A "Hanging" Thorn in my Side

OK, so I admit.....I'm really good at swinging a kettlebell nonstop for who knows how long, but what I'm not good at is high tension strength movements, and lifts. It's not a natural talent for me, endurance and repetetive stuff is, but we all gotta do stuff we're not good at sometimes....don't we? So......

When I found out about the strength requirement for earning your HKC, which is a "bodyweight flexed arm hang" for women, based off of the Marine Corp standard for women candidates, I was shaking in my shoes....why? I suck at hanging, I suck at pull-ups, I suck at strict presses (same thing, but opposite, by the way).....good Lord do I really have to, actually, work for something? I'm too old for this shit!

OK. I never have to do a flexed arm hang if I don't want to...I'm RKC afterall, I've already proven myself. 100 snatches w/16kg in 5 minutes, any day of the week....everyday of the week....but why do I have to do a flexed arm hang? Because it would be totally hypocritical to assist at any HKC without meeting the same requirements for earning that Certification....period.

I knew I could train for it, afterall, I am married to a Master Instructor....who has a better coach at any kettlebell lift or strength requirement than that? But I'm a lazy ass. So, when I went to my first HKC, in fact the first ever HKC, in St Paul this last Sept., did I train for it? Nope! Why not?

Well, first of all, I had inquired about being an assisant for the HKC, but Dragon Door was not soliciting "official assitants"...maybe they didn't know whether or not they would need them because everybody that was anybody was already there....all the Master Intructors, Seniors and plenty of Team Leaders.....good God I think they had over 10 teams assembled. But I went anyway, offering up my volunteerism because I had 3 of my own personal students attenting and a good friend who is a long distance phone client there also, not to mention Mark was teaching....and, my best friend Fawn Friday lives in St Paul....do I need any more reasons? Good God.

Anyway, the morning of the registration, since I wasn't there "officially" I had planned to "party crash" as I always do, not asking to be a part of it, in any way, if they didn't need me to help, but conveniently with a "RKC Instructor t-shirt" on, lol, I ended up helping out on Brett Jones's Team for the day, but......

I couldn't feel good about including myself in the official HKC photo because I couldn't meet the strength requirement that all other females were asked to meet, and because of that I felt I was simply "riding the coattalis" of my brilliant husband, as usual.....(I was the only one there that day that sat out the HKC photo)

At this point you all should know I'm a long story teller......

So, clinging to technical standards of Cert qualifications I had 3 months from the HKC weekend to succesfully complete the strength requirement of a 15 second flexed arm hang......which I admit, I couldn't do that day. I couldn't even hang for 1 second. Seriously.....I couldn't even hang for 1 freakin' second! Why not? Because that skill has never entered into my weekly training, and I've never had to add it in (the training to accomplish it), and I was plain lazy because I knew if I put the time and effort into it I could do it....when I was forced to.....

Enter Girya's first HKC scheduled for 12/5/09. Here it was Sept.....I had just about 3 months to train for the 15 sec. flexed arm hang.....technically. What I didn't factor in was that by the time December came, DD would change the time requirement for the flexed arm hang to 25 seconds! Almost twice the time as previous. How could I go from 0 seconds to 15 seconds to 25....twenty-five seconds. Why do I have to? It was on principle. I could never feel good about assisting an HKC, representing one of the highest Kettlebell Certifications one can earn, without myself meeting all of the requiements that go along with this honor.....arghhh!

OK. Technically.....by December 5, I only had to hang for 15 sec, which I did by the way! Not bad considering I couldn't hang for 1 second, 2 1/2 months earlier.....but now, I had to keep working at increasing that time to 25 seconds....and I had "technically" 3 more months to accomplish that. But, you can imagine how "peeved" I was to have Meg L., and Ayssa C. attending Girya's HKC, and, without a blink, in fact laughing....at least smiling....as the clock ticked away at the 25 measley seconds they were hanging.....I hate them.

I'm too old for this shit. But here we are......

Although the requirement was changed back to 15 seconds, thanks in part to Mark, here's why.....

A 25 second flexed arm hang for women was more about upperbody endurance, than strength. It's supposed to be a strength requirement, which was out of phase with the Men's requirements of 5 pull-ups or chin-ups, which was the point.....a chin-up is much easier than a pull-up (chin-up, underhand, has a better mechanical advantage, than a pull-up, overhand).

I told you I was a long story teller..... Back to me......(lol)

December 5 to March 5 gave me my 3 months to accomplish my 25 second hang. Well I did it way before the 3 month deadline....again based on principle, but here's the video of my "new improved" 25 second time I did Saturday morning, which was March 13th, but I had actually accomplished it the morning of Girya's second HKC FEb. 6th (2 months). I hadn't taken video until this last weeknd....oh well, you'll have to trust me on it!

The point? Good God, now that I've decided to train for the RKC Level ll in July in St Paul (lucky me, my BBF Fawn is also earning her Level ll the same weekend....YAY!), now I have to train for a pullup......I'm too old for this shit! Anyway, I intend to always be able to do a 25 second flexed arm hang as long as I plan to assist at HKC's (and that's a long time, btw), it forces me to train my weakness. I can't expect anyone else to accomplish something that I can't.

Bottom line? Strength is a skill, and I do believe this. Sure some of us are naturally strong for some skills, but not for all skills....that's where the RKC comes into play, and why I decided that earning my Level ll was relevent and worth my time to train for.....(another blogpost for another time).

If hanging for 25 seconds is easy for you then brav-o. For me, I worked for it, and earned it. Now, like weightloss, getting there is only half of the battle....staying there is going to take consistent work, but I'm up for it. Now bigger goals (smoals) are in order and I'll be pull-up-ing, and pistol-ing away for Level ll by July. If you don't think I'm going to have to train, long, hard, and "right", then think again. Training to improve skill is a calculated and delibrate....no luck involved, only hard work (but fun....I can't forget fun! I can't take myself too seriously afterall! I'm too old to take myself too seriously, lol.....besides, if I can't do a pull-up or pistol by July I have 3 months to keep trying....LOL!).

Top Photo; First ever HKC in St Paul, Sept 2009, me, Diana B, Jesse G, Sabina D., and Gen O. Second photo, me on 12/05/09 completing my 15 sec hang. 3rd and 4th photo, Meg L, and Alyssa C, laughing at the measley 25 seconds they were required to hang (I hate those girls....argh!). Last photo.....here's the closest I ever got to a pull-up without ever training for it. Let me say that I weighed under 130lbs, compared to about 142-144lbs now, which makes a difference....but you know what? Strength is a skill, and I don't have to be that skinny and learn to do a pull-up.....just wait, I'm going to be a pull-up and pistol queen.....whoops, did I just say that? Yikes!