As a personal trainer, strength enthusiast and kettlebell instructor who has done both the RKC and IKFF kettlebell certifications I am often asked which one I prefer or which would I suggest for someone looking to gain a kettlebell certification. So in this post I would like to give a little breakdown of each course, the good points, the bad points and my overall honest opinion.
I started using kettlebells for my own training about 4 years ago. I heard about them, googled them, watched some videos, gave it a go...........I was hooked. I loved them.
I showed Keris (my girlfriend and co founder of Fitter London) a thing or two with them and it wasn't long before she was hooked either.
It was here we dicided to look into kettlebell courses in London, we found a 1 day course based In north London and booked onto it. They were both RKC certified trainers so after the research I had done I figured this was a winner. Straight away I realised my technique needed a lot of fine tuning and I enjoyed the feeling of more efficient kettlebell movement.
BUT,
By the end of the day I felt as though corners had been cut and that 1 day simply was not enough to fully understand kettlebell training. I wanted to learn more.
It was here we looked further into the RKC certification. I was at first shocked at the price, it was not cheap and it did not even include accommodation or flights. The next one in Europe was in Budapest in August (2009) and we thought sod it, lets do it. We wanted kettlebells to be a huge part of our fitness business and our own training regimes and figured what better than to learn from the best. We were passionate about them and were prepared to pay the price.
RKC is fronted by Pavel Tsatsouline.
We were all packed and ready to go, so here is my RKC Pros and cons:
RKC is a 3 day certification and I was slightly anxious at what we had in store for us.
PROS:
- RKC is a very thorough training system, every movement was broken down into stages to ensure a full understanding, we were constantly being corrected and assessed.
- All instructors were happy to answer questions and were incredibly knowledgable.
- Everything was clear and very easy to understand due to the very well structured nature of the cert.
- Repetition was a big thing but I love this as it really drummed home the techniques.
- They took a personal trainers needs in to consideration as there was a huge focus on breakdown and progressions to teach your clients. There were also plenty of alternatives for people who struggled with certain movements.
- There were plenty of instructors there so you never felt you were on your own unaware if your doing things correctly or not.
- After each day I had aches in all the right places and felt as though I was learning so much every minute.
- Massive attention to detail.
CONS:
- Before we had even done anything we were asked to perform the snatch test. This test inloves performing 100 snatches in under 5 mins. Men above 60kg used a 24kg kettlebell, men under 60kg used a 20kg, women above 56kg used a 16kg and women below 56kg used 12 kg. I didn't agree with this, I was aware that a lot of preparation before the cert was involved but to perform what I believed was a very technical lift with a predetermined weight without instruction was unsafe and was an injury waiting to happen for some. By the way, someone did get very badly injured and it ended the cert straight away.
- Too military based for my liking. I don't mind a disciplined approach but some of these dudes were just plain arrogant and were dishing out orders like we were in the army. They saw it fit to throw drills at us that were incredibly testing for most and for some unbarable. I love hard work but when my technique is being effected because an instructor loves the sound of his own voice too much it got quite annoying. A bit over the top at times to say the least.
- Practice makes perfect but if someone has not yet developed the strength to perform a certain movement with the suggested weight then its only right they drop weight and perform the movement correctly right? Not here. I believe men should be able to handle atleast 1.5 times there bodyweight on a deadlift but I dont start them on that weight, they practice, they progress and we work up to it. To make someone feel like a failure for good judgement again did not sit well with me.
Conclusion:
Aside from the stated cons, RKC was worth every penny for me. It was jam packed with great information and I was buzzing with inspiration, I coudnt wait to show our Fitter London members everything we had learnt. From start to finish it was well structured and incredibly engaging.
It was during our RKC certification that we kept hearing the name Steve Cotter going around. We had not heard much of this guy so we decided to check him out. He used to be part of RKC but decided to go his seperate way and set up the IKFF certification. I watched some of Steve Cotters videos and all I can say is......WOW. I was in awe of this guy, so fit, strong, explosive and insanely mobile. It wasn't long before I was looking to see when he was next in London.
