Author Archives: Tim Shuman

12 Stone

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Dave after losing 12 Stone

David Walker and I met several years ago through a mutual friend here in the States. Dave comes over from England for Holiday a couple of week around the Bay Hill Tournament. This year at the same party I was introduced to Dave again, He looked familiar but I had no idea who he was.

Finally Dave approached me and said, “Tim you don’t remember me do you?”
“I’m sorry I don’t.”
“That’s ok I get that a lot. I’ve lost about 12 Stone since I saw you last year this time.”
“12 STONE, 12 STONE, that’s a person, of course I don’t recognize you, that’s brilliant, Congrats”.
Dave then proceeded to tell me his story. Thought it would be great for you to hear it as well.For those who don’t know what a Stone is; 1 stone = 14 pounds. 12 Stone = 168 pounds.

Dave Before Losing 12 Stone

Here is a little background about Dave:

Dave Walker was born 25 /09/1963 in Wolver Hampton, West Midlands,England. The only child of Teresa a photographer and Bryan an architect left school in 1980 with 7 o’levels, I started work for a builders merchants and in 1988 went into transport and haulage and have been there ever since having my own company since 2003, I’ve always been a big guy played golf and indoor football till 95 when persistent knee trouble caused me to quit but always had good health.

Dave, what did you do to lose the 12 Stone?

Well Tim ,my friends mom is a dietician ,she gave me a diet sheet which told me about the 10,10,5 rule with food if it has 10 or less of sugar and salt and 5 or more of fiber its good to eat plus as much fruit and veg as you like, no red meat plenty of turkey and chicken but no skin baked or grilled, fish grilled or baked also quinoa which is a meat substitute is good, I was also told to cut out rice, pasta, noodles and only 4 slices of bread a week. Also to have breakfast which was something I never used to do, now I couldn’t live withoutporridge in the morning, it’s my favorite meal. But to be honest its common sense you know what’s good for you and what isn’t but the most important thing was I started walking and that’s when it all started to change for me.

How long were you at your heavier weight?

Like everything the weight just crept on over the years, due to working long hours, no exercise and just eating to much and drinking to much of the wrong things so I would say I was 26 and a half stone for about 10 years I was embarrassed and scared to weigh myself because I knew I had to do something about it but I was scared to face the truth.  26.5 Stone = 371 pounds.

What was the turning point that you finally said enough is enough?
What made you decide to take action?

These two go hand in hand, I had my 2 year eye test in late 2010 and they found scar tissue behind my right eye so I was sent to the local hospital to get it checked, they took my BP which was 203/100 which is dangerously high so I was sent to my GP the same week, the scar tissue had been there since birth so no problem with that so indirectly the optician is responsible for all of this whether she knows it or not. I went to my GP who put it in no uncertain terms that if I didn’t lose weight, get my BP down and start to look after myself I would be lucky to make 70 and being 48 at the time that was the point when enough was enough and it was down to me and only me to change it with diet and exercise and the rest as they say is history. My diet now is pretty much as was just less now as I’m only half the person I was I don’t need as much to eat as I used to but the gradual build up of walking increased by half a mile per month till I got to 5 miles per morning, then my Dr. got a gym referral for me for 12 weeks which I loved and now I walk/run 8 miles sat and sun and go to the gym Tues, Wed and Thurs. I do an hour weights and 45 mins cardio either cross trainer, rowing machine or treadmill.

Dave I remember last year you had trouble walking from one side of the yard to the other, without taking a break, you also you seemed to havesome balance issues. How has your life changed since losing the 12 Stone?

My balance has improved 100% Tim, but I can’t do anything about being clumsy so I think the career as a ballerina is on hold for a while the word hasn’t been invented for the way my life has changed, honestly its so different I may as well have been living on another planet, nothing seems impossible anymore. I feel happy and content with my work and social life, my priorities have changed totally, and without wanting to get mushy all my family and close friends have been brilliant with me and have been nothing but supportive so I count myself a lucky man to be surrounded by such good people who have made this life change, which lets face it could have been difficult for me, really easy and also thanks to my nurse Jeannette and Dr Morortra who I am now proud to call my friends.

Dave now that you’ve done this incredible thing, what’s next?

Finally there are only two goals for me, to have the operation to remove the excess skin so I can finally say goodbye to the old me and really start my new life and I have just signed up to run the Birmingham half marathon in October for the action heart charity which is part of the gym I go to for heart and stroke patients in rehab so I can help the people who have helped me which is important because they do a brilliant job with no funding from the government. (Remember Dave lives in England)

So to sum it up; here is a Busy, Business Owner, who decided to make a change to better his life. To do this He made time to get off his butt and start moving. Then he started using common sense to pick healthy food choices. The day he picked was “Today”, not New Years or after the Holidays or some special event.  What’s your excuse now?

