Inner Grrr™

5000 Snatches Done!

2009-07-08T07:50:00.000-07:00

I'm finished! 5000 snatches in 7 weeks and 2 days! Did 350 yesterday. All of the snatches were done with a 24kg kettlebell that I got from Gregg & Kerry. My hands are fine and I feel great! No baby yet, still about a week away! That's why I rushed my completion. Be strong, Brad

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Note from Kerry: Brad's June 30 posting needed to be deleted because it was hijacked by comments from a Japanese dating service! Despite repeated attempts to delete those comments, they kept entering them, so I needed to delete the entire entry, which I have posted below, sans comments. Kerry
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Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Brad's Goal of Completing 5,000 KB Snatches in 8 Weeks

Hello all! Well I started getting nervous with my wife's due date so close and I picked up the pace. My hands are a bit torn up, but I am working around it. I am at 3720 snatches now and will go beyond 3800 tonight. If I keep on track my goal will be reached around 8 weeks into the challenge instead of the 10 I originally shot for. I am trying to get done before the baby arrives, wish me luck! Brad

Posted by Brad at 7:45 AM

Almost There!

2009-07-02T07:50:00.000-07:00

Well my daughter is due in about 12 days and I am within 880 snatches of reaching my goal of 5000. My core is tight and strong. Hands are healing nicely. Brad

Callous Pain

2009-06-17T07:47:00.000-07:00

Ouch! Hit the 2200 snatch mark today. Almost halfway there, but for some reason I woke up @ 4:00am feeling burning pain in my callouses. I don't wear gloves or tape anymore and haven't for a long time. I have not had a problem since I started and all I can pinpoint is that I might have gotten carried away yesterday and gotten careless. My lack of pain has had alot to do with snatch form and if I don't stick to what works I feel it. I will have to focus better and see if that was the problem. Off to moisturize and then to work. Be strong, Brad

5,000 Snatch Progress Report

2009-06-07T14:55:00.000-07:00

An update from Brad:

I am pleased to report that athough we are very busy getting ready for the arrival of our new baby, I am right on track to reach my goal of 5,000 snatches in 10 weeks. I am trying to get ahead, because the baby is going to arrive before I am done and so far that's working. As to my secondary goal of doing as many long cycle clean & jerks as I could in 10 minutes, I found that I needed to scale back my expectations a bit and so I have been doing a mixture of those, regular jerks, and swings to build up my endurance. I found that I don't really have time for a second workout and 10 minutes of cleans and jerks on top of 10 minutes of snatces is more than I can handle right now. So that's where it's at for now and I feel Grrrrrreat about it! Thanks Gregg & Kerry for your encouragement over the years.

Thanks, Brad, for sharing your progress and strategies for what's working - what a beast of a workout!

Brad Taylor - Welcome to the 10,000 Swing Challenge Club!

2009-05-26T17:41:00.001-07:00

The following is an email sent to me by Brad Taylor, the newest member to the 10,000 KB Swing Challenge Club:

Back around March 28th I was wondering how to get consistent inprovement in my workouts and I happened upon Kerry's blog. I had not looked at it in awhile so I reread the stuff about the 10,000 swing challenge and I decided to try it. Not being wasteful, I decided to include all the stuff I had done since January 1rst, which came to about 375 swings and so it began. I started incorporating swings into my run between laps at the track and slowly advancing. I decided to look at Kerry's blog again because I had seen something about snatches counting as 2 swings and I like to maximize my effort so I did snatches instead and I am happy to say that I completed my challenge on May 15th. On May 16th I started my 5,000 snatch challenge which I hope to complete in a 10 week time frame, while also increasing the number of snatches done in a row. aside from that I am doing a seperate short workout at a different time consisting only of long cycle clean & jerks with no goal other that to do as many as I can in a 10 minute time frame. I am happy to say that the method worked and I recommend it to anyone for improving work out discipline. Thanks and good health!
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Brad Taylor

KB Instructor Certification

2009-05-26T17:33:00.001-07:00

After many student/client requests, Gregg and I will be offering a KB Instructor Certification this coming Sunday, May 31 through a new organization we started, the Northern California Kettlebell Association (NCKBA).

The focus of the NCKBA Certification is on teaching. While it is important that NCKBA Certified Instructors are able to successfully demonstrate the exercises, their abilities to support their clients in being able to do the exercises on their own is more important.

For more information about the NCKBA Certification, click here.

Reaching 10,000 Swings!

2009-04-28T18:53:00.000-07:00

I started the swing challenge back on October 2, 2008, about a month after I started training with Gregg. I had poked around Kerry’s blog and thought that having a goal was a great idea to keep me motivated and consistent with my workouts. It worked! I reached my goal on April 12, 2009 after swinging for over 6 months. And I'm still going strong.

Here's one simple practice that kept me on track and created inevitability with my 10K swing vision.

Since I had scraps of paper piled up with my swing totals for my workouts, I decided that having a journal would make this easier and much more fun. I used a composition book (which I don't recommend because all the pages got loose and are falling out) and listed all my swing numbers by date and total and then kept a running total. I created a fun inside cover using crayons and writing uplifting and empowering words of encouragement.

I also wrote at different times about how I was feeling as a result of my KB workouts and what other changes I was noticing with my attitude, energy level, and overall happiness with life. I always felt stronger, clearer, and ready to meet whatever showed up as a result of completing my KB workout that morning. While the growing swing numbers were exciting to watch, the real win was the transformation I noticed in my life after the bell was put down.

In addition to my totals and inner thoughts, my journal included a date of May 17, 2009 to reach my 10,000 goal and I actually got there 5 weeks early! I had clearly underestimated how I would progress and get stronger as the weeks passed.

I think this next idea was a key step for me. Within my larger 10,000 goal, I set smaller goals like 1500 for three weeks that I also recorded in my journal in different colors. I really made this fun and upbeat because ultimately I was the one who was going to have to pick up that kettle bell and make it happen. Hitting these smaller numbers was very encouraging and also ensured that I wasn't going to be a week from my goal and having to cram in 3000 swings in 7 days.

Now it wasn't all smooth sailing even though I did have an inner discipline that definitely made the practice easier and consistent. There were days when I didn’t even want to think about picking up that bell; it just seemed so heavy. Sometimes I did it anyway and just aimed for 4 sets of 25 swings for 100. That was easily do-able and was still considered a a workout. I made steady progress by paying attention to what my body was up for at that time. If I went three or four days between sessions, so what? I knew the next day could be a record-breaker! No making myself feel bad about taking breaks.

