It’s funny how time flies…
Before you know it, a decade has flown by and you’ve lived a life you never fully imagined.
Check out the video below. In it you’ll see how I ended up recapturing what I lost 10 years ago.
More importantly, you’ll learn how you can do it too.
The Kettlebell Snatch.
The only thing that jacks people’s elbows up more is the kettlebell clean.
Here’s a quick video of a technique, called, The Elephant’s Trunk Snatch.
Yeah, I know, pretty goofy name. I don’t know what else to call it. I didn’t come up with it, I just named it.
Anyway, watch the video and try this version out to see if it works better for you than what you’re doing now.
Want to know more about proper kettlebell technique? Check out Kettlebell STRONG!. It’s over 3.5 hours of instructional DVDs providing you with step-by-step instructions on how to perform the more advanced double kettlebell exercises.
It also includes and 89-page book with the common mistakes most people make and how you should fix them.
Almost forgot – this is the fourth part of a 4-part video series. If you missed any of the other videos, here they are below:
Kettlebell Exercises – Avoiding Injuries Through Correct Posture
Kettlebell Exercises – Avoiding Injuries Through Proper Set Up
Kettlebell Exercises – Avoiding Injuries On The Kettlebell Clean
… And no I’m not talking about dropping the durn things on your toes or head or anything like that.
This is part 2 in the series, especially applicable to elbows and biceps.
Here’s the video.
In it you’ll learn two simple drills you can implement today.
To learn more about refining your technique – and not only preventing injuries but seeing faster results from your kettlebell workouts, you’ll want to check this out.
We’re going to finish up our interview with Karen Rossler today and discover her “kettlebell epiphany” and how she finally made peace with her body, heart, and mind.
GN: What were some of your initial successes?
KR: The first time I swung a kettlebell, it reminded me of gymnastics. I had the same sensation of being on the uneven bars – that feeling of flying, of freedom. Might sound strange, but that’s what it was like. I felt like my whole world opened up. I started remembering who I was, who I had been all those years ago.
I quickly discovered that a 4kg wasn’t heavy enough. I ordered an 8kg, followed by a 12kg about a week later. My confidence skyrocketed. Thirteen years earlier, after my surgery, I couldn’t lift my right arm at all. My husband had to help me shower, had to help me get dressed. I couldn’t do anything for myself. I was so weak, just getting out of bed took an hour for the first month after my surgery. My first “workout” was Richard Simmons’s “Stretchin’ to the Classics”. I couldn’t even stand up for 5 minutes, and when I did, I had to hold on to a chair – but I was determined to do something. Old Richard kicked my butt! And he made me cry. Pathetic, but true. So there I was, ordering one kettlebell after another, getting stronger by the day. Within 2 months, I was snatching a 12kg bell. And I did it on my “cancer re-birthday”, June 20th. That was an awesome day. I went from not being able to wash my own hair, to snatching a kettlebell. I have snatched heavier than that since then, but I’ve been most proud of that first 12kg snatch.
GN: Yeah, I can see why – that’s quite some journey. I wonder how many people make it back from the edge like that and to go on and thrive like you have. If any of them are reading this, I hope they can see that anything is possible. Ok, not everything has been roses, rainbows and lollipops since then. Can you tell us about some of your disappointments using kettlebells? And share with us some of your failures?
KR: When I first started using kettlebells, I topped out at deadlifting and swinging a 16kg bell. I had a block about getting anything heavier. It wasn’t until I signed up for my RKC cert that I realized I really had to get used to heavier weights if I was going to successfully get through the weekend. Funds were a bit limited, so I started using double bells – which was great because we were tested using double snatch weight bells at my cert.
The one failure I’ve had was at my RKC cert. I had gone into the weekend on 3 weeks of absolutely no overhead kettlebell training. That meant absolutely no snatch testing. None. I wasn’t even allowed to touch a kettlebell until the week before my cert. I had to resist freaking out every single day. I was confident with my overall skills, but the snatch test was looming. I ended up passing all my skills testing, but got 92 out of 100 snatches before I ran out of time. I had had an amazing, awesome, fantastic weekend, so I wasn’t completely devastated. Disappointed, yes. But determined to nail it within a month. I talked to my team leader, he gave me a plan and I executed the plan. It was killer. Double 12kg swings, 15:15 x 10 rounds, three times per week. The first time I did it, I thought, “This must be what it’s like to be chased by a bear.” By round 5, I was ready to let the bear have me. By round 7, I thought, “Screw you, bear. I’m gonna chase you!” I started to enjoy The Bear Chase in a sick, twisted way. I still do it.
