Brian Copeland's Core Fitness, Kettlebell Training for a Strong Body

1. Lessons On Life: "Surviving Violence!"
2. Training Tip: "Training to Succeed or Fail?"
3. Nutrition Tip: "Chicken, Corn & Sweet Potato Soup"
4. ABC Fitness & Yoga News: "Changing It's Name"
5. Personalized Program Design: "Tired of Not Reaching Your Goals?"
6. Testimonials for Brian Copeland:
7. Charity in Focus: "Precious Ones Outreach International"

1. Lessons On Life: "Surviving Violence!"

Surviving Violence With Tricia Dong, RKC

In this interview we are talking with Tricia Dong, RKC; a fitness trainer and owner of Code 5 Fitness in Vancouver, British Columbia. http://www.code5fitness.com/

BRIAN: Welcome Tricia, would you please tell the readers a little about yourself?

TRICIA: I’m a former police officer – turned fitness trainer who now trains law enforcement applicants to pass the physical fitness requirements. I also teach fitness to the Canadian military, and am one of six certified RKC kettlebell instructors in British Columbia. I am a blue belt in Judo with the Vancouver Police Judo Club, and have just started training in Brazilian Ju-Jitsu.

B: You had a recent brush with violence, can you tell us what happened?

T: Lost in thought and minding my own business, I boarded SkyTrain (public transit) on Tuesday April 24, just after 5pm, heading to my dance class. I was about 10 minutes later than my usual boarding time as I had just come from visiting my grandmother in the hospital. Eerily, my worried aunt asked if I was scared to ride the SkyTrain. I looked at her, laughed, and told her I was a big girl and could take care of myself. I truly believed that statement, for I am a fitness instructor trained in judo, a former cop, and an all-around independent woman. Through consistent physical training, and a healthy dose of self-confidence, I felt ready for any of life’s challenges thrown my way. And challenge me life did. Minutes later, after a verbal altercation in the SkyTrain car that turned into a physical attack, I was struggling to defend myself against two punks who wanted nothing more than to beat me up for a minor “spatial infraction” – basically, I had bumped against the guy who then escalated the incident into a physical fight. I was up against two attackers, a male and a female, in a crowded SkyTrain car during rush hour, with numerous bystanders witnessing the assault against me. My martial arts training kicked in, and I fought to defend, not to win, but to survive. Witnesses told me that after I was punched in the back of the head, I fell and hit my head on a support pole. I remember being on my back, kicking to create space, with my two attackers trying to kick and stomp me from above. The incident probably lasted less that 30 seconds before bystanders intervened, but for that brief lifetime, I reverted to my training – and was thankful for the mental clarity and spiritual strength that allowed me to survive with just a broken foot and a few bumps and bruises. But it could have been much worse.

B: What role did your level of fitness play in helping you handle the
situation?

T: It made a world of difference, and without my training, the results could have been a lot worse, if not devastating. Our public transit system has been under a lot of criticism lately due to a number or violent attacks that have left the victims in a coma, severely injured, and even dead, at the hands of a few punks who like to prey in packs. Being an Asian female of relatively small stature, my attackers surely would not have provoked such a confrontation had I been a 6'4", 230lb white male. However, although I did sustain some injuries, my fitness level and martial arts training kept me from being another statistic. Physically, I could defend myself, but really it was the mental clarity to NOT turn over and turtle, to work to create space between them and me, and to stay spiritually strong enough to believe, no matter what, that I would survive the encounter. That was key in handling the situation.

B: I like what you said about “the mental clarity to NOT turn over and [be a] turtle.” It is so common in our society to ignore violence and think we will never be the victim. What are your feelings regarding both men AND women preparing themselves to face violent situations?

TD: I think that we as a society are both naive and jaded at the same time. We brush off reports of violence whenever we see the news, believing it won't happen to us, and at the same time we may "justify" the incident by reasoning that "maybe they provoked it / were looking for trouble / shouldn't have been in that area of town / etc etc etc. We collectively need to become more aware of our surroundings and be more proactive in our own personal safety, as well as the safety of others. This may involve taking a personal safety or self defense course, or rehearsing in one's mind what YOU would do should your safety be threatened.