So make it fun! Get creative about tracking your progress in a journal and include lots of praise in the margins! Listen to your body and remember that every swing counts!

Look forward to sharing more about my Inner Grrr journey!

Congratulations, Karen!!!!

2009-04-12T20:38:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the newest member of the 10,000 swing challenge club: Karen McGinn!!! I have asked Karen to write about her experience and have added her as an author on this blog.

Also, I have set up a website, though haven't made much progress on it yet, devoted to the 10,000 swing challenge: www.kbswingchallenge.com. Soon, I will be listing some of our new swing t-shirts on there.

Congratulations, again, Karen - what a wonderful accomplishment!!!!!

Inner Grrr™ T-shirts

2009-01-25T18:28:00.000-08:00

I've had an inspiration for awhile now to design Inner Grrr™ t-shirts. Funny how the end of the year provides that little extra push to follow through on year-long ideas! (another impetus was that Gregg had Kacia's name for my family's holiday party and we couldn't think of any better gift!)

I spent a Sunday in December sketching out some ideas, then found both an artist and a t-shirt company right here in Novato! The results are what you see here - I am very pleased, and, as you can see by Kacia, the Lil Grrr!, it worked out pretty well for her, too!

We're going to have these available at our upcoming seminars, and I am continuing to work on some additional designs, including some for men. If you are interested in ordering one of these designs (currently only available in women's sizes), let me know, and I'll send you one. The cost is $20 each, which includes taxes and postage. The sizes are a little small - most of these shown are L and XL, which seem to fit most women (mine is the blue one in L, which fits me perfectly).

The Best Workout is a DONE Workout

2008-12-14T15:36:00.000-08:00

What a year this has been! If you are like me, then you are wondering how it could possibly be December already. The end of the year always seems to be the time when we review all of our intentions for the year and see how we did. Invariably, we have some that we met and some that we didn't meet. It is human nature to beat ourselves up more for the things that we started and didn't finish (or, didn't even start!) rather than acknowledge all of the things that we did do, and the good habits that we continued.

I came across this quote from Elbert Hubbard recently:

Cultivate only the habits that you are willing should master you.

I started out 2008 feeling really good and on top of things. It seemed to get busier as the year went on, culminating in a very busy and stressful fall, especially with regard to project timelines and staff turnover at work. In some ways, the stress was more acute and intense than in previous years, but yet I feel that I have also been more healthy this year than ever before.

So, as I've been reflecting on how things have gone this year and what are the things that I have done well, and, especially, what are the things that I have done better than ever before, one of the primary differences this past year has been regular practice of KB swings.

In 2007, I introduced the idea of the the 10,000 swing kettlebell challenge. The purpose of the challenge was to have a large goal that required creating a habit of regularly swinging the kettlebell to achieve it. Once I met this goal in 2007, I decided to keep going and see how high I could go for the year - I ended 2007 completing 25,064 swings. I did this with a few hundred swings per workout, a few days/week.

When I started 2008, I capitalized on this habit created in 2007, and started the year doing 100-200 swings per workout for 2-4 workouts per week. I kept track of the number of swings that I did per workout - sometimes, I felt like doing more swings, other times I didn't feel like doing as many. But, every time I did swings, I wrote down the number that I did, and, on an average of 3 days/week for most of the year, even when I didn't feel like doing a workout, I said to myself, "Can you at least do 50?" (incidentally, there was only one workout, where I did fewer than 50, when I only did 40 for that workout, but, at least it was something). I remember one day feeling a little disappointed that my body was not feeling much like working out, that that it was a little struggle to even do 50 swings. But Gregg told me, "That counts. And, it's done. The best workout is a done workout."

Very true. And, a good perspective. So, I kept at it as much as I felt that I was able and wanted. And, I ended up the year completing 30,000 swings for the year. I was a little surprised in early September, when I reached 25,000 swings for the year, and realized that I would get to 30,000 swings for the year. I was surprised because it seemed relatively easy, just a couple hundred swings per workout a couple days a week.

Now that might seem like a lot to you, if your current goals are 20 swings per workout. But, just start from where you are, and set an obtainable goal from there, and once you reach it, then set another, then another. If you are doing 20 swings per workout, then set a goal of reaching 1,000. Don't time-bound it, just say "I'm going to do 1,000 swings," then record the total number that you do per workout and see how it goes. Once you reach 1,000, then set a goal of 5,000, then 10,000, etc. You will be absolutely amazed at how the goal almost seems to achieve itself, and at the same time, you are building a fantastic life habit.

One of the most amazing things as I reflect on this past year, is that I managed to get by without any illnesses and, even more amazing, few days feeling "under the weather." I know that I tend to get sick when coming out of a period of being very stressed, and that during the stressful period, that I often get to a point where I feel too busy to workout. However, when it started to get really busy this year, and I felt that I was too busy to workout, I would stop myself and say, "How can I say I don't have time to workout, when I can do swings in 5 minutes." And, I could usually find 5 minutes.

I told Gregg about reaching 30,000 swings for this year, and he asked if I tracked that by month. I had not, but it was easy enough to go back and add up the number completed by month. My most stressful months with work were Sept-Nov, which is evident in my swing patterns:

19,000 swings were done in the first 1/2 of the year,
3,300 swings in August,
2,500 in September,
1,000 in October
600 in November
1,100 in December

I think that this is a good pattern. When life is really stressful, we have to adjust the stressors we put on the body to stay strong and healthy. If we don't adjust the input of stressors and give our bodies a break when they need it, then our bodies will manufacture a way to get rest - injury or illness. So, I feel really good about how the year has ended - I blew past my goal of 25,000 swings, see the potential for completing 35,000 swings in a year, and stayed healthy, despite some pretty significant stressors this year!

On another note, I have also recently been working on another of my goals, which is to create some Inner Grrr™ and 10,000 swing challenge t-shirts. I will keep you apprised of when those will be ready for purchase, if you are interested.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season, and joy and creativity as you develop your resolutions for 2009! And, one final quote, a Greek proverb, that I will leave you with as you ponder acting on those resolutions in 2009:

The beginning is half of every action.

Survey Results: What is your 2008 New Year's resolution?

2008-03-19T21:18:00.001-07:00

5 responded to the most recent survey - the results are below (they could chose more than one response). The question: "What is your 2008 New Year's resolution?"

4 chose "Make changes in how I feel"
3 chose "Make changes in how I look"
1 chose "Improve my personal relationships"
1 chose "Get more recognition in my work or business"
1 chose "Be less scheduled and more relaxed"
1 chose "Learn something new"
0 chose "Reconnect with something I used to do"

I guess it is not too surprising that the people who read this blog would be interested in making changes to how they feel, because Inner Grrr™ is all about feeling invincible, finding and using your inner power and inner voice to be unstoppable!

