It’s wonderful to hear updates about extraordinary athletes like Master of Sport, Valentin Egorov and Jojo, our Brown Rowing Champ, but the quiet heros behind the scenes at the IC have just as much inspiration to offer our community… especially if you like to hear about women prioritizing their health and thriving in their fifties! Dedicated IC moms, Patricia, Debra, and Cameron–along with three other amazing women–love group training with Danielle every week. (So much so that their class has been at full capacity and closed to the public for some time now.) They have worked incredibly hard to achieve their goals over a consistent and significant amount of time. Each one of them has experienced body composition changes, increased strength levels, and a remarkable improvement in cardiovascular capacity. We are so proud of them!
Archive for May, 2009
Inspiration for National Women’s Health Week
Thursday, May 14th, 2009Russian Champion demos 32kg Snatch
Wednesday, May 13th, 2009Check out Valentin’s Website on Kettlebell Sport
Our friend Valentin Egorov recently won the semi-finals of the Russian Championships in the 60kg weight class. He was gracious enough to make this video for us amongst a grueling competition schedule (the finals of the Russian National Championships begins on June 1st).
In this video, Valentin is snatching 32kg. That is more than half his body weight being lifted with one hand, for high reps. Although his technique looks different than Valery’s or Pavlos’, you will notice that the key attributes of elite level lifting are intact and quite apparent:
1) The lockout. At the top of snatch, the bell is fixed, not moving – even slightly. Many people have yet to master this most important aspect of tempo lifting. Catherine Imes discussed this issue in detail recently. Unless you have a strong lockout, you can forget about increasing the load. One can probably get away with sloppy technique with a relatively light kettlebell, but the heavier weight will injure you if your lockout is lacking.
2) Economy of motion. Valentin is using just the appropriate amount of force for his body weight to leverage the bell along the intended trajectory – any less energy, the bell will not fly; any more energy, he gets gassed out early. This skill comes from doing thousands of reps, refining technique, and developing a kinesthetic awareness that is unique to his body structure and weight.
3) Consistency. Each rep looks like the one before it. The timing of the drop and the pull are the same for every rep. There is also an internal “rhythm” controlling independent physiological components so that they work in conjunction with one another. Elements such as speed, power, muscle contraction & relaxation, and breathing are timed so that they’re synced from one rep to the next.
I hope you find this helpful.
Best,
Steven
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We will be instructing the 2nd WKC Trainer Certification Course in California on Friday June 5, 2009.
Location:
Carlsbad Police Department
2560 Orion Way
Carlsbad, CA 92010
Click here for more information and registration.
Go JoJo!
Tuesday, May 12th, 2009
From Brown Women’s Crew News (thanks Anne!):
Women’s Crew Knocks Off Yale to Retain Nat and Anne Case Cup
Varsity Eight Captures Win by .1 Seconds
And check out JoJo’s incredible season:
May 2, 2009 – Women’s Crew Knocks Off Yale to Retain Nat and Anne Case Cup
April 25, 2009 – Women’s Crew Sweeps Cornell and Columbia
April 18, 2009 – Women’s Crew Sweeps Boston University
April 12, 2009 – Bears Knock Off Notre Dame and Minnesota
We are extremely proud of our IC athlete, and look forward to her summer season kicking butt in Kettlebell Sport!
Making the Band
Monday, May 11th, 2009Although resistance bands have been popular in rehabilitation settings, their usages span much further than just a little physical therapy. Check out tonight’s Core group making hits with the elastic instrument.
Chair Press
Monday, May 11th, 2009A non-traditional lifting contest that is gaining popularity in the U.S.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Sunday, May 10th, 2009
Kai is clear evidence of her mom’s greatness. You go Jen!
Happy Mother’s Day to all the strong beautiful moms of the IC. Thank you for setting a great example for your children.
Pull-up Beauty
Thursday, May 7th, 2009
During our last pull-up challenge, Jill (pictured center) represented Team 1000, but her heart was with the soldiers of her original platoon at 7am. She even took the winning photo of that IC Pull-up Challenge with them, despite her numbers being given to another team. This photo helps explains why she’s so loyal to this crew… Check out 0700 veteran, Rebecca, patiently waiting for Jill at the top of the bar. Apparently, this tactic provides great motivation for gymnasts!
The Spring Challenge…
Wednesday, May 6th, 2009
has arrived. Hint, hint.
Quiet Relief
Tuesday, May 5th, 2009
After connecting with the 10′amers yesterday, I was able to catch-up with several IC veterans I haven’t seen in recent weeks. First off, from outward appearances you guys have really reshaped your physiques since I last saw you! Even those of you who complained to me about not meeting your weight loss goals should know with absolute certainty that your hard work at the IC is obviously paying off. Jessica and I conversed in private afterward about how cool it is to see your developing triceps, deltoids, and of course best of all, the ‘toosh’ lifts. …and don’t get us started on your athletic achievements, which are nothing short of amazing. Push-ups and pull-ups galore! Nearly every person I spoke to yesterday had the most delicious glow of health beaming off of their face.
The reason I chose this picture however, is because I learned during some of those brief conversations between classes that lots of folks are going through challenging times these days. A few of us are nursing loved ones through their final breaths of life or are already in mourning, others are desperate to conceive new life, some are painfully ending relationships, and nearly everyone is nervous about the financial current swirling the globe.
I know from my own experience that being an ideal weight, size, and shape are big reasons we all work out and care about our health as fanatically as we do, but I also want to remind us of moments like the one captured here, when simply cultivating a brief moment of inner quiet and sharing a collective intention of peace can be just as vital to our wellbeing as improving the image staring back at us in the mirror.
-Maya
European Model
Tuesday, May 5th, 2009Gregor Sobocan models the new IC Tee while testing his One Arm Swing with a 62kg (136 lbs) KB.