Wild Blog

Online Training

johnwild@orangekettlebellclub.com — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 22:16:00 GMT

Well, I have finally taken the plunge into online training . I have thought about it in the past and spent years programing when I worked at Equinox Fitness. Lately I have been training with the Evil Coach Kanygin and he has inspired me to get into the online training scene. So far, I have to say I really like it. It's funny, I coach Ketlebells so much these days that I forget that I am a CSCS and have been a trainer for so long. To think for all those years It was how I identified myself,,, sheesh. Anywhoo, I couldn't be more excited about his and if any of you have interest in this shoot me an email!

Cheers,

Online training, IKFF LA, OKC Oakland and The advanced Kettlebell Sport Workshop in NYC!

johnwild@orangekettlebellclub.com — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 23:48:00 GMT

There is a lot going on with the OKC these days. I have been training with the newest OKC advisor and my personal coach Denis Kanygin that I am considering a return to the platform early next year. My numbers have been going up and my training has changed so drastically in the past few months that showing off a little seems like a lot of fun. I am not sure which comp to go to but if there is another Arnold you know I'll be there

Another thing that has been going on is my venture into online training. I will be releasing the format over the next couple of days. i have thought about doing it for some time now but demand seems to be up. I guess people can't get enough of a simple man and his uranium bell haha. If you have any questions about the online training drop me an email. If you can't find my email address on this site anywhere don't worry about it, it was never meant to be,,,ZING! Seriously though, it is everywhere

There are still a few spots open for the OKC Oakland Fitness Trainer Workshop. Come on down and lifts some steel with me. We'll probably end up getting the fight on PPV too so consider that a bonus and yes Sarti and Tim have to come (to work the grill, I'm kidding, well not really).

Lastly we have everything rolling for the big workshop in NYC on October 24-25 which is just after my birthday on Oct 22. Again that's OCT 22. The workshop is going to be great and if you don't learn something new we will refund your money! (That was not my decision but somehow it ended up on the flyer so I'll go with it ).

oh, ok, one last thing, there are whispers about OKC Australia next year, hop hop, punch punch.

OCT 22

don't forget

What's cookin'

johnwild@orangekettlebellclub.com — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 02:55:00 GMT

Well, we have a small workshop set up for Sept 19 at the loft in Oakland but of course when I sent out the invites on Facebook I said it was August 19 HOORAY!!! I can't seem to send out any sort of mass email without a typo, great :-)

Good news though is that it looks like we will be booking a workshop in New York in October. Stay tuned for details on that! We are working out the details now.

I should be getting my 2 48kg bells in the mail this week, I bought them in December but I knew ahead of time that it would take a while for them to get here, oh, and the 70.4kg megabell should be here this week too,,, rock n' roll!!!

The beginning of the SuperBell

johnwild@orangekettlebellclub.com — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 19:06:00 GMT

Scott Helsley is a sick man. He is a Master of Sport (Long Cycle) and a hell of a nice guy but he has this little problem. He like to customize sport bells and turn them into the heaviest Kettlebells in the world. Most of the time a heavy bell means a huge bell, but Scott makes his ultra heavy bells in the standard sport bell size. So, he can make a 60+kg bell the sam size as a 24kg or a 32kg etc.

I have talked to Dr. Helsley many times about making an OKC bell. I could just never pull the trigger on it. However when I was all scrunched up in the back of that truck in Japan I thought "What the hell", or, "you only live once", blah blah blah. After spending a few hours thinking in cliche I decided that I needed to punish myself with the meanest, baddest, bell around.

So I wrote to Scott,

Big Mistake

September OKC Workshop? and Back from Japan!

johnwild@orangekettlebellclub.com — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:09:00 GMT

Well, I think I am closer to being back to normal after the Japan trip. It was an amazing experience and I learned so much about the Japanese people, culter, and transportation system :-). Rumor has it that Nazo and I may be able to come back in November or early December. We have a few things cooking and we will try to make it work.

I was training a new student yesterday and I was given a great compliment. He was asking me about all the different Kettlebell certifications and after I went through it with him he said that one of the reasons he worked with me was because while I was passionate about what I taught I was neutral when talking about the different schools. That made me very happy. I always tell folks that I am loyal to people, not organizations.

After my "friends blog" I got quite a few emails offering support. Some were from very unexpected places. Thank you all very much.

