What Kettlebells and the RKC have done for me. This year, I’ll be putting out my Dirty Dozen must have exercises in my monthly Blog. This will cover the 12 months of the year. However, I must digress a tad and let you know how this seemingly innocuous, yet at times evil black iron ball with a handle and the organization that promotes the training – The RKC has had an incredibly significant effect on my life. I know that it may seem impossible, yet locked inside that black chunk of iron is an incredible amount of emotion, sweat, enjoyment, pain, love, trial, tribulation and triumph.

At the beginning of my Kettlebell Journey, people thought that I was a “Crazed Man Possessed”. This may be all true, (wink, wink) but I was committed to spreading the word about  kettlebells and the RKC. I personally had never felt physically better, more challenged and more excited about a training method in my over 35 years of serious training. People looked at me quizzically when I spoke, especially the skeptics of the Greater NY/NJ Metropolitan area. Yet I never let up.

One of the first major Kettlebell/RKC events that changed my life had to do with my first Kettlebell video. I had called my distributor, BayView Entertainment, to see how sales were going on my S.A.V.E. Self Defense video series and they informed me that they were doing a Kettlebell video with Amy Bento. I let them know that I had just become RKC Certified and they asked me to do an Advanced Kettlebell Workout video for their label. They then asked me to establish contact with Amy. We were doing our shoots back to back, so we got to talking during the months preceding the shoot. I wound up letting her use some of my kettlebells for her video. Over the next year, we established a friendship and wound up dating, getting married and being blessed with our daughter Adrienne. Amy became RKC certified and her latest Kettlebell Power video just received a Top 10 Rating from Fitness Magazine in February, 2013.

My oldest daughter, Nicole, a college freshman is pursing a degree in Exercise and Nutrition Science. Nicole is a Black Belt, HKC Certified and a staunch vegan with a popular recipe blog. At 99 lbs, she can do 100 snatches with the 12kg (25 lb) kettlebell in under 4 minutes. She does yoga, zumba and martial arts in college and ran track in high school. Fitness and sports have helped her through many tough times in her life and have become a big part of her persona and a way of life. She loves helping people live better.

My son Spencer is a poster child for Kettlebell Training. He is 16 years old, 6 foot 1 inch, weighing 210 lbs. His most recent throw of 58’ 8.5” put him at the #7 spot in the nation and #2 for all High School Juniors. One of the most amazing things is that he also wins and places in the 100 and 200 meter dashes and he is anywhere from 50 to 100 lbs lighter than the other Elite Status throwers. I do not have him do barbell back squats, but he can do a heel to butt Pistol (single leg squat) with the Beast (106 lb kettlebell) with either leg, easily! He has never done a max bench press or deadlift. He only started doing those exercises last year, and only for reps. He is a true product of Kettlebell and Bodyweight training.

As you can see, Kettlebells and the RKC has had an incredible, positive impact upon my family. Heck, I even have my 74 year old mom swinging bells three times a week! The RKC is more than a simple fitness organization. It’s an incredible network of people committed to helping others achieve better lives through our proven training methods. Everyone loves to share their knowledge and help others to succeed. We have such a great community with such a vast knowledge base. I’m so thrilled to be a part of it and I know that my life is immeasurably better ever since I made the decision to pick up a bell, sign up for my RKC and go for it. I urge others to do the same. You will get back your financial investment 100-Fold!

Yes, the RKC Certification is not inexpensive. So what? Is anything worth anything cheap? You get what you pay for. If you want to learn how to use Kettlebells from watching YouTube, GOOD LUCK! If you want to be part of an incredible organization of like-minded people, join the RKC Community, it will be worth every penny.

For more information on Kettlebell Training visit Dragon Door or www.kettlebellking.com

I have been in the Combat Arts for over 35 years. I’ve won numerous State and National Titles, competed in International Competitions and as a Professional.I was a Department of Criminal Justice Defensive Tactics Instructor and a Licensed Body Guard. I am an NJ State Licensed MMA Trainer, Promoter, et al. Despite the fact that I have won over 300 fights and have Black Belts and Instructorships in 6 styles of Martial Arts: I HAVE YET TO HAVE MY HANDS REGISTERED AS LETHAL WEAPONS. I have also promoted dozens of students to the level of Black Belt. Not once was there a requirement for licensure of their hands. Laughable.

The fact that these “Masters” dupe their students into believing that they need to register their hands speaks volumes about the Instructor, system and school that they run. Why do they feel the need to perpetuate this myth? Lying to their students and instilling in them a false sense of security and accomplishment; only for the purposes of financial gain? It’s appalling!

Before you spend your hard earned money and jeopardize the integrity of your children’s training, check into the system and the instructor of the school that you want to sign your child up at. There are plenty of good schools in the area, but there are enough unscrupulous “Masters” out there to make it reasonable to be wary of their practices.

