A lesson in life...

I think it's safe to say Hurricane Irene impacted everyone. Some more than others, but nonetheless, everyone. If you were fortunate enough to not be in the group of people who had property damages and/or power outages, you more than likely spent plenty of time and money preparing.

Although no one wants to be preparing for hurricanes all the time, a lot of good did come out of this experience. You see, it's easy to take things for granted and let complacency set in. It doesn't matter the situation, overstaying your welcome in your comfort zone is not a good thing. Even worse is being comfortable with staying in your comfort zone. Now that's just dangerous!

Irene reminded many of us that we like comfort, and will do anything to remain comfortable. Am I saying that I believe we should remain in a constant state of being uncomfortable? No. What you should avoid is overstaying your welcome when it comes to comfort.

If you are never faced with adversity, you will never grow. Instead, you will become complacent, which is like being luke warm. If you are luke warm, you are just mediocre...and no one pays for mediocrity! We should strive to stay hot in whatever we do, not luke warm, or even cold.

You were not put here on this earth to serve yourself, but to serve others. From the most to the least, we were all meant to help others. Irene helped us get back to that mindset because all over the country people were pulling together to help whoever needed it.

Comfort can sabotage any area of your life. One classic area that we tend to get comfortable with is the most precious gift we can have...our health. In our country especially people are overweight and de-conditioned more than ever before. I blame part of that on the media because it just feeds the people lies and deception (no pun intended). Part of it is because of technology, and part of it is because we are just way too comfortable with being in pain, both physical and emotional. But pain without purpose is just torment.

After every storm there are sunny skies and after each sweat dripping session there is a personal victory. So the next time you feel like putting your health off until tomorrow because you don't "feel like it" or it's not convenient, just remember the lesson lovely Irene taught us: Even though the storms come, a little inconvenience and adversity will keep you out of that dangerous comfort zone and you will be in a better position to help others more effectively.

Have fun, train smart, get strong,

Nelson

RKC sponsors MMA fighter

Dragon Door/RKC sponsors legendary MMA fighter, Fedor Emelianenko in upcoming battle against Dan Henderson, on Showtime
Dragon Door, the originator of the modern kettlebell movement and the world's premier site for Kettlebells, strength conditioning and advanced fitness resources, is proud to announce its sponsorship of legendary fighter Fedor Emelianenko in his upcoming battle against Dan Henderson on July 30th at the Sears Center in Hoffman Estates, IL.

The fight will be broadcast at 10:00 EST on Showtime: http://sports.sho.com/#/tvschedule

Shrouded in mystique in the world of Mixed Martial Arts, many aficionados have hailed Fedor as the greatest to ever do it, the Muhammad Ali of his sport. He remains one of the most fearsome and talented heavyweights in the world -- and practically a national hero in Russia. The Fedor-Henderson fight is being heavily advertised and promoted in the homeland and some fans are calling it 'Fedor's Second Coming'.

Dragon Door launched its RKC kettlebell training system in 2001, sparking a worldwide revolution in effective strength and conditioning for elite athletes, martial artists, military and all those seeking a supreme level of functional fitness.

Dragon Door's RKC programs offer a wealth of kettlebell information for generating superior strength and power -- including books, seminars, training certification programs, equipment and DVDs. Many of the resources are considered modern classics, including Enter the Kettlebell: Strength Secret of the Soviet Supermen (http://www.dragondoor.com/b33/?apid=Performance1 written by former Soviet Special Forces physical training instructor Pavel Tsatsouline.

American hardmen of all stripes were quick to recognize what their Russian counterparts had long known -- nothing beats the kettlebell, when you're looking for a single tool to dramatically impact your strength and conditioning.

"This is an ideal fit for our team," writes John Du Cane, Founder and CEO of Dragon Door . "A great believer himself in kettlebells, Fedor embodies strength and power, and that's what our company has been all about for the past 20 years -- no gimmicks or fads, only hard work and training that builds resilience, strength and power."

Look for Dragon Door's RKC double-eagle logo displayed on Fedor's shorts on fight night!

As originator with Pavel Tsatsouline of the modern kettlebell movement, Du Cane has spent decades building the world's most informed and proficient community of kettlebell instructors, now in 43 countries and every U.S. state.

Dragon Door/RKC offers Certification Workshops (http://www.dragondoor.com/workshops/?apid=Performance1 the globe -- from Budapest to San Diego to Philadelphia, to Korea to Belfast -- providing the highest quality kettlebell instructor program available. Pavel's Russian Kettlebell Challenge Certification Workshop gives professionals a crash course in Advanced Strength Skills, ignites new business opportunities, and propels attendees into the front ranks of physical excellence. An enthusiastic following of leading fitness and athletic authorities, trainers, doctors and therapists around the world have supported and attended their workshops since 2001.

Have fun, train smart, get strong,

Nelson

Staying Focused

Are you on track to meet/exceed your goals this year? If you are than power to you and keep pushing through life's obstacles. If you can't say the same...why not?

Is it because of your diet? Is it your strength training? Is it your conditioning? How about your recovery? What if it's a combination of these, or lack thereof?

Whatever it is....fix it! I mean now, ASAP!

Don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today because tomorrow's not guaranteed.