I came across this great recently from Marian Wright Edelman:

"We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee."

I felt that this quote was so profound. When I look back on myself at several earlier points - junior high, high school, college, graduate school, etc., there were so many little experiences that I had along the way that helped me to define small preferences, that, over time, have defined the trajectory of my life in all areas.

I also see how this quote can almost be a prescription for any goals that we may have. It is the slow, steady progress that we make each day, which, when we stop one day to take a look, realize just how far we've come.

So, keep up your steady ongoing progress in the direction that you want to go, and, see if you can find a way to track what you are doing, whether it is recording the number of swings that you are doing each workout, how much water that you are drinking each day, how many days you went for a walk, how many hours of sleep you got each night, how many times that you did your favorite activity, or how many times you complimented yourself or had an appreciative thought about yourself.

Weight, Workouts are Fluctuating Things

2008-01-28T06:59:00.000-08:00

It is an interesting thing how we can play tricks on ourselves when it comes to how we think about our bodies and our workouts. I think that I used to have a perception that my weight and body shape would stay at a target level, or if it did go in a direction, that it would be the way I didn't want it to go and the only way to bring it back would involve drastic measures. Even after knowing at a thinking level that weight and body shape naturally fluctuate, I would still get caught into the mindset that if I hit a stretch where I'm not doing much of a workout for a couple of weeks (maybe coupled with eating a lot, such as over the holidays or while traveling), and I put on a couple of pounds or don't fit as well into clothes as I did even 10 days ago, that I would almost feel like I've lost the battle of staying where I was, so I'd let myself go even a little longer without getting back into my good daily lifestyle habits.

But, weight and body shape are fluctuating things, and not only is it not possible to keep them exactly the same for long stretches of time, it is not desirable either. The cells in your body are constantly regenerating - building up the new and breaking down and releasing the old. So, the good news is that if you've let things slip a little and are starting to see the evidence of that, you can facilitate the process back the other way with a little bit of moderation and exercise.

Some strategies to ease bringing your weight and body shape back where you want it:

Look at how much water you're drinking on a daily basis - the best thing that I have found for myself is to drink 2-16 oz glasses of water first thing in the morning. My body just seems to love it, and I end up eating less throughout the day. I think that a lot of eating throughout the day is because my body is a little dehydrated, which seems like hunger or a need for comfort (do you know anyone who eats to feel better... )
How much sleep are you getting? When I'm not getting enough sleep, my workouts aren't as good, I don't drink as much water, and I don't eat well. Also, not getting enough sleep seems to kick my body into survival mode, so it is even harder to get my body to make the changes that I want.
Changing the time of day that you are eating and varying how much you eat. By changing the time of day that I eat, my body gets out of the habit of telling me when to eat because of habit and ritual, and more when I need to eat because I am authentically hungry. Additionally, I especially try to push back when I have a protein shake for breakfast, and on weekend days when it works in my schedule, I'll put off breakfast/lunch as long as possible - sometimes until 1 or 2 in the afternoon. Of course, I also try to get even more sleep in the weekends - I try for 10 or 12 hours. And, yes, I can be hungry when I get up from that, but I drink 2-3 big glasses of water (32-50 oz), and that often takes care of it.
Eating just one big meal/day. Most days when I am at home or the office, I feel good with very small breakfast and lunch (which also helps me drink a lot of water throughout the day), then a big dinner. This is sometimes more difficult to do when traveling, especially when changing time zones. But, if my noon meal is the big one, then I try to stay with just an appetizer or salad or trail mix for dinner - just enough food that I won't be too hungry to sleep. This also helps me to eat slowly and drink lots of water while I'm eating, which helps my body cope with the stresses of traveling.
Start again with a little bit of exercise. The tendency after being away from working out is to overdo it and to make up for 10 days of inactivity with 1 super-workout (which may make you too sore to workout again for several more days). So, instead, just ease back into it - do 1/2 what you would normally do with a lower weight. If you're not sore, great! Maybe you'll want to do a little more the next day.

Quote from Abraham Lincoln

2008-01-17T06:22:00.000-08:00

"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to success is more important than any other one thing."

Reaching 25,000 swings

2008-01-13T14:10:00.000-08:00

Before leaving town for a holiday vacation in December, I reached my goal of completing 25,000 KB swings for the year! Granted, I didn't start the year with that goal, but, once I reached 10,000 swings, I set incremental goals of 5,000 more, then 5,000 more, etc., until reaching 25,000 was easily within reach.

As I reflected on this achievement, what three things occurred to me:

the importance of setting a goal,
the importance of setting easily achievable (based on past performance) incremental goals, and
the importance of tracking my progress.

Let's start with the the third one. If I had started out last year with the goal of reaching 25,000 swings, I might have gotten discouraged before I ever got started! Instead, I just decided to start writing down and tracking my workouts, and I started tracking swings separately from the rest of my workouts in a way that I could easily keep a running total across all workouts.

Once I started to keep track and see my progress, and get an idea of what was reasonable for me, then I started to set little mini goals for myself, such as "I want to get to 1,500 by the end of February." As I reached each of those mini goals, I was soon within reach of getting to 10,000 by mid-year. So, my confidence at reaching the bigger goals grew as I got closer.

One of the most fascinating things to me about doing this was how I gained momentum as the year progress. Out of the 25,000 swings for the year, 10,000 were completed between January 15 and July 14 (6 months) and 15,000 were completed between July 15 and December 16 (5 months).

Finally, the importance of setting a goal. This was most helpful on those days when I didn't especially feel like working out or felt that I didn't want to take time out of my busy schedule for a workout. Because I had this goal that I knew I could only reach with incremental progress, I could usually talk myself into a short swing workout - especially when I remembered that it only takes 5 minutes to do 200 swings (and half as long to do half as many). That made it a lot harder to talk myself out of working out!

So, tracking your slow, incremental progress with intermediate goals, and you are well on your way to getting to your large goals (and, all the benefits that come with it).

And, in case you are wondering, yes, I do have some workouts that the total number I completed that day was 10 or 20, but, they all added up in the long run toward my big goals!

How to Hang Onto Workouts Over the Holidays

2007-12-02T20:35:00.000-08:00

If you are like me, you are already feeling the busy-ness of the end-of-year holidays! Oh yes, that time of year when we eat too much, and have more work, shopping, errands, and traveling than usual, all with getting less sleep.

