I just jumped at the chance to experience Dan John at the Russian Kettlebell Certification (RKC) this August 17-18, 2019 in Torrance, CA.
I’ve been an admirer of Dan John for years now and have loved his DVDs, lectures, and books. I’m totally excited to experience him live for 2 whole days!
I’ve also been wanting to get my kettlebell certification from either RKC or StrongFirst (SFG). I really didn’t care which, although the RKC requirements in kettlebell weight are slightly lower for me at 18kg, versus the 20kg at SFG. Either way, this particular RKC came up just as I am now finally coming out of a month’s long injury pattern and ready to train again. Perfect timing!
I also wanted to see if I could find a west coast certification that was hopefully in CA. A few years back I traveled to NYC to the Strength Matters Kettlebell Certification but I found that traveling is very hard for me now and I would prefer not to deal with a time zone change for this particular physical challenge.
I just started training about a week ago.
So far, so good. I’ve got Dave Whitley as my coach who is writing my programs. He’s been pretty awesome and I’ve been with him for a while now. Previous to me getting injured, he was helping me to a half bodyweight one arm KB press. I would highly recommend his coaching if he’s got time for you!
What’s that thing on my head?
A little while back I bought a Halo Sport headset. It uses electrical stimulation of key areas of the brain so that our “brain’s natural plasticity, so you can create and strengthen motor pathways faster.” I’ve used it many times in the past and been pretty satisfied at the results. I’ve had improved learning of technique and movement, and also improved endurance as well. I decided that I would use the Halo Sport as much as possible to give me an edge to reaching the RKC physically prepared.
If you’re wondering what that strap is, it’s an anti-snoring strap that basically keeps your mouth tightly closed during sleeping. I have found that the headset doesn’t sit securely enough on my head to keep the electrodes in contact with my head. I’ve found that I need this strap to pull it tight against my skull, and also keep it on during movement. Another thing I’ve done is to get my hair wet before putting on the headset. I wish the Halo guys would be build a chin strap into the unit!
I don’t have as much time as I’d like for this build to the RKC. It’s going to be about 4 months, and I’m coming from a point of being very de-trained. Thankfully, passing the Strength Matters KB cert many years ago helped a lot, and then training for the half bodyweight KB press, and then swinging multiple times a week despite being injured. I’m now only a week into the build and still feel great snatching and doing other supportive KB movements.
While the Strength Matters cert was satisfying to pass, I’ve always wanted to pass the RKC since I bought my first KB from Amazon back in 2011. I’ve come through multiple instances of injury, discovered so many of my own physical limitations, and then spent months if not years training to overcome these movement issues. It’s been an 8 year journey and I’m looking forward to a successful build and passing the cert in August!
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