GN: No shame in that – especially in since you couldn’t go overhead for 3 weeks before your cert. So how did you conquer this obstacle and get your RKC?
KR: I realized I was holding myself back because I was comfortable and yet also afraid to fail. I reminded myself that when I first picked up the little 4kg kettlebell, it was in a box marked “HEAVY”, even though it wasn’t all that heavy. I reminded myself of all the times I pushed myself to do something that seemed impossible – like get out of my hospital bed, deal with excruciating pain, drink radioactive iodine to kill the cancer – every time, I had done it and I had come out stronger. So really, lifting a heavier kettlebell didn’t look so tough when compared to the cancer adventure.
I also started discovering strong woman who used kettlebells. I figured if they could do it, so could I.
GN: Afraid to fail? I think that’s a common fear. I know that’s one of my fears for sure. At least it has been in the past. And I think that’s a key point: So many people are “comfortable” where they are. So they don’t ever achieve their goals. That and the whole “afraid to fail” thing. I like the way you positioned your challenge – “it didn’t look so tough when compared to the cancer adventure.” Not everyone has faced death like you have, but I’m sure we all have had some difficult times. So positioning or framing or current “mountain” – that big, somewhat scary goal – in against something we’ve conquered or achieved in the past is a great way to get where we want to go. Thanks for pointing that out. Ok, so what made you decide on that solution versus something else?
KR: I’m stubborn. I love Hannibal’s quote, “We shall find a way, or make one.” There’s absolutely nothing that comes my way now that I will fear. Nothing. I don’t know why I had cancer. I don’t know why I lived and so many others have died. What I do know is that I will not waste the life that God has given me. I will not give in to fear and darkness. Not passing my snatch test was not the most horrible thing to happen to me. It was an opportunity to be humble, to learn, to keep my head up, to be grateful, to improve, to be able to use that experience in helping others down the road. If I had flown through that weekend, I wouldn’t be the instructor I am today. If I hadn’t had cancer, I wouldn’t be the instructor, friend, wife, sister, daughter, aunt I am today. I’m not crazy about the huge scar, the neuropathy, the missing SCM muscle and all the rest of it. But when one of my clients masters a skill or lifts a heavier kettlebell, I know exactly how they feel. Some of them have really struggled to trust themselves. I have full faith in them, but they aren’t so sure at the beginning. I know what that’s like. I spent decades fighting my body, then fighting something that was trying to kill me. I know what it’s like to finally trust yourself again, to finally feel strong. Really strong.
GN: I LOVE that quote. I’m going to adopt it and use it in my own life. Thanks for that. That was a long journey for sure. Crossing your own personal Alps. Switching gears here a little bit – in a world of loaded with and driven by exercise ADD, what is it that keeps you using kettlebells today?
KR: Cuz they’re awesome! I’ve tried so many other things over the years and they were boring, they didn’t work, and I’ve gotten hurt. The simple answer is kettlebells work. And they work well, in a short period of time. Long gone are the days when I thought for a workout “to count”, it had to be super involved and super long. I’ve really taken what you’ve said about short workouts to heart. I’m stronger and leaner as a result. Way stronger and way leaner, thank you very much! I used Kettlebell Burn 2.0 for the last 2 months while training for my RKC cert 2 years ago. It was perfect. If I had found it sooner, I’d have used the entire program. I finished it after my cert. It was uh-mazing. Yes, I got stronger and leaner. But the biggest thing I got out of the program was a head over heels love for the get up. I learned patience – something I have seriously lacked my entire life. Patience under the bell. Biggest lesson out there, in my opinion (until I think a little more and come up with something else). Taught me how to not panic – take my time – enjoy the movement. Enjoy the movement. Be thankful for the movement.
I also stopped thinking about fat, and started thinking about moving well and getting stronger. The fat started to leave when I stopped eating stupid stuff at the wrong time fo the day. How did I figure that one out? A nifty – free – book titled “Permanent Weight Loss Solution”. Gee, all that subcutaneous fat was from insulin resistance caused by processed carbs I was eating during the middle of the day??? Really? Um, okay, I’ll stop doing that. I had also fallen into the thought trap of “hey, I’m really working out hard and heavy here – I should be able to eat whatever the heck I want!” Uh, no. Not so much. Literally and figuratively – not so much, girl. And then there was 365 Abs. Sure, it’s written for men, and I know from watching my husband’s amazing transformation and comparing it to mine that men and women aren’t made the same, and therefore, what works for him might not work for me. But the basics about hormones (my friend insulin, again) are the basics. Eat smart, get leaner.
