I have expanded Caldwell group class hours. I will not be conducting regular Boise classes anymore, but will work by-appointment on a limited basis.
Caldwell group class times are as follows:
Monday – 12 p.m.
Tuesday – 12 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m., and 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday – 12 p.m., 5:30 p.m.
Thursday – 12 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m., and 7:30 p.m.
Friday – 12 p.m.
Saturday – 9 a.m., (beginning) and 10 a.m., and usually open gym time from 5-9 p.m.
Sunday – 9 a.m. (beginning) and 10 a.m.
Of course, I still work by appointment throughout the day. Call ahead to let me know if you want to come check the place out.
Also, remember that I now require all new members to work with me individually a few times before attending regular group classes. I do this for safety, but also to maintain a high level of training for everyone.
The Caldwell group classes and individual training have been picking up and we are truly building a fitness community in the area. In working with the management at Goalz indoor soccer facility, I have gained access to an amazing facility, and my style of fitness training is steadly attracting more and more people who are learning that the “big box” corporate gyms, full of machines, mirrors and TV sets just don’t cut it for the serious fitness enthusiast.
Kettlebell Inc. Online Magazine.
I had the honor of being featured in one of the few kettlebell training publications recently.
Tires, kettlebells and a whole indoor soccer field.
Here are a few new videos that show some of the happenings at Idaho Kettlebells. We are in the process of upgrading the facility, and may soon be adding some flooring which will permit some martial art training. Standby on that one.
Also, since the weather is getting warmer the indoor soccer field (at Goalz indoor soccer) is free most of the time. That means a ton of room to play.
In cooperation with Goalz, we are in the developmental stages of creating a multi-use facility that will offer a wide variety of fitness options.
Remember, I have free introductory kettlebell classes Saturday and Sundays at 9 a.m.
Don’t forget to login at my interactive website: www.boisekettlebells.ning.com
Schedule:
12 p.m. small-group training at Caldwell facility. Monday thru Friday.
5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday at Caldwell facility.
7:45 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at Kim’s Taekwon-do in Boise.
9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday at Caldwell facility (beginner class)
10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday at Caldwell facility.
Filed under: Uncategorized — jbeaumont@idahokettlebells.com @ 6:23 am
Supplemets and Buybulkwhey protein.
Whenever the subject of maximizing one’s training comes up, the subject of supplementation is usually not far behind. This is understandable. The supplement industry is huge, and spends a zillion dollars a year advertising in just such a way as to make one think that taking this or that particular supplement is either simply good for you, or necessary to achieve one’s fitness goals.
While I certainly don’t claim to be a chemist or biologist, I have used – and know those who have used – a good number of the different sports nutrition supplements over the years. Some are good and some are not.
I do have opinions on specific products or brands. I won’t share them here. You are free to ask me any time and I will give you my honest answers.
What I will say is that I am not compensated in any way for recommending any particular supplement brand, and I plan to keep it this way.
To be trusted is the most important thing to me as a trainer and as a person. If, as a trainer, I recommend something based your needs, I want there to be no doubt that it is because I believe it to be safe, have seen it work (or at least know the ingredients to be effective), and think it is the best thing out there for your goals.
It is not because I am making money from it. Whatever amount of money to be gained from selling a supplement is nothing compared to building the trust of those I train.
There is currently only one nutrtional supplement I am promoting across the board: Buybulkwhey protein. It is a local company, and there is no added garbage in it.
Full disclosure: Since I signed up to be a Buybulkwhey.com associate on their site (as anyone can) I get 5lbs of free protein for every 50lbs bought from my link. Trust me, this is not enough to sway my opinion if I couldn’t gag the stuff down, or didn’t think it was good stuff. It is currently the only whey protein my wife and I have in the kitchen. Oh, and the price is better than anything out there.
You can visit the Buybulkwhey.com site by clicking the banner below.
Throughout the months of December and January, I embarked on 2 challenges: One that was my design and one that was Lisa Shaffer from Kettlebell Inc.’s doing.
