I got the shirt!  Actually, I got two.  One says “HKC” and the other says “HKC Instructor”.  After going through it, I would have been happy to have had just the first, but having the second as well is sweet.

To say I learned a lot in that one day would be a huge understatement. It didn’t take long to realize that Pavel is the real deal.  He is an incredible teacher, a true expert not only in kettlebell training, but in strength and conditioning and body mechanics and also, seemingly, human nature.  I hung on his every word in a desperate attempt to absorb at least some of his wisdom.

My Team Leader, Senior RKC Doug Nepodal, did not disappoint either.  Doug has the perfect combination of knowledge and experience wrapped up in a tough but kind trainer.  I trusted him, and that says a lot.  Doug was busy with the ten of us on Team Nepodal, but still managed to provide the help and advice that we needed.  We were also fortunate to have an extra set of eyes and hands in Laurel Blackburn, RKC.  She was there to cheer on her son to HKC-ness, but was kind enough to work with our team for the day as well.  Doug and Laurel were phenomenal, and I am so happy I got to be part of their team.

The agenda for the day was pretty much what I had expected.  First came the strength test.  Ladies had to simply hold themselves motionless with flexed arms on a pullup bar for 15 seconds.  Men had to perform 3 dead hang pull ups.  Our whole team passed easily.  I’m not sure about the other 110 people there trying to get certified.

After the test we headed outside with a kettlebell to begin the training.  For each segment of our training, we began with an introduction by Pavel, then some form of practice, more instruction, and more practice.  We never did the same thing for very long, and there was always an opportunity to have any problems or questions addressed.  Pavel was the Chief  Instructor, but several Master RKCs and Senior RKCs lectured or provided input upon his request.

We learned three main kettlebell movements at the HKC:  the Goblet Squat,  the Turkish Get Up and the Swing.  For each we were shown mobility drills and stretches to make the exercise more effective, and were taken through a progression that helped us learn the movement and learn how to teach it.  All my fears about my own ability to swing, squat and perform Turkish Get Ups were put to rest after going through these progressions.  Specifically with regard to the swing, the process we went through enabled me to perform swings more efficiently and effectively than I ever had before.  The training I received was simply outstanding.

Our overall evaluation consisted of the Strength Test (described above), our Professionalism during the day, the Technique Test and the Teaching Test.  For the Technique Test, we were called in groups of two to perform first squats, then later swings, and finally the Turkish Get Up.  We were only required to perform the Turkish Get Up on one side.  For the Teaching Test we broke up into pairs.  One student acted as the Instructor and the other acted as a kettlebell newbie, so that the “Instructor” could show proficiency in teaching kettlebell movements.  Then we switched roles.

Before long we were called into our last session with Pavel, who delivered parting words, and advised us that our Team Leaders would be letting us know if we passed.  If we did not pass, we would be told what, if anything, we could do to earn our HKC title.  We then went back into our teams.  Our team rejoiced when Doug let us know that each of us on his team had passed.

The day was successful for me, but I wouldn’t call it “fun”.  In Happy to Be Hardstyle Kettlebell Certified – Part II (tomorrow), I’ll describe the Evil Trifecta at work that nearly thwarted my HKC attempt, and I’ll comment on my future plans and training.

The end of my current round of Enter the Kettlebell is in sight.  I finished Week 11 out of 12 yesterday.  At this point I have mixed emotions about being (almost) done.

On one hand, I’m pretty excited to be nearly done.  Completing the program with anything larger than a kettlenetics-style toy kettlebell is something to be proud of.  It takes significant discipline and hard work to do these workouts.  And to do them over and over again.

Being done with ETK also represents a milestone in my training.  I’m one step closer to RKC having done this program.  No question, I’ll have to repeat the program at least once,  and probably twice before I go to RKC.  It will take me that long to develop the strength and conditioning necessary to be ready.  But having done it once and getting that behind me is one more step on the path.  That’s pretty exciting!

