Well, by now I’m sure you all are well into your training regimens for October’s seminar, since it’s exactly four months away from today.

I’m actually a newbie to the kettlebell / ETK / Pavel program, so I’ve just been working with my first kettlebell recently. Though I’ve done intensive free weight training, machines, and mixed alternative training (weighted balls, ropes, etc) in the past, I’ve always come back to bodyweight training.

I’ve had my best results with the Navy SEAL workout style, doing pyramids. Counter to what everyone seems to say, I do the best when I rarely take a day off. Combining good cardio into that regime has always been difficult for me, especially when I lack a swimming pool that I really like. Recently I have been working in 5 second holds, and 5 second measured exertions. I’m really sore the next day after those sets!

In Strength, and looking forward to seeing you in Ventura!
Don
Don@strongercatholic.com

One of the things I like about lifting kettlebells is that to some degree it takes determination and a good plan to improve your numbers. When I started lifting kettlebells in the summer of 2005 I was unable to military press a 53lb kettlebell with my right arm. Today, I can press a 70lb and an 18lb in one hand for a couple of reps and by next year I will be able to press “the beast,” a 106 lb kettlebell.

Determination enters when you try to lift a very heavy weight and it will not budge. The kettlebell has won the battle. Your first reaction is frustration and then comes doubt. You won’t experience these negative emotions until you try to attempt something you will fail at. This will get you out of your comfort zone and will provide you with an opportunity for growth. Once you make a breakthrough and start lifting weights you were previously unable to, you will notice that your determination will carry over to other parts of your life. Growth in all parts of your life is important, isn’t it?
There is a certain feeling that comes from knowing that you can plop a 70lb kettlebell in front of your typical gym rat and watch them try unsuccessfully or overly strenuously to muscle it overhead. Thirty to forty-five minutes, three days a week of pressing will give you enough time to become stronger than the average person. As a nice bonus, you will lose fat and develop muscle tone.

At some point in the recent history of physical culture, the priorities have been reversed. It is common today for people to train for the sake of an impressive physique. Some people avoid exercise altogether because of the “look at me” attitude that pervades from the modern gym. I can’t say I blame them. A walk through the gym today will provide you with an opportunity to see your city’s finest grunting like a boar at the pull down machine while they intently stare at their bulging muscles in the mirror. This must be what hell is like. In days past, people would train for strength and their sculpted bodies would result from their strength. To put this in Pavel’s terms: form should follow function.

Kettlebell training is a throw back to “old school” strength training. The dinosaur factor. Take your kettlebell out to a park or do your lifting in your living room. Anytime, anywhere!