Val Rusk, Canadian Elite Lifter & Coach

WEBVTT 1 00:00:06.590 --> 00:00:11.720 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: I also recorded on my soundboard just just in case video drops or anything weird happens. So. 2 00:00:11.720 --> 00:00:12.650 Val: Good idea. 3 00:00:32.790 --> 00:00:56.629 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: All right welcome into this week's episode of the platform. Podcast I am your host, Jordan Kunde-Wright and I am very excited to introduce my guests, Val Rusk. She is a Canadian Kettlebell sport, athlete and coach, who recently competed at the Wksf World championships in Poland. Val thank you so much for coming on. 4 00:00:57.260 --> 00:00:59.159 Val: Thank you so much, Jordan. Glad to be here. 5 00:00:59.710 --> 00:01:00.570 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: So 6 00:01:00.710 --> 00:01:08.310 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: 1st tell us a little bit about the Wksf World championships. I'm I'm curious. How did it go? 7 00:01:08.320 --> 00:01:14.319 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: And are you happy with with your performance. We'll we'll start with your performance before we talk about it. 8 00:01:15.750 --> 00:01:20.940 Val: Alright cool. Yeah, it it was a. It was a very well run competition. It was a lot of fun. 9 00:01:21.537 --> 00:01:25.200 Val: I i i competed in the 20 K. 10 00:01:25.360 --> 00:01:30.109 Val: Biathlon, which is the Elite division. It was my 1st time in that division 11 00:01:30.160 --> 00:01:32.450 Val: I got second place. 12 00:01:32.610 --> 00:01:34.689 Val: which I'm happy. I got second 13 00:01:34.740 --> 00:01:40.969 Val: overall. I'm not super happy with my numbers. I could have done better. I've done better in in practice. But 14 00:01:41.360 --> 00:01:54.120 Val: I also know that traveling, you know to the other side of the the rep the other side of the world the time, change, time of day, different bells, all those things I'm never going to do my best at worlds, but I 15 00:01:54.260 --> 00:01:58.949 Val: I still feel like I could have got 20 more jerks in, so that's a little bit frustrating. But 16 00:01:59.000 --> 00:02:01.549 Val: I'm glad I I scrape by to get second. 17 00:02:01.690 --> 00:02:04.880 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: So what so what event did you? Did you compete in Biathlon. 18 00:02:04.880 --> 00:02:05.899 Val: Yeah. I'm back on. 19 00:02:05.900 --> 00:02:15.349 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Okay, cool. So what we're so what were your numbers? We'll we'll we'll add 20 to them in our minds, so that we know what we're targeting. But wh what were your numbers? On on the platform. 20 00:02:15.600 --> 00:02:17.769 Val: Oh, Jeeze, I don't. 21 00:02:18.350 --> 00:02:23.009 Val: I wanna say 63 jerks and a hundred 45 snatch. 22 00:02:23.360 --> 00:02:24.040 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Okay. 23 00:02:24.360 --> 00:02:24.940 Val: And I would. 24 00:02:24.940 --> 00:02:26.269 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: What weight class are you in. 25 00:02:26.270 --> 00:02:27.429 Val: 75, Kilo. 26 00:02:27.430 --> 00:02:30.800 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Okay, this is the only context in which I ask people what 27 00:02:32.770 --> 00:02:37.158 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: it is a weight class sport. So I at least feel like it's it's a it's a fair question 28 00:02:38.110 --> 00:02:38.649 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: You're so. 29 00:02:38.650 --> 00:02:39.949 Val: Does make a difference? Yeah. 30 00:02:40.210 --> 00:02:45.480 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: 75 kg. Weight class, and and you said 6. Was it 68? You said? I'm sorry. 31 00:02:45.740 --> 00:02:47.890 Val: Something in the 60 63, I think. 32 00:02:47.890 --> 00:02:52.450 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Oh, 63. Okay, okay, so, and you were targeting, you were targeting one. 33 00:02:52.450 --> 00:02:53.920 Val: 90. I was targeting. 34 00:02:53.920 --> 00:02:54.500 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: India, yeah. 35 00:02:54.500 --> 00:02:56.700 Val: Would have been happy with 80, you know. 36 00:02:56.710 --> 00:03:00.029 Val: Yeah, so that that one kind of stung. But 37 00:03:00.080 --> 00:03:03.400 Val: it it I'll just say it just wasn't my day. It wasn't. 38 00:03:03.930 --> 00:03:07.470 Val: It wasn't what it could have been. But I'm glad I scraped through there. 39 00:03:07.930 --> 00:03:13.640 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: And where? Where was it? At? In Poland? Specifically, I can't pronounce the name of the town. So I'm gonna make you do. 40 00:03:13.640 --> 00:03:19.860 Val: Yeah. You don't pronounce any r's or Z's, or W's shashov. 41 00:03:20.290 --> 00:03:24.279 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Shesh. Okay, shesh of Poland. Okay. And and 42 00:03:24.310 --> 00:03:29.889 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: with Biathlon, was it jerk one day and then snatch the next day? Or was it jerk and snatch. On the same day. 43 00:03:29.890 --> 00:03:31.260 Val: Yeah. An hour apart. 44 00:03:31.260 --> 00:03:31.659 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Hour, but. 45 00:03:31.660 --> 00:03:32.189 Val: Was like that like. 46 00:03:32.190 --> 00:03:34.690 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Exactly an hour right like they're they're like. 47 00:03:34.970 --> 00:03:36.010 Val: Yeah, yeah. 48 00:03:36.540 --> 00:03:44.779 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Cool, and and I've I have heard and seen, cause I was watching, you know, like the super cool kid that I am. I was watching live stream, so. 49 00:03:44.780 --> 00:03:46.000 Val: Awesome of people. 50 00:03:46.000 --> 00:04:03.769 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Doing doing their sets. So I've I've heard that the judging was stringent is is what we'll say. It was that it was strict. Did you? Did you have any? No counts? And there's no shame if you did. But, you know, did you have any? No counts because of the judging, or or did you have to adjust at all because of the judging standards that you were seeing. 51 00:04:04.220 --> 00:04:17.600 Val: Yeah. And and I knew this I had. I did. I did Biathlon last year in in amateurs with the 6 teams, and I had the same thing where they were holding me up a lot longer than I was used to, and my arms are getting tired, and I wasn't quite used to that. 52 00:04:17.860 --> 00:04:18.329 Val: and. 53 00:04:18.339 --> 00:04:20.019 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: And both jerk and snatch. 54 00:04:20.420 --> 00:04:21.290 Val: I 55 00:04:21.560 --> 00:04:27.269 Val: for me? It's jerk I I'm still working on, getting my arms quite parallel at the top. 56 00:04:27.430 --> 00:04:31.109 Val: So it's it's jerk that I struggle with more, just having 2 arms up. 57 00:04:31.569 --> 00:04:51.039 Val: But yeah, I was. I like my my step fell apart, I think, when I was starting to get the warnings, and then then they're giving me warnings, and you know that extra judge was standing staring at me. I'm like, Oh, my God, they're they're just waiting to know. Count me. I think I I think I got one or 2, but though those ones were fair, right like they were near the end, and I was. 58 00:04:51.040 --> 00:04:51.700 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Yeah. 59 00:04:51.700 --> 00:04:57.608 Val: I wasn't locked out but they were just holding me there longer than I wanted to, as oh, it hurt. 60 00:04:58.780 --> 00:05:23.620 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Yeah. And I mean, there's nothing like, no counts are one of the hardest things, I think, from a like this is already really mentally challenging sport like no counts are super hard at at the end of a set. They don't really throw you off nearly as much, but if you get one like in the middle of your set like that for me that like spins me out, because then you're like your pacings all off, like, you know you make the like. If if you do like I have done when I 61 00:05:23.620 --> 00:05:50.540 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: I will say I haven't gotten no counted in a while thankfully, but that's because I learned the very painful lesson of like no counts in the middle of your set, or like the worst, because then I was like, Oh, I've gotta make up a rep which was the worst possible response to getting to getting a no counted rep is just like you. Just you just move on and like, stay on your pace until hopefully you make it up at the end. I wasn't experienced enough at that point to know that. But so they all came. They all came at at the end, so it didn't really. 62 00:05:51.010 --> 00:05:51.590 Val: Yeah. 63 00:05:51.590 --> 00:05:54.469 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Very awful. All that much with the no accounts. 64 00:05:54.700 --> 00:06:05.339 Val: No, I I don't find it. Get them that much with the twenties. Last year, with the 6 teams. And I haven't the 6 teams in the past, because I'm going faster. I tend to get them more 65 00:06:05.622 --> 00:06:11.650 Val: especially with Snatch, like I think last year I wanted to get like 2, 20, snatch it. World, which is an unrealistic goal. 66 00:06:11.650 --> 00:06:12.310 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Please. 67 00:06:12.470 --> 00:06:13.970 Val: Yeah, I got. I think I got 2. 68 00:06:13.970 --> 00:06:14.420 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: That's blue. 69 00:06:15.150 --> 00:06:15.680 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Yeah. 70 00:06:15.680 --> 00:06:18.420 Val: And oh, my hands are fine. But yeah. 71 00:06:18.420 --> 00:06:31.409 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: No, no, I just meant the paces. Blister not not that your hands are like. That's just a blisteringly fast pace, especially at like world. Caliber, judging like that's like 22 is pushing the fringe of what? Of of what they will count for fixation. 72 00:06:31.410 --> 00:06:39.009 Val: They don't let you do it. They don't let you do it. They slow you down, and they were give me warnings and no counts all over the place, and I looked at my video. I'm like they're fine, like I was just. 73 00:06:39.050 --> 00:06:44.070 Val: I would slow down and speed up and speed up, and then they'd be like, no, I'd slow down and speed up and speed up. 74 00:06:44.200 --> 00:06:49.100 Val: But with the 20 I just don't have that option really there, there's a pace, and that's what I'm doing. 75 00:06:49.100 --> 00:06:52.568 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Yeah. What? What was your target? Pace on? What was your target? Pace on, snatch. 76 00:06:52.800 --> 00:06:57.489 Val: Snatch I would go 18 reps per minute on my left, and 77 00:06:57.860 --> 00:06:59.560 Val: 19 am I right. 78 00:06:59.560 --> 00:06:59.980 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Okay. 79 00:06:59.980 --> 00:07:01.020 Val: And like that, yeah. 80 00:07:01.020 --> 00:07:05.469 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: And do you start with your right, or do you start with your left? This is always a point of contention. 81 00:07:05.470 --> 00:07:06.869 Val: I start with my left 82 00:07:07.443 --> 00:07:25.759 Val: I like finishing on my right. I cannot squat, snatch on my left, so I find to just get that better finish, and I don't want to do those. And, like, you know, I want to wait for the very end to do that, and I'm sure you've done it before. You know how much it hurts the traps so I like to start. I've been playing around with a little bit, but I like to start with my left. 83 00:07:25.780 --> 00:07:41.090 Val: It was this year I did switch at the 4 min Mark, kind of thinking I'd already. I thought I'd already messed up my set right like I was like, I'm not gonna kill myself. And I was. There was a lot you saw the live stream. There was a lot of dropped bells during snatch. It was a slippery, slippery handle. 