On the other hand, I’m strangely sad to see the end of this round of ETK.  (Anyone who has completed the program:  pick your jaw up from the floor!)  Pavel designed a winning program in Enter the Kettlebell.  I must admit, I barely believed Sandy Sommer, RKC when he so highly recommended the program and touted its benefits.  But he was right.  (Catch that, Sandy?)   My results have not been limited to strength gains.  Those are evident for sure.  However, I’ve also seen some fat loss !

So now I’m somewhat attached to this beast of a program.  Yes, you have to work hard, ridiculously hard.  But you get amazing rewards from the hard work.  It is so worth it.  I hardly want to think of training any other way.  I know there are many great options available.  For variety, I’ll need a break from ETK before I restart it with a heavier kettlebell, so I’ll be looking for one of those great options.

In the meantime, I’ll be working through my last week on the program.  And loving/hating every minute of it.

I’m shifting gears with my training.  I have followed the Beginner Kettlebell program that Elise designed for about the last 2 and 1/2 months.  It’s what she gives all of her new kettlebell students.  I think doing them helped me in many ways, and I feel that the time doing those workouts was well spent.

However, I’ve decided to follow the program designed by Pavel in  Enter the Kettlebell.  It seems to be the most trusted method for developing the kind of pressing ability and conditioning that is necessary for the Russian Kettlebell Challenge.   Given that I’m jumping into this game a little bit later in life than most, I want to follow the program that I feel will give me the greatest chance of success at RKC, in the shortest period of time.

That is not to say I’m in a hurry to get to RKC.  In fact, having started Enter the Kettlebell this week, I see now that it is probably going to take me even longer to get ready than I thought before.  That’s okay.  As long as I’m moving forward at a steady pace and seeing regular gains, I know I’ll make it when the time is right. 

I am cheating a little and I hope it doesn’t come back to haunt me.  I am skipping the Program Minimum section of ETK.  I feel that my workouts from Elise have earned me the right to start at the beginning of the second part of the training, the ”Rite of Passage.”   If I can’t handle it after I’ve tried it for a few weeks, I will reevaluate. 

For anyone unfamiliar with Enter the Kettlebell, the idea is that you begin the program with the kettlebell that you can press 5-8 times.  You follow the program, repeating it as many times as necessary, until you are doing  presses, swings and snatches with the size kettlebell that is appropriate for your tests at RKC.  Or until you can one-arm press half your bodyweight and snatch a 53 pound kettlebell 200 times in 10 minutes (men.)  The similar goal for women is to be able to perform the 10 minute snatch test of 200 reps with a 12kg kettlebell and clean and press the kettlebell closest to  a quarter of their bodyweight once with each arm.  I will be following this program a long time.

 My ETK training actually started several days ago.  I’ll finish Week 5  on Saturday.  (It’s week number 5 because I skipped  those 4 weeks called “Program Minimum” this time and went straight to “Rite of Passage.”)  So far it is going well, and I’m finding I have a bit of DOMS from the pressing, a very good sign in my opinion.

“Rite of Passage” in Enter the Kettlebell calls for 3 structured practice days, 2 variety days in which you pretty much do whatever exercise you want,  and 2  days off.  One of my variety days will be spent doing sprint intervals.  I’m doing this for extra HIIT benefits and for the extra lower body work.  You may know that lower body is the part of me that I love to hate.  My other variety day will probably be spent doing Turkish Get Ups and/or trying out the workouts I’ll be using in my coming-soon fitness classes for women. 

I’m also hoping to continue Eat Stop Eat,  the intermittent fasting that I’ve tried recently.  I completed a second fast this week. It was more difficult this time, quite different from the first.  But I’m starting to see some results.  (I’m after a bit of body fat loss.)  I’ll be closely monitoring my strength as I go along, as I know it is difficult to see fat loss and strength gain at once.  Since strength is primary for me, I’ll stop the fasting if things don’t go well.

Probably I won’t post my ETK workouts.  They are quite repetitive.  I’ll likely only write about whatever is new or what my variety days are like.  Or maybe I’ll find other things to drone on blog about. 

That’s my plan.  Unless I change it.