon dioxide. 
• More sophisticated exercise scientists consider the volume of oxygen uptake and maximum restoration of the lactate balance, connecting the breathing cycles with heart rate.

For a Kettlebell Athlete or any Weightlifter, breathing patterns and cycles are woven together. Of vital importance is when in the training the efficient pattering is learned. Success is more likely when the learner use technique-specific breathing patterns and cycles automatically.

Anyone who wants to take Girevoy Sport to a higher level must learn correct breathing at the foundation. For those who learned "hard style" lifting, it is important to commit time and awareness to re-pattern breathing in the rest positions. For maximum efficiency, my strong recommendation is to get one-on-one training with a certified Kettlebell Sport Trainer, such as myself.
www.mindbodyenergetics.us/register.html

For those who enjoy a group learning experience, check out
Ken Blackburn's schedule of Certified Ketttlebell Teacher training events :
http://www.ikff.net/events-calendar/event-registration.html

The next IKFF Level 1 in my neighborhood, Lakewood, CO:
Friday and Saturday, Feb. 8 & 9th
followed by the Level 2 certification on the 9 & 10th.

For those intrepid athletes who want to jump in with both feet might contact Ken about doing them back-to-back. Look over the physical assessment portion before committing to this....

Best wishes to all for a great, safe workouts with kettlebells,
Christian

Persevere

As a multi-faceted athlete I have taken a winding road toward Girevoy Sport. Like many others, I came to kettlebells after several years in the martial arts. The first and most profound teaching I was given as a martial artist is that commitment to the practice will give something that can never be taken away.

The late Koichi Tohei-Sensei (died 2011), founder of Shin Shin Toitsu (Mind and Body Unification) Aikido, or Ki-Aikido*, was tapped into this same wisdom. He knew that he could not personally teach everyone who walked into his dojo so he wrote principles to guide the teachers of his line.

Principles of Learning Ki:

• Have a mind like a mirror
• Persevere
• Practice in daily life
• Change the subconscious mind
• Teach what you have learned

For this blog I have picked out the word "persevere" because it addresses athletes on a universal level. Though it is the only single-word principle in the above list, it has implications on every level of our reality. If you Google the word you will see that it is a verb that describes direction with the pretense of resistance.

Those of us who have chosen Girevoy Sport have chosen the pretense of resistance. May this post serve to support your direction in the pursuit of unquestionably difficult goals.

• Psychology of winning is a fine art. Tell yourself what you are doing well. Always practice the way you want to perform. Get outside perspective and form corrections from trusted experts often as possible.
• Emotionally set yourself up for challenges that you are likely to achieve. There are large growth phases in between amateur and professional weight loads. Set a goal that pushes your limit, and will not kill you in the preparation. Mental and emotional exhaustion will derail performance.
• Physically recognize the nature of our bodies. Our livers have two-week cycles in which they restore and detoxify all of our blood. Therefore, micro-cycles and multi-stage training are realistic models to maximize growth and test performance potential. After a test or major competition, honor your nervous system with complete rest.
• Community connection. Once you have decided on your goal and event, consult a coach who trains athletes in your sport. Train at a gym where your goals are honored, with other GS athletes if possible. Share equipment with more advanced lifters and get to know your gym mates.

For those who are beginning GS, join social communities like facebook, or look up international organizations to find coaches and fellow-athletes. You must have specialized equipment, so check out sources of "pro-grade" kettlebells while you're online. YouTube videos show endless examples of World Class lifting as well as amateur test sets. Take it all in, and above all, persevere.

For information about GS lifting in Boulder, CO, contact Christian at kettlebellfitness@yahoo.com

*For information about Ki-Aikido: http://www.shinshintoitsuaikido.org/english/renew/aikidokai_001.html
"List of Ki Society" tab gives world-wide Ki-Aikido dojos.

2012 IKFF Championships results... Say what?!?

That was a BIG event in US Girevoy Sport lifting. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 180 competitors and 35 flights of Biathlon, Long Cycle, Snatch Only, Jerk Only and 5-minute Chair Press took place at the Sheraton Novi Hotel on Saturday, November 17th. It was an incredibly long day for the organizers who, admirably, kept their spirits up even among numerous registration problems.

Ken Blackburn and his team fielded registration and scheduling concerns for people from all over the world. Puerto Rico, Russia, Australia, Norway, Canada, and of course all parts of the US. Slava and I were the contingency from Boulder, representing team IKSFA. Also present was the OKC/Juno Fitness team, and the IKFF team.

Sergey Rudnev's Jerk set. Note the variety of weight loads.

One major feature of this Championship was the mixture of skill levels in each flight. World Class lifters stood between both seasoned and first time competitors alike. The level of difficulty was high in general. In the past two years I haven't seen so many men putting up 32kg sets and women going for 24kg sets.

The rules review was at 9 am, where Ken, always aware of the general mood, announced that "anyone using the term Kettle Ball will be escorted off the premises." Flight 1 started at around 9:15 am. Everyone with two events planned were scheduled with 4 or 5 flights to rest in between, roughly one hour. Slava had two flights early in the day, I was in two afternoon sets, the last 8 lifters finished the day at 5:30 pm. 