84 00:07:41.537 --> 00:07:47.100 Val: Wasn't wasn't great chalk, and I was. I was worried about dropping it 85 00:07:47.160 --> 00:07:49.430 Val: on my on my 1st arm. 86 00:07:49.852 --> 00:07:58.299 Val: In my training I have a habit of like when I'm about to fail, snatch it kind of goes halfway up, and would fall on my shoulder and go down. 87 00:07:59.220 --> 00:08:05.710 Val: I'm unclear if that's a stop set or not. I asked the judge when I took the judging course, and he said it was, even though it's your 1st hand. 88 00:08:06.010 --> 00:08:10.040 Val: I'm not sure. I'm still not sure it might have been a language barrier. I've seen it. I've never. 89 00:08:10.040 --> 00:08:21.020 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Yeah, I I think that's a man on your 1st side that should be a mandatory switch because it touched your body. And then if you touch your body again, then it's a stop set. That would be my understanding. But I am not. 90 00:08:21.020 --> 00:08:21.640 Val: Name. 91 00:08:21.640 --> 00:08:25.017 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Asf world, judge so we'll we'll. 92 00:08:25.500 --> 00:08:29.870 Val: This is mine, too. But I directly asked the question, and they said, Stop set, so I'm like 93 00:08:30.270 --> 00:08:33.700 Val: not sure if he knows what I'm talking about, but I'm also not going to risk it. 94 00:08:33.780 --> 00:08:37.210 Val: cause that would be very little reps if I got stop set there, so I. 95 00:08:37.210 --> 00:08:37.750 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: For sure. 96 00:08:37.750 --> 00:08:41.520 Val: Switched right when I thought I would have to go into to squat, snatch on my left. 97 00:08:42.056 --> 00:08:45.259 Val: But I I wouldn't have got that many more reps in anyways. 98 00:08:46.010 --> 00:08:47.000 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: So do you. 99 00:08:47.310 --> 00:08:50.080 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: do you typically go 4 and 6 or. 100 00:08:50.080 --> 00:08:51.470 Val: No, I vote 5 and 5. 101 00:08:51.470 --> 00:09:06.440 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: And 5. But it was just a it was just a erring on the side of caution, because you don't want to lose it. But I I tend, I tend to agree with your philosophy on like. I always want my my weaker hand to be what dictates when the switch happens, because 102 00:09:06.970 --> 00:09:23.802 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: then then I know what I need to do with my stronger hand, and I'm I'm always much more likely to get 6 min out of my right hand than than if I did it the other way around and like tried to push for 6 min. But then I then I feel like I'm struggling or my technique is getting crappy, and then I switch. I'm like, Oh, shit! I don't have enough. 103 00:09:24.420 --> 00:09:43.219 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: I don't have. I don't have the rest of the time on my left hand. Like I I like to. I I tend to like to start with my my non dominant hand. I don't do it all I switch in practice, like I intentionally vary which hand I start with in practice. But I at competitions, I I almost always default to my my left hand first.st 104 00:09:43.350 --> 00:09:53.099 Val: Yeah, I I thought about switching like practicing it, but I always forget to do it like, I'll be warming up like, Hey, today, you start with your right, and then I I'm in my sent like I started with my left. Whatever. 105 00:09:53.100 --> 00:09:56.009 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: You're on. You're on autopilot, you've you've done your warm up and like. 106 00:09:56.010 --> 00:09:57.539 Val: I think I'm set in my ways. Yeah. 107 00:09:57.540 --> 00:09:59.550 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: The the muscle memory just takes over. Yeah. 108 00:09:59.964 --> 00:10:00.379 Val: Yeah. 109 00:10:00.380 --> 00:10:04.710 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: And and is it common for you to have 2 different paces, one for one for each hand. 110 00:10:05.400 --> 00:10:12.330 Val: Yeah, yeah, my, my rights always been a lot stronger, my grips better. It's it's I don't know. It feels like a different person. 111 00:10:15.660 --> 00:10:35.360 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: That is, that is spoken like a Kettlebell. Better in there that they're they're definitely that feeling sometimes. Do do you try? And even up in practice. Or is that so? Is that I guess the question is, is that a comp day specific strategy? And you don't do that in practice? Or do you do that in practice as well where you, you hold a higher pace with your with your right hand than you do with your left hand. 112 00:10:35.800 --> 00:10:43.560 Val: I usually have the same target. So i i i in practice, I if I'm doing the same pace, I'm probably holding back a little bit on my right. 113 00:10:43.690 --> 00:10:44.360 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Okay. 114 00:10:44.360 --> 00:10:49.460 Val: Right like. So I I mean, I can always do more on my right. But it my my snatch sets tend to be 115 00:10:49.800 --> 00:10:54.840 Val: shorter and heavier during the week, and then, my long one, I'm I'm always going to do more of my right. 116 00:10:56.130 --> 00:10:56.840 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: That's fair. 117 00:10:57.207 --> 00:11:16.340 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: I try. I try and always keep it, even in practice, for that, for that cause I don't wanna exacerbate the difference if that makes sense right? Like, I don't wanna, I don't wanna be like, yeah, I'm gonna go 20 rpms on my right hand, and I'm gonna go 18 on my left, and then, you know, I look like one of those arm wrestling people that has like one arm that's huge and the other ones like Dinky. I don't. I don't wanna be that. I don't. Wanna be that 118 00:11:16.750 --> 00:11:19.170 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: I try. And I try and keep it even. So I think. 119 00:11:20.020 --> 00:11:23.570 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: I think that makes that makes sense. So what was of 120 00:11:23.840 --> 00:11:33.469 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: of all of the challenges that you enumerated earlier? What was kind of the biggest challenge for you, either mentally or physically. Let's start 1st with, we'll say mentally, what was your biggest challenge. 121 00:11:34.451 --> 00:11:48.930 Val: For me. I I'm so I I'm such a creature routine, and I I love I don't love it, but I mean my life. My life did takes my schedule, and I I always wake up early. Work out, you know. I'm at the gym by 6, 122 00:11:49.100 --> 00:11:55.770 Val: you know, into it by by 6 30 am. So that's how I am. All the time. I'm always wake up and go. 123 00:11:56.110 --> 00:12:03.799 Val: And I I started to realize this might be an issue. The week of that my my set was 4 30 Pm. And 5 30 Pm. 124 00:12:04.260 --> 00:12:12.050 Val: And and like I was kind of feeling it. A few days before my go to use. It's you know I'm lifting this time tomorrow, and I feel like I could nap right now. 125 00:12:12.050 --> 00:12:12.660 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Yeah. 126 00:12:12.660 --> 00:12:15.280 Val: You know, like it's a very low energy time of day for me. 127 00:12:15.280 --> 00:12:17.750 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Yeah, for sure. Very different security. Rhythm. 128 00:12:17.750 --> 00:12:23.430 Val: A a yeah, a. And my sleep was off, which is, it's always off when I do competitions. 129 00:12:23.960 --> 00:12:35.669 Val: I mean, last year I didn't sleep at all. And i i i managed but it's different when it's 4 pm. Because it's sometimes when you don't sleep, and it's you know it's 1st thing in the morning. It's kinda like you don't have time to be tired yet. 130 00:12:35.670 --> 00:12:37.950 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Yeah, you can run. You can run on adrenaline for. 131 00:12:37.950 --> 00:12:38.530 Val: Yeah. 132 00:12:38.530 --> 00:12:38.950 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: The relief. 133 00:12:38.950 --> 00:12:51.820 Val: Yeah, yeah. But it was. It was that it was so late in the day. And I my sleep, I like I wasn't jet like I. I came earlier to the Compte Comp country than I did in previous years, because I've had this issue. 134 00:12:52.244 --> 00:13:05.165 Val: But I had. You know I'd have a day where I sleep nothing at all, and then I slept well, and then I sleep until noon, but, like my sleep, schedule is all off that week, even though I was trying to kind of adjust to the local time. So I think those things. 135 00:13:05.640 --> 00:13:25.999 Val: so my coach suggested that next year, like I I think I think going forward like, if I'm a lead, I'm probably going to be lifting in the afternoon. That's kind of a fair assumption, and then I should just 2 weeks before, just only train in the afternoon and start it earlier and get might get used to like being active later in the day you have to change everything you eat to like. 136 00:13:26.000 --> 00:13:26.350 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Yeah. 137 00:13:26.350 --> 00:13:31.700 Val: It. It's everything. And and I I underestimated that for sure. So I think that was a big piece of it. 138 00:13:31.920 --> 00:13:34.211 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Okay? And and did that? 139 00:13:34.940 --> 00:13:42.699 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Did that get into your head mentally? Or was it more just a physical, like, more just physical manifestation, or did you? Did you like 140 00:13:42.900 --> 00:13:44.599 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: perseverate on it a little bit. 141 00:13:44.600 --> 00:13:48.532 Val: No, I I'm I'm pretty good. I'm pretty. I'm pretty like 142 00:13:49.250 --> 00:13:54.030 Val: I I don't get worked up. It takes a lot to get me worked up over things, so I'm pretty calm. 143 00:13:54.070 --> 00:14:01.900 Val: But I I could feel the the lack of energy, you know, even though I like I had a whole pre workout, and I wasn't getting that like. 144 00:14:02.130 --> 00:14:05.779 Val: you know that caffeine kick from it. 145 00:14:05.780 --> 00:14:07.350 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Caffeine ain't kicking man. 146 00:14:07.350 --> 00:14:14.170 Val: It wasn't picking. And I I just I'm like, I don't know what I need to do right now to get that energy I usually have before I work out. I don't have it right now. 147 00:14:14.230 --> 00:14:23.339 Val: so that that I I knew it, and I was like warming up, and I was like. I don't know what I need to do, but sometimes you hit the platform and things just happen. So I wasn't sure. 148 00:14:23.340 --> 00:14:23.940 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Yeah. 149 00:14:24.720 --> 00:14:32.820 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: So what? So what would you say went well for you like, what? What did you feel? What were your highlights? What did you feel good about, from from the, from your own performance. 150 00:14:32.820 --> 00:14:40.530 Val: I mean, I, looking at my videos, I am happy with my form. Like i i i watch them. I'm like, you know. I look good up there like I look like I know what I'm doing. I'm 151 00:14:40.730 --> 00:14:41.530 Val: and you would. 152 00:14:41.530 --> 00:14:50.819 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: You always look competent up there. You look smooth like I, and I'm like I I don't say that to everybody like you always look smooth your snatch. Your snatch technique is very, very smooth, like you always look. 153 00:14:51.360 --> 00:15:03.629 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: You. I don't say comfortable, but as comfortable. You look as comfortable as as a human can can look going, you know, 1819 rpms with a bell that is, a pretty significant portion of their body weight. 154 00:15:04.020 --> 00:15:08.899 Val: Yeah, yeah, E, exactly. So I was happy with that. I didn't feel like I 155 00:15:09.718 --> 00:15:17.570 Val: I don't know like I like I was happy with it like it's it's all I could do that day right like I didn't feel like I I left anything on the table like I didn't. 156 00:15:17.860 --> 00:15:25.796 Val: you know? I mean, I went until I I think my last few reps. I just couldn't get them up anymore. Right? So it was, it wasn't like I I made a mistake. 