So, the big question: How can I keep my healthy habits over the holidays?

Well, no magic answers here. For many of you, trying to keep your workouts and good eating habits, etc, will cause you more stress than letting yourself go a little. I think that the two best things to focus on over the holidays are to get as much sleep as you can and drink a lot of water. Stress and travel are both dehydrating, so drinking lots of water will help your body deal with stress. Additionally, we sometimes overeat when we are actually dehydrated, so, drinking water will help you eat less over the holidays.

Regarding your workouts, it is actually beneficial for your body to take breaks from working out from time to time. I usually take 7-10 days off of doing a weighted workout over the holidays. But, I do some basic joint exercises/mobility drills each day and take at least a few 20-30 min walks (yes, even when I'm in Iowa and it is brisk outside - I just bundle up with lots of clothes!).

Best of luck for warm, restful, and joyous end to 2007!

Swings, swings, swings, swings, swings...

2007-10-27T17:16:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe that my last entry was really 2 months ago! A lot has happened since then:

Gregg was interviewed by Zegee, the "World's Largest Health & Wellness Community."

We taught stretching and kettlebell classes in Sacramento in September. Our next seminar in the Bay Area will be at Crossfit in Oakland on Dec 8.

We took a vacation in the mountains in Colorado, where we did some personal training sessions and taught classes in stretching and kettlebells. At the KB class, Harvey and his son Dallas DeLaRosa (who both have perfect KB technique!) assisted with the class (see pix of Dallas below).

Tammy DeLaRosa (Harvey's wife and Dallas' mom) completed the 10,000 swing challenge!!!! Way to go Tammy!!!! They showed me her tracking sheet - just regular steady progress of a few hundred swings/week resulted in 10,000 swings within 7 months.

Lynette in Sacramento decided to take the 10,000 swing challenge and keep us apprised of her progress.

Gregg and I took first and second degree Reiki classes, followed by 10 sessions each where we practiced on each other, friends, and family. We become certified Reiki therapists last weekend, and have added that component to our business... mind-body connection anyone... :)

Thanks to such wonderful comments and feedback from previous students, we were featured on the Dragon Door Forum (actually, the ever-amazing Anne was highlighted).

And, I went over 20,000 swings for the year (ahhh, my secret goal is to reach 25,000 by the end of the year...). Incidentally, in the latest issue of Hard Style magazine, Pavel was asked in an interview (p. 3) to pick his 5 essential KB exercises. Any guesses as to what he said? His answer was that swings are the only "essential" KB exercises, "everything else is just icing on the cake."

Dallas, assisting at our Denver KB class...

... demonstrating the KB swing...

... demonstrating the Military Press...

... demonstrating a proper, low squat...

Anne's inspiration

2007-08-21T09:04:00.000-07:00

We just received this comment on one of our YouTube videos (see video below):

Hurray! An ordinary person demonstrating an exercise move! It's reassuring to have people of varied levels of fitness and different body shapes doing exercise demos - the hard bodies may be inspirational to many, but there's also a sense of unattainability. Having a good mix of body types and abilities really makes a difference.

Anne, the woman in the video, is 68 years old and has been building her strength capacity working out with KBs for 2.5 years. She is currently 1-hand swinging the 16 kg KB.

Thank you, Anne, for your inspiration to us all!!!

Suzanna flipping the 88 lbs kettlebell

2007-08-14T22:20:00.000-07:00

Here's something to check out - she definitely has found her Inner Grrr™!

The Most Common Swing Mistake

2007-08-06T22:13:00.000-07:00

I think that the most common mistake that people make in KB swings is dropping their hips rather than keeping them high and pulling them straight back. When you drop your hips, you are also curtailing your power in two ways:

You are reducing the range of the backswing or "wind-up" of your hips.
You are wasting force in your legs, which gets absorbed by your knees.

In my experience, the reasons why there is a tendency to want to drop the hips while swinging is habit (many of us have been taught to unnaturally keep our backs straight when squatting, which compromises knee alignment), and because of tight hamstrings.

For someone with tight hamstrings, a proper swing, with hips pulled high and back, feels at best uncomfortable, and, at worst painful. The good news, though, is that with regular practice of a proper KB swing, you'll fix your tight hamstring problem!

Note that by pulling the hips high and back, the shins stay straight, with no impact on the knees, and maximum power:

This slower version shows the effect of keeping the hips high, for no impact on the knees, and a nice, fluid swing for long sets:

Starting Early...

2007-07-31T00:07:00.000-07:00

Check out the Inner Grrr™ in this young man, Jacob. He is the 4 year old son of our good friends, students, and overall good people, Harvey and Tammy. Looks to me like he is really keeping up with his two older siblings!

(Click on the link above, then click on "View Slideshow")

200 swings in 5 minutes?!

2007-07-23T23:17:00.000-07:00

I recently learned that it only takes 5 minutes to do a set of 200 swings. Seems a little odd, doesn't it? Seems like it should take longer.

I first timed myself last week, out of curiosity. Gregg didn't believe me at first, so, I did another 200-swing set, with him watching the clock. And then he believed me :) I was doing 1-handed swings, at first alternating after 5 reps with each hand, then after 2, then (and for most of them) switching after each rep.

One of the reasons that it was so surprising to the both of us was because when I swing, it feels pretty relaxed and casual (see my "Swinging for long sets" entry).

Lately, that has been my preferred workout - 1-2 sets of 200-300 swings most mornings. It's been fun, and, I'm making progress toward my 25,000 swing challenge goal :)

10,000 swings!

2007-07-15T23:54:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I reached my goal of completing the 10,000 swing challenge since I started keeping track on January 28! Actually, the last 5,000 swings were completed in the past 2 months, as things got really busy with work and I decided to streamline my workout to mostly swings. Doing a set of 100, 200, even 300 swings is no problem and takes less than 15 minutes (the trick is to have on music that makes you want to dance!). Once I realized that, I could no longer tell myself that I didn't have time in the morning to do a workout before work :)

Now, I'm eager to see how long before I get to 25,000!

My Month of Purging (the 16-pound plan)

2007-07-12T23:09:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy spring and early summer for me personally, with KB seminars, and with my job (hence the delayed posts... :) When I get stressed and busy, especially around work, my workouts fall away, I overeat, I don't drink enough water, and my bedtime is inconsistent (if I go to bed at all). You could say that I get a little obsessive about work, and you would be right! Last winter, I instituted a lot of positive habits, which I was determined to maintain this spring, no matter how busy my work was.

