L.I.F.T. CERTIFICATION

I just completed Josh Henkin's L.I.F.T. Certification course. Josh is the creator of the Ultimate Sandbag program. My buddy Gavin turned me on to sandbag training about 6 months ago. The bags are super-fun and allow you to train in ways that you can't with kettlebells, dumbells or barbells. I signed up for the L.I.F.T. cert expecting to simply learn more sandbag moves. I was wrong, the cert is so much more than that. Josh and his crew go over many principles of functional fitness and strength and conditioning training. These ideas apply to all facets of training, not just sandbags. It's a supportive environment and there's a good mix of verbal instruction and physical application. This really helps you nail down and retain everything. I can't recommend L.I.F.T. enough. I can't wait to incorporate these new tools into my workouts. On a side note, the course was held at Peak Performance on 21st Street in NYC. Peak is an exceptional facility that's worth checking out.

RKC II TRAINING UPDATE

I've officially begun training for the RKC II in July. I need to complete the following at the start of the RKC II to pass: The Snatch and Technique tests from the RKC. I also need to Clean and Press the 48kg (due to my body weight), perform a parallel to the ground Pistol Squat, and a  Dead hang Pull-up with a 24kg bell on one foot.


I'm not worried about retesting the RKC stuff. I never thought I'd say this, but pressing The Beast (48kg) is going to be the easiest of the new bunch. I can already get the 44kg up if I'm fresh. I've got plenty of time to work up to the 48kg. Next up is the dead hang pull-up. Pull-ups are not my strong point. I did 4x 1 rep sets (switching the bell/foot each rep) with a 12kg. Then followed up with 3x 1 rep sets with a 16kg. I ended with 2x very close attempts with the 20kg. I'm sure I would have pulled of the 20 if I was fresher. I'm not too worried about the pull-up now.


The pistol is going to be the tough one. I was using a 20kg to counterbalance. I can get to about a 105 degree bend before raising back up. I just can't get below that without losing balance. This one's going to take time. I'm very glad that I started way early.


-Steve

KETTLEBELL MUSCLE

My copy of Geoff Neupert's KETTLEBELL MUSCLE arrived. It is both packed with info, yet easy to follow. It focuses on performing compound kettlebell routines. It's broken into an easy to follow, but physically grueling,  3 day a week workout. I did one set before a class today. It's definitely a workout.


I'll post updates as I dig deeper into the program.


Geoff taught us the Military Press at the RKC. He knows what he's doing.


You can buy a copy of Kettlebell Muscle by clicking the title above.


-Steve