157 00:15:26.160 --> 00:15:31.930 Val: and and snatch. Of course I don't think I mentioned this earlier, but I started with snatch, so I did snatch only for many years. 158 00:15:32.976 --> 00:15:37.580 Val: And then I started last year was my 1st year doing 159 00:15:37.700 --> 00:15:46.019 Val: I did Biathlon at world last year, and I'd only been doing. I'd only done my 1st biathlon like I 1st jerks. I started maybe 9 months earlier. 160 00:15:46.210 --> 00:15:46.610 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Okay. 161 00:15:46.610 --> 00:15:48.329 Val: Like less than a year. So 162 00:15:48.850 --> 00:15:55.449 Val: I'm less than 2 years even doing jerks. So just even getting up there and getting the twenties that quickly. I did not think I would be 163 00:15:55.720 --> 00:15:56.580 Val: so that 164 00:15:56.720 --> 00:15:57.959 Val: that's good, and. 165 00:15:58.770 --> 00:15:59.103 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: And the. 166 00:15:59.270 --> 00:16:00.610 Val: I'm Yeah. 167 00:16:00.610 --> 00:16:06.699 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Are the? Are the twenties heavy enough for you to hit? Ms. Or do you have to move to the 21st to hit Ms. 168 00:16:07.100 --> 00:16:09.690 Val: i i i don't know 169 00:16:10.020 --> 00:16:14.739 Val: how like I I mean, there's so many different ranking tables in my mind. It has to be 20 fours. 170 00:16:16.200 --> 00:16:22.559 Val: I probably I probably still look at the I ukl ranking tables or the the ones in Canada definitely have. 171 00:16:23.100 --> 00:16:25.039 Val: They don't have 20 s. On there at all. 172 00:16:26.480 --> 00:16:27.153 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: I'm checking. 173 00:16:27.490 --> 00:16:30.074 Val: It depends. It depends on which ones you look at right. But 174 00:16:30.620 --> 00:16:41.989 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: I'm looking. I'm looking at the I'm looking at the Wksf slash Aklu unity table here, so we'll take a look. Here is, we gotta get to. We gotta get to to Biathlon, though. 175 00:16:43.135 --> 00:16:43.630 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Let's 176 00:16:48.643 --> 00:16:50.809 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: let's see, you can hit. 177 00:16:50.850 --> 00:16:53.289 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: You can hit MS. 178 00:16:54.180 --> 00:16:55.709 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: On the twenties. 179 00:16:55.860 --> 00:16:58.610 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: but you have to get a hundred 54 points. 180 00:16:58.980 --> 00:17:01.160 Val: Oh, that's not! That's not unreasonable. 181 00:17:01.160 --> 00:17:05.490 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Yeah. So that's that's gotta be. That's gotta be reassuring. Right? Like, that's. 182 00:17:05.490 --> 00:17:06.970 Val: Yeah, if I hit my target. 183 00:17:06.970 --> 00:17:12.359 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Far off. Yeah, if you hit 90, if you hit 90 on your jerks like you're you're golden, right? Like. 184 00:17:12.369 --> 00:17:18.047 Val: If I hit 90 on my jokes I would have, I would have hit that easily. Yeah, so that that number would have been in around. Oh, that's 185 00:17:18.489 --> 00:17:19.209 Val: not to run. 186 00:17:19.210 --> 00:17:22.080 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Salt, not to grow salt in the wound here, but 187 00:17:23.440 --> 00:17:24.353 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: but sorry. 188 00:17:24.810 --> 00:17:29.531 Val: I don't know. I'm still. When I say I'm going for master of sport. I I'm gonna be doing 189 00:17:30.060 --> 00:17:34.289 Val: I'm gonna be working on 24 Kilo snatch, which I've been kind of doing as well. 190 00:17:34.290 --> 00:17:34.610 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Yeah. 191 00:17:35.042 --> 00:17:36.770 Val: So that that'll be. 192 00:17:37.200 --> 00:17:38.120 Val: This is your. 193 00:17:38.120 --> 00:17:42.140 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: How does your pacing strategy change with the 24 kilo as opposed to the 20 kilo. 194 00:17:42.410 --> 00:17:47.990 Val: Oh, it's it's it's okay. So I I had my 1st attempt at 24 Kilo snatch 195 00:17:48.100 --> 00:17:50.389 Val: back in January. 196 00:17:50.680 --> 00:17:56.300 Val: It was rough, it's it's for me. It's very hard to snatch slowly. 197 00:17:56.300 --> 00:17:56.930 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Yeah. 198 00:17:57.110 --> 00:17:57.840 Val: Right. I. 199 00:17:57.840 --> 00:18:00.890 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: I can. I can imagine that you're I mean, you're a you're a 200 00:18:01.040 --> 00:18:03.259 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: a sprinter with, I mean, yeah. 201 00:18:03.260 --> 00:18:03.730 Val: Yeah. 202 00:18:03.730 --> 00:18:08.459 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: E. 18 rpms is is is relatively slow for you. You're typically 20 plus. 203 00:18:08.460 --> 00:18:18.659 Val: Well, what kills me is holding overhead right like it. It really kills me. So to put that into perspective, I I think I lasted 8 min and 30 seconds 204 00:18:18.790 --> 00:18:21.749 Val: with the 24 kilo snatch. 205 00:18:22.615 --> 00:18:24.250 Val: I thought. Maybe 206 00:18:24.290 --> 00:18:25.870 Val: 108 reps. 207 00:18:26.140 --> 00:18:28.550 Val: I can hit a hundred reps in 5 min. 208 00:18:28.780 --> 00:18:29.400 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Yeah. 209 00:18:29.700 --> 00:18:39.180 Val: So the extra 3 min I got 4 reps like, but like I was going, I was going 13 reps per minute, right? I was going for 1, 30. 210 00:18:39.180 --> 00:18:39.820 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Yeah. 211 00:18:40.180 --> 00:18:48.079 Val: But but yeah, it really like just holding the bell for that long. I I underestimated how much of a toll that would take on me. 212 00:18:48.280 --> 00:18:48.910 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Yeah. 213 00:18:49.140 --> 00:18:52.410 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: yeah, it's a lot of it's a lot of lat stability, like a lot of lad activity. 214 00:18:52.410 --> 00:18:53.050 Val: Innovation. 215 00:18:53.050 --> 00:18:56.784 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: But shoulder stabilization, and that that is, that is 216 00:18:57.340 --> 00:19:03.519 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: One of those things that I think is really hard to understand until you've until you've gotten yourself to a weight that is 217 00:19:04.130 --> 00:19:19.371 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: hard like that it that it's hard for you to go at your usual pace like cause. If you tried to do that at 18 rpms, you'd you'd be dying right and your grip would go right. But then it's like, but then you're like, okay. I gotta slow down, and then it's like, Oh, but now I have to stabilize this thing overhead. 218 00:19:19.610 --> 00:19:20.020 Val: That's. 219 00:19:20.020 --> 00:19:23.000 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: That's a whole other different game. So there! 220 00:19:23.000 --> 00:19:23.620 Val: Yeah. 221 00:19:23.620 --> 00:19:36.270 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Yeah, there is. Definitely it's like, it's like bouncing back and forth into the walls. While driving a Nascar. It's just not not not an enjoyable experience, the especially the 1st time. But I'm sure you'll I'm sure you'll find your your groove. It's just 222 00:19:36.810 --> 00:19:39.019 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: it just takes just takes a little training. 223 00:19:39.400 --> 00:19:43.127 Val: Yeah, I didn't. I didn't train a whole lot for that one to be honest like. 224 00:19:43.580 --> 00:19:45.280 Val: it was supposed to be a fun left. 225 00:19:45.530 --> 00:19:46.660 Val: I told my coach. 226 00:19:46.874 --> 00:19:47.729 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: You know this is. 227 00:19:47.730 --> 00:20:05.810 Val: This competitions mid January. I really don't want to train anything. It's right after Christmas. I just want to do something fun. And I to me fun would have been like a 16 kilo. I'm going really fast. Something like that. I didn't suggest anything, and he said, 24 kilos. I said, 5 min right. 228 00:20:05.990 --> 00:20:07.309 Val: and he's like we'll see 229 00:20:07.520 --> 00:20:08.853 Val: like what. 230 00:20:09.520 --> 00:20:11.710 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Who's who's your coach? Who's coaching right now? 231 00:20:12.430 --> 00:20:13.870 Val: Sergei regniv. 232 00:20:13.870 --> 00:20:15.210 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Okay, yeah, that. 233 00:20:15.210 --> 00:20:16.360 Val: No, like that explains everything. 234 00:20:16.360 --> 00:20:18.175 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Yeah, that's on brand. 235 00:20:19.045 --> 00:20:19.460 Val: Brand. 236 00:20:19.460 --> 00:20:23.510 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: That is, that is very. That is very much on Brent. Yes, we'll see. We'll see. Yeah. 237 00:20:23.510 --> 00:20:23.990 Val: We'll see. 238 00:20:23.990 --> 00:20:29.709 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: That's a that's a cute suggestion. Oh, you wanted to go fast with the 16. How about the 24? 5 min? We'll see. 239 00:20:30.800 --> 00:20:34.438 Val: 5 min. Yeah, we'll see how it is. And we're like there's no way he's letting me do 5 min. 240 00:20:34.620 --> 00:20:39.044 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: No, no, I don't. I I don't think Sergey believes in 5 min sets. 241 00:20:39.360 --> 00:20:40.999 Val: It's not a real time. 242 00:20:41.000 --> 00:20:45.959 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Yeah, that's that is the very Russian perspective on 5 min. That's not typical sport. That's that's that's 243 00:20:46.490 --> 00:20:48.120 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: that's not gonna spread exactly. 244 00:20:48.120 --> 00:20:49.860 Val: Like it's. It's it's a practice that. 245 00:20:50.380 --> 00:21:05.049 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: So was was, sir, was Sergei the one that that got you started on jerk, or was that? Was that your did he? Did he push you towards Biathlon, or suggested to you? Or was that your was that your goal when you came in? You're like I I don't want to just do snatch only anymore. I want to start doing Biathlon. 246 00:21:05.050 --> 00:21:10.189 Val: Yeah. So before circuit I was working with Lisa Patela. 247 00:21:10.400 --> 00:21:18.689 Val: and I just did snatch with her, and she's she's an expert at Snatch, and and I was doing snatch for many years, and that she's she's not coaching anymore. 248 00:21:18.800 --> 00:21:29.879 Val: So it seemed natural that I would go to her coach and I I'd met Sergei when he came to Canada, and I had done his back in 2,019 he came to Canada and did like his 249 00:21:30.260 --> 00:21:32.089 Val: certifications like his 250 00:21:32.150 --> 00:21:42.480 Val: level one and 2 coach certifications. I'd met him there, and I've I've already been like learning his his methods and and everything. So when I went to him I was thinking at that time I'm either going 251 00:21:43.940 --> 00:21:56.327 Val: heavier and snatch, or I'm going to Biathlon right like I couldn't stay at 16 anymore. And I, I like Biathlon a lot, even though it the jerks was a long, painful struggle for me. Like, I said. 252 00:21:56.630 --> 00:21:59.610 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Sounds like jerks in a nutshell. It's a long, painful struggle. 253 00:21:59.610 --> 00:22:20.380 Val: Yeah, like my overhead mobility. I always thought I had good overhead mobility. But it's come a long way, because I I've had a very hard time getting those kettlebells straight overhead, and they're still not perfect. But it's getting there. It gets better all the time. So that was my big thing like I'm like, I've got to go to Biathlon now that I'm doing it. I don't want to go back to snatch, only 254 00:22:20.730 --> 00:22:30.609 Val: it's much easier on my forums just having a different lift to work on. It's making me a lot stronger. Just this. All my overhead strength in general. 