The busier I have gotten over the past year training my clients, the more I realized that I need a coach. I needed a great coach, cuz I’m awesome and I deserve it. 😀 When I met you at Summit of Strength in 2011, I knew that I had found my coach. I kinda sorta had figured it out during Kettlebell Burn 2.0, but talking with you and learning from you that weekend, I realized you were my coach. Whether you wanted to be or not! I bought Kettlebell Express and Ultra and went to town. I knew the workouts would be “sane, safe and sustainable” and would give me great results. They did. And I had plenty of time to go about the rest of my life. Even though I love to work with kettlebells, I have found that shorter training sessions – 20 – 30 minutes – make me love kettlebells even more.
And then came Kettlebell Burn EXTREME!. Oh. My. Goodness. I was obsessively checking my email for days when you announced a new program was coming. Double kettlebells six days a week? I’m in! All in! That program is just plain awesome. The workouts are genius, the nutrition plan is simple and effective, the recovery program is fantastic. It’s perfect.
In June, after EXTREME!, I was at loose ends about my programming. I was tinkering around with ideas, and started to drift into the “oh no it’s gotta be perfect” mindset. Then I remembered your Inner Circle. I thought, “Eureka! That’s it!” LOL I’m finishing up the fifth month and it’s just great. I know the programs aren’t designed just for me, but they sure feel like they are. I love love love programming for my clients. But boy, I really have a hard time doing it for myself. I love being able to just get to work 3 or 4 days per week, knowing that at the end of each month’s programming, I’ll have improved. I don’t have that much fat to lose at this point, but there’s always strength to be gained!
Last year when I went for my yearly cancer check up, I took my trusty 16kg black beauty along. I wanted my endocrinologist to see how far I’d come in the past year. Before I could tell her about the RKC, the muscle I’d gained, the clients I was helping, she said, “I know you’ve had a great year. I can see it in your eyes and your smile.” Yeah, “cuz kettlebells are awesome”! And your programs are absolutely brilliant. No joke. I’ve said before it’s like they are made for me and me alone. Sometimes I wonder if you have our house bugged. I will tell Michael something like “I need to do more get ups and swings” and then “Treachery and Deceit” shows up in my inbox. LOL.
GN: Well thank you! I appreciate your kind words! I LOVE that story about your doc. Thanks for sharing your story. You are an inspiration to me and to all who have read your story, I’m sure. Any other piece of advice you’d like to pass along to people reading your story that you think would help them get where they want to get to?
KR: Trust yourself. Don’t worry about what other people are doing, or what they think you should be doing. Spend some time thinking about what you really want. Think about what you don’t want. No matter what, believe in yourself. You are so much stronger than you might think you are. God wants you to be happy, to be strong, to be healthy. So go be those things!
I’ve talked about her before.
She’s one of my favorite clients.
I first met her and her husband at The Summit of Strength in 2011. They celebrated their anniversary by attending. Right then and there I knew they were both special people.
She has su
ch a beautiful, warm smile and a joy for life. And she’s strong. She told me her story while we were at the Summit and I knew why.
Karen Rossler has overcome some major obstacles and the her trusty kettlebell has been instrumental in the process.
So grab a cup a Joe, sit down, and take the next 5-10 minutes and get ready to be inspired. Cause if you’re feeling a little “blah” – Karen’s triumphant story will pick you up.
Geoff: Give us a little bit about your background – who you are, what you do for work, what you enjoy doing… that sort of thing.
Karen: I’ve been married for about 60% of my life.
Orthodox Christian
I’m an SFG, CK-FMS, ISSA-CFT, BA in Honors English Literature.
Co-owner of Sisu Strength with my husband, Michael
15 year stage three thyroid cancer thriver Love learning, reading, being with my family, teaching people how to move well and how to be strong.
GN: What first got you into exercise / working out?
KR: I was an active, athletic kid. I organized the neighborhood kids to play various games, climb trees, swing on ropes. Loved to race, climb trees, roller skate, run, pogo stick, play tether ball, 4 square, everything and anything was fair game for me. I had the broken bones, cuts and scrapes to prove it. My poor mom . . . .
In middle school, I signed up for gymnastics lessons. I loved it. When I got to high school, I went out for the gymnastics team. I had a great coach.
