Monday, March 16, 2009

REBOOT! - the aftermath of the Level 1 Movement Repatterning workshop

After one of the most demanding weekends I've had since the RKC, I'd like to thank Kingston Heng, RKC, Kettlebells Orange County, and the staff of California Martial Arts for hosting me this last Sunday afternoon for the inaugural Level 1 REBOOT! workshop.

While the workshop was a resounding success, although I do have to begin with one very serious apology. I grossly underestimated the amount of time needed to cover the information in the level of detail that the participants were able to appreciate.

Usually people who are not fitness or medical professionals could care less for all the details and concepts behind what makes the human body work. They just want to feel better and let that be that. But this group was different. After unintentionally going 30 minutes overtime, I realized that people who are non-fitness professionals are eager for the insights, corrections, and concepts that feed into the sources of their pain.

INSIGHT #1: The consumer has become educated and wants more than just a bandaid to cover their symptoms.
So what we're going to do (possibly even before I get back from Korea) is work to set another date when we'll have the Level 2 REBOOT where we can actually get to work on loaded movements using KETTLEBELLS and review the foam roller techniques.

INSIGHT #2: People will do what you've taught them IF you remind them.
So here are a few of the highlights... which I'd like everyone to practice, even if you didn't make it to the workshop.

- The 3 Prys: Pry the knees outward so that as you squat, your knees stay in the same vertical plane as your feet. You'll need a mirror to verify what you're doing is correct. Don't trust yourself. For most people, proprioception is little better than self-deception.

- Glute Strength: If you haven't gotten to the point where your glutes are strong enough to bite your finger off, practice more. Load your heels, lift your toes, lock your knees, and try to pinch your finger at the top of your glutes the way you were taught. Even when you get up out of a chair, drive your heels down and start firing your glutes. You'll find that your movements take on more power with less pain!

- Rolling: If you're too weak to roll on the ground for at least 10 reps to the left and to the right, then work on it! It may seem like something either too easy or too irrelevant, but rolling is one of the most important primitive movement patterns that American adults lose. Don't be one of them!

Need someone to train with? Then have a look at our RKC certified instructor roster and get together with one of them! The roster for some of the people I've personally trained and had a hand in preparing is here at http://kettlebellslosangeles.com/instruct.html

INSIGHT #3: Prepare for the unexpected.

Perhaps one of the things I expected least was the amount of questions I'd be getting afterwards regarding when the next workshops I'm teaching are scheduled for. That's quite a compliment. And like an idiot, I didn't refill my wallet with business cards as I was more preoccupied with lugging around a dozen Thai swords in my van for the Krabi-Krabong workshops I was assisting with.

So if you attended the workshop (or the training session at Clover Park that morning) and had a strongly positive experience, could I bother you to post it on my RKC instructor review page?

Looking forward to meeting you at one of my workshops or appearances in the near future -- Seoul, Riverside, Modesto, Copenhagen, St. Paul, etc.

3 comments:

SG Human Performance said...

Terrific post Dr. Cheng!

I cannot stress enough the importance of using the glutes.

It also amazes me when people squat that they have no idea that their knees are caving in.

Coach RJ said...

Well said Doc. Sunday was amazing! Between Saturday with Guro Spezzano, RKC and the Sunday Line Up, I recalibrated more in two days than the last few months! The concept of "process improvement" is being redefined by KBLA--HARD style! I rolled the updates into my college football team this morning and the positive results with improved form and SAFETY were immediately felt.

Unknown said...

Mr. Snow, thus, my line about proprioception being little better than self-deception. I think the people that got the most out of the workshop were actually the medical & fitness professionals.

Coach, you ain't seen nothin' yet! Believe me.