Archive for RKC
The History of Food Bars
Posted by: | CommentsHere is a new video I did for Dale’s Raw Foods. It’s got some great content on the history of food bars, protein bars, nutrition bars.
What is Strength?
Posted by: | CommentsWhat is Strength?
It’s not how much I can bench press! When I refer to strength I am talking about internal strength. How much a person can lift will only get them so far. However when you cultivate internal strength you can achieve anything.
Internal strength comes from practicing certain disciplines such as martial arts, T’ai Chi, and meditation. What you can accomplish in life will be determined by this strength. It is a combination of the first 4 principles I have talked about already: 1) No Excuses, 2)Setting Goals, 3)”I can do it” Attitude, and 4)Mental Focus.
At Supreme Ultimate Fitness I teach this type of strength from the very first session. It has nothing to do with picking up a weight, although weight training and kettlebell lifting is a great way to build both internal and external strength. By challenging yourself to do just a little more and setting goals to get to the next level you are creating the opportunity to develop this strength.
Here is a video where I talk about this in more detail.
Proper Kettlebell Instruction
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Jillian Michaels of The Biggest Loser recently got trashed by a journalist for the LA Times about her horrible kettlebell instruction DVD and her credentials as a fitness expert. The LA Times article quoted 2 Russian Kettlebell Challenge instructors and got their opinion on the DVD. Please read the article to follow along with the rest of this post.
Here is my opinion on the article
“Jillian is doing nothing good for the fitness community by putting out a DVD on Kettlebell Training when she has no experience with kettlebells. I have people come to my Boca Raton studio all the time who have learned poor technique and actually have gotten injured by trying to learn kettlebells from unqualified fitness trainers.”
A Kettlebell, or a cannonball with a handle, has become a popular weightlifting tool from Russia and has been around for over 300 years. It started to become popular in the United States about 9 years ago when Pavel Tsatsouline teamed up with Dragon Door publication to offer the Russian Kettlebell Challenge instructor certification program. Russian Kettlebell training has exploded and become very popular with celebrities and athletes.
Kettlebell instruction requires an extensive background and training to be truly safe and effective. RKC kettlebell instructors have undergone the world’s most rigorous of kettlebell instructor certification courses and are fully qualified to instruct and train people in proper kettlebell technique.
View all of my RKC Kettlebell Instruction Reviews here
A lady who came to one of my Kettlebell Basics Workshop talked about a kettlebell class at a local gym with ZERO instruction and a high intensity workout where the uncertified and unqualified instructors were forcing people to use very heavy kettlebells and people were getting injured in every class. She told me of her friend who has serious back issues as a result of the poor and unprofessional kettlebell class.
The solution
“I hold a 3 hour monthly Kettlebell Basics Workshop at my studio each month to teach people the fundamentals of kettlebell lifting and how to properly perform 3 exercises: the swing, Turkish Get Up, and the Goblet Squat. That’s 3 hours for 3 exercises. Can you imagine the attention to detail that goes into this type of class? How can you learn effective and proper kettlebell technique from a DVD taught by an unqualified celebrity trainer such as Jillian Michaels?”
For more information on my monthly Kettlebell Basics Workshop, check out my Meetup group the South Florida Kettlebell Club. On this page you will find out what people are saying about the group, view pictures and videos, and RSVP for the next workshop.
Here is a video clip from the recent Kettlebell Basics Workshop
Testimonials from the workshop
“I thought it was a great workshop. I feel that everyone should attend this workshop, whether you are a first time kettlebeller or have used them before. Dale provides detailed and easy to understand instruction, which I believe is key in helping to prevent injuries! Dale really emphasizes the importance of learning the “movement’ first, before you start throwing around heavy weight. I highly recommend this workshop to everyone!”
Regina – Boca Raton, FL
“Dale is a great instructor, very clear and helpful. I’d recommend anyone with an interest in kettlebells to take his workshop”
Carolyn – Boca Raton, FL
“Totally awesome. Gave me a totally new perspective about kettlebell workouts. I really enjoy the martial arts aspect; the concentration…the “working in”. Fantastic! Looking forward to more!”
