When I first got my qualification as a personal trainer and was put in front of my first clients, I had this overwhelming feeling of: ‘I have these peoples’ lives in my hands’. The responsibility I felt was so great that I had a huge urge to learn more so I could be a better trainer for my clients. My search for more led me to Andrew Read, now Master RKC, and through him to first the HKC and later the RKC. I trained myself, since there was no one close by to teach me. Communication with Andrew, and very close to HKC, a workshop on the moves that were tested got me there. By then I had heard of the standard required for RKC which takes everything to a whole new level. I was unsure if I had what it took in skill and strength at the time, so I attended a few workshops to get me closer. My technique got polished, and my strength grew. Finally I registered for the April 2012 RKC which was in St Paul, Minnesota. I started preparing six months before, since I wasn’t going this far and pay that much money to not pass.
First it was press ladders, get ups and swings. Then I added front squats, and eventually snatches. About three months out I started to train three days over the weekend since that was the days of the week that I needed to perform.
I always set the hardest standards for myself, not knowing what I was in for. There were doubts at times if I would make it, but in the end I knew that if I had done the work beforehand, all would come together.
Once at the RKC we were weighed up, pretested and it all began. Teaching and practice were reinforced by workouts, often several per day. I was glad I had done so much work prior to the event. The end of the first day still left me feeling very ‘used’. By the next day we had developed a nice team spirit, helping each other out carrying bells, since there was lots of that on the day. We needed to be tough mentally to make it through that day. Third day seminars, testing and the graduate workout.
This was where it really showed who had done the work. Incredibly, we had some people attend our course that hadn’t even had a kettlebell in their hand, let alone train with one. This was most obvious in the snatch test, where you have to snatch a bell (size according to gender and age group specification)100 times in five minutes while keeping excellent form.
Some participants even had to be stopped because their form went dangerously to pieces. Clearly these people hadn’t done their homework prior to the event.
When those who passed were finally handed their certificates, there was a different air we breathed. We felt we had earned the honour to represent the RKC and all it stands for.
I feel the journey up to the RKC will forge you into the person you need to be to deserve being part of this special group. The RKC event itself with it’s world class instructors is almost like a reward for the hard work that went into the preparation, which culminates in the final certification.
If I was to give any advice to a prospective participant, I would just say: “Get taught and have your training supervised by an RKC Instructor and start doing the work necessary early enough”.
