Sandy Sommer
I first started working with kettlebells in January 2007 under the direction of renowned Kettlebell instructor Dylan Thomas. After over a year of dedication and hard work, I was certified to teach Russian Kettlebells to the masses by Anthony Diluglio after rigorous sessions at his world famous Punch Gym in Providence, RI.
My background is fitness. I played football for 15 years, culminating in tryouts with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks. Not quite up to NFL standards, I never wavered in my dedication to being “in-shape” but something always seemed to be lacking. Either I was bored, sluggish, not getting results like I wanted or a combination of the above. Still I kept at it because I really didn’t know another way.
Almost 2 years ago, I happened to read about Russian Kettlebells and was completely intrigued. I read they were not for the faint of heart and I read that they kicked butt. Needless to say I had to check ‘em out! I found a workshop and attended and have never looked back. Never one to enjoy endless cardio, especially on the hamster wheels gyms call treadmills, ellipticals etc; I loved the intensity of the cardiovascular part of the kettlebell training. I also never really like the boredom of doing endless reps doing traditional weight training, focused on one small muscle at a time. In addition, the strength stretching gave me a lot of the same kinds of range of motion I had got in some yoga training but with less time invested. My workouts were tons of fun and comprehensive but more effective than anything I had ever experienced! I was hooked! I have never been stronger but I am not bulky. My muscles are long and lean and everyone I work with says the same thing pretty much. Women have remained feminine or become more so! Men have “leaned out” and not got bulky. This stuff doesn’t turn you into a body builder at all. You become the athlete you already are.
