The RKC is based on six main exercises that are tested using kettlebells based on weight classes. They include the Swing, Get-up, Clean, Squat, Press, Snatch. There are many other drills and corrective exercises covered during the workshop, but for testing purposes the Big-6 are the star for a reason. These six exercises comprise full-body functional strength and conditioning, that is unparalleled using minimal time and equipment. The RKC Big Six: The Big-6 include exercises of pulling, pressing, squatting as well as functional movement patterns like hinging, lunging, rolling, as well as shou ..read more

Low back is one of the most common injuries or difficulties that most people struggle with daily. There are many reasons that can be leading to low back pain such as excessive sitting or standing, lack of physical activity, improper use of biomechanics, chronic stress, etc. Just as there are many reasons for low back pain, there are also many solutions for low back pain. One of the best exercises to help someone with low back pain is the kettlebell swing, granted they’re cleared from their PT, DC, or MD to participate in physical activity. The reason for this is that it’s going to teach your ..read more

What effective balance training is NOT Many people believe that balance training has to involve a bosu ball or a balance pad where you think that you’re challenging and improving your balance. This is an outdated idea of how balance should be trained. When you work with the general population, you discover that a high number of them have a difficult time simply standing on one leg. If your client is already challenged by standing on one leg and you put them on a balance pad or bosu ball, you’re only building on dysfunction and a faulty base of support. Instead of going right into challenging ..read more

It’s that time of year again when most people are wanting to focus on getting back on track with their health and fitness goals. This includes people starting up new gym memberships and starting a workout plan that will help them accomplish the goals they’re setting. The goals are typically going to be the similar. Some will work towards goals that change their body composition to either increase muscle mass or decrease body fat, while others will be focused on increasing strength or decreasing pain. Either way your goals are going to need a tool to help you accomplish these tasks. That’s whe ..read more

The Turkish Get Up is an exercise that checks all the boxes. This exercise is still a mystery to me after all these years of teaching it. Every time I teach it, do it, and watch others do it, I learn something new. It checks every box I can think of as a strength coach. The boxes I’m talking about are: Power Balance Mobility Flexibility Explosivity Posture Core All planes of motion Therapeutic Meditative Mentally challenging 10-minutes of practicing this exercise in a way that’s right for your body is a powerful experience and it pairs well with others too, meaning it’s an easy exercise to s ..read more

If it wasn’t for kettlebells, I would not be a chiropractor today. I started out with the RKC in 2006 and attended the CK-FMS in 2010. The CK-FMS was the movement program that was based off of the FMS and was taught by Gray Cook and Brett Jones of FMS. It introduced me to movement screening and how to help clients move better, feel better and live better pain free. I ran my gym based on what the FMS taught. We used the Functional Movement Screen as part of our onboarding program. I loved the results we were getting in members that could not/did not move as well as they should. It started my j ..read more

If you’re an RKC candidate or someone who enjoys kettlebell training you know that training for your RKC or doing a high volume of repetitions can be both physically and mentally exhausting. Typically, the first thing that gives out when working high levels of intensity is your ability to breathe properly. Once you’ve lost your breath everything gets harder, technique becomes less than ideal and your body begins to shut down. This is to be expected because of the biology of our body and how our nervous system works. But what if we could prolong this exhausted state by managing early onset of ..read more

Disclaimer: This is Ryan Jankowitz’s personal shoulder recovery program. What worked for him may not be safe or appropriate for anyone else. If you are experiencing any shoulder pain, see a medical professional for a clear diagnosis and PT program for your injury. In the Fall of 2021, I started experiencing pain in my left shoulder during presses and Turkish get-ups. I took a month off from practicing those exercises, hoping that rest would be enough to heal my shoulder. But, while the pain decreased, I still couldn’t perform those movements. Finally, I decided to schedule time with a physica ..read more

The following are my thoughts and observations regarding the RKC Snatch Test. This post is based on over twenty years of experience training with and teaching kettlebells to the public, military, and law enforcement personnel. Some of what you are about to read is contrary to what you find being recommended by other trainers and coaches. That’s fine and should be expected. What you need to do is find the program that works best for you and your clients. Test ≠ Race The test is not a race. You have five minutes to complete the Snatch Test and I strongly recommend that you use all of it. Someon ..read more

Recently, Men’s Health published an article about the Turkish getup. The article started by saying that the Turkish getup may be “trendy and stylish,” but that’s it’s overrated and not the best use of training time. And that “it’s nearly impossible to establish a mind-muscle connection with this move.” Here are some of my thoughts. I looked into the origin of the Turkish getup. There are a few theories, but all of them reveal that the Turkish getup is centuries old. Hardly trendy. Also, I have a little bit of an issue with criticizing exercises for being cool and trendy. Who made movement exp ..read more