The first of December, I decided to do 1 Turkish Getup for each day of the month. So, on the 1st day, I did one and on the last day 31. I took one rest day each week. Each rep was up and down both sides.
I did this totally for personal reasons. I wanted to improve my shoulder stability and strength. I knew this would do it. I also decided to add a minimum of 1,000 kettlebell swings per week.
I made the mistake of writing about this on the Kettlebell Inc. Forum, and others joined in the challenge, and then upped the ante on the swings. Lisa Shaffer decided on 1,000 swings the first week, 1,500 the next, 2,000 week three and 2,500 the final week. It was tough. This equalled 7,000 for the month.
Lisa then issued the next challenge: 10,000 swings for the month of January. It was tough.
I added lots of presses and Turkish Getups to make the workouts balanced, and did between 400 and 500 swings 6 days per week to get the numbers in. There was no slack, and no time for catch up if I were to get behind.
Last Saturday I finished out my 10,000 for the month with 600 swings with the 70lb kettlebell.
My pressing strength has also improved, as a result of the pressing routine I followed with the swings. I will elaborate on that more later.
The pictures are of what my hands looked like after my final swings of January. The only reason I post these photos is that I never, ever recommend anyone let their hands get to this point.
This is not cool or macho. This will equal a few days away from kettlebells, which is not productive.
-Jim
I’m adding more evening classes in Boise at Kim’s Taekwon-do next week. The noon classes won’t start until Feb. Classes will be at 7:45 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.
I’m also offering a set rate for a month of classes, with unlimited attendance for both the Boise and Caldwell locations: $90 per month individual, and $140 per month for you and a friend together.
I am doing this for three reasons:
1) If you pay for an entire month, you have made a commitment and will attend. Paying for an entire month and only going once or twice is a waste of money. Neither you or I want that, so I’m going to encourage you to make it as much as possible, which means at least 3-5 days a week.
2) I want results from this program! As a trainer, my reputation and success rides on the finished product: Your results.
If my clients only exercise a few days a month, the results will be minimal, and then I look like a crappy trainer. That is not what I want. Like any healthy person, I have an ego, and therefore, want to continue to build a great reputation. The more you exercise, the better for you and me.
3) Ths one comes down to pride and competitiveness. There is a corporate gym in the area offering kettlebell training at the rate of $129 for 10 classes. I know for a fact that they do not (or at least did not) employ certified kettlebell instructors, rather, just whatever “trainer” happened to get stuck with the job of running the classes. I want to blow them away with better results…because I hate corporate scams.
Small -group kettlebell training coming to boise.
Fat loss – Burn 600-800 calories per hour during kettlebell strength training. Strength – Get strong. Kettlebell training will produce functional strength gains that carryover into other activities…unlike bodybuilding routines. Flexibility and Balance – Balance and flexibility is built into every kettlebell movement. Increased range-of-motion is common through proper kettlebell training. Certified Instruction – Classes will only be taught by a certified kettlebell instructor.
Where – Classes will be held at Kim’s Taekwon-do School at 6418 W. Fairview in Boise.
When – Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings at 7:45 p.m. AND Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 12:00 p.m.
Cost – Introductory rates for this program will blow away any corporate gym “bootcamp” program.
* Visit www.idahokettlebells.com or call (208) 412-6079 for more info.
Why doesn’t my commercial gym just have a whole bunch of kettlebells, barbells, dumbells and pullup bars instead of machines?
This is not a simple question, and therefore will not get a simple answer.
Money for nothing.
Like most everything else, it comes down to money. Corporate gyms don’t make money from people who get results from exercising through effective training methods. They get results from people who sign a membership contract and don’t use the gym.
I trained at a corporate gym for a while, and their own statistic was that 75% of those who sign a membership will not even be using the gym in 90 days. Of course, they’ll still be paying and the gym owners will be making money for nothing for the next two years.
Effective exercise takes time, discipline and lots of hard work and nothing else. Most people won’t pay to work that hard. Machines appear to offer an “easy way out” for lazy, misinformed or desperate people.