The first thing our coach did was introduce us to the weight room. We were the first girls’ team to venture into that territory. One whiff inside explained why. As soon as some girls walked in, they did a U turn to get the heck out of there. Coach hollered, “Get back in there! Get in there! NOW!” Then she locked the door. And we lifted. I loved it. Lifting, not the smell. I was always sure of myself, but I really started to feel strong. More confident at meets. My scores went way up and I started winning events and a couple of all-arounds. My sophomore year, I placed 4th at state on two events – without actually training for it. I started thinking about what I could do if I really planned ahead. And then the Navy moved my family to Connecticut. My new coach informed me I was too tall and too fat (I was 5’7” and about 115#). That was the beginning of decades of fighting my body. The confident, strong girl I had become started to fade away. “Skinny” was my new goal. Every workout, every meal skipped, everything was focused on “skinny”.
I ended up starving myself. The least I ate in a day would be an apple and maybe a granola bar. At most, I would have the apple, granola bar and maybe a very, very small dinner. Looking back, it’s a wonder I was able to function, much less make it through grueling practices five days per week. With every meal skipped, it became easier to skip the next one. I got really good at lying to my mom about eating. A pattern of eating dinner after practice – and, therefore, alone – made it super easy to tell my mom I had eaten what she had saved for me. At first, I was proud of myself for being able to conquer my body. I was winning the skinny game. When I got so famished that I had to eat, I felt guilty, ashamed, weak, and fat. I felt like such a failure. All because I needed to eat.
I wasn’t doing so well in meets – never placed, my scores were never as high as they had been when I was “fat”. Of course, my 17 year old brain couldn’t see the correlation between eating well and performing well. I had convinced myself that it was because I was fat. Still fat. Still a failure. So of course, that meant eating even less. Just an apple, no granola bar. Dinner a couple of nights a week at most. Talking about it now, I feel so sad for that girl I was then. And really ticked off at that idiot coach.
After I graduated, I went off to college and started to eat again. I gained about 10 pounds – which put me back in the almost healthy range – but I panicked because I thought I was fat. Or fatter. I was really confused, scared and angry. I had come to believe that “skinny” equaled “successful, smart, happy, admirable”. The thought of eating around others terrified me. I was so afraid of losing control – and also, of having them learn my secret. See, if they figured out that I wasn’t “naturally skinny”, they would realize that I was a fraud. That I was a failure. Thinking about what I wasn’t going to eat was just exhausting.
I met and married my husband, Michael, while in college. Being in a healthy, loving relationship enabled me to put “skinny” behind. I started using The FIRM workouts – “heavy” dumbbells + cardio. I remembered how much I loved lifting weights and just took off. I felt great, and I looked pretty good, too. Then we moved to DC. We had an hour commute each way, each day, which left precious little time for 1 hour workouts 5 days per week. My nutrition started to slide, and the weight started to creep on. My confidence started to slide, stress started to build, more fat came on. Lather, rinse, repeat.
When we moved into the city, I had more time to work out, so I went back to The FIRM. I also walked about 4 miles per day. The weight came off, again. Things were going pretty well for a few years. Then slowly, I started to gain weight. I also became incredibly tired. Then I lost a lot of weight in a month. I didn’t weigh myself at the time, but I went down 3 sizes. I was so exhausted, I couldn’t get out of bed to workout. I was terrified of gaining weight – even though I was rail-thin — so I thought I’d better keep doing something. I switched to yoga, and kept on walking. Slowly but surely, I had to stop everything. I was barely able to make it through a workday, I was so exhausted. I kept thinking it was something simple, like nutrition or finding the “perfect” workout. Until I was diagnosed with cancer. Talk about an “a-ha” moment.
I was told I’d be “lucky” to live 2 years, that I should prepare myself and my family and friends for the worst. I was 34 years old. All I could think of was all the things I’d never be able to do: I wouldn’t grow old with my husband, wouldn’t have kids, would never go to Europe. It was awful.
GN: Wow. I’m stunned. I’m sure there are a lot of female readers who can empathize with what you went through. I appreciate you opening up and sharing that. I’m sure they will too. I think it’ll also give us guys – especially us married ones – some of the internal pressures women – and our wives struggle with. So, how about something positive – what were some of your early successes?
KR: Convincing my sister and one of her friends to lie down on the street behind the Evil Kneivel ramp I made so I could jump over them on my bike was pretty great. Wait, is my mom going to read this?
Lettering in gymnastics at both my high schools was great. I’m still really proud of that.
GN: Ha! I’m guessing your sister survived. What were some of your disappointments? Failures?