I was doing pretty well with this, but decided to take things up a notch. Over the past few months, I had been contemplating doing a health cleanse. Two family weddings in early July, however, provided me with an obtainable goal - June would be a month of cleansing.

Cleanse Routine and Diet:
I obtained a cleanse formula from my acupuncturist, although I made some modifications to their prescribed plan. This was the routine I followed:

I started with 2 days of "pre-cleanse," where I had an 8 oz protein shake in rice milk with essential fatty acids for breakfast, a 16 oz protein shake in water for lunch, and a modest serving of garlic steamed veggies and curry couscous for dinner. I also consciously increased my water intake on those days, especially if I felt hungry throughout the day. I allowed myself 1/2 Tbsp of unsalted pumpkin seeds and chopped almonds for a snack once per day, if needed.
Then, I had 2 days of "cleanse," where I drank 1/2 cup of the prescribed cleanse formula (comprised of herbs and fruit juice; 40 calories per serving) 4 times throughout the day. I also allowed myself 1/2 Tbsp of unsalted pumpkin seeds and chopped almonds for a snack 1-2 times per day to help with hunger. My water intake was about 8-10 16 oz glasses of water. Whenever I felt hungry, I drank a big glass of water before deciding whether to have my snack. I also allowed myself 1-2 cups of my favorite hot tea: Guayaki Orange Blossom Mate. And, I took 1-2 B-complex tablets throughout the day to help with diminished energy. One of the reasons for diminished energy is that the multi-vitamin and multi-mineral that I normally take is highly bio-available. In fact, it dissolves and absorbs so quickly that it will make me nauseous on an empty/near empty stomach, so I decided to fore go it on the days where my calories were significantly restricted. (Our vitamin/mineral brand is USANA, which we have been taking since 1998, with very good results.)
I followed this with a week of basically all "pre-cleanse" days, though I did allow myself a 1 or 2 "cheat" days where I had breakfast and then 1 larger meal later in the day, such as Indian or Chinese. But, I followed this principle - at least one 16 oz glass of water before the meal and another halfway through the meal. I ate significantly less than I would have otherwise eaten, just because of drinking more water.
Over the remaining 3 weeks of the month, I basically followed the "pre-cleanse" routine, with the exception of 2 other non-consecutive "cleanse" days. Our friends Alison and Eric also introduced us to Dr. Schulze's Superfood Plus formula, and I started to drink a 1/2 serving dissolved in water every morning before my protein shake. This formula tastes like grass, but it is loaded with B vitamins and really helped to jump start my day in an even way, which especially helped with the morning workouts.
To address hunger in the evenings after dinner, I drank more water, and also just went to bed early.

Workout:
These modifications to my diet addressed my overeating and dehydration. I also changed my workout routine. First, I moved my workouts to the morning, before going to work. I seem to need some "piddling" time in the morning right after I wake up. Rather than disrupting that need, I got up just a little earlier than usual, drank the Superfood, did some joint exercises, then did 15 minutes of KBs. I really streamlined my workouts to either be (a) heavy deadlifts followed by 10 sets of 10 high/full swings, (b) military press and squats followed by a set of 100+ fluid swings, or (c) 1-2 sets totaling 200+ swings. I did this at least 5 mornings/week. This worked well for me because I have a flexible work schedule - in fact, changing my work schedule to 9:30 AM - 7 PM gave me a much more desirable commute!

Switching workouts to mornings also helped me have more consistent workouts - when I was doing weekday workouts in the evenings, I frequently came home so late that it was time to have dinner, maybe go for a walk, then get ready for bed. Or, if I did come home at a more reasonable time, either my mind was still too wrapped around work to be able to lift safely, or I wanted to spend my time with Gregg. So, the morning workouts were definitely doing it for me!

The final adjustment regarding workouts was to go for walks with Gregg most evenings. Our nightly walk took about 20 minutes, and was also a great time to connect with each other :)

Sweets, Alcohol, Chips/Bread, etc
I purposely timed this "cleanse" to schedule around important events like the Novato Greek Festival, because I just have to have the baklava :)

Prior to the cleanse, I had fallen into a pretty regular habit of indulging frequently in chocolate chip cookies, but it was surprisingly easy during my purge month to not indulge in any sweets except on a few limited occasions. Same for alcohol - there were just a few times during June where I had a glass of wine while we were out with friends. And, I don't normally eat many chips or bread products, so it was easy to cut these out completely for the month. The interesting thing was that I didn't even want to have sweets, alcohol, chips or bread. I think this was in part due to drinking more water, but I also think in part to just the cleansing process.

More Energy!
What was most surprising to me was how much more energy I had, especially the day after a cleanse. Makes sense - my body was spending less energy on digestion, and, I started to realize how much chronic overeating, even just a little, was sucking away my energy.

16-pound plan
The cleanse booklet suggested taking measurements and recording weight before starting the cleanse. I didn't bother, as my body has not changed much in the past 14 years. My weight has pretty much stayed the same, even as my body composition has changed (I got a little smaller and stronger over time - all most evident in my shoulders and back).

But, I wish that I had taken measurements. I weighed myself, almost by accident, sometime before Memorial Day. I don't even own a scale, but had weighed myself at my acupuncturist's office. Out of curiosity, I weighed myself again on July 12. I was stunned - 16 pounds lighter! Maybe it wasn't so stunning, considering how small my upper body now looked and that I could comfortably fit back into clothes that I have not worn for 2 years. And, I still have my strength, and, in fact, feel even stronger. During this month of cleansing, my military press improved from 1 rep on my left (3 on the right) with the 16 kg KB, to 3-4 reps per set on both sides. Windmilling the 24 kg KB feels just as easy as always.

My New Habits
I think that the following are the most important things that I learned and positive habits that I established during my cleanse month:

Fewer calories (now averaging about 1500-1600 per day as opposed to 1800-2200 per day)
A higher proportion of calories from protein - 50% or more of my breakfast and lunch calories are from protein; my new snack of choice is raw pumpkin seeds or almonds
Minimal amounts of fruit, even fresh fruit - I learned that animals stock up on fruit in late summer and fall to put on extra fat for winter; if I'm craving something sweet, it is okay to have a small portion of fruit
Water, water, water - my goal is 6-8 16 oz glasses/day (I spend a lot of time on the computer, and that is a major dehydrator)
Just because I feel hungry, doesn't mean that I need to eat, or even that I am hungry - drink water first, consider whether my body thinks I'm hungry because this is the time I normally eat, or go to bed, if that is an option
It is easier for me to plan to do a little bit of workout everyday then to try to do bigger workouts 3 times/week - if something comes up to disrupt my workout, or, I just don't feel up to it that day; even if I miss 1-2, I will still get in 4-6 workouts for the week. And, scheduling a little workout in the morning and the evening is a nice way to bookend my day - a nice routine to go with my morning "piddling" and a nice routine for closing out the day.

