How to Prep for the RKC cert - the other stuff

[mc]

It being the Cert Season again, folks have been asking how to prepare.

Beyond the obvious snatch test, Brett Jones did a fabulous article on the physical prep a year ago (pdf here, start p6).

The post linked here is meant to complement that: to look at the other areas of prep:
both the basic stuff about taking care of yourself throughout the weekend,
and the cultural environment/expectations of the 21 hours you're under the microscope.

The latter part is the sort of stuff i'd have appreciated a heads up about before going in particular - fewer "reinforcement" drills would have accrued, i'm sure.

Anyway, to all the folks certifying from now through to the fall, all the best on your mission. It's a great experience, made even better by what you bring to it.

I'd be keen to hear if this resonates with y'all.

best
mc

 

[mc]

other rkc experiences - vids

If you're looking for a flavour of what all this cert prep is for:

Mike T. Nelson has an interesting vid on his site about the rkc cert experience.

There's of course the now classic Denmark 2007 vid.

And there's also a few of the ones from Denmark 2008, collected here.

physical, mental, maybe even if not spiritual, attitudinal anyway.

all the best,
mc

 

[jhanagarne]

MC, I'm going to be at the June RKC and appreciate all the pointers. And the crazy thing is, every time I hear about how difficult it is, the more anxious I get to go. We are a strange group of people Strange, strong people.

 

[kbdds]

Great practical information as usual , mc!! Thanks, I'll use this tomorrow in St Paul, volunteering as a "victim"!

 

[mc]

MC, I'm going to be at the June RKC and appreciate all the pointers. And the crazy thing is, every time I hear about how difficult it is, the more anxious I get to go. We are a strange group of people Strange, strong people.

i understand the anxiety.
i was excited, happy and anxious through most of the whole weekend. i think part of that was i wasn't entirely clear what the criteria for success - beyond the snatch test - was.

At the cert, you learn a move and you practice a move; you learn a move and you practice corrective drills.

So beyond the STest, and overall attitude, you're assessed at least on how well you model what you're taught - safely, with perfect form - and how well you model instructing what you've learned and applying the corrective strategies where necessary - this latter bit is why paying attention and getting involved in those corrective demos is so valuable.

all the best with your June Cert,

mc

 

[mc]

Great practical information as usual , mc!! Thanks, I'll use this tomorrow in St Paul, volunteering as a "victim"!

ah thanks, kbdds

have fun! hope you stick around to watch the grad workout, too.

mc

 

[mc]

How did it go, April 09 RKC's?

SO i'm real curious if the folks who just did the april cert this weekend find the above prep ideas accurate or would add/change any of them??

congratulations to all the new RKC's

best
mc

 

[mc]

So here i was expecting a bevvy of the usual euphoric post-cert posts from new rkc's - perhaps i have the weekend wrong?

in any case, two more notes i've added to the origintal post about cert prep:

- as brett's workouts in his article show, get right with lots of double kb work
- plan your schedule so you have a good full back off week before the cert.

you'll be glad you did

best,
mc

 

[laurelbla]

I just got back today from the RKC weekend. First of all, I am proud to say that I am an RKC! I am a soon to be 47 year old woman from Florida. I attended the weekend with my son, Ryan who lives about 4 hours from me.

I was so anxious about the weekend and whether or not I could just get through the workouts, much less pass the snatch test. I hired David Whitley to put together a program to help me get ready. The program he designed was a progressive full conditioning program over the 10 weeks leading up to the cert.

I did lots of Double C&Ps squats, swings, with heavy and lighter bells. TGUs etc. Just like everyone else, I was more concerned with passing the snatch test. I had to do 66 with the 16K. My big plan to drop enough weight to be able to use the 12K didn't work out (I am kidding).

So, after the end of the first day, I have to say that the snatch test was a blur. It was pretty insignificant compared to the rest of the weekend.

I was surprised to learn and much as I did. I thought it was just gut busting workouts (there are plenty of those), but to spend hours troubleshooting a swing was invaluable. Now I know why they can only cover just the basic moves in the weekend. There is so much more to it than you think. It was unbelievabley thourough.

I've been to other certs that cover so much stuff that you leave worse off than when you started. Not with this one.

