Normally I’m the one asking the questions, so you can imagine how fun (and such an honor) it was to be a guest on the GMB (Gold Medal Bodies) Podcast this past week. And in a very fun coincidence, the inteview I conducted with Kirsty Grosart for DragonDoor.com also came out around the same time! You may remember Kirsty from an earlier episode of my podcast a few months ago too.
Ever since reading Paul Britt’s RKC blog piece about the RKC Armbar, I’ve been practicing it almost daily as a sort of experiment. For me in the past this somewhat nervewracking move (at least at first… it feels very weird) was reserved for workshops, recovery and demonstrations. So, what happened? I am pleased to report that it has already very quickly helped improve my freestanding handstands (set a PR the other day at random), increased height on my pull-ups bringing them higher on the chest at least for the first handful of reps for the beginning of a given set, has helped with kettlebell snatches (I even did the infamous 5 minute test with a heavier kettlebell than required for my weight class last week).
So, if you haven’t given it a try, grab something super light and carefully check it out. It’s also a really good move to do with a spotter. When I introduce the move to others, I spot them very intently, and let them know that I’m right there. This past week and a half I have been doing the RKC Armbar throughout the day here and there with one of the adorable little 10lb kettlebells from Dragon Door.
Those of you who have been following some of my social media accounts might have noticed that I’ve started to post some drone photos and videos. Very recently, Amazon had an insanely good very short time deal on the exact model of drone that I was planning to purchase in several weeks. The deal was only good for a few hours and was so insane that I went for it.
While I’d been having a ton of fun flying a tiny very inexpensive drone as a kind of mental break this past couple of months, this new drone is a whole different thing. It’s essentially a flying videographer and has special modes where it can pretty much fly itself. (Always have a human with the controller however! Hince I taught my friend how to do the basics, and what to do if anything goes wrong, or if a bird looked too interested in it.) My local friends have been having to hear about my recent fascination with quadcopters and drones, so none of this came as any surprise. The day before it was due to arrive, I registered with the FAA and got its numbers and my Certificate of Registration.
Anyway, I’ll TRY not to geek out too much more about the drone itself, but wanted you to see some of the video experiment that happened today. The video is much lower quality than what the drone can capture onboard, but in my rush to leave the house and meet my friend I left its microSD card right on my desk. Because we still wanted to play with it and check out some of the video functions, I was able to set it up to stream live straight to YouTube at 720p so I could at least see the video after the fact and edit it up a little bit for you. While this video is fun it’s not nearly as cool as the full resolution looks.
In return for helping me with the drone and kettlebell video today, I “treated” my friend to a kind of evil interval session with the Neuro-Burner that arrived this past week as well. We had so much fun with it that we managed to both blister our hands (oops, will look for work arounds on that) and had to “walk off” the extreme cardio effect. And for the record, both of us train with battling ropes regularly. I’ll have more info about this unique Neuro-Burner soon and some ways to work it into your programs soon. It’s like a sprint for your upper body, especially if you have a competitive workout partner (the best kind there is). And yes, that’s me with Jon Bruney and Matt Maher demonstrating it on the Neuro-Burner page! 🙂 At that photoshoot, Matt and I soon realized that Jon Bruney is a MANIAC! 🙂 In the best possible way of course!
Here’s another drone video if you’re curious. I’m keeping flights low while I still am learning (and because unlike my other practice drone this one is not only more delicate with moving parts, the HD camera, etc, but I’d be very upset at the repair bill if I crashed it. Does anyone offer drone insurance?!)
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