Doc's Coming to San Diego THIS WEEKEND!!

[markcheng]

To my Brothers & Sisters in the Harris Academy,

I just managed to clear off my schedule completely from Wednesday evening until Saturday late afternoon, and I'll be heading straight from my clinic down to San Diego to teach Hard Style kettlebell training methods (as well as to give an intro to Gray Cook's Functional Movement Screen), train in the Harris Curriculum, and treat a patient or few.

Mars, Al, & I have already made some tentative plans to get together to attempt to file some rust off this Chinaman, but I hope to see as many of you as possible and catch up a bit. It's been WAAAAAAAAAY too long.

Much love & respect,
MC

[markcheng]

To those of you whom I've just had the chance to meet for the first time this past weekend, thank you for all the warmth & amazing feedback you've given me. It's moments like those that give me the strength and energy to keep teaching, keep researching the best stuff, and keep finding more efficient ways of transmitting that knowledge to you. If I may bother those of you who have taken my workshops and have some positive feedback to leave, please post it here on my RKC instructor review page.

http://www.dragondoor.com/cgi-bin/in...e=585&rm=mode2

During this past week's workshops, the conversation about strength, flexibility, endurance, and durability came up time & time again. Also, it never failed that I got plenty of questions about how many reps of what exercise to do for optimal whatever.

Many of you seemed utterly shocked to hear me say time & time again NEVER to train to failure. So instead of out of my mouth, read about Alexander Faleev, Russian Master of Sport in Powerlifting. Per my mentor, Pavel Tsatsouline, he writes:

"Never train to failure! Don’t attempt a rep unless you are 100% sure you will make it. Ideally, keep one extra rep in the bank. “Save your strength for the next set,” insists Faleev."

And again, please remember what I said about the importance of having mobility (smooth, pain-free range of motion) first before jumping blindly into strength training. Per Gray Cook, another mentor of mine, there are few things worse for your body than adding strength to dysfunction!

Thanks to Al Lowrimore, I will be working on setting another major workshop date in January. If the dates work out, I may even bring the RKC Viking himself, Kenneth Jay, down to teach and to train with Prof. Harris!

In the meantime, I wish you ALL a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS, Happy Holidays, and all the best for a strong, healthy, and prosperous 2009!

Gratefully,

[Harris]

Hey Doc,

The Harris Academy students and I sincerely appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to drive down from LA to train and hang out with us! It was a treat to have you at our academy!

We do hope you will spend more time with us next year!

Thanks again for your kindness and generosity!

Roy Harris

[seizureboy]

It was an honor to meet and train with you, doctor. You have wholly renewed my interest in training in general, and kettlebells specifically, with your methods and insights, and for that I am extremely grateful. I am even more eager for your return to town now that I know what to expect!

Also, Jen's headache returned on Sunday. However, I think it can be attributed to the 6 or 7 vodka tonics she had the night before. Your cure is still holding strong, and we both cannot thank you enough!

Respectfully,
Sean Keating

[WarGod]

Mark, training with you was fantastic. I very much enjoyed the seminar and got a lot out of it. I'll definitely be looking to do more kettlebell workouts. As a matter of fact, I've been shopping for a new 24 kg KB according to your recommendations.

Don't be a stranger brother. Drop by anytime. Thanks so much for your patience and generosity.

[markcheng]

For those of you who had a good time last time, Prof. Harris & I have just set the next kettlebell training workshop target for the weekend of 1/30 - 2/1/09!!! I'll probably drive down on Friday afternoon and hang out 'til Sunday evening.

This time, the workshop will be a bit longer (either 3 or 4 hours) and focus on covering all 6 of the RKC required lifts as well as program design! I will only be teaching ONCE this weekend, so please don't miss this.

If you don't have a fairly tight understanding of Program Minimum (Deadlift, Swing, & Turkish Cheng-Up), I strongly suggest that you get together with Prof. Harris, Susan Gross, or Al Lowrimore for a good grounding before I get there.

This time, I have the Clean, Press, Front Squat (& Goblet Squat), Kossack, & Snatch on the agenda, so while we'll certainly review Program Minimum, it's gonna be quick.

If you liked last time, you're gonna LOOOOOVE this time. The pace is gonna be fast and furious, so bring your notebooks and be prepared for Hard Style at High Intensity!

[markcheng]

Sunday, Feb 1. 2009 1pm - 5pm at the Harris Academy!

"Hard Style, High Density - The RKC 6 Requirements and Program Design"

We'll be quickly reviewing Program Minimum (Deadlift, Swing, and Turkish Cheng-Up), then going into Harris-style depth on the Clean, Press, Front Squat, and Snatch.

As usual, the Functional Movement System implications for each and every detail of these exercises will be discussed, demonstrated, and drilled in to each of you.

If you're a novice who wants to find out what the hype's all about, a Crossfitter who wants to learn the finer points of training with KBs safely, an aspiring kettlebell instructor, a high-performance athlete who needs to have the ultimate edge, someone looking to lose flab, or a tactical operator who needs to have the raw, explosive strength to throw an insurgent out of a window*, then clear your schedule for that afternoon and come to learn from Dr. Mark Cheng, Chief Instructor of Kettlebells Los Angeles and one of the RKC system's most highly ranked and sought after instructors.

Cost: $100 for non-Harris International members / $60 for Harris International members and affiliates

Questions? Hit up the Doc at kettlebells.losangeles@yahoo.com


* Yes, this really happened with one of our kettlebellers who's on deployment! He was clearing a house and didn't have time to turn his rifle to shoot the insurgent bearing down on him, so he just grabbed the attacker and pitched him headlong out of a window, essentially saving the lives of his men who were following behind him.