Hotlanta???

Coming to you from Atlanta, GA - Folks it was seriously brisk and breezy outside the Francis Fong Academy this weekend. Maybe it was the norm for locals, but for this New Jersey kid who has lived in So Cal for many years and is NOT used to a cold day, it was shall we say, BLUSTERY! Be that as it may, when the door to the Academy closed and the work began, it was SMOKIN'!! Why? Because we were all knee deep in the "Hard Style Fundamentals" workshop I was leading for my willing victims.

Covering the essentials of the HSL, DL, 2HSW and TGU, my victims were setting personal records left and right. Well, it was the first time most of them had touched a kettlebell, but still a PR is a PR, right? HAHA! In all seriousness, though, let me put it in perspective for you: one of the ladies had brought some "kettlebells" along with her. Although I don't think 5 and 10 pound bells really qualify as more than a love pendant or a paperweight, I used them to demonstrate bad form, so I do thank Claudia for having them handy.

In addition to the essential DL movement pattern and Dr. Cheng's HSL breakdown for optimal full body tension, everyone was swinging and Turkishing bells with great form. We kept the swing reps low enough to let them get in the groove without gassing too badly and everyone did great. In fact by the end of the workshop after classic KBLA high detail TGU instruction, all four women in attendance completed an unassisted Turkish on both the right and the left with an 8kg bell. I was VERY impressed. In addition to the ladies, we had every size, shape and age person there. Some folks overweight, some shredded muscle machines, some young, some old, but everyone performed exceedingly well. I was most impressed!

Special thanks to AKC instructor Eric Fronczak for bringing a nice assortment of kettlebells for those who did not have their own. And most important, many thanks Sifu Francis Fong and Simo Tracey Fong for bringing me to Hotlanta (on a very cold day) to share RKC Hard Style Fundamentals with them! Thank you!!

Keep training with supreme attention to detail folks, and be on the lookout for a KBLA affiliated workshop in your area! Please follow this blog as well as Dr. Cheng's KBLA blog or email me directly for all the info!!

Hollywood Kettlebells goes to Atlanta!!

Hey Folks,

On Saturday, October 17th, I will be teaching a "Hard Style Fundamentals" workshop at the world famous Francis Fong Academy. I will be bringing all the attention to detail that makes kettlebell instruction via Kettlebells Los Angeles and her offshoots the premier kettlebell training for strength and conditioning as well as "pre"hab to resist injury as we continue moving through the years. And as those of you who follow this blog know, everything I do in kettlebells has some application to my martial arts practice. So, prepare to have your combative training enhanced as well as your overall health!

Space is limited, so please contact Tracey at the Francis Fong Academy as soon as possible to reserve your spot. Phone - (770) 416-7111.

I look forward to working you over soon! haha...sorta

See you there!

The Dynamic Duo - Mark Cheng and Kenneth Jay

Hey Folks,

Yesterday I got to help out my good friends Dr. Mark Cheng, Team Leader, and Kenneth Jay, Master RKC, at a seminar they taught together at Kingston Heng's school in Irvine.

Dr. Cheng, is best known for his high detail instruction of the Turkish Get Up and Kenneth, the Dane of Pain, for his VO2 Max Protocol as outlined in his book: Viking Warrior Conditioning. Even just one of these guys teaching a seminar is a mountain of information and training. Having them together was a truly outstanding event!

Dr. Cheng combines his extensive knowledge of KB training with Gray Cook's FMS brilliance and Chinese medicine. Kenneth is equal parts jock and brainiac, putting his incredibly thorough conditioning theories to the test for Danish Olympians and mere mortals as well. Together they tackled the Turkish Get Up in H IGH DETAIL and the VO2 Max protocol. Everyone's TGU was amazingly improved in a very short time, and Kenneth ran the group through his VO2 Max protocol, giving priceless insights into how to improve one's training.

If you attended yesterday's workshop, you know what you got. (In fact you're probably feeling it today...) If you didn't, now you know what you missed. Don't miss the next one!

Medical Science

Medical science and the constant evolutionary process it is on never cease to amaze me. A few years ago a friend told me about Prolo Therapy. This is relatively innocuous way to heal damaged connective tissue through fooling your body to work better. The concept is that since ligaments and tendons have notoriously poor blood flow, intentionally irritating them brings more blood to the area, and therefore more thorough healing. I have done Prolo therapy many times on many joints: knees, shoulders, a thumb and even a collarbone. It works great. Give it a go.

Today I was lucky enough to try an even more groundbreaking treatment: Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy. It works on the same concept as Prolo, but is much more powerful. The doctor draws your blood, spins it in a centrifuge to separate the platelets out, then injects the platelet concentrate into the injured area to trigger healing on an exponential level.

Having dealt with multiple and consistent pain issues in my left arm for the last 4 years that have forced me to adjust how I teach and how I train, I was really excited to try the PRPT. It was done today. My arm is a little sore, and now I have to baby myself for about a week and then ramp up slowly back to normal intensity training and see what happens. Stay posted!!

For more info on PRPT, please check out Dr. Steven Sampson's website at www.orthohealing.com

Uptown Update and BJJ brain smasher

Hey Folks,

It's been a couple of blisteringly busy weeks folks, sorry for being remiss in posting.

Quick update on Uptown, the most shy dog in the land: he's doing alright. The medication has successfully eliminated the symptoms, so for now he's in the clear. Not sure how much time he's got left, but right now he's doing great. In fact, at this very moment, he's bugging me to feed him: giving me the two-pronged attack of the patented puppy look that only a 13 year old dog can muster and the raised paw, so he must be feeling fine!