Any idiot can step on an exercise machine, slap on an iPod and watch TV, while making some flailing motions on some worthless exercise machine. Ever had to “elliptical” your way quickly from one place to another? I rest my case.
No doubt you will burn slightly more calories than sitting on the couch at home, but you gain little else from it.
As far as strength training with machines goes, forget it. Just forget it. Lifting heavy objects is the only way to teach your body to lift other heavy objects safely. Pushing or pulling a lever on a machine does nothing but teach you how to push and pull levers, no matter how much resistance is offered.
The owners and sleazy salespeople at big corporate gyms make money off people who come to a commercial gym, are in awe of all the fancy machines, and sign a two-year contract with the good intention of using the gym almost everyday.
The inviting atmosphere and vision of getting in shape while watching TV gets you in the door. I’m sure there are pictures of fit people on the walls using those worthless machines, and if you only sign on the dotted line, you’ll get there too. I’m sure they also have a rack full of miracle supplements – that are marked up at least 100% – to help you meet your goals.
Congratulations! You are now paying hundreds, if not thousands of dollars for a gym membership at a corporate gym.
For the first few weeks, all is well and you may even lose a few pounds as your body adapts to the new routine. But quickly, your body will find ways of decreasing the effort required to pedal that bicycle, or “elliptical” your way to health. The results stop, and you soon find reasons not to go to the gym.
That is how corporate gyms make money. The initial investment of those machines is more than offset by the steady stream of people willing to pay for easy fitness.
The problem is there is no such thing as easy fitness!
Being strong and lean requires work, sweat and sacrifice. Not machines. Muscle soreness, missed social engagements, and denying yourself things like junk food is part of the game. There are no shortcuts. No easy routes.
You will feel pain from working out. Deal with it.
Learn to separate slight soreness from actual injuries. If you haven’t been moving much, your body will hurt at first, but the results will come fast. Just don’t fall into the trap of gauging the productivity of your training strictly by the amount of soreness you experience. More on that later.
You will have to miss out on the after work party, the football game or your favorite TV show. Deal with it.
You will have to plan your meals, because working out hard while eating nothing but processed junk will hurt. All that sugar, salt and fat does not fuel a body well enough to accommodate hard training.
You have to pay attention while you train (not watch TV). If you are not paying attention while lifting a heavy kettlebell, dumbell, barbell or your bodyweight, you will get hurt. Period. And, it will be your own fault.
You will have to cut the bullshit and be accountable. No more crap about how you have a “slow metabolism” or “I eat pretty good.” You don’t.
If you don’t measure out every gram of food, you don’t know what you are eating. You have a “slow metabolism?” That is because fat requires less calories to maintain than muscle. Want to change that? Move more, and gain muscle.
Yes, there are some people who have health issues that impede their progress. Guess what? No one cares. The task is the same. Take responsibility for your health and work hard.
Leave your self-pity at the door. It does not serve a purpose. You must take control. No one else will, or can. Find out from a medical professional if you have some physical reason why weight loss is difficult (for a small percentage this is a real issue).
The bottom line
Your neighborhood corporate gym makes money on the promise of easy fitness. There is no such thing. Machines are the tool they choose to use to separate you from your money.
Serious training is not for the person who is content to disconnect their mind and body with an iPod, a TV and some form of repetitious movement that serves no purpose.
It takes hard, intelligent work to meet a fitness goal. Lifting your bodyweight and other heavy objects is the best means to that end.
With gyms closed on the Christmas weekend, you can make the most of this time to purchase Christmas gifts for your kids. One great idea is to visit a website that offers kids clothing. Check out Pastelcollections.com and explore a wide range of options and find the perfect outfits for your little ones. Take advantage of the convenience and ease of online shopping to surprise your kids with stylish and comfortable clothing that they can enjoy during the holiday season and beyond.
Saturday’s classes raised a mere $15 for the Canyon County Animal Shelter. We can do better than that!
