Bodyology Exercise Studio

Brilliant news! The RKC – the gold-standard in kettlebell instruction – is coming to England for the first time ever in October.

Check out the details on Dragon Door & note there are significant discounts available for booking early.

Congratulations to James at KettlebellFever.com for making it happen. We’ve had the privilege of working previously with Master RKCs Andrea DuCane & Peter Lakatos who are leading the event, so we know you are assured of the highest quality instruction.

Whether you’ve signed up already or are wondering whether to take the plunge, if you have any questions just contact us & we’ll give you as much information as we can.

Power to you!

 

 

 

RKC – it’s the gold standard of kettlebell instructor courses.  Those three letters have a well-deserved reputation for being earned the hard way. But passing is a lot harder than just the required physical tests.

Whether you have already signed up or are wondering whether to take on the challenge, here’s what you need to know: (more…)

Maybe you’ve read about kettlebells in the numerous new year fitness articles, perhaps a friend has told you how good they are or Santa even bought you one for Christmas.

So, how do you use this cannonball-with-a-handle & why do they have such a good reputation for building strength, improving endurance & burning mega-calories?

Well, here’s your invitation to find out more from two of the UK’s highest qualified hardstyle instructors.

• See kettlebell moves in action, from basic to advanced
• Find out how you can burn calories at twice the rate of bootcamp (Porcari et al, American Council on Exercise)
• Learn how to start safely & effectively with the deadlift & swing
• Walk away with drills to get started even without a kettlebell

Any other questions? Just ask.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, mainly because we’ve finally taken the plunge with a Bodyology page on Facebook as it’s more interactive. However, I’ve had a few requests to update the blog from FB-avoiders & it’s also better than FB for longer content.

So, I’m pleased to say the 40kg stacked press is now hoisted:

One of the lessons hit home at RKC II was how much sub-maximal work is effective for strength. That means instead of trying to increase your maximum lift by trying to lift your maximum, do it by increasing your proficiency at sub-maximal weight. Wherever your limit is, training at that level is stressful & requires a lot of recovery before you can do it again well.

So, to reach 40kg most of my pressing practice has been in the 20-32kg range. The lack of fatigue has allowed me to perform more high quality repetitions than if I was struggling under a heavy load. Practising the movement until it’s efficient means the body knows what to do when faced with the bigger bell. My weekly heavy sessions have comprised very few reps, but the maximum weight has crept up from 34 to 36 to 38 to 40kgs over the last few weeks.

This philosophy of rarely approaching failure seems counter-intuitive to anyone bought up on school PE or the fitness tabloids. It is challenging to suspend those prejudices & assumptions that tell you a workout doesn’t count unless you can’t move for three days after. Remember, possibly the simplest yet most important of the RKC’s guidelines: strength is a skill.

Our personal clients will know the philosophy well from their sessions & in recent weeks we’ve used timed blocks of quality reps in the kettlebell classes too. It’s amazing how much work you can achieve over a period of time by never flirting with failure.

So, press goal pressed – time to set a new goal. I’ll aim to have a video of something heavier going aloft before long.

If you’ve set yourself targets but don’t seem to be getting nearer (or even further away) no matter how much you practise, it’s time to stop & have a think about how you’re going to get there. Questions & comments welcome as always.

Our host for the RKC II was the San Jose University strength training facility & if we could pick it up & bring it home with us we would.

The head coach here is also an RKC, so instead of rows of weights machines as you’d find in most gyms, he has a hall full of olympic bars, bells, clubs, sledgehammers, ropes & some giant tyres outside.

Sound familiar to anyone? (more…)

My sincere thanks to our cohort mc for rallying team UK into existence & for being such a learned & inquisitive companion throughout. You can check out mc’s insightful research into wellbeing at begin2dig.com

Our final day of training & at last we were outside all day in the Californian sunshine. Whoops & high fives all round.

No amount of factor thirty could prevent me looking a lobster shade of Brit-abroad pink by the end. At least it hid my grey pallor underneath. Yesterday’s head cold matured into aching joints & dizzy spells this morning which didn’t bode well for our final technique tests. (more…)

Day two & annoyingly I’ve come down with a cold which doesn’t make thinking or lifting any easier. Today’s agenda requires plenty of both as it’s all about getting weights overhead in various ways: the viking push press, the jerk, the windmill, the side press & the bent press.

Lots of similarities between them & lots of differences too. A plethora of subtle & invaluable pointers of note from the instructors, who can perform these lifts with loads heavier than my bodyweight. (more…)

Ok, day one of the course proper & the culmination of our last six months’ training.

First up were the pull-up & press tests. Job done & the teaching started, taking us through the delights of the hanging leg-raise (touch your toes to your hands while hanging from a bar) & the pistol.

Don’t worry folks, they’re not moves we’ll be dropping into everyone’s program anytime soon….. (more…)

After my first full day of research, I’m sad to report that TV has been lying to us & California isn’t wall-to-wall with cheerleaders & buxom lifeguards. However, the weather has lived up to billing & been a very pleasant change from February in the UK. We still haven’t bumped into Arnie yet, but Claire’s forever hopeful. (more…)

Today brought us across the pond for our attempt at the RKC II certification in California.

Thanks to everyone for the messages of support – we’ll do our best to fulfil your expectations.

Our journey from London to San Francisco went about as well as it could, but 11 hours in a seat still drag. We attracted a few glances as we ‘chopped & popped’ in the aisle to keep our legs loose. I expect the lucky few in first class had a kettlebell area to use, but it was sadly lacking in economy. Must drop a note to Branson about that.

Once we landed, unfortunately, the driver taking us to our hotel didn’t know the way to San Jose [insert your own musical punchline here...]. In a wonderful example of deflection he was even a little miffed that we didn’t either. Darn ignorant tourists!

Eventually the sat-nav delivered us safely & we’re now settled into our twelfth floor home for the next few days. Fortunately, there’s an ice machine just across the hallway so we can soothe our fiery hands after a hard day’s study.

After a travel-weary wander around the city centre we discovered why the streets were surprisingly quiet – everyone was eating in Original Joe’s, the Italian diner a block from our door. So, we joined them & after a day of airline food, greatly enjoyed our first American meal of the trip. For those who haven’t had the pleasure of eating States-side, let me assure really you it doesn’t take long to solve the riddle of the American obesity epidemic.

The weight we have to press for the RKC standard on Friday is dependent on bodyweight: 50% for men & 25% for women. My aim is to dip under the 84kg mark so I have to lift the 40kg bell & not the 44kg. Claire can comfortably press well above her requirement so greatly enjoyed her voluminous steak, knowing I had to watch my calories.

Never mind, I have a sneaking suspicion I won’t starve.