255 00:22:30.950 --> 00:22:50.986 Val: My shoulders are getting a lot more toned. I feel like my overheads like my pressing strength is a lot better like after years of doing this. So I I really like what it's doing for me. I like training it, even though it's it sucks for 10 min. So I I think I'm gonna stick with Biathlon, although I will do probably a 24 kilo snatch before I do. 24 kilo Biathlon. 256 00:22:52.170 --> 00:22:54.249 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Can I interest you in Triathlon? 257 00:22:55.224 --> 00:22:58.610 Val: I I have really short legs 258 00:22:59.240 --> 00:23:00.420 Val: and. 259 00:23:00.420 --> 00:23:01.709 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Tall are! How tall are you? 260 00:23:01.710 --> 00:23:08.249 Val: I I'm 5, 4, but if I stand next to someone who's 5 foot nothing, we have the same legs. 261 00:23:08.820 --> 00:23:18.069 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: i i i can very much relate to that problem. I am 6 foot 6 foot. Nothing like I'm 6 foot even. I have like a 30 to 31 inch in seam. So 262 00:23:18.760 --> 00:23:43.400 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: I'm supposed to have a 34 inch and seem, I'm like 60% torso. So I I do. I do understand the the proportions problem. Obviously at 6 foot like I'm still, I have long enough legs still to be able to do long cycle double bell without without any issue. I think you're you're alluding to the the the short legs short girl problems of it's hard to pass double bells on on long cycle. When you you have the short legs. Okay. 263 00:23:43.400 --> 00:23:45.799 Val: I've done. I've done a couple long cycle 264 00:23:45.890 --> 00:23:47.579 Val: comps just for fun. 265 00:23:47.878 --> 00:23:52.449 Val: But I definitely have to do like the big step out and step back in every time. 266 00:23:52.450 --> 00:23:52.880 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Okay. 267 00:23:52.880 --> 00:23:56.479 Val: There's no way I can jerk with my legs like almost in splits. There. 268 00:23:56.480 --> 00:23:59.449 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Yeah. Have you tried? Have you tried the pro kettlebell? Atlas bells. 269 00:24:00.687 --> 00:24:04.109 Val: I've tried them not in a comp, though. 270 00:24:04.110 --> 00:24:21.760 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Yeah, the the unfortunately, I don't know if the Atlas bells are allowed in comps yet. But I do love. I love that because the the Apollos are are ones that are closest to the regular. Kettlebell, can Urls, or whatever other. You know other designs, but the Atlas ones are even like 20 to 30% smaller than even. 271 00:24:21.760 --> 00:24:22.370 Val: You know. 272 00:24:22.690 --> 00:24:41.860 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: And that's the one for for people that have short leg problems. I'm like, I'm like, Oh, try! Try these ones because they're much smaller. You can pass them between your legs a lot a lot easier I've had. I've had a lot of people be like, Oh, my God, these are amazing. Now, we just have to get the rules to allow men's and women's to have men and women size different bells right? That that would be. 273 00:24:42.100 --> 00:24:42.680 Val: Yeah. 274 00:24:42.680 --> 00:24:44.561 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: That would be useful, I think. But 275 00:24:45.920 --> 00:24:53.490 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: sale, avi, that that's a that's a hill I'm gonna have to fight up, I think, for for quite a while before that will before that will be a thing. But. 276 00:24:53.741 --> 00:24:56.509 Val: Yeah, you bring up an interesting point, though, but it's a 277 00:24:56.610 --> 00:25:07.830 Val: you get used to these Kettlebells. And I find in North America we have these nice ones like even I, even the nice Kettlebell kings hollow ones. And when you're jerking with those like the weights right up by the handle 278 00:25:08.200 --> 00:25:12.900 Val: when you go to worlds they don't have those like they're solid and the weights on the back end. 279 00:25:14.110 --> 00:25:23.849 Val: you, you know, for 16 kilos, and later, I don't feel it that much, but like when it gets heavier I've heard it more. So when you get into 24, you really feel that weight pulling out words. 280 00:25:23.850 --> 00:25:26.570 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Yeah, those that center of gravity matters right? That. 281 00:25:26.570 --> 00:25:27.050 Val: That's. 282 00:25:27.050 --> 00:25:30.779 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Gravity being towards the bottom of the bell. When you're trying to be in rack position. 283 00:25:31.190 --> 00:25:43.499 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: those things are trying to pull you apart like, yeah, that can that can definitely that can definitely make a a big difference. You're not the only person I've heard mentioned how slippery the handles were. Was it? Was it because the bell handles were just like 284 00:25:43.710 --> 00:25:55.460 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: brand new like? Did they just get like brand new bells fresh out of the packaging? And they weren't like stripped of the of the seal coating, or was it just? Was it just a a like hot and hot and slippery type of environment? 285 00:25:55.830 --> 00:26:02.135 Val: That was the case. Last year there was brand new bells, and it was, I don't know if you know anyone. Yeah, you have. You have 286 00:26:02.770 --> 00:26:04.460 Val: you have students that went to. 287 00:26:04.460 --> 00:26:05.220 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Query, yeah. 288 00:26:05.220 --> 00:26:09.410 Val: And it was 40 degrees, and and it was a beautiful venue we had A/C. 289 00:26:09.670 --> 00:26:10.500 Val: The bells were. 290 00:26:10.500 --> 00:26:13.139 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: That's 40 Celsius. That's 40 Celsius, right like. 291 00:26:13.140 --> 00:26:16.173 Val: It's 40 Celsius. I don't know. Fahrenheit. 40 Celsius. 292 00:26:16.510 --> 00:26:20.850 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: For for us Minnesotans. We're like, oh, 40°F. That sounds lovely. 293 00:26:20.850 --> 00:26:21.980 Val: But kind of nice to know it was. 294 00:26:21.980 --> 00:26:24.170 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Nice and chilly. I lift him in the meat locker. 295 00:26:25.269 --> 00:26:27.789 Val: This year wasn't bad, but it was 296 00:26:28.100 --> 00:26:47.319 Val: I don't know. They just weren't I don't know what it was. They were just smooth like I I had like you have someone helping you say, chalk the bells, and I I'm like, I wanna chalk my own bell. But I got my assistant. I'm like, just take this really rough sandpaper and just sand the crap out of that handle like I need it to. I need the chalk to stick to this thing. 297 00:26:47.320 --> 00:26:47.960 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Yeah. 298 00:26:48.170 --> 00:26:49.778 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: yeah, that is that 299 00:26:50.370 --> 00:26:53.609 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: the I really try and foster the like. 300 00:26:53.710 --> 00:26:59.109 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: any bells, any platform, any day, anywhere kind of attitude. Because that's what you need to be successful. 301 00:26:59.110 --> 00:26:59.500 Val: But are you? 302 00:26:59.500 --> 00:27:05.110 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: There is no denying that like it is disconcerting when you're like, especially when you've put in like 303 00:27:05.190 --> 00:27:10.719 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: a 12 month training cycle to peak at this time, and you and you're like, and you're like, what the 304 00:27:10.760 --> 00:27:33.879 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: fuck are these bells right like you're like I am. These feel so weird. They sit on the wrong place in my hands. The handles fear weird. The center gravity feels weird and like that. Can that shit can get in your head like that that can really spin you out because it does. It does feel it feels really weird. How do you? How do you go about combating that like in the moment when you're when you're there, and you 1st put hands on bells like. 305 00:27:34.030 --> 00:27:37.600 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: how how do you go about? How do you go about dealing with that situation. 306 00:27:37.600 --> 00:27:39.734 Val: Oh, that that's a tough one. 307 00:27:40.360 --> 00:27:47.800 Val: I mean, you need to deal with it before you're on the platform, right? So I mean, world is the only one where you're not going to be able to touch the bell before you lift. 308 00:27:48.370 --> 00:27:53.800 Val: But you know, in a, in a normal, in a normal world. You can practice with your bell beforehand, and it's it's fine. 309 00:27:54.130 --> 00:27:58.490 Val: I mean, I've learned to do things like chalking my forearms all the way up. 310 00:27:58.570 --> 00:28:04.950 Val: So if like, if you're snatching or something, and the bell gets caught on a weird spot, it doesn't stick there. You know what I mean. 311 00:28:05.020 --> 00:28:06.540 Val: No, I've had that too. 312 00:28:06.540 --> 00:28:06.970 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Yeah, we were. 313 00:28:07.249 --> 00:28:12.550 Val: Yeah, we're we're snatching. And and my hand doesn't make it all the way through there through the bell. 314 00:28:12.802 --> 00:28:13.307 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Okay, yeah. 315 00:28:13.560 --> 00:28:21.000 Val: Alarming when that happens in competition, and you go to snatch, and it just doesn't go in, I'm like, Oh, no or it goes in too far. 316 00:28:21.455 --> 00:28:21.779 Val: Yeah. 317 00:28:21.780 --> 00:28:31.220 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Yeah, both of those both of those are, I mean, the former is worse for me than the latter, like, if it if if it. I mean, I don't usually have the problem of it going in too far, because I have, you know, meet hook hands and. 318 00:28:31.220 --> 00:28:31.670 Val: Him. 319 00:28:31.670 --> 00:28:45.180 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: You know, ham hock forearms, but like, if you don't get it all the way in, and you're like, Oh, God! I caught that one shallow like. I have so many like old wrist injuries from playing football that like if I catch, especially if I'm north of 24 kilos, if I catch one bad. 320 00:28:45.180 --> 00:28:45.840 Val: Thank you. Yeah. 321 00:28:45.840 --> 00:28:47.080 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Can like it can like 322 00:28:47.370 --> 00:28:53.849 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: not end my set, but it completely. It can completely derail my set like one bad insertion on a 28 kg, and I'm like 323 00:28:54.638 --> 00:28:56.870 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: I fall fall apart. 324 00:28:56.870 --> 00:29:01.529 Val: It's hard to recover from, because then you come down and and you grabbing it in the wrong spot. 325 00:29:01.610 --> 00:29:08.100 Val: and everything's off. But I mean you just need to like. Take it one rep at a time, right? Like you breathe. You try again. 326 00:29:08.120 --> 00:29:10.009 Val: try to fix it, and just don't 327 00:29:10.060 --> 00:29:13.819 Val: panic about it right? Like it's just. It's all about just keeping that. 328 00:29:14.100 --> 00:29:19.909 Val: you know. Keep your rhythm, you know. You breathe. You keep the rhythm, and you just don't stop doing that, no matter what happens. 329 00:29:20.960 --> 00:29:25.180 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: I think that's a i think that's a that's a pretty good. Yeah. Just just keep breathing. Just keep lifting. 330 00:29:25.500 --> 00:29:31.418 Val: Keep doing it. It's it's fine, it's it's it's fine. Don't fret about it. It's whatever. Just keep going. 