Watch a class and review the class curriculum. Make certain that all phases of the martial arts are addressed; striking, blocking, grappling, self defense, fitness, etc…Inquire about the testing procedure. Make certain that the students have a set of tasks that need to be performed with reasonable proficiency.

Good luck in your training!

My Best Friend: Are you a fitness enthusiast that takes their running shoes on trips, only to feel uncomfortable road running in unfamiliar areas? Are you tired of endlessly waiting for cardio equipment to free up at your gym, only to feel like a hamster running on a wheel? Do you love to run outdoors, yet shy away from putting on five layers of under-armor and sweats on in order to brave the sub arctic temperatures?

Well, let me introduce you to my “Best Friend”, the jump rope. You can take it anywhere, you do not need much space, it does not matter what the weather is like outside, you do not need expensive equipment ($2.00 to $20.00 for a rope, my favorite costs $8.00) and you can vary the routines and movements to keep it interesting. My Grandfather was a boxing trainer in Paterson, NJ back in the 30’s, 40’s and into the 50’s. He instructed me on how to jump rope as a teenager as a means to improve my foot speed and endurance for wrestling and football. I then began to realize the incredible benefits of jumping rope.

If you jump rope at a good pace for 5 minutes, it’s equivalent to running a mile! The coordination of your hands and feet moving in rhythm with each other is essential for a fighter. All of my martial arts classes begin with 3 to 5 minutes of jumping rope. In addition to the coordination development, jumping rope is an incredible means to warm up the body.

Even if you are a beginner and you miss on your jump, keep moving your feet. To learn how to jump, here are a couple of tips:

1) Play some music that you like with a good beat. You should put together a playlist for at least the same amount of time that you want to jump for. Use your favorite, upbeat songs & make a mix. Or, for those with obsessive, manic personalities, repeat the same song as an extended version. This also helps you jump rope longer. You basically fool your self into NOT thinking that you are jumping that long.

2) To initially get your timing, watch as the rope hits the ground. That’s when you time your jump. It may take a few weeks to get your timing, but keep working, it will eventually happen.

3) If you are still having issues, try putting the rope in one hand and jump up and down while rotating your wrist. This will help you to find your timing.

4) Remember the less movement of your arms, the better. Your wrists are the primary focus of the rotation. Try also to keep them in the same spot, approximately at the level between the bottom of your chest and the top of your hips. This does not hold true when you are doing more advanced movements, like crossing the rope or double jumps.

5) You do not have to jump very high. You only need to jump high enough to allow the thin rope to pass under your feet. Get your rhythm and all else will fall into place.

If you’d like to workout the rest of your body, try performing push-ups and abdominal exercises in a rotation with jumping rope. You can start with 100 jumps, 20 push – ups and 30 abdominals. Start with 3 rotations and then increase to 5. You may also execute additional push – ups or abdominals. What a great way to start the day!

Victory Favors the Prepared!

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach me at  HYPERLINK “http://www.philross.com” www.philross.com.

What’s your motivation? (and how to keep it)

A seemingly simple question to answer, but whatever your motivation to train is, it must be more compelling than distractions that will dissuade you from your fitness commitment. Maybe you want to be the best fighter in the world, or your grandfather died of a young age due to his weight, you were mugged or picked on as a child. There could also be positive motivations: the quest to be the best that you can be, to stay in or get in great shape, for the enjoyment of training, stress relief, competition with others and yourself. Unless your motivation is harmful to others, there is no right or wrong reason to train, as long as it keeps you working out and improving yourself – it’s good.

Many of the the reasons that are our original motivation to train do not last forever. Example – let’s say you want to make the Varsity Football Team. You have to get bigger, faster, stronger and learn the skill set for your desired position. OK – you’ve made the team, now the season ends and your are graduating high school. There’s no way that you are going to play in college, yet you really enjoyed the way that you felt and how your body looked and performed when you were working out. Now you have a different motivation.

Just like rotating your workout schedule, you need to alter your motivational factors from time to time. If you start a new martial art with the goal of becoming a Black Belt and then a few months later decide to enter a triathlon.  They are quite different goals, but the training for one will help the other. Keep fresh motivation, shot range goals and try different motivations.

I have plenty of clients that come in want to lose weight. They have now lost their 80 lbs (yes, this did happen), what do they do now? Just keeping the weight off as a goal may not be motivating enough. The person knows that they must keep working out – but what is the motivating factor? This person wants to be able to do a pull-up and start the martial arts. They can achieve the new goal because of their former motivation.

