A Weekend With The Masters

from left to right: assistant to Dr. Ed, Dr. Ed, Ken Blackburn, Larry Betz & Steve Cotter

I was recently asked by two friends Steve Cotter and Ken Blackburn to present a module at the IKFF Level 2 certification. What a great weekend and an unbelievable opportunity! Steve and Ken started the International Kettlebell Fitness Foundation this year and it has really exploded. They are presenting everywhere.

Those of you familiar with the Kettlebell world will know Steve Cotter as an amazing athlete and terrific instructor. He and Ken are very generous with their knowledge and work hard to present. To be a part of this organization is quite an honor.

Dr. Ed started everybody off with Qi Gong, this set the tone with breathing exercises. Then Ken followed up with a warm up of the joints (Joint Mobility Module) and I continued with the Active Isolated Stretching portion. Steve’s ordering of the exercises is actually genius-starting internally (Qi Gong), then to the joints & muscles. By then the body was ready for Steve’s Dynamic Movement Module.

I would like to thank Steve and Ken for giving me the opportunity to present Active Isolated Stretching to the members of IKFF and look forward to working with them in the future.
Any time I get to spend with the top people in the fitness industry is always an amazing experience!

Larry

Why Should I Hire a Personal Trainer? All the Exercise Information I need is in a book or on the Internet…

As a student of exercise science, I love that question. It reminds me of when I was a kid and I bought my first Judo book. I was convinced I could teach myself Judo from that one book! After all, every move was printed out with diagrams… just follow the dotted lines, practice & I’m a pro, right? My first day on a Judo mat taught me different! I was stuck in the mat like a lawn dart (remember those?!) again & again & again. It was a great class, staring up at the ceiling tiles…
I know what you’re thinking; exercise is much easier than Judo, dancing, tennis or skiing, but isn’t it the people who get some sort of formal instruction that excel in these sports? Why do people think fitness is any different? I love it when I see people at my gym walking around with some fitness book or the latest issue of Men’s Health & then ask me how to do some exercise they found in it. I mean, hey, I’m the owner & I’m happy to help all of my members whenever I can (try finding that at a franchise club!), but there are just so many things about fitness training you just can’t learn from a book, magazine or even a video.
You can’t see adduction of your femur in the eccentric phase of a squat. You most likely wouldn’t know what exercise to do if your ankle is everting in a rear lunge. You might not even know what all these words mean in regards to your body at all! Some things, like the necessary progressions, proper technique or corrective exercises to fix muscle imbalances, just need to be learned one on one.
Hey, I know that all these books, dvds, an information on the internet are getting people moving and I think that’s great! God knows people need to move more & eat healthier so take the motivation wherever you can get it! But if you aren’t sure about exactly what movements to do to reach your goals, it’s worth your while to look into an exercise professional. Think of it as an investment in your future.
Add life to your years!

Larry