OK it has been WAY TOO LONG since my last blog... And so much has happened I don't know where to start!
I guess I will start with the personal (professional) good stuff. My good friend, Tim Anderson, (RKC Level II and Z Health Guru also Level II Battling Ropes Coach) and I have been filming a video the past several weeks. We are very excited about it and hope the outcome will really inspire folks who purchase the video to keep training consistently with kettlebells and stay motivated to see the results they had hoped for. I gotta tell ya, Tim is a great trainer more importantly his heart is in the right place all the time. He is wise beyond his years and is just the best to be around. He has helped me in my own training and given me pointers not only in training, but in life. It is an honor to work with him. I look forward to sharing this video with each of you when we are finished.
Secondly, I have to say that last week was a highlight for me because we put our members of Rapid Results Fitness through the VO2MAx for the first time. They had no idea what they were in for. And I gotta tell ya the just killed it!! Kevin led them through the 6 minute cadence and then we hit the ground running. Next thing you know we hit 80 sets! Yep! WE made it. There were a few who tore their hands that led them just shy of 80 but all in all it was OUTSTANDING!!!! I was so proud of them and their efforts! Their technique was great and their spirit even better!!! You guys make me feel so lucky to do what I do! So a big thank you to each of you and big hugs from me to you!
So this brings me to Sunday, yesterday.... my day began with John Brookfield at the Level II Battling Ropes Coach certification. I showed up at 9am ready (or not) to conquer the ropes, chains and whatever else John threw my way. Needless to say there were times I wondered if I would get through it. This is no small feat. 20 minutes of velocity training, 1 mile pull of 100 ft of rope, 15 minutes of towel drill and miscellaneous drills that never seemed to end with chains, towels and the like. But John has a way about him that is comforting and keeps you going. IT was definitely a test of mind and body and SPIRIT! Yes God was with me for sure... There was no way I did that alone. My colleagues, Tim and Kevin know that for sure. Tim, I appreciate all your encouragement through it. I feel good about it and look forward to introducing others to the ropes and John's way of training. I think there is alot to be learned, experienced in tis kind of training. Very simplistic, almost like becoming "one with nature" really. Curious if any of you have done this, feel the same. Let me know your thoughts...
Keep training smart and with a happy heart,
Betsy
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
OOOH! REALLY???!!!!!
Are we attracted to this? Is this the way of choice? I think NOT!!!! Notice the title "It's Hip To Be ROund"
Enough already! It is unhealthy, and unnecessary, end of story......PS Which one do you want to be???
NoticedIt’s Hip to Be Round Published: August 12, 2009
THIS summer the unvarying male uniform in the precincts of Brooklyn cool has been a pair of shorts cut at knickers length, a V-neck Hanes T-shirt, a pair of generic slip-on sneakers and a straw fedora. Add a leather cuff bracelet if the coolster is gay.
In truth this get-up was pretty much the unvarying male uniform last summer also, but this year an unexpected element has been added to the look, and that is a burgeoning potbelly one might term the Ralph Kramden.
Too pronounced to be blamed on the slouchy cut of a T-shirt, too modest in size to be termed a proper beer gut, developed too young to come under the heading of a paunch, the Ralph Kramden is everywhere to be seen lately, or at least it is in the vicinity of the Brooklyn Flea in Fort Greene, the McCarren Park Greenmarket and pretty much any place one is apt to encounter fans of Grizzly Bear.
What the trucker cap and wallet chain were to hipsters of a moment ago, the Kramden is to what my colleague Mike Albo refers to as the “coolios” of now. Leading with a belly is a male privilege of long standing, of course, a symbol of prosperity in most cultures and of freedom from anxieties about body image that have plagued women since Eve.
Until recently, men were under no particular obligation to exhibit bulging deltoids and shredded abdominals; that all changed, said David Zinczenko, the editor of Men’s Health, when women moved into the work force in numbers. “The only ripples Ralph Kramden” and successors like Mike Brady of “The Brady Bunch” had to demonstrate were in their billfolds, said Mr. Zinczenko, himself a dogged crusader in the battle of the muffin top. “But that traditional male role has changed.”
As women have come to outnumber men in the workplace, it becomes more important than ever for guys to armor themselves, Mr. Zinczenko said, with the “complete package of financial and physical,” to billboard their abilities as survivors of the cultural and economic wilds.
This makes sense, in a way, but how does one account for the new prevalence of Ralph Kramdens? Have men given in or given up? Are they finished with asserting the privileges that have always accrued to men. Or is the Ralph Kramden Barack Obama’s fault?
