IMPRESSIVE Kettlebell Performances by Mike Salemi and Ada Wong

Hello from Toronto!

I’m enjoying this beautiful city, as well as Penny and Rory’s company.

Rory’s mom and dad were kind enough to pick us up at the airport. Rory’s mother also blessed us with lots of her beautiful food too. “Thank you Margo and Bob”.

I’ve had a few great tai-chi sessions in the park and a couple great workouts followed by nice steams and ice cold Toronto showers.

When I arrived Sunday evening, I felt the urge to create a mandala to symbolize my overall trip from home to Toronto, to the UK and back home again.

I asked my soul to guide me and this is what came through. I feel inspired by the way I feel when I connect to it, which is a very good indicator that I will feel this way throughout the trip as I teach and share with others.

I’m really looking forward to the CHEK Inspire Conference in Surrey, UK (outside of London).

All the CHEK Conferences that have occurred so far have been very educational and enjoyable for me. I love seeing all the healthy CHEK Practitioners and CHEK HLC’s, and hearing about their unique practices.

If you will be in one of my classes at Can Fit Pro in Toronto this week, or in one of my UK events, I look forward to meeting you and sharing with you soon.

I’m flat out teaching at CanFit Pro and loving every minute sharing my knowledge and wisdom. Yesterday I taught Your Primal Pattern Diet: Creating Optimal Health From the Inside Out to very attentive students. Today, its a Primal Pattern day with Roll, Wiggle, Crawl and Climb to Walk, Run and Jump Pain-Free!

For those of you who would like to attend any of my other lectures the rest of the weekend, you will need to register onsite at level 600 of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

This past Saturday, I was logged onto the competition web site, where they offered live streaming of the Oakland, CA, Russian Kettlebell event where Mike Salemi and Eda Wong would test their metal, in more ways than one!

Though Mike and Ada have both already achieved a Masters qualification; a task that ensures you have done hard work, sweat loads, and had many a blistered hand…their spirits, like that of an eagle, refuse gravity and climb ever higher…

Mike informed me right after the last competition (where he achieved his Masters qualification in the 5:00/32 Kg bracket) that a new class had been created; 40 Kg bells for 27 reps in 5:00 gets you a Masters.

Well, knowing very well how heavy 32s are, and how hard that class is in-and-of itself, most in the sport would shy away from a pair of monster bells like that…Not Mike. Not I.

Mike is actually a natural strength athlete more so than an endurance athlete. When he told me about this new class, I felt great about working with Mike to build him up for this new, interesting, and challenging task.

Mike is among the most disciplined, well self-managed athletes I’ve ever worked with. He has worked closely with me to master his body-mind, and to learn the essential principles of holistic athletic conditioning.

Not only have I had the joy of watching Mike rebuild his lifting style and restructure his whole body, but I’ve watched him get stronger, fitter, and healthier each step of the way, I have also had the joy of witnessing the changes in Mike’s athlete, Ada Wong.

Ada is really an amazing female athlete. She should be a poster girl for what’s possible for women in her age group; Ada is sporting the body of a lioness, winning Masters certifications in events that would make a mockery of most men that think they are bad-asses, while most ladies her age are frantically trying to determine if they can afford to have their boobs and face done.

When Mike told me the Oakland event would be live, I was very excited even though my wife Penny planned to take us on our first family flying trip with her. Unfortunately, the trip was scheduled right when Mike was scheduled to compete. I planned to bring my computer to the airport cafe and watch via their wireless. As it would be, the clouds came with thunder and lightening, so we couldn’t fly and I was free to watch Mike and Ada compete.

It was fun watching Mike come on stage and get ready. Angie Lustrick was with me, and we were both connecting to him and breathing him love and chi to support his efforts.

I could feel in my being that Mike was ready to really jump past his recent training personal best (PB) of 14 reps. We carefully planned his training, and his taper into the event so he’d feel strong and fresh.

As Mike began lifting, I could see he was bang on his natural rhythm. I could see and feel his breathing was rhythmical and that he was wasting no energy unnecessarily. He progressed through his reps and got to about 17 before I could see that juice was now running out and will-power was running high. I was nothing short of damn impressed as Mike squeezed out two solid reps for a total of 19 reps.

