Yin, Yang, Hard, Soft...Balance

Saturday I threw 100 reps with my 24kg kettlebell plus some other stuff. A fairly ripped workout for being jet lagged. Enjoy the pain! Sunday I went hiking with the family in North Georgia to enjoy the beautiful fall colors on a perfect fall day. *Above photo is me on Appalachian Trail near Woody Gap. Fairly warm weather, open sunshine, virtually no wind, quite literally the perfect fall day for hiking with our five year old twins. After a peaceful hike for about 1.5 hours, we cruised down the road to Dahlonega which was the site of America's "first" gold rush. A cool little town with a nice restaurant there we frequent called Crimson Moon. Next door is an old fashioned ice cream parlor. We indulged there too! My wife Candas tried to fake me out saying she didn't want an ice cream cone...then being the Golden Retriever at heart that she is licked all the drips up for the kids! I'm not fooled! It's all good though. It's nice to relax, go easy, eat some ice cream, and rest after working so hard and so fast throughout the year. I've seen a lot of people in my business burnout lately. Too much of a good thing. I nearly killed myself last year too. I still like speed and intensity. I'm just realizing that if I rest I can go harder and faster with more quality when the time is right. So enjoy the pain Comrades! But also enjoy the ebb and flow of easy. Chillin' in the South this week, Coach RJ

Into the night...

Tonight as the SoCal sun set over the mountain range, I was throwing my kettlebells into the near total darkness...sweat mixed with fall coolness. I spoke with tribal Bro and fellow Wellcoach Kevin Rail tonight in NYC. We both have lonely lives in many ways. We passionately train. Work with our people to get them fit and strong, yet spend a lot of time in solitude. Not complaining. It is our warrior path--as it should be. Deadlifting, ladder pressing, push pressing, light volume snatching into the darkness with my all black RKC kettlebells while my iPod shuffle clipped to my visor was cranking Motorhead and Motley Crue...still feeling Dr. Cheng's Sunday Morning Lineup class yesterday in Santa Monica...enjoying the pain Comrades! From the darkness of Santa Clarita Valley, Coach RJ!

San Antonio this week...

So I'm in San Antonio this week for some coach training and staying with my Wellcoach colleague Blaine out in Fair Oaks Ranch. I have never seen so many deer in my life! They are literally everywhere. In the morning, afternoon, and evening. The front yard, back yard, golf course...Bambi overload! I've actually enjoyed them. They are calming. In Atlanta when you look out the back window you see all kinds of birds--they also have a calming effect. The nature thing is cool--good for the soul. I did a couple of walks in the evenings this week just looking at all the deer hanging around. Weather is good. Some rain today. Still warm. I miss my kettlebells though! I tried to find a KB gym here--no luck. Still doing my daily workouts, but man do I miss my beloved KBs. I need to enjoy the pain again! Back to LA on Friday. Hopefully by then the fires will be out so I can go outside and exercise. From the BIG state of Texas this week, Coach RJ

Smokin' KBs in Santa Monica today!

Yes Comrades, yet another wild fire in SoCal today! My God...it was even smokey in Santa Monica at the KBLA workout. Dr. Cheng had to cut the workout short...we were starting to gag. My lungs are still scratchy tonight. Nasty! Nonetheless, our homework points for this week, so time for preparation!

1. Heel Drive: Continue to work on driving the heels into ground for the optimal force transfer and safety. The "Curb" drill will teach us...the hard way! Place heels on concrete curb allowing front part of feet to hang off over gutter. Arches should be off curb. Proceed to do your KB swings with slightly less weight. I swing the 24kg, so for the curb I will use the 16kg. If your heels are not firmly planted, guess what? You end up in the street! The curb--will teach you the hard way.
2. Linkage: Coming up from the heels, there is a sequence for the HARD style locks. Basically...Heels-knees-glutes-abs-lats. For optimal force, they must ALL be locked at the appropriate time.

Off to San Antonio this week for a few days of training. Stay fit. Keep a sweat going...I will! From Smokey SoCal, Coach RJ!

Gasless in Atlanta, Critical Mass Comrades!

Home in Atlanta this week--and virtually NO gas! I can walk or ride to get food--for this I am thankful. Stocks crash! America hemorrhaging! Health care failing! Is all this bad? No. It's an opportunity for people to get off their ass and change. First things first Comrades--GET FIT! If you think America can rebuild on a foundation of epidemic obesity, diabetes, and failing health...think again! Or rather just think. Americans tend to wait too long sometimes before they spring into action. My God--I hope our waiting is OVER. Get a clue--NO ONE IS COMING! No matter what happens, any moron should know that being fit and healthy is NOT going to make anything worse! It can only help--and it doesn't even cost a lot of money! Failing health care and doctors cost a lot of money. Doing a body weight workout and eating "real" food does not. Critical mass baby. The time is NOW. Let's "ROLE" as Lean Beret Kevin Rail would say, who by the way, has just moved to NYC! If you want to get it on in NYC with straight up no BS health, fitness, and nutrition, contact me so I can put you touch with K-Rail. This guy is one in a million man--if that! With minimal gas but serious fitness in Atlanta, Coach RJ!

Signs in the grass...

So I'm down in Huntington Beach, CA last week working out with my kettlebells on the beach. I'm literally getting stronger by the week with my KBs...nothing short of amazing. Inbetween sweating and heavy metal (KBs!), I'm looking around taking life in and notice a fortune cookie paper on the ground. Now I'm one of these people that ask what things in my life mean. If I see a raven circling over my head, I ask why? If someone comes into my life, I ask why? The fortune reads: "If you can't decide up or down, try moving from side to side." So I reflect. My life is in the fast lane of corporate wellness. America is bleeding. I know how to stop it. This is valuable. Things are happening. I'm at a Crossroads. Then I start looking closer after my next set...more fortunes! They read: "Education will never be as expensive as ignorance." and "An unexpected event will soon make your life more exciting." Interesting messages. I've spent a fortune on my education while others were investing in the stock market making lots of money. "So far" it has not really paid off...things ARE changing. As for the mystery event? It would not surprise me to "get the call" any day. Just a matter of time, or rather "energy." On the backside of two fortunes some Chinese words for "sympathize" and "very polite." Just senseless trash left by eco-clueless litterbugs? Maybe. Maybe not. Believe what you will. I think there are something to universal signs. I'm listening...

And the KBs! Been spending more energy on working form instead of VO2Max. Really getting my technique down--doing better to be HARD and clean. Not perfect, but better. It shows. I'm much stronger. Interesting. Just went to my 30 year high school reunion. Had to wonder how many of my classmates have doubled to tripled their functional strength the last FOUR MONTHS like I have. Answer? None. In Kettlebell Heavy Metal, Coach RJ!

Kettlebells Los Angeles-Sunday Line Up

Just got back from Santa Monica and another great day working with Dr. Cheng and his Kettlebells Los Angeles comrades. You know there is a lot of jacked up stuff in this county when it comes to health, fitness, and disease, yet when being there this morning I feel...HOPE. There is hope this morning that some Americans are most definitely getting stronger and more fit. While most of you slept this Sunday morning at 7:00 AM, we were already lined up with hundreds of pounds of Russian kettlebells and getting it on. There is a bright ray of sunshine in SoCal this Sunday morning...it's Kettlebells Los Angeles.

Check out Kettlebells Los Angeles. Quality people. Heavy Iron. Serious Fitness. In Hard Style (or no style), Coach RJ!