It was Febuary 2010 and we were booked onto his level 1 course. The IKFF course was half the price of RKC which was great :-). It was 2 days long and I couldn't wait to meet the guy who was so inspiring just through his videos.
Before I go in to the pros and cons I want to highlight that Steve Cotters approach to kettlebell lifting is very different to that of the RKC. RKC has more of an explosive, full body tension approach and IKFF is a more fluid approach with a big focus on reducing tension in order to keep fatigue at bay for as long as possible. The style was completely different, from the general movement and breathing to duration and grip technique.
I have to admit at first this was not what I was expecting but it was not long before I was engaged and loving it.
Pros:
- Completely different style and was really excited and learning what seemed an opposite approach to kettlebell lifting.
- Huge emphasis on warm ups and mobility which was amazing.
- Went over exercises that I had never done before such as overhead squats which are fantastic.
- The lay out was incredibly challenging, varied and fun.
- There was no fitness test or wieght requirment but just a big focus on correct and safe technique which was made clear from the start. This was great and took the pressure off which allowed for a more enjoyable experience.
- Great group of instructors who were incredibly knowledgable and well experienced.
Cons:
- I felt that there was less attention to detail compared to RKC and at times quite vague.
- There was not the approach to corrective exercises that I was expecting, it was more of a if this doesnt feel right go lighter type of thing but I was looking for more answers here.
- I felt that due to the longer duration style of this training (a long cycle is 10 mins long) that this style would not go down too well with my clients especially as they were used to the RKC style of training.
To be honest that is all I have for this one as I loved this course and I met some great like minded people there too.
So, which one did I prefer?
To be honest, I can't really say. But what I will say is always keep an open mind, broaden your horizons and never stop learning. I use both techniques from the certs and they go down a treat in classes, on PT sessions and as part of my own training regime.
I don't for a second regret doing either of them, they have played a huge role in my journey as the eternal student and I value both of these courses equally, however I will say in my experience, the RKC approach has been more client friendly and they have responded better to this technique.
My biggest bit of advice is whichever course you choose to do dont get sucked in to the whole cult thing. I believe the RKC system is guilty of this and most RKC instructors believe their method is the only way and nothing else matters. Some even go to the extremes of getting tatoos and all wearing the same trousers which is when it gets a little too much for me. This is a very narrow minded approach and I dont agree with it. IKFF was not like this at all and I liked that.
IKFF for me highlighted the importance of longevity which i had not really considered before this. Mobility is now a huge part of my routine and the more fluid approach to kettlebell lifting is a great way to take a little break from all that heavy lifting and body tension that is involved in most training regimes.
Ideally I'd say if you can afford to, do both certs. I would not have one without the other but that's just me.
Since doing these I have worked with many other great coaches and most recently the awesome Mike Mahker when he was in the UK in Feb this year.
Mike Mahler again had a very different take on kettlebell training and there was a big focus on heavy lifting whilst reducing tension and also explosive power. Personally, this is the style of training I have always enjoyed (Im a rugby player so this makes sense) and I loved every minute of this course.
Mike Mahler's approach was incredibly simple yet highly effective, his hormone optimisation lecture alone was worth the money and his style of kettlebell lifting has complemented the training of myself, my classes and my clients very well.
Working with the best in the industry has taught me a hell of allot and each of the above workshops has provided an even deeper knowledge into an industry and style of training I absolutely love. So get yourself out there, don't stick to one so called style. Experiment and find what works for you, have your own take on it and put it out there. Better yet, don't rely solely on kettlebell training, I love kettlebells but they make up a fraction of what training tools I use for my clients and our classes.
I really hope this post has been informative, as I said I simply wanted to put an honest opinion out there and here it is.
I am still learning and have plenty of other great coaches I would like go work with so watch this space.
If anyone has any questions about any of these courses then please get in touch id be happy to help matt@fitterlondon.co.uk
Listen, learn, practice and improve.
Yours in training,
Matt
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