Becoming Strong... part 1
Becoming Strong…part 1
At the time of writing this article, I've gone back to school, not just any school but a School for Strength. I’m studying with Strong First, a school who has at its heart the philosophy “strength has a greater purpose!” and with this, they believe in building a stronger world.
Pavel Tsatsouline is the CEO and If you’re not familiar with his name and you’re into Kettlebells then this is the man who introduced them to the West in 1998 and is responsible for the education of this practice worldwide.
This I'm proud to say is his school and it's strongly represented by the most knowledgeable instructors in the world and I’m currently in preparation for the SFG1 certification. A course designed to teach and test your skills in the art of “hardstyle” kettlebell training born in the spec ops of the Soviet Union and evolved in the 1980s to support the hard style of fighting.
It is without a doubt a course not for the faint-hearted, its preparation alone is gruelling and can take as long as six months to train for and that’s with a good base in fitness and fundamental knowledge of Kettlebell techniques, even then, there is no guarantee to pass.
Their standards are high, exceedingly high!
So, what set me on this path:
Firstly, I wanted to progress my knowledge base and bring the Strong First philosophy to the South West as their methodology can benefit everyone from the Housewife to the Olympic Athlete.
From a personal perspective, I think I’ve always been instinctive when it comes to training and at the age of 55, I still manage to bust down doors defying my age and physical potential.
However, over the last year I've felt different, be it my age or motivation, I started to dread my training sessions and began to feel that I might be taking years off my life rather than adding them on particularly with the intensity that I train at. So, call it serendipity, luck or the ability to listen to my inner voice - the stars came into alignment and I found Strong First; a family dedicated to the pursuit of strength!
For me to have any chance of succeeding in the SFG1 course I needed to become part of this family so I felt it necessary to seek out my own inspirational teacher, my Mr Miagi or in this case Mrs Miagi.
Enter Claire Booth…
A Lincolnshire lass, she takes no messing, doesn’t hold back and has precision in the teaching of technique that only the most accurate of snipers would be proud of. She comes from the sport of bodybuilding and her success is an accolade to her depth of knowledge and character, she is an elite teacher and the UK's representative for Strong First so who better to study under!
At the time of writing this, I'm now into week 7 with Claire and 3 weeks away from testing, it’s been a wonderful journey.
It’s not been easy, as I am incredibly hard on myself, always feeling that I haven’t done enough, I can’t help it, it’s the perfectionist in me; however, Claire imparts the knowledge of Strong First and in the words of the great strength and conditioning coach Dan John, she tells me that "More is just more”!
Practice is at the heart of everything, always learning and striving for perfection that is never there, only momentarily but if you recognise that in yourself then life and our ability to progress in all things becomes infinite!
To this end, I would like to share with you what I have learnt in a relatively short time through this process thus far and the effects it’s had on me, both physically and mentally, in the hope that you may adapt and recognise this within yourself and begin to think about training strong.
I ache very little, I move with greater integrity and strength, I have more mental acuity and energy as I no longer continually train to fatigue and failure, I have recognised now that less can definitely be more in the world of strength.
I look forward to every session instead of with dread, I have more focus and I feel like I'm adding quality years on to my life and not taking them away.
Above all - I'm becoming STRONG!
Peace, Mike.