B: You are a Certified Russian Kettlebell Instructor (RKC), how has training with kettlebells prepared you to deal with violent situations and what physical qualities does kettlebell training develop in law enforcement and military?

TD: Kettlebell training has helped me, as well as my law enforcement and military clients, immensely in developing that mental fortitude and clear focus required in intense situations, as well as the body-hardening aspect of being able to take a blow. One of my favorite movie quotes from Rocky Balboa (where he trains with KBs!) is when he is talking with his son: "The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place. It will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me or nobody is going to hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit, it is about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much can you take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!"

B: Now that you have had your brush with violence are there any lessons learned you could share with our readers?

TD: An attack can happen anywhere, anytime, to anyone. Be prepared to defend yourself. Don't expect there to be referees to stop the fight – cowards will fight dirty and there are no rules! Keep fit, stay focused, and have balance between a healthy mind, body, and soul.

B: So what is new in the world of Code 5 Fitness, anything coming up that our readers should know about?

TD: In Vancouver I'm continuing to get kettlebell workouts out there in the mainstream; my workshops and classes are now eligible for provincial CECs and I am doing more and more demos, seminars, and presentations. I’m also working with a former Russian police officer – whose specialty was teaching physical defense – to bring the art of Russian Systema to Code 5; the curriculum is still under development but it will happen by late Fall! I’ve also teamed up with a fat-loss coach to implement a fat-burning camp for those clients that need guidance in the areas of diet, nutrition, and exercise. I keep my website updated with the latest events; for more information, visit www.code5fitness.com

B: Tricia you are one tough chick to have fought off 2 attackers of larger stature and survived, especially since one of them was a man. They say everyone must have their first brush with violence to truly know how they will react. I’d bet if there were ever a next time (hopefully not) you won’t just survive but beat the snot out of them. Thanks for sharing your story, I hope your experience will motivate others to get off the couch and become the warriors they should be.

TD: Thanks Brian; many thanks for the opportunity to share my experience, and Be Fit For Duty!

Kettlebells for martial artists and women

Kettlebells for martial artists and women

To learn more about Tricia or if you are in the Vancouver area and want to learn more about kettlebells visit Tricia at her website at www.code5fitness.com

2. Training Tip: "Training To Succeed or Fail?"

Read almost any bodybuilding or men's or women's fitness magazine and you will see a common theme. The instruction to push to, or even past, momentary muscular failure (the point at which you simply can't lift the weight one more time if your life depended on it. After all we all know that no real progress happens unless you are struggling, straining, twisting, or grunting right?...

WRONG!

The folks giving you this advice probably can't be blamed, they are simply products of their environment after all. This method of pushing to or past failure has been around at least since the 80's when bodybuilding and steroids rose to their height.

What happens when we train to failure?

I'm going to give the "dumbed down" version since I'm guessing most of you don't have kinesiology, strength and conditioning or medical degrees that would apply to exercise.

1. Failure begets failure, Success begets success. Train to succeed! Psychological principle here folks.

2. The last rep is sloppy, your central nervous system that is responsible for your coordination (read "strength increase") learns a sloppy groove for the exercise you are doing. The next time you go to do your lift it will be with the sloppy technique you used on that last repetition where you pushed to failure and you won't be as strong.

3. You have to fight and struggle each time you exercise which just sucks unless you are some kind of S&M person, please keep that to yourself!

4. Your risk of injury during exercise soars through the freakin roof! Your precious stabilizer muscles (that nobody knows the names of because you can't see them on the beach) get weak and can't stabilize your joint and WHAM, something bad happens. Hasn't happened to you yet? Just wait, you can't go forever training like an idiot without getting hurt.

So what should we be doing Brian, Mr. Smarty-Pants?

I'm so glad you asked...