Hipsters, by nature contrarian, according to Dan Peres, the editor of Details, may be reacting in opposition to a president who is not only, as the press relentlessly reminds us, So Darn Smart, but also hits the gym every morning, has a conspicuously flat belly and, when not rescuing the economy or sparring with Kim Jong-il, shoots hoops.
“If we had a slob in the White House, all the hipsters would turn into some walking Chippendales calendar,” Mr. Peres said. Instead, the streets of Williamsburg are crowded with men who are, as he noted, “proudly rocking a gut.” Mr. Peres’s magazine has a term for these people: the new “poor-geoisie.” But the people lining up for $13 lobster rolls at the Brooklyn Flea last weekend hardly looked as if they were worried about making the rent.
“I sort of think the six-pack abs obsession got so prissy it stopped being masculine,” is how Aaron Hicklin, the editor of Out, explains the emergence of the Ralph Kramden. What once seemed young and hot, for gay and straight men alike, now seems passé. Like manscaping, spray-on tans and other metrosexual affectations, having a belly one can bounce quarters off suggests that you may have too much time on your hands.
“It’s not cool to be seen spending so much time fussing around about your body,” Mr. Hicklin said.
And so guys can happily and guiltlessly go to seed.
Women have almost never gotten a pass on the need to maintain their bodies, while men always have, said Robert Morea, a personal fitness trainer. (Full disclosure: my own.) It would be too much, he added, to suggest that “potbellies are suddenly O.K.,” but as lean muscle and functionality become the new gym mantras, hypertrophied He-Men with grapefruit biceps and blister-pack abs have come to resemble specimens from a diorama of “A Vanished World.”
“When do you ever see that guy, anyway?” Mr. Morea asked, referring to those legendary Men’s Health cover models, with their rippling torsos and famished smiles. “The only time you really see that guy, he’s standing in front of an Abercrombie & Fitch store.” Perhaps, he suggested, there is really only one of them. “It’s the same guy. They just move him around.”
Enough already! It is unhealthy, and unnecessary, end of story......PS Which one do you want to be???
NoticedIt’s Hip to Be Round Published: August 12, 2009
THIS summer the unvarying male uniform in the precincts of Brooklyn cool has been a pair of shorts cut at knickers length, a V-neck Hanes T-shirt, a pair of generic slip-on sneakers and a straw fedora. Add a leather cuff bracelet if the coolster is gay.
In truth this get-up was pretty much the unvarying male uniform last summer also, but this year an unexpected element has been added to the look, and that is a burgeoning potbelly one might term the Ralph Kramden.
Too pronounced to be blamed on the slouchy cut of a T-shirt, too modest in size to be termed a proper beer gut, developed too young to come under the heading of a paunch, the Ralph Kramden is everywhere to be seen lately, or at least it is in the vicinity of the Brooklyn Flea in Fort Greene, the McCarren Park Greenmarket and pretty much any place one is apt to encounter fans of Grizzly Bear.
What the trucker cap and wallet chain were to hipsters of a moment ago, the Kramden is to what my colleague Mike Albo refers to as the “coolios” of now. Leading with a belly is a male privilege of long standing, of course, a symbol of prosperity in most cultures and of freedom from anxieties about body image that have plagued women since Eve.
Until recently, men were under no particular obligation to exhibit bulging deltoids and shredded abdominals; that all changed, said David Zinczenko, the editor of Men’s Health, when women moved into the work force in numbers. “The only ripples Ralph Kramden” and successors like Mike Brady of “The Brady Bunch” had to demonstrate were in their billfolds, said Mr. Zinczenko, himself a dogged crusader in the battle of the muffin top. “But that traditional male role has changed.”
As women have come to outnumber men in the workplace, it becomes more important than ever for guys to armor themselves, Mr. Zinczenko said, with the “complete package of financial and physical,” to billboard their abilities as survivors of the cultural and economic wilds.
This makes sense, in a way, but how does one account for the new prevalence of Ralph Kramdens? Have men given in or given up? Are they finished with asserting the privileges that have always accrued to men. Or is the Ralph Kramden Barack Obama’s fault?
Hipsters, by nature contrarian, according to Dan Peres, the editor of Details, may be reacting in opposition to a president who is not only, as the press relentlessly reminds us, So Darn Smart, but also hits the gym every morning, has a conspicuously flat belly and, when not rescuing the economy or sparring with Kim Jong-il, shoots hoops.