In other news I attended a BJJ seminar taught by John Danaher at Shawn Williams' Hollywood BJJ academy yesterday. If you're into BJJ, I'm sure you already know of John, if not, you should. I feel blessed every day I get to train with Shawn, he is the most technical instructor I've ever met in my life, and getting to train with him regularly is a true gift...especially for those of us who are BJJ-challenged. John and Shawn came up together under Renzo Gracie. John is, without a doubt, one of the best BJJ instructors in the world. That bears repeating: IN THE WORLD. His ability to break down not only the aspects of the material he is explaining, but also the situations in which such a movement might be necessary and the variables to which it is restricted is unblievable. He's got a great sense of humor too, which is always a plus!

The seminar on Sunday was no gi, and focused on obtaining back control, retaining it and submitting your opponent from it. I've taught a lot of seminars over the last 15 years and attended even more. The instructor in me was thoroughly impressed, as I've already mentioned, but as a student I was even more impressed. Even though the techniques were new to me, only one of them was even the slightest bit challenging on first attempt. None of them was uncomfortable or made me think, "I'll never use this rolling." Every technique was high percentage. Even my buddy who took the seminar with me, who doesn't even train BJJ, was floored by how comfortable the movements were. THAT, my friends, is high quality instruction.

I don't think John teaches a lot of seminars, unfortunately, but if you're ever in NYC, do yourself a favor, go to Renzo Gracie's academy in the city and take a lesson from John. You will not be disappointed.

Happy training folks!

This man's best friend

To say that my dog Uptown is shy is quite an understatement. Uptown is the most shy dog I've ever seen in my life. And just about everyone who meets him says the same thing. He's just a shy dude. I've had him since he was four months old and he's always been that way. Once he warms up to you (which usually takes a couple years), though, he's a really sweet natured animal who makes you laugh with his goofy personality.

I've never been a cat person. My apologies to all you cat lovers out there, but I don't get it. Call me crazy but I like a pet who's happy to see me even when it's not meal time. Aside from having four legs, dogs have as little in common with cats as people do... What better reason could there be to love a dog?? Unfortunately, they have a sadly short existence on the planet which, for me, marks various chapters in my life. The dogs we had growing up bring to mind some of the fondest memories I have, including the one where I was running down the driveway with Bruno (my husky mix) and he decided to change directions directly in front of me. I went flying face and knee first into the gravel driveway. I sulked back up to the house with a sore noggin and bloody knees the scars of which remind me of him fondly.

I've had Uptown since, well basically since I feel like I finally grew up. I ended the last destructive relationship of my life, got up, dusted myself off and trudged onward (with my really shy dog in tow). For those of you who know my wife Suzanne, when she first met Uptown and tried to pet him his skin literally crawled as her hand made contact with his back. Literally! I'm telling you, this dog is shy! And he's pretty cute so everyone always wants to pet him when they first meet him...much to his chagrin.
As much as I might long for the opposite, more often than not we outlive our pets. It is always hard when their time comes, especially if they've been a constant companion through a lot of life's turmoils. We tend to attach human characteristics to them, even though they deserve better. But I think that is one of the great connections between human and canine. It is not always a perfect fit, but when it's good, it's great. Dogs fulfill a certain aspect of our lives that can't be filled by any other creature. If you're a dog person, you know what I'm talking about. If you're a cat person...you have my sympathies.

My dad gave me this great book that Tim Russert wrote called "Big Russ and Me." It's about Russert's life, primarily focusing on lessons he learned from his father "Big Russ" and other influential people along the way. It's a terrific read and I highly recommend it. One of the most poignant pieces he writes about is loss. Recounting the story of a colleague's son's premature death, Russert humbly suggested to his friend that rather than focusing on the pain of the loss, being grateful for the time he had with his son. This is a powerful lesson for humans. We are painfully self-obsessed, especially these days and getting out of our own emotional way is the reason there are so many time honored methods for doing so: yoga, meditation, religious worship, psychotherapy. You name it, every culture offers some method be it cerebral, physical, or emotional.
You have probably guessed where I'm going with this post. It has absolutely nothing to do with Kettlebells, or martial arts, or diet, or conditioning. It is simply a thank you to my dog Uptown for being such a great buddy for the last 13 years. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer today and we're not sure how much time he has left, but it's probably not too much. It kills me to write these words, the sense of sadness and loss builds, but I am doing my best to be grateful for the many years of joy and laughs that he gave me. I guess in one way we really grew up together. I wish I could have more time with him but I know I will enjoy whatever time we have left together.

Balance

Hey Folks,

I realize this blog is about all things iron and Russian. Those items rarely conjure up any imagery that is even remotely related to rest and relaxation. But the truth of the matter is that rest is as essential as hard training. Just like without hard training the body will never get strong, without rest the body will eventually give out. Rest is an essential part of the training cycle. Any serious competitor knows its importance, and if they don't they have probably suffered sub par performance due to over training.

So in that vein, my lovely wife and I have traveled across the country to visit my parents and my newly married brother for a last family get together before Frank starts his next deployment overseas.

Many of you know I am a strong proponent of the Warrior Diet. It really works great for me. Needless to say when I'm around my mom there is way too much food and drink to be thinking about fasting during the daylight hours. Where to begin with today's intake? I know not, but it doesn't matter. We plan on relaxing and enjoying this weekend to the fullest and then getting back to the grind stronger than when we left.

I wish you all a terrific weekend and we'll see you with iron in hand soon enough!