I like Mike to celebrate and let his body-mind rest after these competitions, so that is his immediate task now. Once we get back to the business of training for the next competition, we have a lot of  fun work to do, and I can say this for sure…Mike will get his 27 reps (or more!) at the perfect time and place…he’s built for this kind of trouble and I’m a retired troublemaker that knows just how to help him 🙂

After Mike’s round, I waited to see Ada. I fell in love with Ada at the last competition in Irvine, where I showed up to cheer Mike an Ada on and give them pre-event massages. I was amazed at how strong, yet supple Ada’s body was.

I’ve spent over 30 years training and rehabilitating athletes and it is unusual to feel a very fit person that is also very healthy. We are in an era of what I call “fit sick people”; countless are the athletes that look good in the mirror, but are depleted with multiple high-stress indicators for multiple internal systems (digestive, elimination, detox, circulatory, glandular/hormonal, limbic/emotional, etc.).

I knew that Mike has been coaching Ada with the principles I teach him, so it was really fun to speak to Ada and see how she feels about her process.

She’s a woman that seems very at peace, particularly when expressing herself athletically. I could see she has a healthy love and respect for her body, and that she’s very aware that how she cares for her body determines the experience she’s having in her life.

I thought she’d have the usual tangles in the usual places that most lifting athletes do…but not so. She felt like a happy kid who just arrived at an amusement park where they get to play with “kettlebells”…and while many would think this is nuts, she seemed very capable of smiling before winning.

I watched Ada really kick some butt in Irvine and get her Masters last time I saw her. This time, she was in a different class after a different Masters.

When she got on stage, she had her pleasant “I know I can do this look”, and she began immediately on the count “to  do it…and do it VERY WELL!”

As the end of her time neared, where most people are struggling to hold the bells, and to hold something that resembles good lifting form, Ada began a beautiful, rhythmical sprint to the finish line.

She went several reps past the requirement for her Masters (4 or 5 I think), and her form was amazing. I loved watching her…so efficient…in meditation…Masters achieved…last reps with elation…now you know why she looks like she does at the start 🙂

Ada Wong, YOU ARE AWESOME!

Mike Salemi, YOU ARE AN AWESOME COACH AND AN AWESOME ATHLETE!

Below are a few words from Mike, the Man Himself!

“Since my last competition, there has been much self-learning that has gone on (as can be expected any time Paul or a good CHEK Practitioner is your coach ;). I had little expectations going into this competition, other than having fun and using it as a marker to see where I’m at currently with the new increased bell weight.
 
In this most recent training phase, compared to competing with double 32kg bells as I’ve been accustomed (which I found to be more muscularly taxing), training with 40kg kettlebells was definitely more challenging to the nervous system and connective tissue. Since connective tissue takes on average 4-7 times longer to recover compared to muscles, what this translated to in terms of my overall preparation, was a focusing on even more so Paul’s “train don’t drain” concept. Thus, it was a per-requisite to be especially honest with myself about honoring my need for rest at any given moment. That being said, I LOVE lifting heavy objects of all sorts, and so this phase was more up my ally in terms of psychological stimulation.

People were quite surprised to hear that I only trained 2ish days a week for this competition. Since I started with Paul, our Periodization Plans have served mainly as “suggestions,” as Paul would say. The real guide and mastery comes into play with an ongoing utilization of the Daily Readiness Assessment and 4 Doctor Self-Management System. My motivation has continued to grow as I train for these larger goals within the sport, primarily because through this System, the entire being equally raises in it’s level of vitality, and in general, self-love.  I use the same System to coach my student Ada, who is now one of few American women to achieve Master of Sport with a 24kg bell. And what’s even better is she did so while glowing in health! – something I’m incredibly proud of.

At the moment, I am stoked to take a month off for some unbound play with no plan, other than to do what feels good and enjoy a nice “Winter phase.” – an area most athletes overlook, or get too excited from the thrill of competition to acknowledge.

After this quality time dedicated to Dr. Quiet, I’ll look forward to getting back to serious training again, stronger, healthier, and more vibrant baby!”

Much Love,

Mike

Love and chi,
Paul Chek