It’s been 2 years since I went though my first Russian Kettlebell Challenge instructor certification. The requirements have changed a bit since August 2008, but one thing remains. It’s still a grueling course that you had better be ready for. For 2 years I have been practicing my trade and teaching others the skills. Hundreds upon hundreds of Snatches, Swings, Presses, Squats, Turkish Get ups, and Cleans. In the RKC you can not fake it. You had better not only perform the skills well, but perform them with heavy weight and repetition. I have done my homework and I am ready for my second go around with the RKC for re-certification. I have kept my calluses filed down to keep the Kettlebell from ripping them off. I can press “The Bull Dog”, an 88lb Kettlebell, over my head without the slightest jerk. I can front squat reps holding 53lb Kettlebells on each front deltoid. Finally, I have passed the grueling snatch test 4 times in my gym. I have paid my $500 re-certification fee, flown to sunny San Diego California, and proved once again that I deserve the title. There is no doubt; you have to want to be an RKC.

The morning air is still a bit chilly and there are trace amounts of dew on the grass. I carry my brand new 53lb Kettlebell to the testing ground, we line up and the test begins. We have 5 minutes to complete 100 snatches, each snatch must be crisp with a momentary pause at the top for lockout. I rip out 10 with my right arm, switch, and then 10 with my left in roughly 35 seconds. I pause for a few seconds, chalk up, get a big breath and start again. I grab the Kettlebell with my right hand, hike it back between my legs and rip off another 10 quick reps. Then with well practiced precision, I switch hands on the swing down between my legs and rip off 10 with my left before I pause again for some chalk and a quick breath, 40 down, 60 to go. I complete the next 40 reps using the same methodology and I find myself way ahead of schedule. My lungs burn, but I have roughly 90 seconds to finish the last 20 reps. As I chalk up, I see my worst nightmare staring back at me. A huge flap of skin ripped from my left palm. I start to panic a bit and as a result, I notice my hamstrings are screaming. I have the time so I take a few more seconds to breathe. With 60 seconds remaining my plan is to get as many reps as I can with my right arm so to spare the remaining skin on my left palm. RKC certifications are notorious for leaving very little skin on your knuckles and palms so I want to preserve it as best I can. I snatch away with my right arm and by rep 16 my Lat, Delt, and Triceps are screaming from the burn and I am forced to switch hands or lose the bell. The result of which would be instant disqualification. As I have done the whole test, I switch hands between my legs, and complete the last 4 or 5 reps with my battered left hand. I pass the test with 12 seconds to spare. 

That tear on my left palm was the first of many that I would earn from that weekend. You might ask, “Why spend $300 on airfare, $500 on tuition and subject myself to the physical pain for a certification that is barely recognized by most insurance companies as a personal trainer certification?” Being an RKC is about much more than just giving its’ instructors the skills and qualifications to teach others. If that was all that being an RKC meant to me, I would spend a whole lot less money and a whole lot less pain and anguish and just take an open book test to be a personal trainer. When you are an RKC though, you have done your homework. Not just the book work that is required to pass a multiple choice test, but the grunt work. You have to prove you are in shape; you have to prove you are strong, and you have to prove you are good at what you do with lots of practice. The RKC is much more than a certification; it’s a school of strength: both physical, and mental.

I have passed all my physical tests, I have taken the marketing class and passed all my skill tests with my snatch weight (53lb) Kettlebell under the scrutinizing eyes of the RKC examiners. Next I have to prove myself as a teacher and instructor of the Kettlebell. So, before me I have what is coined a “victim,” a man that has volunteered for a free session with an RKC instructor. Today I am the instructor and I am lucky that he has seen the black, rounded handle of a Kettlebell before. But, I am unlucky that he has also seen the inside of a gym a time or two. Unlucky in that his form on the fundamental and most important exercise of all exercises, the dead lift, is hardly optimal. Much of our session is spent doing drills in order to maintain an arched back, loading the hips and not the knees, and the difference between the very similar (but also different) squat and dead lift. His workout is nothing spectacular or fancy, but he executes the exercises well and when all is said and done, he is tired, but he is very happy. He has learned a ton and is ready to apply his new skills to not only his Kettlebell training, but all of his training. I join the rest of my group as my RKC Team Leader asks the victim some questions as to my performance. The smile on my instructors face and the wink he gives me is all I need to know, I passed with flying colors.

In attending a Kettlebell workshop you learn from some of the best in the world when it comes to strength and conditioning trainers. Frequently in attendance are Brett Jones, Dan John, Gray Cook and of course the man himself, Pavel.

Pavel and I 

You literally get to pick the brains of these men and they are more than willing to share their knowledge. So with that being said, the RKC has given me knowledge in training that far exceeds that cannonball with a handle. With the skills I have learned, I have not only improved my own lifts tremendously, but am able to break down the fundamental lifts and teach them more efficiently to others. I can spot weaknesses and inflexibility in movements and posture when evaluating clients that I never could have before I became an RKC. If I were to evaluate my evolution as a trainer, I’d say the biggest difference between my pre RKC days and now is that before, my focus was on making clients strong, and I was quite good at that. However, now I am not only more efficient at making my clients strong, but my main focus is also on having the client maintain better posture while constantly improving flexibility.

