I had someone ask me the other day, “What makes your gym so special?”  I was so glad that I was asked this question…my first answer was – kettlebells!  Kettlebells give you all-around fitness.  I don’t know of any other exercise tool that provides you with stretching, strengthening (even your core), and cardio all in one.  You can be at any fitness level – from the new mom who wants to get back in shape, to the grandmother who wants to be able to keep up with her grandchildren, to the tri-athlete, and martial artists who want to take their training to the next level.  Kettlebells have something to offer everyone. 

My second answer was – my staff.  I have a very small staff…but they are the greatest.  My entire office does kettlebells.  They believe in them and they know that they get results.  They are the greatest walking, talking testimonials.  Everyone from my trainer to my receptionist to my billing person cares about seeing our patients and clients get results.  They are the biggest cheerleaders for everyone who walks through our doors. 

My third answer was – our location.  We are one of the very few fully functioning kettlebells gyms that can offer the best of both worlds.  We have the ability to train inside and we have the ability to train outside because of our location.  When it’s raining we’re training hard inside…when the sun is shining we’re training hard outside.  Rain or shine – it’s always kettlebell time at Kettlebell Olympia.

My fourth answer was – because we are R.K.C. certified.  About ten years ago I had a friend who was changing careers.  She decided that she wanted to be a personal trainer.  I was so excited for her.  I asked her where she was going to do her training and where she was going to study and do an apprecticeship at…she looked at me funny and told me that she was going to take a class on-line and that she could print out her certification on her own printer! 

 To say I was shocked was an understatement.  I had never heard of such a thing.  It turns out that this type of “certification” is more common than you would ever think.  To earn your Russian Kettlebell Certification you must begin preparing weeks in advance.  You just can’t show up and expect to “wing it”.  Those who do are in for a rude awakening.  The R.K.C. is the equivalent to a Russian Military BootCamp.  It is intense.  There are instructors and there are assistant instructors watching your every move to make sure you know what you’re doing AND that you have the ability to watch, correct, and teach others.  There is over a 30% failure rate for the R.K.C.  They only want the best people teaching kettlebells.  In the R.K.C. system you have to re-certify every two years AND you have to do it in person.  You can’t just phone it in. 

If you’re interested in kettlebells and looking for a kettlebell gym then I hope I’ve answered some questions for you on what to look for and what to look out for. 

Yours In Health!

Dr. Wendy