Heart. All you really need is heart. Miles ‘n miles ‘n miles of heart.

As far as the lessons from today. That one takes the cake. There were students in both the morning and evening classes that clearly demonstrated the need for heart. You have to want it. You have to need this work to drive you forward to your goals, to the betterment of your fitness, your performance, your health. You have to have the heart to know that right now…sucks, but 15 minutes from now it’s a whole different story.

It’s a different story because 5 rounds of running, deadlifting, pullups and jerks is satisfying on some deep instinctual level? Well, maybe for some. But for most it’s because this kind of work unites the mind with the body to perform at a level that you probably never expected yours would. That, in turn, drives you faster and faster towards whatever strengthening, weight loss or other goals you may have. Right now…the work may not be the most fun, but it is a tangible challenge that you can pull apart and sink your teeth into. Manageable  pieces of a daunting task become realistic way points towards an increasingly realizable goal.

Other lessons:

Kettlebell stays in the mid line of your body. It’s an un evenly loaded weight, so as soon as it leaves that mid line (the line formed by your nose, sternum & naval) you’re asking for trouble.

If your legs aren’t screaming at you for mercy durning a jerk set but your shoulders are…you need to shift the work load. Push harder with the hips and feet!

Distance runs aren’t jogs. They’re RUNS. Push it folks. Leave it all on the field, because when class is over, there’s no more. What are you saving it for?

Quit Working Out.

Start Training

…and that’s exactly what they did today. You have a finite amount of time. You have a set number of tasks that are to be completed as many times as possible within that time. You know when the timer goes off, that’s it. There’s no making up for lost time, slowing up earlier on, pacing to conserve…nothing. The last time you were here it was a similar setup, but the intervals were sprints. This was the long haul. It’s not 3 sets of 10 with a comfy rest build in to watch Dr. Phil on the gym t.v. any more. This is training performance in your body. This is conditioning the different energy systems in your body to produce a greater result than was possible even a few days before.

Training your body to greater fitness. Training your body to an elevated metabolic rate. Training your body to burn energy (calories) more efficiently .Training your body to maintain a heightened level of fitness and performance.

Personally 3 sets of 10 arm curls and 3 sets of 15 leg extensions (when I felt like it) never got me anywhere. This…this is a different story all together.

We’re still just touching on the basics of kettlebell technique and metabolic conditioning. But so far, you’re doing an amazing job. The classes are coming along and there is much awesomeness every single day. Thursday…more awesomeness.

Ronni, you’re struggling to get back into it. Stick with it. This wasn’t as hard as the first and next time won’t be as hard as this.

Asdis, Kristin, Tierra…you guys are unstoppable.