And if it does, am I--a mere HKC and NASM-certified personal trainer, with no degrees in exercise science, anatomy and physiology, or nutrition and only a few years of experience in the fitness industry--the appropriate person to be writing it?
It's debatable. But then the world didn't exactly need another lawyer in 1987 when I graduated from law school, yet I practiced for almost 18 years. A possibly redundant fitness blog seems benign in comparison :)
Besides, a lot of the wonderful blogs out there--particularly the kettlebell blogs--are maintained by people who are, well, a lot more hardcore about their training than most of us aspire to be. They have nicknames like IronTamer, they follow The Warrior Diet, and they build stamina and strength via Viking Warrior Conditioning and Convict Conditioning. They have fun hobbies such as bending nails with their bare hands. Not that there is anything wrong with any of that ... and if there were I would be afraid to say so :)
(That's a joke, of course. These hardy, hard-living souls are some of the nicest, most decent, most helpful people you'll ever meet online or anywhere else. Just don't let them near your phone book unless you want it to end up torn in two.)
This is especially true if, like me, many of the blogs you follow are maintained by teachers and practitioners of the so-called Hardstyle method of kettlebell training popularized by Pavel Tsatsouline. Just the name Hardstyle can be a bit off-putting, at least to mild-mannered types like me and most of my personal training clientele. And quite frankly that's a shame, because once you get past the name and the whole Soviet Special Forces mystique Hardstyle has a lot to offer us non-powerlifter, non-MMA, non-military, non-law enforcement types.
That's where I come in. This is a blog for people who're intrigued by kettlebells, who care about their health, who want to be stronger and leaner and fitter and better at their chosen sport if they have one, but are intimidated by Dragon Door and its affiliate sites. (Of which this is not one, by the way. I do not do the affiliate thing myself because I don't want there ever to be any questions in your mind about my objectivity. If I make a recommendation I want you to know I'm speaking from my heart, with no ulterior motive.) I hate to see these folks--these athletes, these everyday heroes who constitute the majority of exercisers--be deterred from seeking out real, quality kettlebell training because they mistakenly believe it's too hardcore for them. I hate to see these folks settle for the less-effective, less-safe programs offered by unqualified instructors who model poor form and incorporate questionable moves. (Yes, I will name names, but not now.)
Don't get me wrong: I'm not saying anyone has to train Hardstyle, or even that anyone has to train with kettlebells to achieve optimal fitness. (There are other valid, real-deal kettlebell training systems than Hardstyle, and I'll get into that more in the near future.) That would be silly. People have been exercising at least since the days of Pericles, yet kettlebells have only been around for a few hundred years. They're great but they are no more essential than Spinning (TM) bikes, TRX suspension trainers, stability balls, and all the other fun tools we may choose to incorporate in our workouts. The only true essential, I believe, is that we do something that gets us out of our physical comfort zone, that we do it often, and that we do it correctly enough to avoid injury. If kettlebells aren't your "something," rest assured that I will be discussing lots of alternatives. Most of which can be performed in pink tights if you so desire. As it happens my own recreational sport of choice is ballet, so I often find myself hitting the weight room in pink tights. Grubby pink tights, which I realize is a lot like ordering a chocolate martini in a dirty glass but there you have it:)
More later.
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