Heidi – Boca Raton, FL
Please leave your comments and feedback below. Thanks
Yin Yang Fitness
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T’ai Chi is the synonym for Supreme Ultimate which is ”The state of undifferentiated absolute and infinite potentiality.” The T’ai Chi symbol shown here is also known as the Yin-Yang . The circle itself represents a whole, while the black and white areas within it represent interacting parts or manifestations of the whole. The white area represents yang or positive elements, while the dark area represents the yin or negative. The principles of the Supreme Ultimate date back to over 5000 years of Chinese Cosmology.
The practice of T’ai Chi, mostly known as the martial art Tai Chi Chuan consists of movements done in soft circular patterns with no effort. The legs are used to move the body by constantly shifting the weight from front to back or left to right. There are hundreds of T’ai Chi forms to practice.
For Active Recovery at my studio Supreme Ultimate Fitness in Boca Raton I use a form called T’ai Chi Chih, which actually means “Knowledge of the Supreme Ultimate” and was created by Justin Stone in 1974. T’ai Chi Chih is a system of 19 movements and one pose done softly without effort to allow the chi to flow through the body. It is not an exercise or martial art, it is a system of movement. When me and Rocco Castellano branded my company we looked deep into what I have done for the past 28 years with martial arts, t’ai chi, fitness, health, movement, and wellness. There is deep meaning behind the name Supreme Ultimate Fitness and it essentially comes down to one word: BALANCE!
Note: You can read more about T’ai Chi Chih on my website Joy Thru Movement.
Digging deeper
I have found that using a combination of hard and soft movement works best for total health. Here are just a few examples of how Kettlebell lifting and T’ai Chi Chih compliment each other as a real yin-yang fitness system. The antagonists are amazing when you think of it. I am so blessed to have learned these 2 styles of movement to create the perfect balance.
- Hardstyle Kettlebell Training (RKC method) training is equally internal as external, marrying proper breath with well-timed max effort.
- In T’ai Chi Chih there is also equally internal and external with emphasis on the softness of the body to allow the chi to flow.
- There are no wrists in kettlebell training – T’ai Chi Chih is done mostly with the wrists which when relaxed with reduce stress
- Kettlebell training involves varrying amounts of muscular tension to move the kettlebell – T’ai Chi Chih is internal and done without muscular effort to massage the internal organs.
- In kettlebell lifting the joints lock in all movements for strength, power, and safety – T’ai Chi Chih we never lock the joints so the chi can flow through the meridians.
Balanced Fitness comes to life!
In a balanced fitness program you are not just working towards the physical, it’s also about the mental and spiritual (not religious)
aspects of health and wellness. I like to call it “working in” vs working out. In fact I try not to use the term workout very much because to me that refers only to the external and escaping from yourself and your body so you can exercise. I say let’s go inside and see what’s there first and holding you back from achieving your goals and then build the body from the inside out.
At Supreme Ultimate Fitness I also use principles and mindset that I learned from studying martial arts such as Tae Kwon Do and Hap Ki Do which is exactly what the RKC program does as well. Some of these principles include:
- Rooting the energy to the earth for more strength and power
- Mental focus and how to manage fatigue
- Power Breathing to add explosiveness and strength
- Upright posture and alignment of the spine.
For more information on how to create your own balanced fitness program contact me at dale@supremeultimatefitness.com
I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Please leave your comments below
Barefoot Training
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Why barefoot training?
Basically because shoes destroy your body. I know that’s a harsh statement, however If you don’t believe me just walk around barefoot for a while and tell me what you discover. The key word here is “discover”, so I’m not asking you to be mindless about being barefoot, I’m suggesting that you heighten your awareness of how your body feels. I know for me it changed the way I move and healed all sorts of pain.
