How to Survive an HKC!

The weekend of the 15th I hopped on a plane to Atlanta and not only got to visit my best friend and my awesome little nephew, but to start my path as a certified kettlebell instructor as well!

I've been working with kettlebells for a few years now, and have always been impressed with the type of workout you can achieve while using them, and how "gassed" you can get during a CrossFit workout when kettlebells are involved. They're scalable, have multiple levels of skill, and you can always continue learning while using them. All things I love when it comes to a tool for fitness.

The certification I attended this past weekend was the HKC.  This stands for Hardstyle Kettlebell Certification, and is the first step in the Russian Kettlebell Certification progression. Even in this entry level certification there is a strength test to qualify for the main testing! The certification was held at Condition Kettlebell Gym. Delaine, the owner, is an amazing woman who works hard with her clients and was a great workshop hostess and teacher. She also showed us a fantastic salad/sandwich/fruit cup shop around the corner from her. Yum!

The inside of the Amazing Condition Kettlebell Gym!

We started out with the strength test, which had the same requirements as a military strength test. 5 dead hang pull ups for men, and a 15 second bent arm hang for women. I have no idea why I was so nervous about that bent arm hang, but it flew by like nothing at all!

The rest of the day was just full of information. We had some short lectures, but much of the day was action, learning movements and drills for instructing kettlebell, as well as giving and receiving feedback and critique on our teaching methods and form.

Our head instructor was Senior RKC Doug Nepodal. This fellow is, as they say, Legit. He teaches HKC's, RKC's and kettlebell classes on the beach. Sounds excellent to me! I ended up with the name "CrossFit" by the end of the day as he likes to simply give people nicknames as he gets to know them. Even though CrossFit and the RKC have different swing styles, I never felt as though this was an issue during the class, and Doug handled the subject with the utmost respect.

After a long day of skills, and a great workout before lunch. (30 seconds on, 30 seconds off of swings for 10 minutes, we know that one!) We had evaluations on several points.

1. Professionalism and Coaching - We were evaluated while working with other attendees on our ability to give feedback, correct movements and explain movement errors.

2. Basic kettlebell movements - single hand swings and transitions, a turkish getup, and the goblet squat were all evaluated for proper movement, form, and breathing.

I passed!

Lots and Lots of KettlebellsI'm currently training for the higher skill demand of the RKC (Russian Kettlebell Challenge) and hope to attend a certification next year. I'll share my progress and experience as I prepare!