This video was shot by a team from a local military base that were doing a graduate program in media communications. They offered to come in and shoot a free promotional video for us and I think it turned out great!
Take a look and see if you recognize any familiar faces from 2008!
Please join us on Sunday morning (05/01/22) for a morning of massage, training, rehab.
From 0900 am to 1200 pm we will be offering free 15 minute massages, 20 minute physical therapy assessments, and a 60 minute kettlebell workout.
For more information and to sign up for any or all of the above, go to the FirstFit PT website.
Hurry, because spaces are limited and going fast!
There are two things that are going to effect your sleep negatively: Age and Alcohol.
You can't do much about the first one, other than exercising and taking good care of yourself, but the second one you can definitely control!
Following are some tips, from renowned sleep expert Dr. Matthew Walker, concerning alcohol and sleep:
What does "Looks Like Tarzan - Plays Like Jane" mean?
It means that someone looks strong and fit but doesn't have the real athletic capacity to do the job!
I've always called it the difference between "Mirror Muscles" and "Survival Muscles". In other words, someone looks good looking in the mirror, but they don't have the muscle where they need it for the real world.
NOTE: if you spend a lot of time working on the "Show Muscles" you are going to build some interesting imbalances that are going to catch up to you sooner or later. You need to work just as hard on the "Go Muscles" if you want to stay healthy and strong for the duration.
If you are having a hard time keeping on top of your workout regimen you may be missing an important component.
It's not the equipment or the location. It's not even the programming.
It's accountability in the form of a workout partner.
If you have someone who is counting on you being at the gym to workout with you three days a week, you are a lot less likely to blow it off for Happy Hour or to binge watch some show on Netflix.
Think about how much more you could get done in the gym if you had a training partner that is going to keep you on task?
Just something to think about...
The Kettlebell Snatch has been described by many kettlebell "experts" as a "Swing that ends up overhead".
Now, not to throw too many stones at the "experts" out there... but while you CAN do that, you SHOULDN'T do that!
Why? Because a Swing to the overhead lockout is a grossly inefficient way to get the Kettlebell overhead. Not only is it harder to do, but there is no effective mechanism to decelerate the Kettlebell, other than using your shoulder joint as a brake. Something that you CAN do with a relatively light kettlebell, but only until you CAN'T do it anymore.
The most effective method to get the Kettlebell overhead is to tame the arc, keeping the elbow close to the body and let gravity decelerate the Kettlebell into the overhead lockout. The Kettlebell should "float" into the overhead position after having all of the energy bled off by gravity on the way up.
Not sure what this means? Take a look at the following video and see how the Kettlebell ends up overhead. No Swing. No Snap. No Stress on the shoulder.
Just a controlled explosion followed by a smooth deceleration and overhead lockout.
The RKC Snatch Test has been a part of the RKC certification process for as long as I've been involved, and that's over two decades.
For good or bad, it is something that everyone must complete if there are going to be called an RKC.
The test has changed quite a bit since the first time I took it. If I remember correctly, the first time I took it you needed to do 78 consecutive Kettlebell Snatch with one hand switch. What that meant to most, was to do as many Snatches as possible with the right hand, and then do the remainder with the left hand. I think I did 50+ with my right hand and then did the remainder with my left hand. Sounds bad, but it was actually worse. I did the Snatch Test at least two times that weekend (03 days of continuous training). By the time I did the test the final time my hands were wrecked and it was early on Sunday morning. A small group of us were outside, in the cold rain and sleet, having our last go at it. It was a memorable experience...
Today the Snatch Test requirements are a little more civilized: 100 Kettlebell Snatch in 05 minutes. You can change hands as often as you like and you can even put the Kettlebell down to rest and catch your breath. Once again, this is much better situation than what we started with 20+ years ago! It's still tough - but it is doable with solid preparation and instruction.
If you want to read my thoughts on the RKC Snatch Test, please take a look at this blog post on the Dragon Door Website.
One of the great things about our gym is the friendships that have developed over the years, as well as a deep, underlying sense of humor that permeates everything we do.
On Tuesday and Thursday mornings, Geri and Lori come in at 0530 am to start their day with a workout. These two are not only early risers, but are incredible athletes that regularly CRUSH the workouts. While I'm always anxious to see how well they did, and to plan my approach to the workout, I am equally excited to see what awaits me on the whiteboard.
As you can see in the following image, Geri always makes the workouts more fun by providing guidance in the form of stick figures! These always make me laugh, and are a topic of conversation the classes later in the day.
Keep up the great work Geri!