Hey all,
I am absolutely ecstatic to report that one of my big goals for the year (ok, it was for last year, but who's counting?) has now become a reality. Earlier last month, I was given my Art of Strength Kettlebell Instructorship through the man himself, Anthony Diluglio. Despite being an avid reader and researcher of all things health, fitness, strength, and conditioning, oddly enough this is the first fitness related certification I've ever achieved (though there are many others that I've considered over the years).
Anthony is the creator of Punch Gym, the first commercial Kettlebell gym in the country, and he's now expanded the Punch family to 15 official Punch Gyms nationwide (plus one in Canada). There are a lot of qualified kettlebell instructors out there, and nowadays there are numerous kettlebell trainer certifications out there as well. One of the things I love about Anthony's work is that he is so generous with his time and knowledge. I've been following Anthony's work through his Minute of Strength newsletter and by watching his FREE instructional videos on his website. While there's no substitute for 1 on 1 professional instruction, I've learned so much from watching Anthony's instructional videos (did I mention that they're FREE?) and practicing on my own.
Another thing that I think sets Anthony apart from many other kettlebell instructors out there is that as good as he is at teaching proper technique for kettlebell training, he doesn't stop there. Some sources for kettlebell instruction will get you very far with your technique, but then they'll leave you wondering, "OK, now what do I do when I get to the gym to work out?" Anthony was way ahead of the curve on this and is also responsible for creating some of the first work-along Kettlebell workout DVD's on the market. He's now expanded his product line to include downloadable workouts, workbooks, and even more DVD's. (his website is linked to the right if you wanna check it out).
I had the pleasure of attending one of Anthony's workshops sponsored by Perform Better in September of last year. While I had long held the goal of becoming a certified Kettlebell instructor, my goal for attending the workshop was to get an honest critique of my form in all of the basic kettlebell exercises. In short, I wanted to make sure I was doing everything right, since I'd never had any in person isntruction. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the seminar was going to be taught in an Instructor Certification format. Meaning, not only would we be learning how to correctly perform all the basic moves (Kettlebell Essentials, as Anthony calls em), but we'd also get to learn how to teach these routines to others. I'm a firm believer in learning by teaching, so I had a great time helping my fellow attendees out with their form and having them help me with mine.
Anthony offered each one of us the opportunity to take his "Art of Strength Essentials" test within one year of attending the workshop, so that we'd have ample time to go home and practice what we learned. Here is a video of me performing the test...
If what you see here looks fun, or looks like something you'd want to incorporate into your training, let me know. Even if what you see here looks completely nuts and you want to know what the actual benefit or purpose of this type of training is, ASK ME!
I'm fairly flexible as far as setting up times to work with people one on one or even in small groups. Most of my kettlebell collection is currently living at the school, and we're not necessarily stocked with kettlebells, so group classes beyond 3 or 4 people probably are not an option. I hope to set up some small workshops at the school for people who are interested. Mike Adrowski at the school has also recently completed his kettelbell certification through CrossFit, and we have a few other budding kettlebell aficionados at the school, so between us we could probably pull together enough kettlebells to get a halfway decent size workshop going.
As far as one-on-one training, one option that I think would work both for myself and any of you who want some kettlebell training is for you to work with me once a week or so, and then if and when you purchase your own kettlebells, we can discuss training options for you to do at home the rest of the week. I truly believe in the benefit of this training for overall fitness. If I had to choose only one piece of equipment to keep in my home gym, this would be it. So come on and give it a try!
