Creativity
and the Kettlebell Phenomenon
Tyler Touchette
It all started on a rainy, boring, depressing day in the middle
of the week. A good friend of mine known as ROD THE BOD called
me looking for something to do. I had a good 3 hour break from
clients in the afternoon, so I told him to come on over and
we’ll figure out something to do once he gets here. After
an hour of looking at the same sports highlights The BOD asked
me if I felt like working out. “Today is my day off”
I told him but if he really wanted to workout - I would show
him a few exercises.
So we made our way all the way upstairs (my studio is in my
house) and began with some mobility work and a little bit of
rope skipping.
Keep in mind, the BOD knows very little about strength training
(but nevertheless loves a challenge and loves to compete). With
that in mind I started showing him some fairly tough exercises
to see if he could keep up. We started with Renegade Rows, Double
Swings, Inch Worms, and Overhead Lunges.
Now, even for a fairly fit individual, these are challenging
exercises. My plan was to somewhat break The BOD and stand over
him pounding my chest like ‘KING KONG’. Guess what,
that’s not what happened, he somehow followed my trail
and performed each exercise with good form. Keep in mind, the
BOD is a natural athlete who stands at 6’4 and weighs
roughly 240 pounds.
That’s when I had a great idea… Let’s see
if the BOD can perform a Turkish get up – bottoms up.
After completing the movement I told him to try it out. Looking
as though I just walked on water he hesitantly got down on the
floor and made his attempt. Here’s the part that burns
my #$%! Not only did he do it, something happened, something
magical, incredible, unbelievable, ok – enough, it wasn’t
that great but nevertheless it was definitely interesting. He
performed the Turk – bottoms up and then on the down phase
of the lift paused in a lunge and began to press the bell for
5 reps. No, he wasn’t done there. He then brought the
weight down and tactically moved it through his leg and to the
other hand where he once again bottoms up pressed it and repeated
the entire sequence with his other side.
ROD THE BOD
The moral of the story: Kettlebell training is versatile, creative
and extremely fun. Anyone with the least bit of creativity can
stumble on new moves. From a nothing day to an incredible workout,
we came across a pretty cool exercise that is definitely challenging
and gives you a good old fashion kick in the ass.
Most people resent working out because they get bored. It’s
that simple. Whether you’re a trainer, weekend warrior,
or beginner, you should always keep it interesting. If you run
all the time – change it up, go rock climbing or hiking.
Any interesting variations of your own – let me know!
Look forward to Part 2! It’s on the way!
About the Author
Tyler Touchette,
www.kettlebelltrainer.ca
Tyler has a deep understanding of the challenges of fitness
and has researched countless hours in order to provide the people
around him with the opportunity to reach their most sought after
goals. Tyler has been involved in the industry for over 10 years
and holds many different certifications including; Canadian
Kettlebell Instructor, Scientific Core conditioning specialist,
Special Popualtions consultant, weight loss coach, and ACE certified
personal trainer.
Tyler is available for workshops, private training, group training,
and fitness consultations.
For more information contact: (613) 936-2971 or email at ttbigdog@hotmail.com