331 00:29:31.730 --> 00:29:44.550 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Yeah, I mean, that is one of the especially with snatch, like one of the nice things is like, Hey, your next rep is only like a second and a half away, so like, just let that one go and and move on to the next one and try and get it. Try and get it right on the next one. So 332 00:29:45.770 --> 00:30:03.999 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: so now, how did Team Canada do writ large? It sounds like you had a you had a pretty decent a pretty decent performance, you know, not up to the standard that you were hoping to achieve. But, you know, get given all the challenging circumstances that world's always presents for athletes. It sounds like you did pretty well. How did Team Canada do as a as a team? 333 00:30:04.530 --> 00:30:09.560 Val: Oh, I should have this memorized! We did pretty well, considering we had 9 people. 334 00:30:11.500 --> 00:30:15.069 Val: I think Heather and I were the only ones lifting elite. 335 00:30:16.444 --> 00:30:18.130 Val: So nice people. 336 00:30:19.720 --> 00:30:22.480 Val: Oh, jeez, did you? Do you know what ranking we had. 337 00:30:22.740 --> 00:30:24.250 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: I don't. I don't. 338 00:30:24.250 --> 00:30:26.080 Val: We were in the top 10. I know that 339 00:30:26.670 --> 00:30:30.390 Val: out of 30 teams, which is pretty good for how small we were. 340 00:30:30.390 --> 00:30:34.519 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Yeah, for that's a small but mighty performance for 9 people to finish in the top 10. 341 00:30:34.840 --> 00:30:35.899 Val: Yeah. Yeah. 342 00:30:37.160 --> 00:30:39.279 Val: yeah. So it was pretty good. 343 00:30:39.830 --> 00:30:47.490 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Was there any? Was there anybody's performance that you were like we'll start with from Team Canada. Was there anybody that you were like? Hell. Yeah, they they fucking crushed it like. 344 00:30:47.490 --> 00:30:48.700 Val: Everyone crushed it. 345 00:30:48.830 --> 00:30:50.849 Val: everyone crushed it. It was awesome. 346 00:30:51.541 --> 00:30:55.268 Val: My team from Ottawa. There was 347 00:30:56.040 --> 00:30:57.340 Val: 5 of us. 348 00:30:57.420 --> 00:30:59.480 Val: so like Jeff and Jackie. 349 00:30:59.650 --> 00:31:05.889 Val: and so Jeff and I coach the team together. Here in Ottawa we have a national Capital Kettle Club. 350 00:31:05.940 --> 00:31:17.179 Val: Jackie is Jeff's wife. She's an honorary member of our team. She works out at home, and then we had. We only had 2 members able to come out with us today. So we had Gail and and Celeste. 351 00:31:17.390 --> 00:31:24.940 Val: and they crushed it, and I knew I knew they were gonna crush it, and and like our our goal, was to get them all to have world records. So 352 00:31:25.364 --> 00:31:31.510 Val: you've probably met them before, but they're both in the 65 to 75 age category. 353 00:31:31.799 --> 00:31:38.710 Val: and we want to get them like we want to get all the world records in that category. My, my team is all in that category. There's 4 of them, and we're all. 354 00:31:38.890 --> 00:31:53.340 Val: we're all in that age category. So we're trying to get them to do different lists in different age in different weight categories so that they can all get one so we knew Gail was taking by off on. She got something crazy. I I she gets like 140 jerks when she goes out. 355 00:31:53.340 --> 00:31:55.889 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Yeah, her numbers, her numbers are just stupid, like. 356 00:31:55.890 --> 00:31:56.480 Val: It's cheap. 357 00:31:56.480 --> 00:31:57.420 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: I love it. He's very. 358 00:31:57.420 --> 00:32:01.899 Val: Very intense. I love it and but Celeste is very, very good at snatch. 359 00:32:02.850 --> 00:32:03.699 Val: So 360 00:32:05.707 --> 00:32:11.400 Val: gail took the biathlon and and selected snatch only after her Biathlon set. 361 00:32:11.580 --> 00:32:18.260 Val: So she did 200 snatches with her bias on set. Then did another 200, and her snatch only, which I thought was awesome. 362 00:32:18.646 --> 00:32:21.980 Val: She had to have little gauze mittens after that, but she did it. 363 00:32:23.840 --> 00:32:33.109 Val: yeah, so very proud of them. That was Jeff's 1st wksf I think he did. I ukl 2 years ago before then, but he brought home a gold and a silver. 364 00:32:33.340 --> 00:32:34.170 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Nice. 365 00:32:34.590 --> 00:32:37.608 Val: Jackie medal, too. Pam brought home a bunch of medals she's. 366 00:32:37.860 --> 00:32:44.810 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Pam Pam set a national record. It it looked like to. I saw a post on Facebook earlier this week. It looked like she said she set up. 367 00:32:44.810 --> 00:32:51.850 Val: I think everyone got records except for me, actually, which is like. Then I looked at what I needed to get records. I'm like, well, that's not happening. 368 00:32:51.850 --> 00:32:58.439 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: I promise I didn't. I didn't break down here to rub salt in in any woods I really like. I thought I thought your performance was was really good. 369 00:32:58.440 --> 00:33:08.979 Val: Oh, I mean, you're not gonna get a record your 1st year doing a week. Right? It's it's fine. But yeah, yeah, jeff got records. He got gold and silver. 370 00:33:09.310 --> 00:33:12.549 Val: and then Heather did awesome. Heather's a beast. So she did awesome. 371 00:33:12.730 --> 00:33:26.289 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Yeah, heather. Yeah. Heather's heather's heather is a machine. She she crushed it. She crushed it here at my competition last year and got Ma and got ma and got master of sport, and I was on. I was all like I was all like, Yeah, you know, like she. 372 00:33:26.290 --> 00:33:26.790 Val: Have. 373 00:33:26.790 --> 00:33:31.870 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Sports set, you know, and I was all I thought it was like a big, big fucking deal, because anytime somebody gets master of sport like I. 374 00:33:31.870 --> 00:33:32.720 Val: Yeah. 375 00:33:33.210 --> 00:33:52.039 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: And and she was like, she's like, Yeah, I already have master in that lift. So it wasn't really that big of deal. I'm not that excited about it. She and she missed it in in the other lift that she was going for. So she was actually really disappointed. So it was like a huge delta with how excited I was. I'm coming in with my Tommy boy energy. And she was like, Yeah, it wasn't my best performance. But 376 00:33:54.120 --> 00:34:09.360 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: like Oh, you know, I can, just, you know, throw up a master sports set on any any given any given time. But like I guess that's why, your master sport. That's why it's a lifetime rank right like is once once you've hit it like you know that you're capable of it, and you can do it pretty pretty consistently. So. 377 00:34:10.210 --> 00:34:11.370 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: That's fantastic. 378 00:34:11.640 --> 00:34:31.169 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Alright, I wanna pivot a little bit. So we did this. We did this in a different order than I. Usually usually I usually jump in on people's history. But now, since we since we've debriefed a little bit on how wksf went? I'm curious. How did you get into this crazy sport like what is your what is your athletic background growing up? And how did you? How did you get into Kettlebell? Sport? 379 00:34:31.800 --> 00:34:39.120 Val: Yeah, it's I'll I'll tell you the story, and you're gonna be like, yes, this this woman was gonna end up here for sure. So. 380 00:34:39.929 --> 00:34:49.439 Val: Hi! I've always been a gym junkie as far as I can remember, I I don't know and it was always like for me. It wasn't like a 381 00:34:49.580 --> 00:34:53.750 Val: a losing weight thing or anything like that. It was always like I like how it makes me feel. 382 00:34:53.790 --> 00:35:00.159 Val: And I used to be like insomniac in high school, and I noticed, like when I started playing sports, that I slept well. 383 00:35:00.240 --> 00:35:20.880 Val: And then, after, like I wasn't playing, I was never good at sports, but so like I started going to the gym, and then I like wanted to keep going, so like I didn't want to get back into that pattern of not being able to sleep. If I don't like, extend my energy. So I would do things like group fitness classes which turned into like going to like a small boutique gym, which did like Olympic lifting and a little bit of kettlebells 384 00:35:22.430 --> 00:35:28.589 Val: which turned into crossfit. Eventually I graduated up to that, and I was doing crossfit every day for several years. 385 00:35:29.206 --> 00:35:30.589 Val: And I loved. I was. 386 00:35:30.590 --> 00:35:33.619 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Every day, no off days, huh! Just like every fever. 387 00:35:33.620 --> 00:35:37.410 Val: Maybe not the weekends the weekends. I would go to another gym and do catalogue classes. 388 00:35:37.770 --> 00:35:43.269 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Oh, okay, so you were. You were taking a rest or taking a rest day by doing by doing Kettlebell classes. 389 00:35:43.270 --> 00:35:43.720 Val: Yeah. 390 00:35:43.720 --> 00:35:46.470 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: I'm both like a Kettlebell athlete and a cross. 391 00:35:46.470 --> 00:35:50.033 Val: Oh, my! Gosh, i i i i have volume problems. 392 00:35:50.390 --> 00:35:52.730 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: What should I do on my rest days? Coach 393 00:35:53.560 --> 00:36:02.705 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Wait. Is that a trick question? I think I think you should rest. I get that question all the time. What what should I do on my rest days? I don't know. Fuck fucking rest. 394 00:36:02.960 --> 00:36:08.320 Val: I've been doing bickering yoga on my yet rest days, and I'm being told that's not resting like. Come on. 395 00:36:12.360 --> 00:36:15.036 Val: 90 min of yoga. What do you want? Like every other. 396 00:36:15.280 --> 00:36:21.350 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: And 90, and you know what? A 40 40°C room. Right? Like, okay, I guess you'll be. 397 00:36:21.350 --> 00:36:26.129 Val: Anyways in in part of my my, I was also going to this big 398 00:36:26.430 --> 00:36:29.079 Val: fox gym, because it's like crossfit's great. 399 00:36:29.120 --> 00:36:40.170 Val: But it's not like you know you did classes every day, but I also want to do my own thing. So I had a membership at that gym, and I would also do classes there, especially like things like spin class. I've been a spin class junky for 400 00:36:40.510 --> 00:36:42.358 Val: well over 10 years. 401 00:36:43.490 --> 00:36:53.440 Val: And they did kettle classes there, and that's where I fell in love with it. So my Saturday morning Kettle class. I was always there, and I loved it, and and for me. It was a big. 402 00:36:53.600 --> 00:37:01.600 Val: It was a big thing from like doing, coming from Barbell and doing kind of like the Olympic lifting type thing. I I do have a stronger right hand from 403 00:37:01.750 --> 00:37:20.506 Val: playing baseball for years. And I was a picture. And I I do, I I it's a little bit today. But I definitely, before you could see the muscles on my right were much stronger than my left. My left was all discordinated, so I really liked. Incredible that it was one hand at a time, and it was focused. But it was fun like it was such a fun class like it was so creative and. 404 00:37:20.750 --> 00:37:22.590 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Was it like fitness? Style? Was it. 405 00:37:22.590 --> 00:37:23.120 Val: Yeah. 406 00:37:23.120 --> 00:37:29.099 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Okay. It was always more more fitness style. Not you. Weren't. You didn't like stumble on the one random Kettlebell sport class at the. 407 00:37:29.100 --> 00:37:54.370 Val: I did not. No, and it was a big. It was a big gym. It was like, you know, big classes, but we'd still do Turkish get up. So we do snatches, and we do cleans. And and they they he taught us well, and so I started doing that. And then I started doing that 3 times a week, because then Saturday. Then they added, Tuesday, Thursday, so I'd go to the 3, and I would still do crossfit. So I did cross it, and then I would drive to the Kettlebells, and I would do my kettle class, and then I would shower and go to work. 408 00:37:54.700 --> 00:37:58.304 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: How many, how many, how many workouts were you doing a week at this point, like 409 00:37:58.530 --> 00:37:59.520 Val: I don't want to count them. 410 00:37:59.520 --> 00:38:00.729 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: I'm noticing a patent. 