REDONDO BEACH BOOT CAMP

I was working out with a friend on the beach doing Pavel’s RKC presses and pulls workout with a 16kg and 20kg kettlebell. I was really impressed with my friend’s form while reflecting on where we both were 9 months ago in our training. Our method of training is so different from workout routines that range from the extreme where you do what you like and have fun to the extreme of the no-pain-no-gain workout where you feed off the intensity of the workout and try to get a runner’s high while placing little focus on form. In the first case the body may not change, i.e. reach your goal, or in the other case, you’re always sore and prone to injuries. A bunch of exercises just bundled together toin loose weight is really ineffective. Bad form produces micro trauma, hurting the joints, creating muscle imbalances leading to tight areas of immobility and loose areas of joint instability. Looking great but living in pain is unnecessary. How we work out today determines the long-term results.

Exercise is like a drug, finding the right dose produces long-term results. In the Russian Kettlebell Challenge system form is everything. Our first exercise is to pick up a kettlebell which will tell us a lot about our client or student. If the client tries to bend over flexing his spine instead of his back he just told me “I have tight hips and a weak lower back.” A kettlebell swing would not be a good idea at this point, low cobra stretches, planks, bridges, wall squats, and sumo dead lifts would work. We never have someone swing a kettlebell until he is properly prepared.

Let me give an example of two group workouts I observed on the beach: One group in particular had a student, whose back was obviously locked up, doing exercises that were not appropriate for his level. Both groups were doing walking lunges in the sand. which I don’t recommend–stationary lunges or step back/step forward lunges maybe. If an exercise does not look good, it does not magically do good things. The kettlebell system is not going to give out generic exercises. Sounds picky? Absolutely not. Everyone who has done a lunge knows that the knee is supposed to track over the toe with back straight and core tight. I just don’t think wobbly knees, a bent back, and a loose core are going to produce anything but stressed knees and strained backs.

It is hard to teach just a few exercises correctly because people start thinking that they are not burning enough calories. We need to stop thinking about working harder until we can work out correctly. Eat less and learn proper technique. How we work out now determines how we move in the future. If I am in pain and it is more than after-workout soreness, I am doing too much or my technique is off.

1. Find someone to check out your exercise technique.
2. Don’t mindlessly exercise; have a program.
3. Have a hard day, a medium day, and an easy day.
4. Try fast walking with a good arm swing and a tight core. It is good for low-back health.