Interview with Iron Maiden Karen Smith, SRKC

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Ten of some of the  most asked questions by women about Kettlebells

Being a larger Human in the Fitness industry, when women question me
about Kettlebells their first comments are generally “I don’t want to
be as big as you” (Ladies, you don’t have the frame and you won’t
eat the amount of food to get to my size) and it looks Scary. So I
have sent some of the more common questions to Karen Smith,
SRKC, owner of Kettlebell Elite, in Virginia Beach. Karen is a
Mother, Business Owner and the newest Iron Maiden in the RKC. Karen
lifts heavy kettlebells yet still keeps and amazing figure looking Fit
not bulky. Karen is extremely intelligent and motivating. The only
thing that out shines these is her outstanding personality.

So let’s get to Karen’s thoughts on these questions

1: Why have you chosen Kettlebells?
After many years as a personal trainer and a lifetime of being active – I came across Kettlebell’s in 2007 and realized quickly that they would be my fitness tool of choice because they are the MOST EFFICIENT way to change your body. (With proper nutrition of course).

2: How have Kettlebells kept you Fit?
Kettlebells have allowed me to cut my training time from 14 hrs a week to 3 hours a week. And I have continued to get stronger and leaner with far less time spent training. Kettlebells have been the only tool I needed for strength and cardiovascular fitness since 2007.

3: Will lifting Heavy Kettlebells make me look like a man?
Heavy Kettlebell training will not make you look like a man; they will make you look like a FIT Female. 🙂

4: I don’t want to get bulky, how will Kettlebells help.
I have been on a HEAVY strength program for over a year (with NO CARDIO) – training for the IRON MAIDEN challenge and I did NOT get BULKY! I only got stronger and leaner.

5: Are Kettlebells hard to do? Won’t swinging that thing hurt my back?
Kettlebell are not hard to do – they are great for all fitness level and ages. Can the SWING hurt your back? Well not with proper instruction from and RKC instructor. We specialize in Kettlebell skills and training with proper form.
If you try it on your own you could hurt your back, which mostly happens when people think that the swing is done by using your arms to pull the bell up to chest height or higher. The swing is an exercise done with explosive hip drive which in return allows the bell to swing forward and actually float at chest height when done properly.

6: How have kettlebells fit into your personal/ professional life?
Kettlebells have changed my life both personally and professionally. As mentioned earlier – they are my tool of choice. With them being so efficient , I have so much more time to dedicate to my family and my clients. I continue to spread the word and teach my clients that they can have a life and do the things they love and still fit in their much-needed fitness program.

7: How have kettlebells help with your self-esteem/ confidence as a Woman?
I found Kettlebells after having my daughter and they helped my self-esteem and confidence tremendously. I am no different from most females – I had and still from time to time have body image issues. But kettlebells have changed my body, given me a body I am proud of.

8: Do you think you could use just kettlebells and still get fit?
I am just one of many examples in the RKC that kettlebells can be the only tool used. It doesn’t have to be but absolutely can me. I would say kettlebells account for 90% of my training and the other 10% is Body Weight training (pull ups, push ups, hand stands, burpees etc)

9: How long do you have to work out with kettlebells?
My first session with kettlebells was in Nov 2007. In the first 5 weeks (sessions per week) I love 3.5 inches off my waist and 5% in my body fat. I was the average female sitting at 25% BF after having my daughter. To this day 4/25/2012 I still do 3 hours per week and stay about 15% BF.

10: They are so big. Seems like they are just for men?
They are for everyone, I currently have more female clients than males. They are getting strong and see from watching me train that they will not get BULKY!
You get bulky by what you put in your month, not by picking up a heavy bell.

Sounds simple.. Thank you for your insight Karen.

Pre Swing

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Pre-Swing

Clean
Set up; Position yourself 1-1.5 feet behind the bell, head neutral,
pack the shoulders. Using the Lats, hike the bell back between the
legs with a purpose to load up the posterior chain (hamstrings,glutes ),
getting the forearms high and tight up in the groan area. As the forearms
leave the inside of the thigh, pop and lock the hips and knees with a hard
exhale, back strike the elbows and punch through to the rack position.