“If we had a slob in the White House, all the hipsters would turn into some walking Chippendales calendar,” Mr. Peres said. Instead, the streets of Williamsburg are crowded with men who are, as he noted, “proudly rocking a gut.” Mr. Peres’s magazine has a term for these people: the new “poor-geoisie.” But the people lining up for $13 lobster rolls at the Brooklyn Flea last weekend hardly looked as if they were worried about making the rent.
“I sort of think the six-pack abs obsession got so prissy it stopped being masculine,” is how Aaron Hicklin, the editor of Out, explains the emergence of the Ralph Kramden. What once seemed young and hot, for gay and straight men alike, now seems passé. Like manscaping, spray-on tans and other metrosexual affectations, having a belly one can bounce quarters off suggests that you may have too much time on your hands.
“It’s not cool to be seen spending so much time fussing around about your body,” Mr. Hicklin said.
And so guys can happily and guiltlessly go to seed.
Women have almost never gotten a pass on the need to maintain their bodies, while men always have, said Robert Morea, a personal fitness trainer. (Full disclosure: my own.) It would be too much, he added, to suggest that “potbellies are suddenly O.K.,” but as lean muscle and functionality become the new gym mantras, hypertrophied He-Men with grapefruit biceps and blister-pack abs have come to resemble specimens from a diorama of “A Vanished World.”
“When do you ever see that guy, anyway?” Mr. Morea asked, referring to those legendary Men’s Health cover models, with their rippling torsos and famished smiles. “The only time you really see that guy, he’s standing in front of an Abercrombie & Fitch store.” Perhaps, he suggested, there is really only one of them. “It’s the same guy. They just move him around.”
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
I am Living on the EDGE!!!!
As I realize I have not been blogging lately I feel the need to catch you up to speed on what I have been up to lately...
First off, the Va. Beach kettlebell workshop was awesome!!! We had a great turnout and the participants were very eager and showed great form as they swung the bell and "got down" with their bell during the get up!!!
Since the workshop, things at Rapid Results Fitness just keep getting better and better. Let me tell you why: I have to say for starters, I think I have the best members and clients ever, really! Why? Because if they are not giving their best in effort in class they are giving positive reinforcement to their neighbors in class. Moreover they just seem to get it... They realize the mind and body connection. At Rapid Results Fitness the workout environment is just plain fun!!! The camaraderie is fantastic!
Here is the best part lately, my clients are talking!!!! "What do you mean", you ask? They are seeing results and best of all they are sharing their experience with others!!! YEA!!!!!! It just makes me so happy to hear them one by one share tidbits of improvement, aahah moments, and real life achievements. I couldn't be more proud of each of them.
They have shared experiences and revelations that they each exclaim was a direct correlation to kettlebell training with Rapid Results Fitness. When I hear these words, it makes me thankful for every moment of what I do as an instructor.
So to them, I am grateful. The members motivate me as much as I may motivate them. We are in this together!!!! And to all my buds at RRF, "LIVE IN THE REP YOU'RE IN"!!!!! :-)
Oh, PS The Title " Living on the EDGE" is what I am doing lately too.... Experiencing, Discovering God Everywhere!
First off, the Va. Beach kettlebell workshop was awesome!!! We had a great turnout and the participants were very eager and showed great form as they swung the bell and "got down" with their bell during the get up!!!
Since the workshop, things at Rapid Results Fitness just keep getting better and better. Let me tell you why: I have to say for starters, I think I have the best members and clients ever, really! Why? Because if they are not giving their best in effort in class they are giving positive reinforcement to their neighbors in class. Moreover they just seem to get it... They realize the mind and body connection. At Rapid Results Fitness the workout environment is just plain fun!!! The camaraderie is fantastic!
Here is the best part lately, my clients are talking!!!! "What do you mean", you ask? They are seeing results and best of all they are sharing their experience with others!!! YEA!!!!!! It just makes me so happy to hear them one by one share tidbits of improvement, aahah moments, and real life achievements. I couldn't be more proud of each of them.
They have shared experiences and revelations that they each exclaim was a direct correlation to kettlebell training with Rapid Results Fitness. When I hear these words, it makes me thankful for every moment of what I do as an instructor.
So to them, I am grateful. The members motivate me as much as I may motivate them. We are in this together!!!! And to all my buds at RRF, "LIVE IN THE REP YOU'RE IN"!!!!! :-)
Oh, PS The Title " Living on the EDGE" is what I am doing lately too.... Experiencing, Discovering God Everywhere!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Kettlebell Workshop in Virginia Beach
I will be giving another Introductory Kettlebell Workshop in Virginia Beach, VA, on Saturday, July 25.