411 00:38:01.336 --> 00:38:03.760 Val: Not enough for me. 412 00:38:03.760 --> 00:38:06.260 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Familiar when I've seen this pattern before, but I know. 413 00:38:06.260 --> 00:38:16.796 Val: That's why I'm like this. This. This girl was gonna end up doing kind of a sport. And and I would do like adult gymnastics as well. Which I still love. I wish I had time to do that. 414 00:38:17.440 --> 00:38:46.710 Val: it it it all fed into the same thing. But then I was doing that. I really love this catalog class like I could not get enough of it like I wanted to do this thing 7 days a week, and then I was just Googling, like kettle classes and auto walks. I also wanted to learn from different people, so like I had 2 coaches at at this big gym that I liked, and they had different classes. But I I like them both, and they kind of like gave different things, and I was like, who else is doing this like? Who else can I learn from what else is happening? So I googled it. And that's where I came across. We set the telca. 415 00:38:46.710 --> 00:38:59.200 Val: and she had something called Kettlebell Boot Camp, and it was kind of close to where I was. So I emailed her and said, can I buy like a 10 class pass to Jim? So I started going to her class, and she's she was working out with the ladies that I'm with today. 416 00:38:59.700 --> 00:39:03.119 Val: A few other people, and Jeff was was one of her students as well. 417 00:39:03.240 --> 00:39:18.330 Val: and they would do a sports set arrest. And then Gpp, that was the class. And so we're doing this, and I was like, Oh, my God! Like I think, my 1st class, Lisa, gave me like an 8 kilo bell and told me to do 7 min of snatch, and I was like, Are you insane 418 00:39:18.370 --> 00:39:24.709 Val: like? I've never done like I've done it. I've done lots and lots of swings and lots of different things. But it was always like strength, based, like, very like. 419 00:39:25.510 --> 00:39:36.859 Val: you know, nothing endurance like that. But yeah, I mean I did it, and I liked it, and they were all talking about a competition coming up, and they were all talking about and planning it and doing their lists. And I was like, Well, I'm feeling left out like I wanna do this competition, too. 420 00:39:36.960 --> 00:39:40.690 Val: And it was in 3 weeks from that time. And and Lisa takes a big sigh. 421 00:39:40.940 --> 00:39:53.379 Val: and she goes, if you come to every class, because I was only going once a week to her class, doing all those other things, too, and it worked out because Lisa's classes were Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and my other classes were my other cable classes were Tuesday, Thursday. 422 00:39:53.630 --> 00:39:56.190 Val: and the crossfit was every day. So everything fit. 423 00:39:56.670 --> 00:39:57.665 Val: and then 424 00:40:03.435 --> 00:40:08.004 Val: and then and then she's like, Okay, you can come. 425 00:40:08.420 --> 00:40:12.707 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: We're up to 17 workouts a week for those of you do doing the maths at home. 426 00:40:14.250 --> 00:40:22.959 Val: I would take rest, rest, as I would never skip the kettle of bosses, but I would skip, cross it when I needed a rest day, but never, never. Kettlebell 427 00:40:23.770 --> 00:40:28.839 Val: And so I did that I did the 3 weeks with the the 3 classes a week to prepare me for the Comp. 428 00:40:28.870 --> 00:40:31.950 Val: And I did 8 Kilo snatch 429 00:40:32.320 --> 00:40:38.510 Val: and 8 Kilo tour on long cycle, and I was like addicted to it. I'm like I'm doing this all the time. Now 430 00:40:38.950 --> 00:40:40.149 Val: this is this is my. 431 00:40:40.150 --> 00:40:42.270 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: I live here now. This is who I am. This is me. 432 00:40:42.270 --> 00:40:44.070 Val: This is now my identity. 433 00:40:44.070 --> 00:40:44.300 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: This. 434 00:40:45.380 --> 00:40:51.466 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: I'm gonna take this completely odd hobby and turn it into my total, my complete identity. I I don't know who would do such. 435 00:40:51.710 --> 00:40:58.469 Val: Oh, my gosh! It was awful! So I always say I always tell people when they're learning. I'm like my 1st competition with the 8 436 00:40:58.660 --> 00:41:05.799 Val: hurt more than any competition I've ever done with a 16 kilo with a 20 kilo, maybe not the 24, 437 00:41:05.840 --> 00:41:10.999 Val: but I was in so much pain, and I look back at the video of me snatching. And I it's all arm 438 00:41:11.070 --> 00:41:15.910 Val: and I muscle snatch that thing a hundred 97 times. 439 00:41:16.800 --> 00:41:20.029 Val: It messed up my neck, and my forearms, and everything, and. 440 00:41:20.030 --> 00:41:26.890 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Yeah, I bet your trap and your Latt were really happy with you after that maximum effort. 441 00:41:26.890 --> 00:41:28.250 Val: Oh, yeah, yeah. 442 00:41:28.600 --> 00:41:34.290 Val: it was. It was fun, though. I mean, I I learned quickly. And then, like it wasn't long after that that 443 00:41:34.620 --> 00:41:40.419 Val: like Sergey, came to Canada, and then, like, I learned all his technique and all his like very, very detailed. 444 00:41:40.420 --> 00:41:43.529 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: What? What's the what's the years on like timestamp this a little bit. 445 00:41:43.530 --> 00:41:44.210 Val: Okay. 446 00:41:44.350 --> 00:41:48.450 Val: 2020 18 to December 2018, was my 1st competition. 447 00:41:48.450 --> 00:41:49.200 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Okay. 448 00:41:50.090 --> 00:41:55.770 Val: And then, yeah. Then, by that summer the following summer was my 1st time with 16.th 449 00:41:55.930 --> 00:42:00.435 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Okay. I was, gonna say, you're still relatively new at this. And then I realized, no wait. That was 6 years. 450 00:42:01.010 --> 00:42:02.569 Val: I know it's crazy. I. 451 00:42:02.570 --> 00:42:15.170 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: We don't count the Covid years, though I feel like I feel like like in like, mentally, it's like, it's like we just skipped those years. So it's like, Oh, you've only been doing this for like 3, 3, 3, 4 years. No, no, those years still happen. I just blacked them out. 452 00:42:17.330 --> 00:42:19.630 Val: so fast forward to today? 453 00:42:20.054 --> 00:42:27.730 Val: I don't do crossfit, anymore I stopped that, I think, when I got into the 16 Kilo bells was when I I had to stop doing the other stuff. 454 00:42:28.260 --> 00:42:50.100 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: The volume the volume demands, just get too much. Once, like once you get to those those like competitive weights relative to your body weight. Right? That's and that's why I tell people it's like relative for for me 16 kilos I could do 16 kilos and crossfit like I wouldn't. But like I could, because that's relative to my body weight. That's not that. Not that crazy of volume from a Kettlebell perspective, but like for you, 16 kilos is 455 00:42:50.500 --> 00:42:55.380 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: significant. Pro proportion of your body weight like almost half of your body weight like when you're doing doubles. 456 00:42:55.500 --> 00:43:17.617 Val: Yeah, yeah, e, exactly. So. And it it got to be. It did get to me to be to be too much surprise surprise. But like fast forward to today. I, the the instructors I had at that big gym don't teach anymore. They don't teach catalog anymore, maybe at least not in that big setting. So I applied to work at that gym. And now I teach those classes. 457 00:43:17.960 --> 00:43:26.300 Val: So I teach like Saturday Kettlebell, at that gym, and I love it because it's like exactly where I got addicted to it right. And I see people, and they get hooked like my. 458 00:43:26.300 --> 00:43:27.950 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Full circle. Now you're the dealer. 459 00:43:27.950 --> 00:43:34.600 Val: Circle down the dealer. So like sign up happens like Monday at noon, 1,201. The class is full 460 00:43:34.650 --> 00:43:51.240 Val: 30 people, and like they come in and they're they're they're awesome and they love it. And like we, I I they don't like me taking videos there and stuff. But I wish I could show you like a video of this class like swinging and snatching and stuff like it's impressive. And a few of them, too, were like with me when I was doing it. Tooth. They've been doing it for quite a while. 461 00:43:51.682 --> 00:44:04.219 Val: So I do that twice a week I teach there and then I started doing like kettlebells in the park for the summer, so I just rent out as park, and then I can bring all my competition bells. So I got all the documents. 462 00:44:04.220 --> 00:44:07.780 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: And then you get people, and then you get people going. Wait, what are these bells? What is this all about? And you're like. 463 00:44:07.780 --> 00:44:09.200 Val: They love, they actually. 464 00:44:09.200 --> 00:44:10.790 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: One is free. Let me. 465 00:44:11.070 --> 00:44:13.100 Val: Yeah, exactly. Totally. 466 00:44:13.100 --> 00:44:13.839 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Let me pull it. 467 00:44:13.840 --> 00:44:23.360 Val: Peddling this stuff, Even like we're not allowed to use chalk at that gym, too. So even like the introduction of chalk, they're like, Oh, my God! This is so much better. I'm like, I know. 468 00:44:23.681 --> 00:44:34.810 Val: This is cause they don't understand how I'm lifting, you know, 20 kilos. I'm like you don't understand like it's different. But then I can do that. So I'm hoping to get a few of them like I probably have 469 00:44:34.920 --> 00:44:40.169 Val: 10 of them that could compete if they wanted to. Maybe maybe 3 of them will. 470 00:44:40.200 --> 00:44:48.159 Val: I don't think they all want to, but either way they're all doing a 10 min set this summer right like we. We can record it and submit it. They can come to Oakville with me. 471 00:44:48.540 --> 00:44:55.460 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: You're like. By the way, you just finished your 1st catabell competition. You just didn't know it. I just prescribed it as part of the group, fitness, class, wink. 472 00:44:55.460 --> 00:45:00.620 Val: 100%. What's gonna happen? That's that's fine. They're already right, like they. 473 00:45:00.620 --> 00:45:00.960 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: And yeah. 474 00:45:00.960 --> 00:45:02.269 Val: It for long enough. 475 00:45:02.270 --> 00:45:11.369 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: There's there are a few things cool like, I. I wish I could see a video of of a 30 person class, because I used to do group fitness classes back in Chicago, too, and it was Kettle Kettlebell, Kettlebell, class. 476 00:45:11.370 --> 00:45:12.859 Val: So it's been like. 477 00:45:12.860 --> 00:45:27.134 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: There. There are a few things cooler than having, like a room full of people, all doing Kettlebell together like like seeing seeing a a group fitness class full of people doing Kettlebell stuff is awesome. And then for us Kettlebell sport nerds like seeing it, seeing them all doing. 