Kettlebell Training In North Jersey

There's been a buzz around North Jersey about kettlebell training for some time now. At Rethink Fitness we've been using kettlebells at our facility in Franklin Lakes/Bergen County since our doors opened over a year ago, and it continues to be a primary tool in our training methods.

However, not all facilities using kettlebells are created equal. In Bergen County, there are several gyms/studios/hack in-home trainers using kettlebells, but they are rarely qualified enough to even be allowed to look at a kettlebell.

At Rethink Fitness, our kettlebell instruction is done by a qualified RKC Instructor. Honestly, if your "trainer" isn't RKC certified, you are just playing games with kettlebells. In fact, you're playing a game with potentially painful consequences. Do yourself a favor and train with an RKC Certified Kettlebell Instructor. It'll be the best investment you can make in yourself next to buying more kettlebells.

http://www.rethinkfitness.net

SWAP A TOY FOR A FREE BOOT CAMP WORKOUT ON THE DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING!

We are having two special boot camp workouts on Friday, November 28 (the day after Thanksgiving) at 9:00am and 4:00pm to collect toys for the children in the Pediatric Unit of The Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation. If you bring a toy valued at $10 or more, the workout is free. It's a great way to try the class and help needy children at the same time. Plus, a little insider information for you and your friends, I will be offering an additional 2 free weeks (12/1-12/14) of our boot camp class to the new people that bring toys to this workout. Essentially, you'll be getting a free 2 week head start on the results you want for 2009. Plain and simple, you will get results. We guarantee it!

Internal Focus

My personal blog Internal Focus is up and running. It can be found at www.internalfocus.blogspot.com . This site will be reserved mostly for stories about my clients and studio. My training and complaining will be saved for www.internalfocus.blogspot.com .

My Heroes

I'm a little short on time, but there are two people that I really want to write about today. I wish I could put everything in my head down on the blog, but I'm a really can't type fast enough.



My incredible wife took her Nurse Practitioner Boards yesterday and passed. She earned her MSN through two pregnancies and a demanding full-time job, and she studied for her boards over the past few months while working full-time and taking care of our 2.5 year-old son and 5 month-old daughter. Mentally, she's as tough as anyone I know. The stress of having to pass this test was almost beyond belief. If she failed, she would have lost the job she carved out for herself at her current facility, we would have lost our business, and we probably would have lost our house after a few months.



Yeah, no shit, it was that serious.



But she knocked it out of the park the way she always does. She never fails to rise to the occasion. It's almost like she is hard-wired not to fail. I am so glad that she is in my life, because she forces me to raise the bar for myself. I would be such a slacker without her.



Great job, Sweetie! I'm so proud of you!



As Father's Day approaches, I find myself thinking about my dad more and more. He died of pancreatic cancer almost 2 years ago. When I was younger, I never gave my father the credit he deserved. As I slowly became a man, I realized what a hell of a great guy he was. When I became a father, I realized that he was the only man that really mattered in my life. Other men will always finish a distant second to him.

To put it simply, he worked unbelievably hard to make sure that his family was well cared for. His physical strength and work-ethic was legendary, but he was also incredibly sensitive at the same time. He was the perfect combination of strength and humility. He would do anything for a friend. He was the perfect role model for his children. I can only hope to be half the man that he was. I'll never be able to thank him enough for all that he did for me.

So that's just a little something about two of the true heroes in my life. I could fill volumes about the two of them, but I'll save it for another time. I just wanted to show a little appreciation for the people that inspire me to be a better man each day.

My boy the strongman.

Last night, my son demonstrated one of the greatest feats of strength endurance of any 2 year-old I know. He carried 9 two-liter bottles of soda, one at a time, up a flight of 12 stairs and proceeded to overhead press them onto a high kitchen counter. Even though my wife and I encouraged him to rest, he refused to stop until the job was finished. I swear he was using power breathing, too! What was really sweet about the whole thing was that he did this without being asked (we don't believe in child labor); he simply wanted to "help" us. What a great son!

While watching this feat of strength, I was remind of two things. My son has his mother's persistence and the natural strength of my father. My dad was, and still is, the perfect model of the rare combination of strength and humility. He really would have appreciated this story.

More photos from the April 2008 RKC Cert.

Team Whitley--TRAIN WITH THE BEST!Dave "The Iron Tamer" Whitley. He's one heck of a great guy! If you are ever in Nashville, train with him!

This is Jen Morey. She's one excellent athlete!Pavel Tsatsouline!

If you ever find yourself struggling to get stronger, pick up any one of Pavel's strength training books. You'll be a stronger and better person for it! Power to you, comrade!

Joe Walker, RKC

Last weekend, I completed one of the most rewarding and challenging experiences of my life--I became an RKC on my birthday. For those unfamiliar with what an RKC Certification is go here: http://www.dragondoor.com/wpkb33.html.
Almost a year ago to the day I became an RKC, my copy of Pavel's Enter the Kettlebell arrived at my door. Needless to say, it changed my life. It gave me the foundation to find strength I never thought I had. The Cert. weekend completely humbled me and taught me a valuable lesson about embracing personal weaknesses. Too often we run away from things that make us uncomfortable, without using the opportunity to make ourselves stronger. And boy did I find a lot of reasons to get stronger!

I'd like to thank David Whitley, Senior RKC (he one-arm presses people); Jen Morey, Asst. RKC (she once did 142 16kg snatches with one hand); and Mike Juve, Asst. RKC for their patience, superb instruction, and tough love--I'm a better girevik because of you fine people. I would also like to extend a big thank you to all of my Team Whitley Teammates--it was a lot easier knowing you were hurting too. I honestly can't remember everyone, there was a lot going through my head that weekend, but special thanks go to Big Dog Paul (my partner, ride, and source of better judgement in KB choice), Dustin (the humble strongman, model RKC), Mike (the runner), Amy (for the vote and the Whitley picture), and Wendi for her vote. For those who don't know what I mean by "vote," it's not important. I would also like to thank my victims for allowing me to train them on Sunday--they did great! Most of all, I would like to thank my wife for all of her support leading up to and during this weekend.

If you are considering going for RKC Certification, don't hesitate. You won't be disappointed. Learning from Pavel, the DuCanes, and the rest of the finest RKCs in the world is more than worth the price of admission. Most of all, you'll never be able to put a price on the experience and memories gained in those few days.