Christmas 2012

Jim

Retiring from the Marine Corps after 25 years, after having my C5 and C6 fused, bad kness, being a staff puke and sitting behind a desk eight hours day, I ended up gaining a bit of weight. I met Steve Kudalis when both our sons were wrestling at TVHS six years ago. Steve kept going on and on about how great kettlebells were and I finally got tired of his nagging like an old bitter woman so I made time to get in and see what it was all about.

I came in for the two-week introduction and got my butt kicked. I didn’t think kettlebell training going to be too much different than the standard weight lifting and elliptical machine training I had been doing, but I was wrong. My body was in a bit of shock. The good news: I was hooked.

Jim Before Kettlebell Training at CEKB

Louie and Jen are great instructors.  The way they interact with all the members has really impressed me. I also ended up meeting a great bunch of people. It’s been a blast meeting everyone and with all the joking and ribbing folks at the gym engage in, the atmosphere is relaxed yet competitive.

After a year training with kettlebells at Cutting Edge Kettlebells, I am most proud of the weight I have lost. I started out over 235 pounds and dropped to 210 pounds during the eight week challenge I started in January 2102. When I started out I was stretching the old belt out and on the last hole before I would have to buy a bigger belt.  Now I will have to buy a smaller belt and I’ll have to buy some new trousers since I’m able to pull my pants off without having to unbutton them.

Mona Godfrey

It all began a little over a year ago when I was 41 years old and I looked over at my best friend Connie and told her that I would “soon be wearing bed sheets to work” because none of my work clothes fit me. I had bought one of those Screamin’Daily Deals to CEKB and realized I had better use it before it expired or I showed up naked to work. I remember that first day at CEKB as I’m sure many of my fellow CEKB’s will attest… you NEVER forget those first workouts. It’s like Louie is the “muscle whisperer” and he’s telling ALL of the muscles in your body to come to a party! I had always liked strength training more than cardio but sweet Jesus was I in for a treat! I knew I was hooked on doing bells when the

Mona Before Kettlebells

third night of that first workout week, I seriously contemplated peeing standing up in the shower in the middle of the night because I couldn’t bend my legs. The next day Louie tried to show me how to use the pull up bands and how to put my leg in…only it wouldn’t bend…I don’t know if Louie remembers or not, but we laughed our asses off at the spectacle of me. I thought this place is FUN! Where else could I challenge myself to mental games such as “piranhas swimming underneath me” while mastering each stage of push-ups, or pretending I was in the circus when Louie showed me how to do a box jump, and of course flashing Louie my “crazy eyes” look which I think everyone does once in awhile. Over this past year, I have shown Louie my beautiful “bell beauty marks” that I have earned. I think of them as a “map of my day”…lol. The most important thing I have learned from my fellow CEKB peeps is that this is about time, not quick results. My body has decided to show me muscles I don’t think I’ve seen since I was 9 months old. I’ve watched myself gradually get up to a 36 lb. bell on my Turkish Get Up’s when a year ago, I could barely get up holding NOTHING!

Mona & Family

I’m proud to say all of my shorts that I wore this summer that were tight on me are now super loose, and I can wear most of my work clothes again! My goals this year are to increase my leg and butt muscle strength so I can enter a Solid Gold competition. Thanks CEKB!

John (AKA Mr. 200)

Pressing the 44 lb. bell “bottoms up” style

When I was younger I suffered from two  severely  injured disks in my back and doctors told me I would never be able to kickbox, workout, or lift weights or heavy items ever again. I tried many different exercises in hopes of building back my strength, but they all injured me further. About two years ago I joined CrossFit and in one month I injured my back, once again. Approximately three months later I stopped in to see Louie and he promised me he could fix my back. So hesitantly, in June, 2011 I joined Cutting Edge Kettlebells. My goals were simply to rehab my injured back and regain the mobility in my lower body that my injury had taken away.

John Before Joining CEKB

When I joined CEKB I could not do a burpee. Now I can do as many as sixty burpees in a workout. I was able to pass the USSS snatch test by doing over 200 snatches on my first try and I’ve succeeded in snatching the beast. My doctor and chiropractor both are astounded at the improvement in my back and I no longer have to spend days in bed. Louie and Jen have definitely helped me regain my strength and mobility and I could not be more thankful. My favorite exercises are the farmers walk, snatch/presses, and burpees (simply because I can do them with confidence!) I am proud that I am 45 years old, have suffered the many injuries I have, and I still am able to post the numbers that I do. I have lost approximately twenty pounds since I have started and have yet to actually start my diet. Now that my injuries are in the past I can set new goals. This year will be about getting myself healthier while continuing to build strength in my body. I know that I can acheive these new goals and any others I set as long as I continue to train at CEKB.

Luci M. – Fitness at 40

I’ve never been someone who has been terribly out of shape and had always considered myself capable of losing weight and getting in shape.  At varying stages of my life I gained and lost weight in a regular cycle.  When the scale numbers went up, I did what most people did and went on a diet and began some sort of workout routine.  The diet always included a low fat/low calorie plan, visits to the gym or a video, and usually some running.  I had relative success; I would usually reach my goal weight or at least get close to it, but never my fitness goal.  The problem: it never lasted.

It was October 2009 and I was as fit as I was going to get on my own and definitely not where I wanted to be.  I was fast approaching my 40s and felt I was running out

Luci before she began training with kettlebells at CEKB

of time to make the most out of what was left of my youth.  I needed help.  My husband recommended a new gym which recently opened up close to where we live.  I’ll admit, I was hesitant and a bit of a skeptic, but I joined anyways.  The first few months I was not consistent.  I had a lot of excuses; work, kids, life.  I might as well have been speaking French because I was speaking a language Louie did not understand.  His philosophy was, and still is, pretty simple; it’s a choice, you either want it or you don’t.

Working out at Cutting Edge Kettlebells has not only transformed my body, but has altered my mindset.  I look at food, working out, and life in general in a completely new way.  For me, working out with kettlebells is like brushing my teeth or going to work; I just do it.  No more are the days of spending 1 to 2 hours in the gym doing “cardio” and then working on a particular body part or muscle group.  It is walking into CEKB, looking up at the board, and getting it done.  If I’m running late, that’s not an excuse anymore.  20 minutes or less is what I’m looking at.  If I can’t make it to the gym,that’s not an excuse either.  Jen will just text you a workout with or without bells.  They will not let you cheat yourself and I am so grateful for that.

Luci at 41 years old

I’m 41 now and I am in the best shape of my life.  I feel strong physically and mentally and I’ve become a role model for my 2 sons Ed (15) and Vince (12) who both work out with me at CEKB.  A sincere THANK YOU to Louie and Jen for showing me what I was missing.  Your guidance and “no excuses” philosophy has truly changed my life.