Great strength coaches have always known one thing; "stimulate don't obliterate!"

If your goal is to get stronger, more toned, avoid injury, improve athletic performance, make it easier to pick the baby's car seat up out of the back of the car, make those bags lighter, etc. Then you want to lift heavy (relative to your strength) for clean repetitions.

If you can lift something 6 times maximum before going to muscular failure you are in the right ball park. Except you are only going to lift it 4 times. 5 times if you are really pushing it that day!

But Brian I won't be working as hard as I can to blah blah blah. Stuff a sock in it and give me 20! 18 if you can only do 20 max!

Top Olympic coaches have always had their athletes stop their strength training when they hit their best looking repetition. So if their athlete was scheduled to do 4 sets of 5 reps but on the 2nd rep of the 3rd set they had the cleanest, easiest rep of their lives the coach made them stop!

WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!?????????????

Why!?!?!?

Because, their central nervous system will remember that last great clean repetition and will come back stronger next time.

Don't listen to me, listen to the coach of Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson. When Ben would lift a new personal best, his coach would have him immediately stop. By the way if memory serves me Ben could squat over 600 lbs and bench press over 400. Not bad for a guy who just needs to run fast; actually not bad for anyone! And all this without training to failure!

Now don't mistake this for an excuse to be lazy and do 1 or 2 reps in 1 set and say "oh look that was good I think I'm done exercising for the day!"

Once again drop and give 20!

If your goal is to put on muscle size we need to take this principle and modify it so that you can get enough stimulation to make the muscles grow. If your goal is to burn lots of body fat or get in great cardio condition or build a lot of endurance then we also will need to take this principle but modify it.

Want to know how to modify it?

What am I working for free here?

See you next time!

Until next time, train like an athlete not a hamster!

3. Nutrition Tip: "Chicken, Corn & Sweet Potato Soup"

Chicken, Corn & Sweet Potato Soup
By Brian Copeland, RKC

Hearty, Healthy, Easy to Make and Reheats Great

INGREDIENTS:

1 tsp butter
½ to 1 cup chopped white onion
1 jalapeño pepper, chopped or minced your choice
6 - 7 cups of chicken broth
1 ½ to 2 lbs of sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” cubes
2 lbs +/- cooked chicken, cut into ½” cubes
1 ½ - 2 cups of frozen corn
½ tsp salt or garlic salt. You can add more to taste
Some chili powder to taste, several dashes to a teaspoon.
Fresh cilantro leaves, tear the leaves and stems roughly.

DIRECTIONS:

If chicken is raw, bake in oven at 350 degrees for about 15 – 20 minutes or however long it takes to get almost totally cooked through. Remove any skin or bones. Then cut it in cubes.
Heat butter in a five-quart saucepan over medium-high heat until melted.
Add onion and jalapeño
and stir.
Cook until onion is clear, usually just a few minutes or less.
Add broth, potatoes, chicken, salt and chili powder.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
Stir in corn and add cilantro.
Increase heat to medium and cook five to six minutes more.
Serve. Put the extra in the fridge for easy quick healthy leftovers.

TIPS:

If you can find and afford it, go organic with everything you can and use free-range chicken
You can substitute turkey for the chicken and broth
If on a budget, use boneless skinless chicken thighs. If you can’t find those get chicken thighs but remove the bone and skin before adding to the pot. Cheaper but a little more work. Personally I like the flavor of dark meat better anyway.

Enjoy!

Eat like an athlete!

4. ABC Fitness & Yoga News: "Changing It's Name"

Thanks to all who have given their opinion. Since I no longer share my gym with a Yoga person (it's all mine now) and since the name never really suited me anyways (felt kinda fluffy); ABC Fitness & Yoga will be changing it's name to Copeland's Core Fitness. All the kettlebells plus twice the pain! Twice the results for that matter.

Now when someone visits my training studio it will have the same feel as my online community.

The ABC Fitness & Yoga website will soon link a visitor directly to the Denver Training Studio page of this website so they can get the whole scoop, have access to the newsletters, articles and my bizarre sense of humor.