Yes, the workout were some of the hardest I've ever done, but that is not what this is about. It's about learning from the best of the best, so that you can be the best.

A word of advice, bring snacks, Rehydrate type products, Asprin, sunscreen and drink tons of water and get lots of rest. I am from Florida and I got the worst sunburn in Minnesota of all places!
Practice safety, be on time, wear your name tags or you and your group will pay in a big way!

I hope that helps.

Laurel Blackburn
Boot Camps To Go

 

[David Whitley, RKC]

I just got back today from the RKC weekend. First of all, I am proud to say that I am an RKC! I am a soon to be 47 year old woman from Florida. I attended the weekend with my son, Ryan who lives about 4 hours from me.

I was so anxious about the weekend and whether or not I could just get through the workouts, much less pass the snatch test. I hired David Whitley to put together a program to help me get ready. The program he designed was a progressive full conditioning program over the 10 weeks leading up to the cert.

I did lots of Double C&Ps squats, swings, with heavy and lighter bells. TGUs etc. Just like everyone else, I was more concerned with passing the snatch test. I had to do 66 with the 16K. My big plan to drop enough weight to be able to use the 12K didn't work out (I am kidding).

So, after the end of the first day, I have to say that the snatch test was a blur. It was pretty insignificant compared to the rest of the weekend.

I was surprised to learn and much as I did. I thought it was just gut busting workouts (there are plenty of those), but to spend hours troubleshooting a swing was invaluable. Now I know why they can only cover just the basic moves in the weekend. There is so much more to it than you think. It was unbelievabley thourough.

I've been to other certs that cover so much stuff that you leave worse off than when you started. Not with this one.

Yes, the workout were some of the hardest I've ever done, but that is not what this is about. It's about learning from the best of the best, so that you can be the best.

A word of advice, bring snacks, Rehydrate type products, Asprin, sunscreen and drink tons of water and get lots of rest. I am from Florida and I got the worst sunburn in Minnesota of all places!
Practice safety, be on time, wear your name tags or you and your group will pay in a big way!

I hope that helps.

Laurel Blackburn
Boot Camps To Go

Congrats Laurel, you & Ryan make me proud!

 

[Steve W.]

SO i'm real curious if the folks who just did the april cert this weekend find the above prep ideas accurate or would add/change any of them??

congratulations to all the new RKC's

best
mc

mc,

I just got home from the cert, and am still unwinding, so I probably won't post any detailed reactions until tomorrow.

I read the posts you linked to, and they are very much in line with my experience. I have a few different ideas about some of the topics you discuss, but nothing really substantive. Like I said, I'll elaborate on my experience in more detail in the next day or two.

I can attest that Laurel and Ryan did great. Congratulations!

 

[mc]

mc,

I just got home from the cert, and am still unwinding, so I probably won't post any detailed reactions until tomorrow.

I read the posts you linked to, and they are very much in line with my experience. I have a few different ideas about some of the topics you discuss, but nothing really substantive. Like I said, I'll elaborate on my experience in more detail in the next day or two.

I can attest that Laurel and Ryan did great. Congratulations!

thanks Steve,
congratulations.

mc

 

[BJones RKC]

mc,
They are still too sore and tired to type! ;-)

Brett

 

[mc]

mc,
They are still too sore and tired to type! ;-)

Brett

but not to post on face book.

i've seen pictures

my god, brett you have hair! what a wild and crazy guy.

mc

 

[gdeborall]

"A word of advice, bring snacks, Rehydrate type products, Asprin, sunscreen and drink tons of water and get lots of rest. I am from Florida and I got the worst sunburn in Minnesota of all places!
Practice safety, be on time, wear your name tags or you and your group will pay in a big way!"

Laurel and Ryan...you rock!

Take care of your hands! Everyone seemed to have different ways of doing this. For me, I kept them covered sock sleeve style mostly, I tried the Nu grip but it messed with my grip strength. I like my lady hands and wanted to keep them that way . I washed them frequently applied cornhuskers frequently, put my socks back on and came home with no blisters. I only took them off for the snatch test which I took on Sunday a.m....and passed

Do Bretts workout, work on your endurance and taper that last week. Good luck!
Gabby Eborall RKC recent Grad

 

[sruiz]

Great post...Great responses -- Congratulations to all! Since I will be attending the June cert. I have two questions:

First, can anyone provide a better link to Brett Jones' article or as gdeborall cites, "Bretts workout"? I can't seem to get the link from mc's original post or his blog to work...THANKS!

