It was an odd realization to be this far along in one’s own adult life and realize that Ohio was a place I had never been. With some reservation, I had originally scheduled this particular Primal Move certification workshop for Dec 1st at Dave Clancy’s rockin’ facility Blue Chip Athletics / Buckeye Kettlebells. But the thought of being somewhere North of the Mason-Dixon line after November always gives me pause, especially if things like skis aren’t involved. With the idea that I was certainly going to freeze to death, a few days before the trip, I bought a toasty but fun faux fur Ushanka style hat from Restoration Hardware. Of course this mean that in no way would it really get cold enough in Ohio to wear it. Which is precisely what happened.
Even though most tales of Ohio I’ve heard from family members have been less than favorable, I found the opposite to be the case – everyone was super friendly, the Columbus airport was conveniently located, and the weekend was a whirlwind of good company, fun training, and excellent food. The state of Ohio really should hire Dave Clancy and his family to promote them. Seriously. Friday afternoon was spent getting the last of the details ready at the Blue Chip Athletics / Buckeye Kettlebells gym for the all day Primal Move Instructor Certification Workshop starting bright and early Saturday morning. With the gym already in an excellent state of cleanliness and organization, the biggest challenge was NOT to wear myself out by playing on the tempting looking pull up bars, swing all the kettlebells, and of course… flipping the nice variety of tires—there would be plenty of time for that on Sunday. I really really had to hold myself back. Thankfully, there were plenty of distractions like discussing the ingredients of Dale’s Raw Protein Bars, checking out the coffeeshop nearby (who made an extra fab Intelligencia double espresso for me), and the chocolate shop which had some delightful dark chocolate coated Brazil nuts. I love Brazil nuts… a lot. They might be why I sprouted an extra whisker, but whatever. They make you strong, and they are delicious… especially coated with chocolate!
Anyhow with all the manuals, release forms, pens, etc. out and ready to go, music cued, I joined Dave and his wife, Karen for a really good meal at Cap City (I had the pork chop special – 2 giant pork chops with sweet potato mash, and greens).
The day began with a good solid breakfast of Bulletproof Coffee (complete with butter), eggs, and fresh dark berries. Plenty of energy to spare – and I’d need it, it’s demanding to attend workshops, it might be a little more demanding to lead workshops! As much as I occasionally like to talk, teaching and leading for 8 hours straight can be intense even for this maniac. Fortunately, I had already led a workshop in Winter Park the previous month, and had streamlined the process – and have significantly strengthened and stretched my wrists. This would pay off the next day, as these workshops cover SO much material (I called it a Primal Move overdose – normally, you’d NEVER practice this much in one day).
We began the Primal Move workshop right after an early kettlebell class (I wished they had been doing the “furnace” workout… it was a little chilly in the gym). After everyone had signed their release forms and grabbed manuals, we chose a nice big expanse where we could begin Primal Move. I started the workshop by leading them through an actual Primal Move session, with all of it’s integrated component parts – all of which would be explained throughout the course of the day along with examples of the moves in the system, and of course PLENTY of those fantastic Primal Move games! Dave’s gym was absolutely ideal for Primal Move – not only did he have plenty of room so that everyone could really explore each movement, the large expanse of turf made for the ultimate race track, obstacle area, etc. Not to mention there were so many great pieces of equipment right at hand (Dynamax balls, bands, etc) that we never were wanting for items to use as goals, targets, or obstacles in games. The group of instructors who showed up displayed a LOT of skill and athleticism – some of who seemed to surprise themselves with what they could do on occcasion.
Fellow RKC, DJ Wittekind made and shared some really good cookie-dough like protein snacks, and then even posted the recipe on his blog yesterday. You’ll want to be sure to check it out – these were delicious, and I am so glad he was generous enough to share. After the lunch break, we continued to stuff everyone’s brain full of new movements, concepts, games, and began to tap into their own creativity and memory (it’s great to have them begin to create their own flows of Primal Move elements towards the end – as it jogs the memory, and in some cases, helps them create something to practice with clients immediately.) Even though Primal Move is based on the FMS, the movements and approaches themselves are based in the moment, and how someone is moving on that particular day. The mindset of the evaluation/warmup/cooldown itself is a lot more relaxed, as opposed to the FMS which is a more formal screen with a specific numerical scoring system. I enjoy the challenge of communicating the ideas and movements of Primal Move to fellow instructors. Generally speaking, I love working with anyone who is motivated to learn, but derive a special sense of joy and collaboration from working with other instructors or aspiring instructors (HKC, RKC, Primal Move, etc). We always end up learning from each other. In fact, one of my best cues came from an offhand comment from one of my clients. I used this exact cue to great effect when teaching one of the rolls we do in Primal Move.
After we finished up with the workshop, and ate nearly half of Dave’s collection of Dale’s Bars it was time to get cleaned up for the big promised dinner at the Brazilian Steakhouse!!!! Now I had been told formidable tales of the likes of Max Shank, Karen Smith and other powerhouse instructors doing a good bit of damage food-wise at this restaurant. At one point, Dave even sent a picture to Max telling him that I was definitely doing my part in eating most of the animal kingdom and presenting a challenge (I actually don’t have any competitive eating tendencies, but when presented with delicious meats delivered tableside, I do step up my game a bit, as evidenced by the photo.) Max was not intimidated one bit, and I wouldn’t expect him to be! However he should know that we all “tapped out” at the same time in regards to eating… and collectively all of us at the table had “that post-Thanksgiving feeling.”
The following day, we all went to the gym to review the Primal Move basics, play with the tires, kettlebells, pull up apparatus, do one arm handstands, work on handstand push ups and a variety of other fun things. Dave has some really impressive instructors, clients, and athletes who work with him. I’d highly recommend stopping in there to train if you are in the area. OR to absolutely check out the upcoming RKC he will be holding – Andrea Du Cane will be leading that workshop – and I can absolutely assure you that it will be nothing short of EPIC. Her abilities as an instructor are absolutely mind-blowing. I’m still using and digesting all the information from the Ageless Body workshop she led here in Florida a while ago. Besides, Dave knows all the good eats in the area – so post-workshop group meals will be similarly epic. Gosh, I’ve almost talked myself into showing up to that RKC Workshop… maybe I will! In all seriousness, I can’t think of a better place for a focused workshop like the RKC, with all the necessities nearby too.
And as promised to a few of you via email, here’s a fun little video of me flipping a tire at Dave’s gym – the darned thing is taller than me!!!!!!!!
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