The key part to this movement is loading up the posterior chain, with
the forearms high and tight to the groan area. This puts you in a safe and powerful
position. But, what happens when you start getting real heavy bells and
can’t get to that high and tight position? You may not be able to rack
the weight or if you do you may find yourself dipping under the Bells
to catch them. This is more of an Olympic style catch, which is fine,
but its not Hardstyle and you will leak energy and power.

Enter the Pre-Swing. Hike the bell(s) as normal but swing instead of
clean. With a couple of swings you should be able to move the kettlebells
from a low to high swing, and get to the high and tight position on
the back swing, As soon as you feel you’re in the right position, clean.
If you have stayed in your safe power position with the swings, the
bell(s) should roll right up into the rack.

Drill
A simple drill to build the strength of your clean: start with
3-5 heavy swings. Once you feel you’re in the right position, clean the
bells. If you feel yourself trying to dip under the bells, get rid of
them. (This drill is best done outside, since you will be digging
hole.) The idea is to complete the RKC clean, so don’t practice
dipping, only practice the movement at hand. Enjoy!

*** Yes there are some changes in the hand position of the clean that
can get you some more power but here I’m just focusing on getting into
the high and tight position.***

1%

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Part 2

Talking last about being 1% better at 100 different things, in order to do this takes Practice. Its believed that in order to be and expert at something you need to have completed 10,000 hours of practice of that particular task. This is shown in Olympic athletes, top Pro athletes.( Jordan, Woods, etc. ) top performers ( Bach, etc. ) Now you may be thinking ” I’ve practiced 10,000 hours at my work.” That makes me an expert. Which you may have but there is just one more word to add to Practice, “Deliberate”. How much time do you spend on your specific work task? How much is on other things? Now how many hours of Deliberate Practice to you have?
So now back to our Fitness theme. When your going though your fitness program how much time do you spend focusing on the movements? Or are you just trying to get though it? When you block out all other thoughts and just focus on the movement at hand, your results will change, body shape improves, strength elevates, fat shreds off and most importantly safety increases. So with your 1% improvement goals, Deliberate Practice can be applied to; Breathing, the Hike, Swing, Pop n Lock, Rooting and so many more.

So why no shoes?

Think of it this way shoes are like mittens. Go around all day with a pair of mittens on your hands.. You’ll find things are harder to pick up, your fingers may get claustrophobic, and everything you touch will just feel wrong. Same goes for shoes. But shoes go even farther, the mittens won’t affect the rest of your body ( yes unless you strain something while reaching ) When your toes are confined and you feet are floating ( as they do in these high tech shoes ), you lose the ability to feel the ground. Nerve endings, motor sensors don’t work properly, bones and joints don’t line up right. Enter Kettelbell Training….

At Fit Camp we work from the ground up.. Starting with Rooting of the feet ( you can’t do this properly with shoes on ).. Rooting is awareness and influencing how the body aligns through contact with the ground and your feet. Three key points connect the barefoot with the ground; 1. under the big toe, 2. under the small toe, 3. the heel. Stand barefoot and shift your weight to find these points and pay attention to how each feels.Once you master this step try it with your eyes closed. many different things will be happening now. Finally when you feel comfortable with your new solid rooting technique, grab a kettlebell by the horn and perform several Goblet Squats, shifting your weight though out the movement to find the balance point and solid root position..

Once you can establish a solid base, can properly root your feet to the ground and can brace your abs ( hands on a kettlebell abs tight ) you will find your press, squat and swing movements will have more control, feel much more powerful and become more efficient. Less not forget safer

1%

Part 1

Can you make yourself 1% better? What if you make yourself 1% better at 100 things?

Many people set goals to be 100% better than someone or at something.. Is it even possible to be 100% better than someone? Probably not, but can you be 1% better at 100 things? Studies on Olympics have shown the difference between a Gold metal and 4th place is 1%. Whether its distance, weight or time it all works out to be 1%. The Olympic motto is ” swifter, higher, stronger ” not ” swiftest. highest, strongest. ” Which should mean working on getting better at something everyday. So if its good enough for the elite of the elite, why shouldn’t it be good enough for you?

Since we are talking Kettlebells, what could you do to improve your kettlebell practice by 1%. Of course each of the RKC 6 can be improved with deliberate practice. ( “Whats that?” you say? We’ll address that in the next post ) How about simple things that once improved will have a ripple effect to improve something in all the RKC 6. Here is a simple list; Power Breathing, Hike, Rooting, Hip Mobility, Shoulder Stability and the list can go on. 1% improvement of any of these techniques can improve all of our RKC 6.

Tim Shuman RKCII