I’ve had other clients that wanted to get off of all of their blood pressure and cholesterol medications. Avoiding death is a reasonably strong motivator. Now that the client is off of the pills, what’s his new motivation? He now wants to be able to snatch a 24kg (53 lb) kettlebell 100 times. That’s a very respectable goal and new motivation. He had to change his motivation since his former goal to train had been met.

The point of all of this is to get you to think of new goals, new motivations and new methods to keep you inspired to continue your training. There are many excuses for failure – find the reason to succeed!

As Always: Train Hard and Train Often!

Our Lil’ Eagles Program: ages 3 to 5, is geared toward learning basic martial arts skills through games and other motivational activities. The children acquire listening skills and are instructed in exercise that develops their stabilizers, core, balance and coordination necessary for other sports and activities. Fun, Fitness and Focus are the foundation for a successful childhood!

Master Trainer Phil Ross: Master RKC , CK-FMS Certified, Martial Arts Master, AFPA Certified Personal Trainer. Phil Ross brings over 35 years of experience in the fitness world to his clients. A Certified Movement Specialist enables Phil to decifer a client’s assymetries and provide corrective movement strategies. He has a great deal of experience with Athletes of many sports disciplines, Martial Arts, Wrestling, Golf, Track & Field, Football, etc… as well as people simply desiring to improve their well being. His clients range in age from 10 to 72.

Jennifer Chaparian: HKC Kettlebell Certified, WITS Certified Personal Trainer, Yamina Certified and Massage Therapist. Jennifer brings her in-depth understanding of the human body to her a personal training clients. Her approach has a more subtle tone and is based on stretching and elongating the client. Don’t be mistaken – she can also turn it up and get the heart rate pumping and muscles aching – just watch her teach a (KB)2 Boot Camp!

Dave Ferrazzano: NASM Certified Personal Trainer, Associates Degree and Exercise Physiology. Dave has been involved in sports and fitness for most of his life. He holds a certification from the most prestigious Personal Training Certification Organization in the World: NASM. Additionally, he is working toward his Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Physiology from William Paterson University. Dave has experience with many sports as well as the Martial Arts.

Zachary Fox: HKC Kettlebell Certified,  Studying Exercise Science. Zack Fox began his Martial Arts training here at American Eagle MMA in June of 2012. However, Zack arrived at the AEMMA Academy with quite a solid list of athletic accomplishments. Zack was a High School All American Lacrosse player for Don Bosco Prep and an NCAA Division 1 Recruit for St. John’s University. Zack was also a Jr. National Power Lifting Champion and now at a weight of 195lbs, has a bench press of 520, a squat of 680 and pulls another 680 in the dead lift. Zack is in the process of attaining his Bachelor’s Degree from Montclair State University in Exercise Science.

Full_Schedule_2013  Double Click here to download Color Copy in PDF Format.

The East Coast Wrestling Academy opens on Sunday, May 5th.

The School will be closed for Memorial Day Weekend: May 24th – 27th. Summer Schedule Commences on June 17th. Our next Promotional Exam will be held on Saturday, June 15th. The School will be Closed the week of July 1st and re-open on July 8th.

American Eagle Mixed Martial Arts: $49 Introductory Special!

American Eagle MMA: Master Instructor Phil Ross. A Mixed Martial Arts Fighting System based on Self Defense, Defensive Tactics, Weapons and Transitions from Stand-up to Ground Fighting. The Martial Arts of Combat Jiu Jitsu, Bando, Taekwondo, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Karate, Arnis, Muay Thai and Submission Fighting make for an art suitable for competition or the street. Classes for Students ages 3 to 5, 6 to 12 and Adults & Teens.

Only $49 for 1 week of unlimited sessions & a School T-shirt!

OR

S.W.A.T. Kettlebell Based Strength & Conditioning: RKC Team Leader Phil Ross. Russian Kettlebell Training: Improve your Explosive Power, Flexibility, Strength, Durability, Overall Conditioning and Core. Great for all sports and general fitness. Not just a workout – We practice Strength.

Only $49!  for 1 week of S.W.A.T. Kettlebell classes!

Fit Kidz: Master Instructor Phil Ross. Take a Free Fitness  Class. Available for children ages 6 to 12.

X-cel Fitness Professionals Personal Training: Master Trainer Phil Ross and Staff of Certified Trainers. 1 on 1 or small groups.

Pilates Mat Class: Whitney Stern, Authentic Romana Certified Pilates Instructor. Pilates mat classes conducted Wednesday and Saturday.

Functional Movement Evaluations: CK-FMS Certified Phil Ross.

Full screening evaluation, video, write up and corrective exercise plan – $75.

Therapeutic Massage: Certified Massage Therapist Jennifer Chaparian.

Call to schedule your appointment today. First Massage – Only $50.00.

Space is limited and this offer is valid for first time clients.