Some Final Musings...
One of the things that was really striking to me about this was the effect of keeping this routine for a month, especially with the extra cleanse days on the 3rd and 4th weeks. I started to notice a difference in the first 2 weeks of the cleanse (and, originally, was only going to do the first 2 weeks). But, I felt so good, that I decided to continue for the rest of the month. And the result was astonishing - the effect multiplied during the 3rd week and again during the 4th week. I was not expecting that.

And, the other thing that I had not been expecting was just how good I felt throughout the cleanse and how much energy that I had. It was not hard to minimize sweets, alcohol, breads, etc., because they just didn't appeal to me. I felt that they would suck away some energy and I just felt that I wanted to keep my diet streamlined, because it just felt so good. This is going to make it easy for me to maintain these good habits!!!

Harvey's Double Kettlebell Snatch

2007-03-24T19:31:00.000-07:00

I have always enjoyed lifting heavy weights. But when I met Gregg and Kerry almost 2 years ago and started lifting kb's I was in for a real eye opener. Once I started kb's, I could only snatch a 24kg 2x7 [2 sets for 7 reps]. But I have since snatched 1 24kg 60 times per hand. After discovering double kb snatches, I thought it would be a good challenge and something to work for. There really was no secret in achieving double kb snatches, just a lot of basic kb excercises [swings, cleans and jerks etc.] and a lot of hard work [see the photos below]. I now do 3 sets x 5-8 reps once a week or evey other week. My goal is to be able to double snatch 2 32kg kb's in about 6-8 months, but if it doesn't happen, no problem, I'll just keep doing what I love to do and continue to improve. Thanks for everything Gregg and Kerry!

Submitted by email to Kerry from Harvey

Tammy's Swing Challenge Progress

2007-03-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

I was introduced to the kettlebell after my husband, Harvey, discovered Gregg and Kerry. At first, I was not really interested because I thought what I was doing (weights and running) was good enough for me and was not excited about a change. About a year ago, I became bored and tired of the sore muscles and decided to work kb's into my regular weights and running routine.

The kb swing became my favorite because I could instantly feel it working my weaker link (my rear!). Since then, I have attended Gregg and Kerry's workshop in Denver and started the 10,000 kb challenge. I am proud to say that I will be at the 2,000 swing mark at the end of next week. I use the 16kg and mix up the swings with 1 hand alternates, darc swings, and the 2 hand swing.

I no longer do conventional weight lifting and have replaced it with kettlebells, running, and body weight exercise along with joint mobility exercises. I am nearly 37 years old with 3 children and feel better now than I have since high school. Thank you Gregg and Kerry!!

Tammy
(submitted by email to Kerry)

from Anne...

2007-03-22T19:51:00.000-07:00

Working with the kettle bell has been an amazing journey for me. As Kerry pointed out, I never did anything athletic in my life and when she met me I couldn't even bend my knees due to advanced arthritis. What I must add is that I could never have done this without her. She has been the best trainer I could ever have had. Normally I can't even stand the idea of a trainer let alone pushing myself beyond my capacity. But there was something so wonderful about how she started with where I was, showed me what I was actually capable of doing, and worked with me over time so that I moved into what I can do now naturally and with grace, without ever having had a moment of pushing too hard. I ended up falling in love with the way I was feeling and with my exercise routine so I seldom miss it. And it keeps getting better.

(submitted via email to Kerry by Anne Morton)

The forgotten lunge...

2007-03-20T16:45:00.000-07:00

So while I do love Gregg's favorite, I like movement to get rid of stress. But I have been so inconsistent with my exercising, and my legs have been getting a little cottage cheesy (as much as I have been trying to deny it). So tonight I brought out the lunge. WOW. Talk about instant feeling of leg power! And even though I couldn't cure cottage cheese-ness in one workout, I feel like I am on my way!

Even if I have been slacking in my swing challenge...

Anne's KB Progress

2007-03-18T22:56:00.000-07:00

I saw Anne this past weekend, and she is doing great swinging the 16 kg KB (which is 35 pounds!). She is 68 yrs old and has been doing KBs now for 2 years - the only strength training she has ever done. She has wonderful form - notice that the power is coming from her hips in the video below. I had not seen Anne for about a year and a half, and she looked very different. She now moves very fluidly and gracefully, and overall is very comfortable in her body. She told me that she feels strong and has been able to keep arthritis pain in check with doing KB swings at least 3 times/week.

Way to go, Anne! You inspire us all!

Inner Grrr™ side press demo

2007-03-16T18:19:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share this video from YouTube - a strong, petite woman doing a side press with the 24 kg KB - you can see that she is accessing her Inner Grrr™ to get through the sticking point!

Gregg's Favorite Exercise

2007-03-08T20:25:00.000-08:00

Here are some pix from Gregg doing his favorite exercise, the one-legged deadlift, progressing from the ground to almost a complete lockout position on top, first with 1 KB, then with 2. Click here to read why this exercise is his favorite.

Congratulations to Eva on Reaching 10,000 Swings!

2007-03-07T21:59:00.000-08:00

Eva completed her 10,000 swing challenge yesterday - 10,037 swings in 6 weeks! Way to go!!!! Read about it here.

I've been thinking some about what I like so much about the 10,000 swing challenge. Here are some of my thoughts (as always, I'd love to hear yours :)

Gives you a goal to work toward. By specifying how many you want to do in a specific time frame, you create a deadline, which, for some, can be a real motivator for getting things done.
Gets you into the regular practice of working out. You've set your deadline and the goal is big enough that you need to work at it steadily to accomplish it. It doesn't matter which weight you use - it's about getting it done. The swing challenge is a great way for beginners to get in the regular habit of kettlebelling or renewed motivation for those who have lost the KB habit.
Gets you into the regular habit of recording your progress. Many of us who learned aerobics first, focused our workouts around time (ex: 20 or 30 min of cardio was often the base workout). Then, as we progressed to the weight machines and free weights, it became a lot of work to write down how much weight we did with each of the overwhelming number of exercises that we were doing. The swing challenge simplifies all of that - just write down the number of swings you did in each set and add that to what you did in your last workout. Or, subtract it from your total goal, which is exciting to see your progress. We all like to see how much progress we are making, and especially, to look back over time and see where we started and where we are now. It is important to recognize our progress and acknowledge the work we've done to achieve our goals!
Is straightforward. You don't need to spend workout time trying to figure out what you are going to do next. It's all swings. So, it is easy to know what you are going to do today for workout - the same thing you did yesterday :) Swings are the "bread-and-butter" exercise of kettlebell lifting. The swing challenge is something that you can always fall back on in between your strength-training cycles, or, if you prefer, you can forever tailor your workouts around a swing challenge. Swings have it all - strength, conditioning, and flexibility.
Builds the base for other movements. Swings are the most basic kettlebell exercise. Through so many swing repetitions, you are developing body awareness and learning how it feels when your whole body is working together. You are building functional strength because you are practicing proper lifting alignment with each repetition.
Is meditative. You are repeating the same exercise and don't have to think much about what you are doing, what you are going to do, etc., so you are refreshing your mind in the process!