5. Personalized Program Design: "Tired of Not Reaching Your Goals?"

One of my recent female clients went down 2 belt sizes in a month! She did it in just 15 minutes 3 - 5 nights per week and from the privacy of her own home using just her own bodyweight!

What are you waiting for?

Let's face it, we are our own worst strength and conditioning coaches. We are great at telling other people what to do with their exercise programs but we can't seem to figure our's out to meet our goals.

Whether you are an athlete who needs to perform better at their sport, a guy or gal who wants to look better at the beach, maybe you just want a healthy heart and joints or you want a combination of all three; I can help you get there.

What is Personalized Program Design?

A custom "personalized" training program for created just for you. I take into consideration your goals, time, lifestyle, equipment you have access to, etc. You follow this on your own at home, the gym or where ever. Have kettlebells? Barbells? Dumbbells? Just your bodyweight? No problem!

Who needs Personalized Program Design?

New to Exercise:
- You know you want to get 'in-shape' but you have no idea of how to do it. Let me show you exactly what to do and how to progress.
Wants to Work Out at Home:
- Custom made training program based on your lifestyle, time, equipment or lack there of.
Hates Gyms:
- Join the club, or rather don't, I can't stand them either. Train at home with whatever equipment you have access to. You would be amazed what you can do with just your body weight if that's all you have.
Short on Time:

You CAN exercise for 15-20 minutes per day 3-6 days per week easy! If not you are making excuses. I'll show you how, and yes this is effective. But don't kid yourself, you will be working your butt off!

Been Training for Years But Haven't Reached YOUR Goals:
- You need a fresh outside perspective on your training. You also need an experienced professional coach to show you the way. I am both of those. All you need to provide is the elbow grease and sweat!

Quit making excuses and treat yourself, you deserve it!

Learn more about my Personalized Program Design here

6. Testimonials for Brian Copeland:

I have to give credit to God for blessing me with knowledge and resources that I have, the great clients He sends my way and the amazing results people get.

By the way, thanks to everyone who took their time to write about their experiences training with me.

Here are just some of the things people have been saying recently:

"Immediately I saw that he had a detailed grasp of relevant weight training topics that included both cutting edge and “old-time” techniques."

"Well, the proof is in the results…and they have been phenomenal! Within weeks I have accomplished the following; moved up 2-3 plates on two exercises, increased my bicep curls by almost 30%, strengthened my legs like never before (along with overcoming some nagging hamstring problems), and developed a more integrated, better functioning musculature. But that’s not even the best part. The biggest benefit is that I enjoy working out again."
– Bob Tench
Tench Therapies
www.tenchtherapies.com

"Brian Copeland is a great teacher. He keeps his focus while training and doesn't waste any time getting down to business. He pushes you just enough and yet he makes sure that your form is perfect to keep everyone safe."
– E Harcourt
Owner Zupplements.com

"I went from a size 9/10 to 4/5 in these few months. If you want results, contact Brian, he'll do what it takes as long as you do too!"
– Alee Vang Webb

Read more at the RKC Instructor pages on Dragon Door.com and also by looking on my Testimonial page.

7. Charity in Focus: "Precious Ones Outreach International"

My friend Janet "Ama" Annan has a special place in her heart for orphaned and abused children all over the world. She is the founder of Precious Ones of God Outreach International a non-profit organization that takes in orphaned and neglected children and gives them clothes, housing, food and schooling. I have volunteered my time and talents with this organization and can tell you that they are legitimate and make a real difference in the lives of hurting children. In fact, Janet and her husband both work full-time jobs just so they can provide more money to help the children. She can use all of the support she can get. No guilt trip but if you are moved in your heart then please visit her at her website here.

Until next time, train and eat like ATHLETES not hamsters and reap the rewards of a healthy, lean, sexy/studly body!

Brian Copeland, RKC

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Brian Copeland's Core Fitness Newsletter

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