To say that the staging arena was tense is an understatement. You could scoop the adrenaline out of the air and serve it in a custard cup. Many first time competitors were not new to the sport but were new to competition jitters, which amps the stress level. Accomplished lifters envisioning Master of Sport or higher ranks could be seen hiding in their headphones, or were completely absent until just before their flights. World-class lifters were in the house demonstrating complete relaxation and total calm, which seemed to make the contrast between them and the unseasoned lifters even more obvious.

Juliet Lederle shows fortitude with a 24kg Jerk set.

I was able to connect with some of my IKSFA team mates and found that everyone had been programmed for tremendous goals, many by Master Coach Sergey Rudnev. A few personal bests were achieved, yet on the whole it seemed that the strain of training for this event caught up with us all. Take a look at the four events Slava and I completed. (The competition results are posted on IKFF.net.)

Slava preps for Snatch in a flight with 5-minute Chair Press.

Slava's primary event was Men's 20kg (Double) Long Cycle with 49 reps in in 10:00. He was in a class of his own (there was no official 20kg LC in the Men's division at this event), missing his personal best, set at the OKC meet, by more than 10 reps. He went ahead with his second event, Snatch Only with no special preparation, and took third place in his weight class in Men's Professional division 24kg Snatch with 63 reps in 5:06, 7 reps shy of Rank III. He was bested by above mentioned Norwegian, Allan Fallro, who took Rank I with 166 reps at 9:13, 2 reps from his goal of Candidate Master of Sport (CMS), and Sincere Hogan, who hit 116 in 8:32, 4 reps short of Rank I.

I meditated on Yellow Alert until my primary event, Women's Professional division 20kg Long Cycle (flight 19), and took first place with 98 reps in 9:52, and CMS rank for the second year in a row, 2 reps short of MS. This year it was a legitimate win against fitness trainer Terri Parker, who hit 57 reps in 7:50. ("Where did you come from?!?" she asked as we stood in line for our medals.) My second set was Women's Amateur 16kg Snatch, where I completed 150 reps in 10:00, the same result as at NW Comp in Seattle, giving me second place. Looking at the results data to write this blog I do not see anyone else in my weight category. According to international ranking I would have achieved CMS, however it is listed as Rank I on the results page. My nearest competitor is listed as the only 16kg lifter in the next weight class up with 156 reps in 9:53, ranking CMS. I'm thinking this glitch in the results is a casualty of the event and am actually quite proud to have a second place medal!

The big surprise for me was winning the Women's 20kg Co-efficient award, aka, Pound-for-pound ratio. This is calculated by dividing the lifters body weight by the total volume lifted. Co-efficient awards and Absolute lifter (total volume lifted) awards are given for Women's 20kg and 24kg divisions, and Men's 24kg and 32kg divisions.
Best Women's 20kg Absolute lifter was Andrea Borders, with LC, 120 reps in 10:00, MS.
For Women's 24kg division, Donica Storino took both Absolute and Co-efficient lifter with LC, 110 reps in 10:00, achieving Master of Sport International Class (MSIC).
Men's 24kg Absolute and Co-efficient award went to Jeff Martone for his LC set, turning in 100 reps in 8:50, and CMS.
Men's 32kg Absolute lifter went to Bill Esch for his MS Long Cycle, 67 reps in 9:05.
Mitch Blackburn earned Men's 32kg Co-efficient award with LC, 62 reps in 10:00 and MS.

Marty Farrell setting an American record in Biathlon!

So what's the plan for ultimate success in Long Cycle? For me, Stage 5. Rest and allow my frazzled nerves to recover. There is a strong rumor that in the future this competition will be held on two separate days, and will follow more strict international guidelines. One significant change would be to hire judges rather than recruit volunteers to judge. Ken also announced his plan to install air filter "to remove stress."

In all seriousness, more competitions are being announced every week. In fact there is at least one every weekend in February. My plan is to follow my coaches advice, repair my form and only train the Long Cycle for the IKSFA NW Kettlebell Invitational in Sumner, WA, April 27th.

For more information about GS training in Boulder, CO, and the surrounding areas, contact me at kettlebellfitness@yahoo.com
Best wishes for safe lifting!
Christian

BOLT KB Comp, Dec. 9, 2012, Denver, CO

Thanks to Nico Rithner and his vision to bring more people into Girevoy Sport, we have one more opportunity this year to challenge our kettlebell fitness!

This is a "nothing to loose, everything to enjoy" experience for strength-endurance athletes. More experienced lifters will challenge themselves with only one hand switch, or to not set the weights down during the set, but BOLT rules make it easy to stay on the platform for 10 minutes:

• you can do up to four events, double Half Snatch, double Jerk, single Snatch and single Long Cycle
• you can put the weights down and rest during your set, just don't leave the platform
• if the event is with one kettlebell you can switch hands as many times as you want
• scoring is based on volume, compete against men or women in your weight class
• you may use a different size of kettlebell for each event you participate in

Go to this website to register!
http://www.iklstore.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=meet1

Please note, attempting a 10-minute set of any Kettlebell Sport lift without some preparation is not advised. Scroll down the above webpage for demonstrations of each lift. If you would like to participate, please look into the lifts and practice beforehand.

For those in or near Boulder, contact me if you would like to learn or practice the lifts ahead of time. I offer training sessions at Body Balance Gym, Boulder, CO.
kettlebellfitness@yahoo.com

Best wishes to all,
Christian