There are two sides of me.  Maybe a few more. 

The first side might be your story.  The details might be slightly different, but the gist may sound familiar to you.  That side is just John Howlett--Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, licensed Professional Engineer, President/CEO/founder of two businesses, loving husband, devoted father, pianist, hobby farmer, active church member, and maybe a few more things.

Throughout my high school and college years, I was pretty active weight lifting and exercising.  I have to say though, I wish I knew even 10% of what I know today about strength and conditioning.  I certainly wish that kettlebells had been brought to the United States by then.  However, when I got out of grad school and got married, I got a little careless.  I would wander back and forth into some fitness routines, with limited success.  I gained weight--and not the good kind.  I gained fat. (Again, sound familiar?)

One day when I realized that I had gained 30 pounds, I got mad--mad enough to do something about it.  I also decided I was going to not only lose the weight, but get into the best shape of my life, including the "six pack abs" look.  During this journey, I discovered the Russian kettlebells--promised to get me into the best shape of my life.  For me, that was a challenge--and I took it:  The Russian Kettlebell Challenge.

I learned pretty quickly several things:

• The Russian kettlebell was exactly as advertised.  Brutal.  Effective.  Portable.  Virtually indestructible.  It chisled off a few more pounds and put muscle in places that I never knew had muscle.
• Using a Russian kettlebell was as much mental as it was physical.  I loved that.
• Its effectiveness was very dependent on technique--similar to martial arts in that aspect.  I did everything I could to learn tips and proper usage from DVD's, videos, and Pavel's books.

Which brings me to the second side of me, RKC instructor.

After about 8 months using kettlebells, I had made enormous strides in strength, but I realized that I was missing something.  I knew I must have some fundamentals wrong since some of my exercises (notably my snatch and swings) were not improving as they should.  I went to see an RKC, and it didn't take him long to straighten out some of my problems.

I figured out quickly that I wanted to be an RKC and help others the same way.  You can read more in the article "What is an RKC?", but let's just say that preparation was brutal--good thing, because the certification was too!  It is one of the few physical training certifications that require actual physical performance.  I checked into other physical training certifications and passing multiple choice test was all that was required!  Give me a break!  I'd hate to be a client showing up for a PT session and see that I was in better shape than he/she was!

Now I'm helping others with their strength, conditioning, and fat loss.  It is a great feeling seeing people's lives changed using the Russian kettlebell. If you are beginning with a kettlebell, or have "hit a wall" in your workouts, contact me and I can help you learn proper technique and develop a program that is right for you.