This two-hour workshop will cover basic kettlebell exercises. My workshop will show you how to use your body safely, effectively and efficiently. You’ll be amazed at what this universal tool, the Russian Kettlebell, can do with your body both in strength training, core conditioning and cardio without any impact to your joints!
This two-hour workshop will cover basic kettlebell exercises. My workshop will show you how to use your body safely, effectively and efficiently. You’ll be amazed at what this universal tool, the Russian Kettlebell, can do with your body both in strength training, core conditioning and cardio without any impact to your joints!
Kettlebells will give you a metabolism boosting workout in less than an hour three times a week with some amazing results!
Come experience it for yourself! For more information or to register, please click here.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Get Ups At 10,000 Feet!!!!!
Below is an email I received from one of our very own members at RRF, Duncan
(his wife, Lucia also trains with us as well :-)). He has been doing kettlebell training with us for over a year now, I believe. Look at his amazing pictures and his words about training with kbs.... Awesome story and real life experience! I truly believe kb training improves your quality of life in MANY ways! Check it out!!! Ps Duncan is even wearing his Rapid Results Fitness T-shirt while skydiving! Duncan just took it to the next level! WOW!!!
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Betsy and Kevin,
I just wanted you to know that kettle bell lifting and everything you teach at Rapid Results comes in handy in unexpected ways! Last weekend (as I was telling Kevin on Monday), I went on my very first skydive (bet you haven't done that before, have you Betsy? I dare ya...!).
You can download a few pictures by clicking on the link (I'm still waiting for the video to arrive!).
Okay, although I really WASN'T doing Get-Ups way up in the sky, I definitely feel that the core strength and mobility work that you have us do each week has made me feel more confident, more self-assured, and more at ease, even jumping out of a plane! The experience was both nerve-wrecking and awesome at the same time--an unlikely combination of peak emotions, but I'm glad I did it (or maybe I should say, got it out of the way...).
I definitely feel that your work has helped make me feel better, functionally stronger, and more capable in day-to-day situations, which has really improved my quality of life. So I just wanted to say thanks to you both for all that you do each week! You're the best!
Cheers,
Duncan
(his wife, Lucia also trains with us as well :-)). He has been doing kettlebell training with us for over a year now, I believe. Look at his amazing pictures and his words about training with kbs.... Awesome story and real life experience! I truly believe kb training improves your quality of life in MANY ways! Check it out!!! Ps Duncan is even wearing his Rapid Results Fitness T-shirt while skydiving! Duncan just took it to the next level! WOW!!!
A file has been sent to you via the YouSendIt File Delivery Service.
Download the file - Skydiving_Duncan.zip
Your file will expire after 7 days or 100 downloads.
Betsy and Kevin,
I just wanted you to know that kettle bell lifting and everything you teach at Rapid Results comes in handy in unexpected ways! Last weekend (as I was telling Kevin on Monday), I went on my very first skydive (bet you haven't done that before, have you Betsy? I dare ya...!).
You can download a few pictures by clicking on the link (I'm still waiting for the video to arrive!).
Okay, although I really WASN'T doing Get-Ups way up in the sky, I definitely feel that the core strength and mobility work that you have us do each week has made me feel more confident, more self-assured, and more at ease, even jumping out of a plane! The experience was both nerve-wrecking and awesome at the same time--an unlikely combination of peak emotions, but I'm glad I did it (or maybe I should say, got it out of the way...).
I definitely feel that your work has helped make me feel better, functionally stronger, and more capable in day-to-day situations, which has really improved my quality of life. So I just wanted to say thanks to you both for all that you do each week! You're the best!
Cheers,
Duncan
Images from Workshop at Albemarle Pliates & Yoga
We had a great turnout at Albemarle Pilates & Yoga on July 12. What a wonderful bunch (16) of folks! They took to kettlebell training like fish to water! I was impressed with how well they picked up the movements. We also got to do a little training outside, always a good thing! We learned the turkish get-up outside on Cindy's swank outdoor yoga/pilates area. It was hot, but most everyone accomplished a get-up with a shoe balanced on their fists. Great class! Thanks to all who attended! You made what I do most rewarding! I am grateful for the opportunity to share what I love! Teaching individuals how to use their body safely and implementing training with the kettlebell!!!
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