KR: I made working out far more complicated than it needed to be. I kept thinking there was a perfect way to do it, a perfect combination of exercises for a perfect amount of time, for a perfect amount of days per week. But the biggest mistake I made was approaching exercise with fear first. I was terrified of being overweight. I still had that awful coach in my head. No matter how slim, trim, toned, or buff I got, I still saw “FAT” in the mirror.
GN: That’s a GREAT insight here. Why did you still see “FAT” in the mirror? And HOW did you overcome that? Did that moment ever come? And if it has, was it the KBs that did it for you?
KR: I still saw “FAT” in the mirror because I hadn’t fully trusted myself yet. I was chasing after the perfect way to conquer my body instead of remembering what it was like to really enjoy moving well and being strong. I was also comparing myself to fitness models or the gym bunny chicks in the exercise videos I was using. Or I’d look at lanky runners and then compare my sprinter-esque thighs and think “fat fat fat fat fat”.
And then, on June 20, 1997, I was diagnosed with stage three thyroid cancer. I had lost a lot of weight the previous year, but thought I had finally broken through a plateau. Actually, I was at a healthy weight and then lost enough weight to have gone down 3 dress sizes in about a month. Not healthy! I was told I’d be “lucky” to live 2 years – the cancer was super aggressive and had spread to my lymph nodes. I finally figured out that it was time to stop fighting my body and start learning to love it again. Instead of seeing “FAT” in the mirror, I started seeing “SICK and SAD”. I had some very strange reactions from people when I told them I had cancer. The worst by far was being treated like an invalid invalid (interesting both of those words are spelled the same, isn’t it?). Getting past that new self-identity was tougher than “FAT”, but very similar. Both were based in fear, self-loathing and fighting my body. At the beginning of my recovery, small victories started to accumulate – being able to raise my right arm more than 45 degrees, being able to dress myself, brush my hair, walk up a flight of stairs, go back to work. The biggest change in how I looked at myself is when I turned back to God. The first thing I did after I found out I had cancer was get on my knees and pray. I haven’t stopped praying since. The minute I remembered that God had created me, had given me a wonderfully made body to experience life in – that was the minute I stopped being fat, useless, worthless, an invalid invalid, inadequate, stupid, blah blah blah. God led me through those very dark days into a beautiful, wonderful, love-filled life. I had gotten lost over the years, but He led me where I needed to be. And I truly believe God led me to kettlebells. Might sound corny, but kettlebells truly changed my life.
GN: No, it doesn’t sound corny at all. It sounds like a true epiphany – a moment of clarity in a dark night in your life. And one that most women, most people never have, but are always chasing. I think it’s really cool, actually. That brings us to the next question then: How did you first hear about kettlebells?
KR: In 2007, I had finally had enough of being overweight. I had spent the 10 years since cancer fighting my weight, fighting my body. My immune system was shot. But I was determined to make what time I had left on this earth count, and I knew being healthy was the key to that. I dug out those FIRM videos once again and created a monthly program. I got serious about what I was eating – and what I should be eating. I promised myself that no matter what happened, I was going to stick with it. If I got sick, I wouldn’t wallow in Krispy Kreme donuts.
It worked for a couple of years, but I got bored. So very bored of perky, svelte babes doing boring workouts with boring dumbbells. I tried creating my own workouts. Still boring. I had lost a decent amount of weight, but knew I could do better.
I saw a notice on Facebook in April 2010 about a free nutrition and kettlebell program via the internet. It was run by an RKC. I had no idea what RKC meant, but I checked out the program. I had seen an infomercial for a kettlebell program, but the sizes of the weights looked ridiculously small. So, I wasn’t sold immediately on this new program. I ordered a 4kg kettlebell and figured I’d give it a try.
GN: What was your initial attraction to them – what was it that motivated you try them out – to stop doing what you were doing and give them a shot?
KR: I was really intrigued with the idea of swinging a weight. I liked that they were different. There was something appealing about a hunk of iron shaped like a cannonball. Plus, I was just desperate to finally, finally get the rest of the weight off. I thought doing something so different would “break the plateau”. I didn’t really think about what I’d do if/when that happened, or what I’d do if it didn’t happen. I just threw myself in to the workouts and expected the best.
We’ll pick up tomorrow with Part 2, which includes Karen’s initial successes using kettlebells, her failures and disappointments, and how she overcame them, and why in a world of exercise ADD she’s still able to stay focused and keep on making progress with her kettlebell workouts.