Swinging for Long Sets

2007-03-01T07:32:00.000-08:00

Now that you have accepted the 10,000 swing challenge, here are some suggestions for easing into longer swing sets:

Relax into it. Start by relaxing your breathe. When we teach beginners to swing, Gregg and I emphasize a forceful breath to help the beginners develop body awareness with the KB, by associating a forceful exhale at the top with power from the hips and full extension of the hips forward. Now that you are more comfortable with your KB - you feel confident that you can hang onto it and you remember to pop your hips through on every repetition - you can slow down the pace of your swings for longer sets. Start by slowing down your breath - long inhales and long exhales. Sync your downward/backward swing with a long inhale, and your upward swing with a long exhale. Notice your jaw - you may be clenching it - remnants from your first encounter with the KB and your fears of swinging this chunk of iron! Relax your jaw, your shoulders, and your grip. Just keep enough tension in your grip to keep it in your hand. When I was training for the KB Cert, I often finished my KB workout with jogging a few laps around a track near our house. Gregg observed that I was really tight when I was running- clenching my jaw, fists, and shoulders - which the body associates with a distressed state, thereby working against my goal of building endurance. He suggested that I relax these areas, and the result was that I was able to jog further and longer without getting as winded as before. I still have to remind myself sometimes (both when jogging and swinging) to check for tension in my jaw, shoulder, and grip, but often, just by noticing those areas, I am able to relax them.
See yourself relaxing into it! Picture yourself having stamina for a long swing set. Picture yourself relaxed - like a runner in a marathon! Notice any areas of tension or anything that might be clenched and visually relax it.
Break up your count to keep your mind challenged. If you are doing one-handed swings, start by doing 10 with the left, then 10 with the right, then 9 with the left, then 9 with the right, and on and on. One way to easily get to 100 swings in one set is to "trick" yourself by first doing 2 sets of 10 with each hand, then a set of 5 with each hand - that's already 50 swings, so you are halfway there. Then, switch to several sets of 2 with each hand, then alternate every other hand for the last 10 or 20 swings. You just did a 100-swing set!
Listen to music that makes you want to dance. I have a playlist on iTunes with the Stones, Rick Springfield, Matchbox 20, and a bunch of 80's one-hit wonders. I sync my breathing and swings to the music and it actually feels easy to pound through multiple sets of 100 swings. After a while, you may notice that you feel almost graceful while you are swinging.
Develop a fluid rhythm. When I started to relaxed more into the swing, I realized that the natural movement of the arm holding the KB was to turn slightly inward at the bottom of the swing. I'll explain what I mean by this. When you are at the top of the swing, the handle of the KB is perpendicular to your chest, with your arm straight out in front of you, knuckles pointed up or away from you. As the KB starts to arc down, I noticed that it is most comfortable to turn my shoulder slightly in toward my body, such that the handle of the KB starts to become parallel with my chest. At the bottom of the downward arc, my elbow is bent outward slightly, such that my forearm is perpendicular to my body and my knuckles are facing my opposite leg. I'm not sure how clear this explanation is - check out the picture and video below. In addition, allow your body to naturally move a little from side and feel the weight shift from side to side in your feet. The whole movement becomes very fluid and graceful. This is a great way to feel more comfortable in your own skin!

Have proper rest between sets. The best way to rest is to stay on your feet and active - lightly bouncing or walking is best, but, most importantly keep active. If you are too gassed to walk around, whatever you do, please do not bend at the waist and lean forward with your hands on your thighs. KB swings stretch your back muscles and they are tired, making it harder for them to hold your vertebrae in alignment. If you need passive rest, lay on the floor on your stomach with your arms under you and your head up. This will keep your vertebrae in alignment while your back muscles recuperate. A great way to wind down after a heavy swing workout is to lie this way on the floor with an ice pack on your lower back. Do a crossword or read while in this position as an extra post-workout treat!

Be aware of any "sticky" places. When I first started doing long swing sets, I noticed that I had a sort of "sticking" place in my right hip. It helped to alternate frequently which hand was swinging and to ice the "sticky" spot afterwards. But, it wasn't going away. I mentioned this to my brother-in-law, who helps clients with bodywork alignment issues. He noticed that I was regularly turning my right leg out, even when just standing. He gave me some suggestions for getting my body back into alignment. The most important thing has been to be more aware of when my body is asymmetric and to correct it. What I've noticed is that my body alignment during KBs was fine - it was the rest of my life where it was off, including my body position when I am sleeping, driving, and working. Many of us spend a lot of time sitting, which is a difficult position for the lower back and hips, so we move things around to find different positions. We still haven't corrected the problem at the source, which is too much sitting and the ways we arrange our bodies to compensate for too much sitting. So, be aware - if you notice a "sticking" or sore point after a long swing set, then pay more attention to whether your body is symmetric in every day activities.

My Favorite Exercise

2007-02-28T09:54:00.000-08:00

I suppose that every guy, myself included, loves bench-pressing and military pressing and basically any type of pressing exercise, but to be honest, the exercise that has done the most for me is the 1-legged deadlift. I use two kettlebells and place one foot in between them. I grip the floor hard with my foot, tighten my leg, then fold over to the bells. First I lift the bell on the right for 2-3 reps, then the bell on the left, then both bells at once. This constantly changing, highly imbalanced load forces me to keep everything tight from my foot, through my leg and back, and into my grip. I can literally feel my nervous system cooking as I fight to keep my balance during each rep. Although it's a pulling exercise, the 1-legged dead has done more for my presses than any other single exercise, because it absolutely demands that you anchor to the floor at every second -- translate that into your presses, and your strength goes up immediately.

