I’d say I owe a lot to the writings of Pavel Tsatsouline. I got in early—2003. Took the RKC, once as a student, another time as an assistant instructor for Steve Maxwell’s group. It was pretty great, although there were definitely some cult-like aspects to it.
The kettlebell is the shit, we’re learning so much, so many stupid people out there doing everything all wrong!! That was the message then. It was partly true, exercise was overcomplicated and was heavily influenced by bodybuilding and there was definitely a sense that capitalism had created confusion.
Pavel taught how to use the nervous system and once you begin to understand that, things become a lot more clear.
Since that time, the kettlebells are still a big part of my program. Man, you can get strong using kettlebells – stronger than you ever need to be actually. And that’s the great thing about them. The are pretty simple and straightforward and you can use them to learn how to use your body.
A couple key things with the kettlebell. The ballistic exercises: the swing, clean, and snatch – and just the idea of training the posterior chain. Once you start training the posterior chain and feeling the power you can develop, you never really turn back. I’ve never felt stronger than I did once I learned about training this key part of the body.
To discuss these key things, here’s a quick video describing them and some of the benefits of the kettlebell – some motivational fodder. Something to get you to pick up a kettlebell and start swinging, cleaning, or snatching.