Lastly, I was thinking about doing a small workshop in Oakland on the second Saturday of September. I would limit it to 6 people. If anyone has interest please shoot me an email.

cheers,

Natural disasters, Hitchhiking, and Kettles

johnwild@orangekettlebellclub.com — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:59:00 GMT

So, the two day OKC Tokyo workshop feels like it was a huge success! I enjoyed the students and working with Mr. Matsushita again. Mr. Yamada was a great host and we all worked very hard on some new and difficult technique. The next morning I woke up physically crushed! I was sore from head to toe and 100% exhausted! But it was a travel day and Nazo and I had to leave the hotel and head down to the Onsen by Yamaguchi Pref.

It was tough to get moving but when we got to the train we settled in for our 5 hour ride. After about 4 hours they told us via loudspeaker that there was a huge storm in the south and the last leg of our train ride would be cancelled. This left us about 150km from our next stop. After 3 more hours we were let off the train in Hiroshima and the train station was full with over 15,000 people! There were blue tarps all over the floor so people could sit and wait. There was no estimate for how long. Maybe 5 hours, maybe days, nobody knew. They said tat there was flooding and the tracks were in bad shape, the bullet train could not run.

Nazo and I were feeling worse for wear. Both of our bodies were hurting and we had a decision to make. Should we sit and wait or should we push on. We decided to try and push on. One taxi outside told us he could take us the 150km to our next stop and we jumped in. Traffic moved for the first hour but then it stopped, completely. The roads ahead were closing down, it was pouring rain, and all the trains had stopped running. We inched along until the gas almost ran out, then we stopped at a gas station. He said his cab used a very special kind of gas and he could take us no further. It was a mess.

Our frustration was building but while at the gas station we got word that the highway was closed because of a landslide that killed 13 people. Then reports started coming in about 6 people dead here and 3 people dead there and 40 people missing. There was a story on the news about a nursing home that had flooded and almost washed away entirely. We were not frustrated any more. Now we knew that this was beyond serious and that our situation tough but not compared to the tragedy around us.
We knew we could not stay where we were. We looked for options and there were few. Nazo suggested we try to get a ride with a trucker passing through. It’s not something I had ever done but desperate times right? She was talking to this Trucker and our taxi driver and the night time gas station manager and convinced the trucker to drive us. I jumped in the cab (behind the seats where he had is bed) with the luggage and Nazo squeezed in a little open space in the front. He drove us through the rain for 4 hours. He brought us all the way to our hotel.
We were both exhausted and somewhere along the way I picked up a stomach bug. I was the happiest man alive to reach a bathroom! We both just collapsed and slept for a while. In the morning the News was incredible. There was so much damage. So many people had been killed. It was a real disaster.
I have been pretty sick for the past few days and I could not have been more greatful. Every time my stomach turned I knew I was still alive.
We finally made it down to Yamaguchi Pref. where we are teaching today, tomorrow, and Sunday. Believe me when I tell you, we couldn’t be happier to be here!

Day 1 of OKC Tokyo and 66kg fun!

johnwild@orangekettlebellclub.com — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 23:29:00 GMT

WKC Fitness Trainer Certification: Tokyo

johnwild@orangekettlebellclub.com — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 22:37:00 GMT

Japan's First WKC Fitness Certification at Bungeling Bay Gym in Tokyo!

Friends

johnwild@orangekettlebellclub.com — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 09:31:00 GMT

It's funny, I don't write that often and I feel because of that sometimes I fall out of view. Every once in a while the idea that I should blog more kicks in and bang out several in a row and then I drop off. I don't really feel like anyone reads this, why would they? I am so inconsistant that they never know when I write.

Now I feel like I have gotten myself into a pickle. Every day I seem to be hurting people around me. It is not just one person on one side of an argument but rather it is several people on all different sides. They are my friends and I like them all in very personal ways. It hurts me to think that I will lose one or all of them. But every day i seem to do something that pisses one of them off. I have always felt like a neutral person in this whole kettlebell racket. I really do enjoy all different sorts of training and I like meeting people who enjoy what they do. Traveling around and meeting all the great lifters that I have has made me a better person. It has made me the kind of person that my friends like, or liked.

Nothing has changed in me. I am still just a guy who lfts and drinks beer and eats meat and loves Star Wars and has all the bad habits to keep my good ones balanced. This whole thing is killing me and I don't know what to do. Maybe we can't work together. Maybe we can't train together. Maybe we can't teach together, or maybe we can. Whatever though, I just want to be friends, as stupid as that sounds. I just can't give up my friend for something like a kettlebell. Even though I love it too.

Kettlebells are kind of like Shoes,,,

johnwild@orangekettlebellclub.com — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 23:29:00 GMT

Sport bells are great for training the classic sport lifts. They are all uniform size so as you progress from one weight to the next you don’t have to change you mechanics as the size of the bell changes. This is relevant in