Raw food guru, David Wolfe says that “Shoes are the most dangerous invention in the history of the world” – watch this in depth video where he explains this comment here
I remember many times over the past 30 years of lifting weights in the gym with running shoes and not understanding why my back, knees, hips, and neck were always in pain. For example, one day while on vacation in Ocean City, MD in 2005 I was doing barbell squats with heavy weights and hurt my right knee (which still bothers me sometimes). What had happened was my posture was out of alignment because I was wearing a brand new pair of high end running shoes with a thick cushion on the heal. The elevation threw off my posture, which put pressure on the bottom of my knee cap and obviously strained something.
This is just one example of so many I can provide for myself and my clients. The bottom line is that I feel the body functions much better without shoes. When I began Tae Kwon Do in 1984 we did not wear shoes. It felt great to feel the earth connection while moving the body through the various kicks, stances, and strikes.
At my studio Supreme Ultimate Fitness in Boca Raton where I teach kettlebells and also train clients using TRX, sandbags, battling ropes, and body weight we do not wear shoes for any of the training unless we go outside.
“Rooting” or “grounding” are a big part of martial arts and Kettlebell Training. Pavel addresses training barefoot throughout the RKC and in all of his books and DVD’s. The latest being the new TRX Kettlebell DVD where he says that wearing shoes while training with kettlebells will destroy your body.
What if the kettlebell falls on your foot?
Unless you have steel shoes it does not matter. Besides I have never seen anybody drop a kettlebell on their foot. This is why the safety, awareness, and mindfulness come into the equation. Seriously, not only is is a bad idea to wear any shoes that have a thick cushion for kettlebell training, you also don’t want to be training with a kettlebell instructor who does not educate you on how to use them properly. RKC’s are highly trained kettlebell instructors and are fully capable of guiding you on how to train safely while barefoot. Besides if all you think about is the kettlebell falling on your foot is probably will. Thoughts should be on lifting the weight.
Benefits of barefoot TRX and Kettlebell Training:
- Grounding or Rooting of your energy - watch this video.
- Heightened Awareness of the body
- Posture Alignment to prevent injury to all joints
- Agility and being able to move more freely
- Mobility and expansion of the hips
- Decrease of joint pain
- Enhanced movement patterns
- More flexibility
- Increase of energy
- Increase of strength and power
- Able to leap tall building in a single bound – I actually do have this dream quit often.
- Here is a more in depth article Kettlebells and Barefoot Training
Below is a video of me doing a Turkish Get up with 80 lbs. It would be rather difficult to do this movement effectively with running or athletic shoes, with a few exceptions such as Vibram 5 Fingers or Converse All Stars.
Other movement systems that train barefoot:
- Bodybuilders and powerlifters- Take a look at the pictures from the bodybuilders on 60’s and 70’s and they train barefoot. Watch the movie Pumping Iron and you see it there as well
- Martial Arts
- Yoga, Pilates, Gymnastics, swimming…
- I’m sure there are many more – please list others in the comments section below
Running Barefoot
I am not a runner so I am going to leave this section to the experts. Below are several links I found that you may find useful for barefoot running. Be sure to share others with your comments
Baring it all: The Barefoot Running Trend
Barefoot Running May Be Better for You
Transitioning to Minimalist Running Shoes
Enter the world of Vibram 5 Fingers!
There has been so much publicity on the V5F these days I am not going to get fully into it here. Let’s just say that all I wear now are V5F, flip flops, and sandals with a very thin sole. V5F are the closest you will get to actually being barefoot and it seems to be a much safer way for many people because you have protection for your feet if you train or run outdoors. I know these may appear as funny looking shoes and not look fashionable at first, however we are not focusing on fashion in this article, rather health and longevity so try to let go of the superficial and become open minded.
Buy your Vibram 5 Fingers on Amazon!
Vibram Five Fingers TrekSport – Men’s
Vibram Five Fingers Women’s KSO Trek Shoe
Please leave you comments below!