478 00:45:27.420 --> 00:45:27.890 Val: Form. 479 00:45:27.890 --> 00:45:35.830 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Canada support movements. You're like, you're like, this is amazing. And they tend to synchronize over time, too. 480 00:45:35.830 --> 00:45:36.320 Val: Yeah. 481 00:45:36.320 --> 00:46:01.420 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: That's that's always the fun thing to do. Like, you see, like a group of 30 people, they start out. They start off, all being on like different beats, and, like some people, are on the one and the 3 somewhere on the 2 on the 4, and then, like over the course of minutes, like suddenly the breathing starts to like, synchronize, and the patterns start to sinker. It's so cool like it's we're such. We're such communal tribal animals, whether we realize it or not, like it's cool as the instructor to just kind of watch. Sit back and see that kind of happen. 482 00:46:01.870 --> 00:46:09.786 Val: Yeah, it. It is fun, and it's fun to see them like get hooked on it, too. And and I'll tell you something particularly nasty I did to them. 483 00:46:10.560 --> 00:46:20.980 Val: Just speaking. The sport set so like I teach Tuesday morning at 6 am. So it tends to be a smaller group. So I kind of get like a smaller, more dedicated group. And we have less people. Which means I can do doubles. 484 00:46:21.000 --> 00:46:26.700 Val: But I'm you. You're you've taught fitness classes before. So you know the sally up song right. 485 00:46:26.920 --> 00:46:29.079 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Oh, yeah. Thanks. Kelly, yeah. 486 00:46:29.080 --> 00:46:32.637 Val: Usually you do it with like squats, but I made them do it with jerks. 487 00:46:33.000 --> 00:46:34.110 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Oh, yeah. 488 00:46:34.320 --> 00:46:42.379 Val: So I was like, so I tricked them into doing like a 3 min and 30 second jerk set. But that was all synchronized right, because, like, bring Sally up, we all gotta come up. 489 00:46:42.940 --> 00:46:51.270 Val: Yeah, they all agree. The worst part of that was just holding it in rack, right? Because they've never done that before, and I'm like there's value to holding it in rack. 490 00:46:51.270 --> 00:47:04.039 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: There is a very specific isometric demand there that if you have not trained it, that is, that is actually one of the things that that is like in part of my I call it my break in phase when I've got a new app right like you know you you don't just wanna 491 00:47:04.050 --> 00:47:10.749 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: I mean, you might just want to throw them into the deep end. But you you don't, you know. So like you have them do rack holds. And they're like they're like. 492 00:47:10.900 --> 00:47:25.160 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: why, I'm I'm just gonna hold these for a minute. I'm like, Yeah, you're just gonna hold them for a minute. Only a minute. Tell me, tell me about tell me again at 30 seconds. Why, that it's only a minute, you know, like it's a very specific requirement. 493 00:47:25.160 --> 00:47:26.860 Val: Exactly exactly. 494 00:47:27.830 --> 00:47:42.720 Val: anyway, so that that to say I'm I'm teaching all those classes now, and I teach. I teach spin right afterwards, too. So I'm still getting my, it's like it's like getting paid to do, Cardio. It's awesome kettlebells, and I have about half the class comes and does my spin class with me, too. So it's a nice little 495 00:47:42.780 --> 00:47:44.100 Val: nice little group. 496 00:47:44.100 --> 00:47:48.229 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: These are your people, you you've you've attract, you've attracted your tribe. That's that's fantastic. 497 00:47:48.230 --> 00:47:48.930 Val: Dressing. 498 00:47:49.388 --> 00:47:55.290 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: So so where does? Where does the capital city Kettlebell Club fit into? To all of this all of this madness. 499 00:47:56.030 --> 00:48:01.929 Val: So they're my Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. So Jeff and I do that one together. So Lisa's retired 500 00:48:02.150 --> 00:48:07.460 Val: from from coaching, and she passed it on to to me and Jeff. We were for students previously. 501 00:48:07.755 --> 00:48:24.909 Val: And so we it's tough for us, because, like, that's our lifting time, too, because we were in that class. And like we, we need to to also do our thing. So we we split it up. So one week I do. Monday, Friday, and Jeff does Wednesday, and then the next week I do Wednesday. He does Monday, Friday. 502 00:48:25.090 --> 00:48:36.910 Val: and then it's easy if I have, you know, if I have an 8 Am. Meeting or something. I have someone who's can always sub for me, which is like what you need with that kind of thing. So we it's very nice that we're able to like. Switch it back and forth like that. 503 00:48:38.410 --> 00:48:49.479 Val: And so I get up at I get there at 6, and I do my workout, and ladies get there at 7. Either I'm teaching the class or I'm working out with them. So we we just go back and forth. 504 00:48:49.790 --> 00:48:56.980 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Nice. And why is it called the Capital City Kettlebell Club for those of us ethno ethnocentric Americans that don't know anything about Canada. 505 00:48:57.440 --> 00:48:59.050 Val: Cause we're in Ottawa. 506 00:48:59.280 --> 00:49:01.519 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: I thought Toronto was the capital of Canada. 507 00:49:01.520 --> 00:49:08.999 Val: No. Toronto is the capital of Ontario and Ottawa as the capital of Canada. So we've got, like the Parliament buildings on our 508 00:49:09.530 --> 00:49:10.710 Val: on the Kettlebell, on. 509 00:49:10.710 --> 00:49:15.058 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: I love your guys's logo. I I do know. I do know these things. I know Jeff and. 510 00:49:15.300 --> 00:49:15.690 Val: Yeah. 511 00:49:16.080 --> 00:49:24.029 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: It's it. It's a fun. It's always a fun way to to put a coin in somebody from auto. And you're like, oh, I thought Toronto was the capital of Canada. 512 00:49:24.290 --> 00:49:29.250 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: you know. Because there are plenty of Americans that do believe that. Don't. Don't. 513 00:49:29.250 --> 00:49:31.529 Val: Canadians that believe that to be fair, so. 514 00:49:31.800 --> 00:49:45.090 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Okay, yeah, yeah, I I just, I, I find Americans to be especially ethnocent. We don't pay attention to anything going outside on outside of our borders. But that's neither here nor there. I I digress. 515 00:49:45.419 --> 00:49:48.710 Val: It's okay. Ottawa's small. We're we're a small place here. 516 00:49:48.710 --> 00:50:04.035 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: I I need honestly, I need to get up there. I've I've never been. I've never been to Ottawa. I you know I've I had Dave. I had Dave on, and I've I've hung out with Dave a couple of times, and you know I love the I love the crew from Ottawa. I gotta get up there for for a Comp. I I gotta get up there for one of the comps this. 517 00:50:04.240 --> 00:50:05.919 Val: Because January comes. 518 00:50:05.920 --> 00:50:22.226 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Well, no, I said a Comp. I didn't say I was coming to. OI didn't say I was coming to Ottawa like I I already live in Minnesota in January, like, I don't need to go somewhere colder, but you know that's I. Maybe it even W. Maybe it wouldn't even be colder, I don't know but like. 519 00:50:22.490 --> 00:50:24.130 Val: No, we are. I'll give you that. It'll be snow. 520 00:50:24.130 --> 00:50:36.674 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: If I'm traveling in January out of Minnesota, I'm going like, I'm going to Cali or I'm going. I'm going south. I'm I'm going somewhere warmer. I'm just just putting it out there like it's probably not gonna be a January. 521 00:50:36.980 --> 00:50:37.813 Val: That's fair. 522 00:50:40.070 --> 00:50:41.090 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: So 523 00:50:41.130 --> 00:50:53.930 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: now, if you're if you're given new advice, or if you're given advice to a new athlete, what would be your one piece of advice. If you could only give them one piece of advice to somebody that's starting brand new. 524 00:50:57.170 --> 00:51:00.460 Val: I, I say, go light and focus on 525 00:51:00.530 --> 00:51:03.970 Val: technique and build the build, the weight and volume over time. 526 00:51:04.360 --> 00:51:05.070 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Okay. 527 00:51:05.270 --> 00:51:06.889 Val: And I, I find 528 00:51:08.580 --> 00:51:13.050 Val: it's it's very hard to get young strong men to listen to that advice. 529 00:51:13.450 --> 00:51:19.420 Val: cause they wanna go right to the 24, th I say, no, no, no! And and especially if they see me lifting, and they go well. 530 00:51:19.420 --> 00:51:23.299 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Why are you attacking my 25 year old self? 531 00:51:23.590 --> 00:51:28.250 Val: It's what you did is it's and like the women, never do that and and it 532 00:51:28.510 --> 00:51:34.740 Val: and it's both my classes. I mean, obviously my class in Ottawa on my sport team, but they're all. They're all older ladies. 533 00:51:34.820 --> 00:51:50.859 Val: and they were in no rush to go heavy, and they they focus on it. They fit, they focus on the basics, and they they can compete with 12 and 16. Right? Like they can do it. They. They have to do 8 through worlds, but like it's, it's just slowly over time in the patience, right? Like you don't go up until you're ready. 534 00:51:51.256 --> 00:51:53.213 Val: And then you do it right. 535 00:51:53.900 --> 00:52:06.450 Val: I I like i i i did 2 or 3 competitions with the eights until I went to 12, and then I went to 6 teams like it's a it's a natural progression. And if you you know, if I was to go right to 6 teams I would have 536 00:52:06.840 --> 00:52:18.190 Val: I I would have got really discouraged right like, and I would have hurt my forearms, and it would have been really frustrating. But it it's it's a great feeling, just killing it with a smaller way. And I always tell people like there's nothing 537 00:52:18.390 --> 00:52:25.490 Val: there's nothing wrong with going lighter. You just go faster. You're gonna get a great worker. You're gonna get stronger and you're gonna get better. You just do more reps 538 00:52:26.030 --> 00:52:26.840 Val: right? And. 539 00:52:26.840 --> 00:52:35.440 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Your technique will get better, faster by doing more more reps, too. That's the other piece of I I think that's 1 thing about going lighter. That people don't put enough value behind is like 540 00:52:35.840 --> 00:52:41.220 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: acquiring technical skill in any complex movement requires a lot of repetitions and. 541 00:52:41.220 --> 00:52:41.830 Val: Yeah. 542 00:52:41.830 --> 00:52:56.355 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: And when you go too heavy, you actually put a governor on your ability per to progress rapidly, because because you're not, you're just not getting as many attempted reps. Now, obviously, there's some trade offs like, if you're too strong for the weight that you're trying to to manipulate. Then. 543 00:52:56.925 --> 00:52:57.210 Val: No. 544 00:52:57.210 --> 00:53:13.399 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Necessarily get better. But like once you're at the appropriately challenging weight. Trying to go fast will get you better a lot faster than going too heavy and having to cut your pace in half right like I think that's I think that's under under appreciated aspect of of starting lighter. 545 00:53:13.610 --> 00:53:18.259 Val: Yeah. And and if anyone anyone doing kettle ball sport, I always definitely say work with a coach. 