Second, I would like to get some feedback about "tapering" before the cert. I know everyone is different, but it would be good to get some perspective as to how much others have "tapered" going in to the cert.

Thanks, everyone...

 

[mc]

Great post...Great responses -- Congratulations to all! Since I will be attending the June cert. I have two questions:

First, can anyone provide a better link to Brett Jones' article or as gdeborall cites, "Bretts workout"? I can't seem to get the link from mc's original post or his blog to work...THANKS!

http://www.dragondoor.com/pdf/hard-style_winter2008.pdf

Second, I would like to get some feedback about "tapering" before the cert. I know everyone is different, but it would be good to get some perspective as to how much others have "tapered" going in to the cert.

Thanks, everyone...

That depends on how well you know yourself, and how much you've been working out.

General heuristic?

back off at 4, 6,8 or 12 weeks before a big DOO. if you are asking this question, if you're at least 4 weeks into an intense prep hard training, take off the week before. what this is really saying is be sure to be training focussed on the cert, say with brett's program, a month before the cert, at least - and that's assuming you're already doing some kind of training.

You really don't have to worry about how much to taper. The point is to be fresh and well rested for the cert. Better to take the time - stay light in your efforts - than not. If you leave your workouts till only a couple weeks before the cert, you're going to be tired no matter what

so more important than how much to back off is how much training you're doing to get ready ahead of time.

hope that helps
mc

 

[sruiz]

mc:
Thanks for your response. My preparation for the June RKC has followed a very simple template that is divided in three phases. These phases are being worked in the following order:

First, pass the snatch test. On Feb. 5, 2009, I snatched the required number of reps for my age and weight in 4:05 -- almost a minute to spare. I have continued to work to increase my reps as I would like to get 100 snatches in 5 minutes before the cert., which will give me a lot of cushion since I am not very heavy (~60kg).

Second, increase work capacity. I bought the VWC book as soon as it was available. I tried a couple of MVO2 workouts (as best as I understood it) before getting the book, however, the book did provide needed insight into MVO2. My schedule for tonight's training will be the MVO2 workout with a goal of 50 sets, 16kg, following the :15 :15 protocol.

Third, skills and drills. I started this phase about 3-4 weeks ago. This phase is focused on the swing, squat, and press with some TGUs added to each workout. The MVO2, which I will do at least one other day during the week, should provide enough snatch practice.

It is only 7 weeks until the June cert. and I am getting very anxious, excited, scared(!), pumped, etc., etc. Each week (day) I experience a new emotion and I don't want to enter the cert. without a proper "taper" or the right amount of "back-off" days.

I have had the good fortune to work with Dustin Rippetoe, RKCII and B.J. Bliffert, RKCII -- they have provided great insight and excellent form corrections, which have been invaluable. However, the cert is only 7 weeks away, so any advice is appreciated...

BTW, Thanks for all your posts and the information contained on your blog. I go there often for insight and inspiration. As an academic "wannabe" your posts are always well reasoned and researched...

 

[mc]

mc:

It is only 7 weeks until the June cert. and I am getting very anxious, excited, scared(!), pumped, etc., etc. Each week (day) I experience a new emotion and I don't want to enter the cert. without a proper "taper" or the right amount of "back-off" days.

I have had the good fortune to work with Dustin Rippetoe, RKCII and B.J. Bliffert, RKCII -- they have provided great insight and excellent form corrections, which have been invaluable. However, the cert is only 7 weeks away, so any advice is appreciated...

BTW, Thanks for all your posts and the information contained on your blog. I go there often for insight and inspiration. As an academic "wannabe" your posts are always well reasoned and researched...

steve, as said, you could stop everything at least 5 days before the cert - do some light swings and tgu's and be totally fine.

check in with dustin and bj if you have any doubt.

have fun and thanks for the warm comments.

best
mc

 

[sruiz]

mc:
I just read my reply and I don't want my last sentence to be taken wrong -- I am the "academic wannabe"! After a cursory review of what I wrote and how it was written you could interpret it the wrong way. I promise to proof my replies better in the future...