Launching the 10,000 Kettlebell Swing Challenge

2007-02-21T23:01:00.000-08:00

I first came up with the idea of this challenge when working with Eva, on of my kettlebell clients. She wanted an idea that would help her stay focused on consistently working out with her kettlebell. She likened her desire to when she was training for a marathon - she had a date that she needed to train by and a training plan for every week leading up to the marathon. So, I challenged her to completing 10,000 kettlebell swings in 6 weeks. For some, this may seem daunting, but, Eva was regularly doing 300 swings per workout, 5 days/week. Achieving 10,000 swings in 6 weeks would require just a little more effort than she was already doing.

A few days after I offered the challenge to her, I began talking with others about this idea and people really started to get excited, so I decided to share that on a wider scale.

There are no rules, per se, but here are some suggested guidelines for the 10,000 KB swing challenge:

If doing 10,000 swings feels impossible, then set your goal of reaching 1,000 swings, then 2,000, etc. Before long, you will be at 10,000!
Use whatever size kettlebell that you want to use.
Do your swings whenever you want - morning, afternoon, evening - you can break up your swing sets throughout the day, if you like.
Determine your time period goal based on your current swing capacity - if you currently do 100 swings per workout, 3 times per week for a total of 300 swings per week, then set a goal of completing 10,000 swings in 6 months. If you currently do 200 swings a week, then set a goal first of doing 1,000 swings in a month.
Pick a time period for the challenge that helps you stretch a little beyond what you currently swing per workout.
If you want to incorporate other ballistic exercises, you can exchange 2 cleans for 1 swing; 1 double clean for 1 swing; 1 snatch for 2 swings, etc.
Do your swings every day, every other day, once a week - whatever you want.
Have fun!

When I last talked with Eva on Feb 14 (3 weeks into her challenge), she was already over 5,000 swings!!! I began the swing challenge a few days after Eva and reached 2,000 earlier this week. I'm not going to catch Eva, but I'm well on my way to reaching 10,000!

I would love to hear from any of you who are working toward your swing goals and would like to showcase your progress, challenges, strategies, and suggestions. You can respond by creating a blog login, then clicking on "comment" at the bottom, or, you can email me your comments (kerry@kettlebellinstructor.com), and I'll be happy to post them.

To start things off, here are some comments from Kacia:

I saw your blog...awesome! I love kb...when I do them...because I can do them in my home and look at your website while I do kb!

I have completed my first 100, of the 10,000 swing challenge! 100 at a time, right? :)
I tell you what, that first 100 sure is taking me out, but that just means I definitely needed it...

Thanks for the idea! We shall see if I survive...

Here's a picture of Kacia a few years ago at the top of a windmill - Kac, if you give me one of you swinging the KB, I'll post it...

Response from Anne...

2007-02-20T22:41:00.000-08:00

Update from Anne from San Francisco:
The blog looks great, I have no idea how to put my input
on but feel free to add that I responded with:

I am now almost 68 and doing the swing with the 16 kilo
kettle bell single handed with ease!!!  And feeling more
and more energetic every day.

Please feel free to respond to this or any posts
on this blog. You can create a blogger login, or email
your comments to me (kerry@kettlebellinstructor.com)
and I'll be happy to post them for you. ~Kerry

Getting in touch with your Inner Grrr™...

2007-02-13T08:37:00.000-08:00

I decided to create this blog for those wanting support, encouragment, inspiration, and recognition for their "Inner Grrr™" experiences with kettlebells.

First, what are kettlebells? They are essentially black iron balls with handles. They are a Russian technology that is centuries old and was introduced in the U.S. by Pavel Tsatsouline in 2000-01. They are a highly efficient and effective tool for whole-body workouts and are, as one of our students recently remarked, "rockin' fun." My husband Gregg was fortunate to be in one of Pavel's first kettlebell classes in the U.S. and soon after became one of the first group of certified instructors. We've been doing kettlebell training (classes and personal training) ever since, and I finally went through the KB certification in 2005. Gregg and I have now trained thousands of students - in Minnesota, Arizona, Colorado, and Northern California, where we now live. From these experiences, I have observed something that I call an "Inner Grrr™."

What do I mean by Inner Grrr™? These are moments when people surprise themselves with what they can do. It is connecting with an inner primal place where they feel invincible and empowered, if even for a moment. But, it is a moment that changes them forever. Okay, so that sounds a bit floopy, but it is something that we observe repeatedly. The reason I say that it changes them forever, is because they immediately say, "I didn't know I could do that. If I can do that, then what else can I do?"

Finding the Inner Grrr™ is something that the kettlebell easily facilitates, because it is such a basic and primal exercise. It is a black iron ball, that looks intimidating, but that is exactly what makes it so satisfying once you feel that you can dominate it. My first "Inner Grrr™" moment was when I windmilled the 24 kg / 53 lb KB. Another one happened when I windmilled the 28 kg / 62 lb KB as a demonstration in one of Pavel's classes.

I've most readily seen "Inner Grrr™" in women, but not exclusively. I think that it has been most apparent in women because, in general, many women are not used to feeling strong and are not used to connecting with this primal place inside of themselves.

I have countless "Inner Grrr™" examples, and invite you to share your own. Here are some examples that stand out to me as "Inner GRRR™!":

Anne, from San Francisco, who at 66 yrs old, had never done strength training and never felt strong. Within a few months, she started swinging the 16 kg/35 lb KB!

Lynn, from Black Hawk, CO, who deadlifted 150 lbs of KBs in our strength class in Denver. After she did it, we told her how much it weighed and her eyes nearly popped out of her head!

Dawn, from Sacramento, who stunned herself and impressed everyone else when she cleaned the 28 kg / 62 lb KB in class!

Eva, from Emeryville, who, after swinging the 16 kg / 35 lb KB for 3 sets of 100 swings 5 times/week for a few weeks (yes, that is 1500 swings/week!), got a 24 kg / 53 lb KB and immediately did 2 sets of 100 swings each!

Shana from Denver, who won the respect of everyone when she military pressed the 20 kg / 44 lb KB in class!

Dallas, now 13 yrs old, is always amazing and always a pleasure to see what new feats he is accomplishing. Last fall, he showed us that he can now windmill the 24 kg / 53 lb KB. This year, he showed us that he has upgraded to snatching the 24 kg / 53 lb KB!!! (see photo, where he is getting a spot from his dad Harvey).

This blog is open to hearing about your "Inner Grrr™" experiences with KBs, as well as your questions. Also, I will be posting tips and will launch the "10,000 KB swing challenge" soon.