How long have you been training with the club?
I joined BKC 4 years ago, and have trained fairly consistently since then
What attracted you to the club?
A friend had already been training with the club, she recommended it to me. I went with another friend to the initial 2 hour session – we pretty much giggled all the way though, and I think at that point Pete would have put money on me not turning up again!
What was your perception of kettlebell training before starting? Were you apprehensive?
I was really nervous as I’d never done any kind of classes (or even much exercise). I almost expected lycra clad women looking snooty as I would be useless. Couldn’t have been further from the truth, and the great thing about the 2 hour beginners session was that we were all in the same situation.
What is it that you like most about training in the club?
Every session is different, the variety of people encouraging each other and its relaxed and non-judgemental. I’ve also had the chance to do some semi private training at Pete’s Gym and through that have done the Tactical Strength Challenge, which has been a great confidence booster.
How has the training changed your life? What specific benefits have you received?
I have lost no weight – but I have completely changed shape. I’ve gone down a couple of sizes, and don’t have to buy large to cover my belly! I have far more energy and am much more positive in taking challenges on. I just completed a 6 day trek of the Great Wall of China – there is no way I would have considered it before – and the KB training helped in ways I wouldn’t have expected. My upper body strength meant my trekking poles were really effective in taking the pressure off my legs and knees, my legs and feet didn’t ache or hurt at all, and festival loos and the Chinese holes in the floor are a cinch after all the squats I’ve done!
Do you have any goals you are working on, or is there something you want to get better at?
I’m not massively goal led or competitive – but I’ve got a lot out of the challenges, so in November we’ll be working on a swing challenge and I’d like to get the 200 one armed swings with 24kg in 5 minutes.
If there’s someone out there thinking about joining up, what would you say to them?
I’d recommend it as it helps with all round fitness as well as strength – as someone who is stuck in the car and at a desk the majority of the working week it has completely re-energised me. The classes themselves are so social it doesn’t make it hard work – and if you’ve had a bad day you can’t do better than chucking some weight around while having a giggle!