If you just don't have the knowledge to put the right pieces into place that's ok, just ask someone who does. If you don't want to, well, you just need to wake up!

There will come a point in your life where you ask yourself, "How did I let this happen?".

We live in a country where comfort is not only available, it's demanded. Being comfortable is what denies people of achieving greatness. It prevents you from soaring to higher levels and fulfilling your true potential.

Potential lies within each and everyone of us in various forms. Yes, your potential was given to you, but was meant for you to spread throughout the world. It was never intended for you to keep to yourself and hoard.

The sad part is that so much of this potential is never actually freed, it remains enslaved and dormant until it reaches the grave and goes back to where it came from...the dirt. Just imagine the amount of potential that is buried every day!

So again I ask, why haven't you reached your goals? Have you been reluctant to step outside of your comfort zone? Have you been hoarding your full potential and not even realizing it?

It's not about losing, or gaining, X amount of lbs. Nor is it about having the body you've always desired. Yes, those things are good and we can strive for that, but most importantly, it's about releasing your full potential so you can bless someone else.

Getting your body functioning optimally means you can: live longer, be happier, want to help others instead of focusing on yourself, help motivate others, and release to the world what you have within you to make this a better place to live. Yes, if you look at it like this, exercising and taking care of your health can save the world!

If you don't take care of your car it will literally break. Please don't do the same to yourself, the world needs you! : )

Have fun, train smart, get strong,

Nelson

My light day

Hi,

Today was my light day in my program. I usually do it on Saturday but I don't think I will have the time tomorrow so I did it today.

I did 5 singles with the 32kg of C & P and I did a few snatches with the 24kg as well. I did 5 x 5/5 of snatches. Nothing crazy, but effective.

Yesterday was my variety day and I played around with the good ole' Turkish Get-UP (TGU). I did one TGU to the top ---->Overhead (OH) walk 10 yards---->performed the decent---->switched arms and repeated for a total of 4per arm with the 24kg. After that I did one set of 3/3 with the 24kg and I finished it off with 2 sets of 1/1 with the 32kg.

Wednesday's session was my Heavy day and I did one ladder of 3 (1,2,3 per arm)and I finished off my ladders with doubles (1,2/1,2/1,2/1,2 per arm)instead. I was supposed to do 4 ladders of 3 but something didn't feel right so I listened to my body and didn't push it.

Have fun, train smart, get strong,

Nelson

Light day

Today was my light day in my training schedule. It wasn't intense at all but it was still a success because our bodies need the varying levels of intensity. Here's how it went:

C & P 32kg for 5 singles
Snatch 24kg for 5 doubles

I obviously warmed up and had a cool-down at the end but that was it. I did some get-ups in my warm-up to make sure everything was moving properly and I finished off with the bretzel.

Monday is my moderate day -I'll keep you posted.

If anyone has any questions about any of this don't be afraid to leave a comment or send me a message any other way. I know by looking at my training it may seem like I'm not doing nearly enough but I'm trying to show everyone that more is not always better. Sometimes less is more.

Hope everyone has a good weekend and don't forget the men and women who gave their lives on this day 9 years ago.

God bless and remember -have fun, train smart, and get strong,

Nelson

Today's Session

Today was my first heavy clean and press day with the 32kg. I took my time getting them done, but I got'em done!

After my presses I've been doing snatches with the 24kg in preparation for the snatch test in Oct. The ROP doesn't call for doing snatches in this format but I've modified it slightly to allow for more volume before I head out to MN.

My session went like this:

Clean and Press 32kg-3 ladders of 3 (1,2,3)
Snatch 24kg -3 ladders of 6 (2,4,6)

If you've noticed, it's very basic. I have a goal, a straight and simple road to get there, and the determination to get it done.

Your goal will determine the path you take but the blueprint should be the same:
1) Clearly define the goal
2)Figure out the most effective way to get you there
3)Stay on the straight and narrow path until you've reached your destination

There are obviously many other variables involved such as time, equipment, fitness level, knowledge, etc. but keep it more simple than complicated and you'll be in a better place -I promise!

Have fun, train smart, get strong,

Nelson

Movin' on up

Monday was the first day using the 32kg (70lbs) bell as part of my program. I've used it occasionally for cleans, presses, swings, and get-ups; but Monday was the first day of it being a part of my program and it felt good! Challenging yes, but good.

I'm doing the Rite of Passage (ROP) from Enter the Kettlebell to prepare for my snatch test in Oct at the CK-FMS -and to build my pressing strengt so I can one day be able to press The Beast (106lbs kettlebell). I did 70 snatches in 5 min with the 24kg on Saturday and I wasn't even going all out so thats a good sign.

This is how my session went on Monday:
Clean & Press 32kg 5 ladders of 2 (1,2)
Snatch 24kg 5 ladders of 4 (2, 4)

That's it! Nothing complicated, just simple and effective. Monday was my moderate day so Today will be my heavy day and will have to do 3 ladders of 3 for my presses and 3 ladders of 6 (2,4,6) for my snatches. When I can do 5 ladders of 5 and 10 respectively, then it's time to move up again but for now I'm working on conquering this monster.

I'll let you know how today goes.

Nelson