546 00:53:18.948 --> 00:53:20.690 Val: I think you have to. 547 00:53:20.690 --> 00:53:23.259 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: You cheated. You went with 2. You gave me 2. No, they're both. They're both. 548 00:53:23.260 --> 00:53:26.130 Val: I mean the it's what the coach is. Gonna tell you. Anyways. 549 00:53:26.680 --> 00:53:27.750 Val: But yeah. 550 00:53:27.750 --> 00:53:33.068 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: So it's work with the coach so that they can manage your progression and volume and an at an appropriate rate. That's. 551 00:53:33.310 --> 00:53:34.559 Val: Yeah, it's, it's. 552 00:53:34.692 --> 00:53:35.220 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Go make the 2. 553 00:53:35.220 --> 00:53:40.689 Val: Complicated, right? Like you. Wanna you want to set someone up for success right? Like you want to do your 1st competition, and you want to 554 00:53:40.740 --> 00:53:52.650 Val: like you wanna do awesome right? Like you. Wanna have you? Wanna get off that platform with a feeling like, Oh, I got this like, that's what gets you hooked to it? Right? So when people are starting, i i i would air them on the later side like, I wanna make sure you can do the 10 min. 555 00:53:52.730 --> 00:53:55.839 Val: I wanna make sure you feel good about it. And you wanna come back right. 556 00:53:55.840 --> 00:53:57.299 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Build on success. Yeah. 557 00:53:57.300 --> 00:53:57.940 Val: Hmm. 558 00:53:57.940 --> 00:54:01.350 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Some quick wins and build and build on success, because that's what 559 00:54:01.400 --> 00:54:04.900 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: that's what will keep them coming back. I want to agree with that. 560 00:54:05.170 --> 00:54:11.110 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Alright I have. I have an I have another question. And this one this you're the 1st person I'm asking this question to. But I think I'm gonna make this one around. 561 00:54:11.110 --> 00:54:12.360 Val: Okay, that's. 562 00:54:12.360 --> 00:54:18.560 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: The the mission. The mission we revised. The mission statement of of my club is is becoming our best selves through sport. 563 00:54:18.570 --> 00:54:19.580 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: and you. 564 00:54:19.580 --> 00:54:20.180 Val: Love it. 565 00:54:20.180 --> 00:54:35.349 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Buddy, who generally, who generally feels like Kettlebell sport, has made you and fitness in general, has made you a better, a better human being. So what would you say? The the best, the best benefit you've gotten for yourself from sport. 566 00:54:36.370 --> 00:54:42.609 Val: Oh, I mean, like I I told you my journey right. But it's like it took everything I was doing and focused it on a goal. 567 00:54:43.000 --> 00:54:44.849 Val: right? Because I was doing all this stuff. 568 00:54:44.860 --> 00:54:49.760 Val: But like, why was I doing it right? Like, like, what was I accomplishing? Was I getting stronger? 569 00:54:49.780 --> 00:54:55.749 Val: Yeah. But like, you know, you're, I spread in too many directions, doing too many things. But it it really just 570 00:54:55.760 --> 00:55:06.174 Val: gave me like a target and a goal and something to like focus on and something to like work towards. I think I I mean, I'm a very goal oriented person. I'm very 571 00:55:07.140 --> 00:55:13.539 Val: I I think it's just my personality. But and because of that, like it just gets me. It gets me hooked on it like you give me something. 572 00:55:13.660 --> 00:55:33.400 Val: You give me a challenge, and I suck at it like I'm going to be hyperfixated on getting good at that thing right? So I think that's what Kellabels have been for me and and sport. It's it's the community it's I love. I love training for it. Even if we didn't have the competitions like I love. I don't know why I I love these these sets and the like. The repetition of it, like I'm not sure 573 00:55:33.400 --> 00:55:48.659 Val: I'm not sure why I like it so much. But it's it's just very like, I know, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and it's Saturday I'm doing my thing. I kinda know what it's gonna be. And I, and every week it gets a little bit harder. It doesn't feel like it like every week. It just gets a little bit more, a little bit harder, and I'm like, holy crap! Look what I'm doing 574 00:55:48.840 --> 00:55:51.719 Val: like, where'd this come from? Like? It's just such a good feeling. 575 00:55:52.030 --> 00:55:56.549 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: I I love. I love that point about that. Even if you didn't have the comps, you would still do this right. 576 00:55:56.550 --> 00:55:57.310 Val: Because. 577 00:55:57.310 --> 00:56:01.100 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: To me that that shows a level of mastery. 578 00:56:01.110 --> 00:56:02.700 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Mindset. 579 00:56:02.720 --> 00:56:07.349 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: because that that's like you have to fall in love with the process. If it's all about the outcome 580 00:56:07.390 --> 00:56:20.469 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: you'll you'll take shortcuts, or you'll try, and you'll try and go too fast. You'll try if cause you're like. Oh, I gotta get to my next rank. I gotta get to my like if you're looking for that external validation of like, oh, I'm I need to be master of sport, and I need to do it by the time I'm you know, whatever. 581 00:56:20.710 --> 00:56:21.240 Val: Yeah. 582 00:56:21.240 --> 00:56:47.599 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Right like you, you set a goal for yourself, and like I, I wanna be master sport by the time I'm 45 like. Well, then what happens when when you achieve that, or if you don't achieve that. But like, if you focus on the process, and you're just like, yeah, I would, I would still do this, even if even if there were no competitions, even if there were no ranking tables. I just love the process. I love what it brings to my life like that to me is the mastery mindset. It's just like, you know, I'm gonna keep. I'm gonna keep showing off. I'm gonna keep doing this. I'm gonna keep getting better at it because it makes me 583 00:56:48.030 --> 00:57:12.069 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: better in whatever you know for you. It's clarity. It sounds like like it focuses you and gives you like a a clarity of focus that maybe you didn't have before. But like it's different for everybody. But like that, that's the I don't know I was just I I really enjoyed that answer, because that that's I think that's I think that's what it reminds me of is like you have a mindset that reflects pursuit of mastery, regardless of external validation. 584 00:57:12.460 --> 00:57:17.299 Val: Yeah, yeah, exactly. And like, I know what my numbers are. And it's it's such a good feeling like. 585 00:57:17.540 --> 00:57:25.190 Val: like, Yeah, I can remember not being able to jerk the twenties like I picked them up, and I was like, Oh, my God, these are heavy! I'm never getting them overhead. I did one. 586 00:57:25.750 --> 00:57:28.650 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: I'm glad you were disappointed that you didn't do 90 in 10. 587 00:57:28.650 --> 00:57:33.450 Val: Exactly, and that was like like a year ago, like it wasn't that long ago. 588 00:57:33.520 --> 00:57:38.869 Val: You know what I mean like it just. And it just meets up on you like I just can't even describe it. Just ha! It comes out of nowhere. 589 00:57:39.030 --> 00:57:41.680 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Incremental progress accumulated over time with consistent. 590 00:57:41.680 --> 00:57:43.690 Val: That's it, exactly. That's it. 591 00:57:43.910 --> 00:57:44.510 Val: That's it. 592 00:57:44.510 --> 00:58:03.680 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Fantastic. Well, Val, thank you so much. And when you do achieve master Sport, I will. I will bring all of the Tommy boy energy that I brought to heather to Heather's as well. But I I'll be so stoked for you, cause I know I know you're gonna get there. I I like. I I know you're gonna I having had this conversation. I know you're gonna get there. It's just a matter of time. So. 593 00:58:03.870 --> 00:58:06.570 Val: And I'm I'm patient. And I'm I'm gonna get there. Yeah. 594 00:58:06.790 --> 00:58:07.190 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Awesome. 595 00:58:07.190 --> 00:58:08.621 Val: Thank you. Thank you so much. 596 00:58:08.860 --> 00:58:20.530 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Coming on. How do people follow you? How do they get at you if they wanna if they want to work with you as a coach, or if they're in you know they're in og, and they wanna they want to connect with you. Come, take one of your classes, or you know? Whatever? How do they? How do they follow you? How do they get at you? 597 00:58:20.530 --> 00:58:31.170 Val: Yeah. Yeah. So probably the easiest places on Instagram, because I have a public account. So it's just my name. I I don't have anything creative there, just Val Rusk, Vl. Or Usk 598 00:58:31.600 --> 00:58:33.860 Val: and I post 599 00:58:33.910 --> 00:58:35.689 Val: whatever. There, I. 600 00:58:35.730 --> 00:58:47.798 Val: Our our club is a little bit private right now we're not. We're not advertising anywhere, but if you send me a message I will let you in for a class, so I can. I have. You know I have class packs and whatnot. We're just not. We're just not. 601 00:58:48.040 --> 00:58:53.580 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Person to get on the list. She's keep creating scarcity. It's a this. You gotta be a cool kid to get into her club. 602 00:58:53.580 --> 00:58:54.390 Val: Private, club, where? 603 00:58:54.784 --> 00:58:56.360 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Private club members, only. 604 00:58:56.640 --> 00:58:58.040 Val: Yeah, we're working on that. 605 00:58:58.320 --> 00:58:59.170 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Fancy! 606 00:59:00.050 --> 00:59:07.259 Val: but that's the best way. And like, we would love to have more people like I love getting people hooked on this thing, so we're in Ottawa. We we lift 607 00:59:07.420 --> 00:59:08.900 Val: 7 608 00:59:09.540 --> 00:59:12.330 Val: 7 to 8 A. M. Monday, Wednesday, Friday. 609 00:59:12.520 --> 00:59:14.520 Val: I also have my 610 00:59:14.700 --> 00:59:21.250 Val: bells in the park. If you want something in the afternoon, which is rare for me. By the way, this is, people have been asking. 611 00:59:21.250 --> 00:59:24.300 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: For now until you get ready to go to worlds again. Then it's gonna be regular. 612 00:59:24.300 --> 00:59:28.720 Val: I know I know I I was very resistant to do an evening class, but I'm doing 613 00:59:29.070 --> 00:59:31.680 Val: 6, 30 to 7, 30 pm. 614 00:59:32.040 --> 00:59:42.629 Val: In a Sandy Hill Community Community Center park in Ottawa, and that one I just do a pay what you can. I? I recommend $15, but I don't want anyone to not come, because it's not in their budget. 615 00:59:42.660 --> 00:59:48.630 Val: especially because I normally teach at a gym where it's free for everyone. It's more of just to cover the cost of me renting the park. 616 00:59:48.993 --> 00:59:57.200 Val: But we are. We're usually 5 people. I have about 10 that come out, but I would love to have more people come out to that thing. I it's been 617 00:59:57.300 --> 01:00:07.470 Val: on hiatus cause I've been in Poland, of course, but we're starting up, and then we're gonna go all through the summer. So if you're interested in that or anything else, yeah, find on Instagram, and I'll give you the details. 618 01:00:07.720 --> 01:00:12.099 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Val. I I really appreciate it. This is a lot of fun. And thanks. 619 01:00:12.100 --> 01:00:12.480 Val: Yeah. 620 01:00:12.860 --> 01:00:14.639 Twin Cities Kettlebell Club: We'll we'll talk soon. Yeah. 621 01:00:14.640 --> 01:00:16.630 Val: See around. Thank you. Bye.