Once we complete our victim training, the final test is upon us. The brutal “Graduation Workout.” I prepared months in advance for the 2008 RKC workout. Back then, they publicized the workout and for the most part it was always the same. However now they keep the workout “secret.” One of the master trainers or unit leaders at the course will make up the workout a week or even days before the graduation so no one knows what it is. This time, the workout is a double Kettlebell, snatch weight (53lb) workout. I stand in a line of about 50 would-be instructors at one end of a field with two Kettlebells between my feet. The test begins. I swing both Kettlebells for 5 reps and then clean them both up into the rack position with them sitting on my front Delts.

Now I squat with the bells held in the rack position for 5 reps. Finally I walk 10 paces across the field, making sure to take the biggest steps I possibly can, with the bells held in the rack position. I stop and put the Kettlebells down for rest. We get a mere 15 seconds, and now I must start again. 5 swings and a clean, 5 squats and 10 paces, then down. Some one drops the bells and we get a warning. Next time it happens, we have to turn around and head back in the same fashion. 15 seconds flies by and I have to go again, 5 swings and a clean, set myself and 5 squats, then 10 paces. My big steps are paying off and I am pulling away from the rest of the group. At this pace I should be across the field in about 4 or maybe 5 more cycles. “BEGIN!” Unit leader Doug Nepodal calls out. 5 swings and a clean, set my feet and squat for 5 reps, 10 big paces and down. 3 or 4 more cycles and I should be there. I am getting tired now and my back is starting to burn. “BEGIN” I hear. 5 swings and a clean followed by 5 squats. My lungs are burning, I take 10 big steps and down. I can see the end of the field in sight. There is an orange pylon in the shade that is clearly visible. The tape on my distal knuckles protecting the bare skin from blisters is starting to come off. A quick adjustment to the tape and I hear “BEGIN!” 5 swings and a clean, 5 squats, 10 big paces and down with the Kettlebells. “TURN AROUND AND HEAD BACK” I hear. “This one only did 4 reps on his squat.” “NOOOO!!!!!” I yell out loud. I would have almost been there on the next cycle and now as I turn around, I am now the furthest from the other side! “BEGIN!” Now I am pissed and there is no way I am going to be the last one back across this field. 5 swings and a quick, crisp clean, 5 squats, I take 10 huge paces and down. Now my legs, lungs, and low back are burning. We do another couple of cycles and I hear, “NO DROPPING THE BELLS. TURN AROUND.” If I knew who the offender was, I swear I would have hit him/her with my Kettlebell. I just caught up to the group, and now we are heading back to our original destination. “I am not tired at all.” Doug yells, “I can do this all day and if you guys can’t follow instructions, so will you, now BEGIN!” Now I don’t care about any burning in any part of my body, I am just running on adrenaline and anger. My squats are faster and my steps are bigger. With the quicker pace, I can get just few more precious seconds of rest. I have tunnel vision now, focusing on that orange pylon about 20 yards in front of me. Sweat is pouring off my head and running down my back. I can’t see anyone in my peripheral vision now so I know I am way out in front of the group. “BEGIN!” with every swing and rep I stare at that orange pylon. Now as I rest, it’s only a few feet in front of me. “BEGIN” 5 swings and a clean, 5 squats and I take 10 of the biggest paces I can and cross the line, making sure not to drop the bells. I look to the heavens and thank God that I am done. “Great Job Brad,” I hear as I get a slap on my bare back. “Now go out and cheer on the rest of your team.” One by one the entire group finishes and one by one we cheer every last instructor home until all are finished. With the endorphins from the workout everyone is buzzing and the chit chat goes on for hours.
 
Doug and I

It’s been a few months since that memorable weekend. I met some great folks that I have been able to keep in touch with and I have kept up on my skills and physical tests that I am required to pass. As I type this, the testing has been altered once again, making it just a bit tougher to become an RKC. However I am still ready. I could pass the test tomorrow if I had to and I am looking forward to the date that I am required to re-certify as an RKC. For me being an RKC is more than just a certification with initials after my name. It’s a standard that I represent and if I am to keep those initials after my name, I better live the part. I better be strong, in good shape, and most important of all, a professional in everything I do. Not just a professional athlete, but instructor, writer, and also a professional in how I conduct myself on the many social media outlets available. This is not only a standard I hold myself to, but the RKC requires it.

Next on my list is the CK-FMS or Certified Kettlebell Functional Movement Specialist. Possessing those skills would come in very handy not only for dealing with high level athletes, but the elderly and retired that make up the majority of our population here in North Eastern California. I find the CK-FMS skills as a way of teaching a more proactive approach to bone, joint, and muscular health. The only thing stopping me is the cost for attending the workshop and the travel expenses needed to do so. I have the desire to be a CK-FMS, now I just need the funds.

It is my hope that one day the RKC will be the benchmark for physical trainers. Right now the RKC is still very much in its infancy when compared to other certifications. Add to that the expense of becoming an RKC, and that there are cheaper, but less comprehensive Kettlebell clubs available and it’s hard for trainers to get on board with becoming an RKC. That is one of the biggest reasons I wanted to put this article together. If you are as passionate about your strength and performance as I am, then in my opinion becoming an RKC is where it’s at. You have to want to be an RKC, and if you do, go for it because it is well worth every penny and every bit of effort, pain, blood, sweat, and tears you have in you.