Author: Catherine Buck Le

Catherine Buck Le started training with kettlebells in 2014. She earned her SFG I in 2015, completed the SFB in 2016, the SFG II in 2017, and the SFL in 2018. Since then, she has regularly helped as an assistant at StrongFirst certifications and courses in the Seattle area. Through learning from her coaches and mentors, immersing herself in the StrongFirst system, and building real strength, she discovered the power of dedicated, disciplined training. Her goal as a coach is to lead others to live happier, more fulfilled lives through working towards strength goals, and overcoming self-limiting beliefs. Through the discipline of strength training, we can learn and master all the skills necessary to become our most powerful, confident selves. In addition to being a certified instructor under StrongFirst, TRX, and Ground Force Method, she is also a Precision Nutrition Level 1 certified nutrition coach. When Catherine is not at the gym, she likes traveling, hiking, paddle boarding, and simply enjoying the outdoors with her husband Chau and their Rhodesian Ridgeback Gracie. You can train with Catherine online at KMS On Demand ( www.kmseattle.com).

Nail the SFG II Press Test with this Six-Week Plan

By Catherine Buck Le July 22, 2021

So, you’ve decided to train for the StrongFirst SFG II Kettlebell Instructor Certification. Prepare to get stronger, go deeper into the skill of strength, and learn a lot about yourself. Like any goal worth chasing, earning your SFG II requires perseverance, grit, and coaching. In addition to retesting your SFG I skills and five-minute snatch […]

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[TUTORIAL] Master the Perfect Kettlebell Press Groove

The stacked press does magic for perfecting your technique. It teaches you to crush the handle and arm-wrestle the kettlebell by giving you no other options.

>>> To see the Stacked Press video tutorial, please click the link in the bio!

#strongfirst #kettlebell #militarypress #kettlebellpress #stackedpress #victorious #bestrongfirst @x_fab_69

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[TUTORIAL] Master the Perfect Kettlebell Press Groove

The stacked press does magic for perfecting your technique. It teaches you to crush the handle and arm-wrestle the kettlebell by giving you no other options.

>>> To see the Stacked Press video tutorial, please click the link in the bio!

#strongfirst #kettlebell #militarypress #kettlebellpress #stackedpress #victorious #bestrongfirst @x_fab_69

2 hours ago

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1/9

[TUTORIAL] Test Your Kettlebell Military Press

The best way to find out if you really own your press or you still have some flaws that must be fixed, is pushing your press to the limit, or close to it.

>>> click the link in the bio!

#strongfirst #kettlebell #militarypress #kettlebellpress #victorious #bestrongfirst

strongfirst

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[TUTORIAL] Test Your Kettlebell Military Press

The best way to find out if you really own your press or you still have some flaws that must be fixed, is pushing your press to the limit, or close to it.

>>> click the link in the bio!

#strongfirst #kettlebell #militarypress #kettlebellpress #victorious #bestrongfirst

1 day ago

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2/9

[AUDIO ON!] Listen to Pavel - and then read on.

There are times when simply enduring is not enough. One must carry on at a high level of strength, speed, or power. A football game. An obstacle course in a full kit. Moving grandma’s antique furniture. For decades such endurance had been built with “metcons.” Then a Russian professor reframed the question and changed history:

"What if instead of training the athlete to tolerate ever-increasing concentrations of lactic acid we trained him to produce less of it?"

Anti-glycolytic training (AGT) was born.

Enter Strong Endurance™, the last word in “anti-acid” training.

>>> Click the link in the bio >>> [SPECIAL EVENT] STRONG ENDURANCE™ by Pavel

This Seminar Is a Game Changer for:

–Fighters and team sport athletes who must explode over and over. Because 20x20m sprints biochemically have nothing in common with a 400m run.

–Athletes for whom speed is king. Point fighters. Ping pong players… You cannot afford to learn slowness through HIIT.

–Military, law enforcement, first responders. You must always be ready to save lives and cannot afford conditioning that leaves you sore and smoked.

–Endurance athletes who seek an extra edge.

–Regular folks who choose to “get in shape” the healthy way—without stressing their hormones out of whack and flooding their bodies with free radicals and toxic ammonia spewed out by “metcons.”

What You Will Learn

–The tools of classic Russian anti-glycolytic training—and how to apply them to program design.
The next generation of anti-glycolytic training—developed and tested by StrongFirst.

–For those dialed in biochemistry—the science behind the system.

–State of the art kettlebell training plans (swings, snatches, C&Js) that develop a wide range of qualities—while putting a premium on power. Minimize fatigue and soreness while leaving plenty of energy for other pursuits.

Health can never be divorced from Strength - and vice versa.
Be healthy.
Be strong.
#bestrongfirst

>>> Click the link in the bio >>> [SPECIAL EVENT] STRONG ENDURANCE™ by Pavel

#strongfirst #enduranbce #endurancetraining #strongendurance #pavel #paveltsatsouline

strongfirst

•

[AUDIO ON!] Listen to Pavel – and then read on.

There are times when simply enduring is not enough. One must carry on at a high level of strength, speed, or power. A football game. An obstacle course in a full kit. Moving grandma’s antique furniture. For decades such endurance had been built with “metcons.” Then a Russian professor reframed the question and changed history:

"What if instead of training the athlete to tolerate ever-increasing concentrations of lactic acid we trained him to produce less of it?"

Anti-glycolytic training (AGT) was born.

Enter Strong Endurance™, the last word in “anti-acid” training.

>>> Click the link in the bio >>> [SPECIAL EVENT] STRONG ENDURANCE™ by Pavel

This Seminar Is a Game Changer for:

–Fighters and team sport athletes who must explode over and over. Because 20x20m sprints biochemically have nothing in common with a 400m run.

–Athletes for whom speed is king. Point fighters. Ping pong players… You cannot afford to learn slowness through HIIT.

–Military, law enforcement, first responders. You must always be ready to save lives and cannot afford conditioning that leaves you sore and smoked.

–Endurance athletes who seek an extra edge.

–Regular folks who choose to “get in shape” the healthy way—without stressing their hormones out of whack and flooding their bodies with free radicals and toxic ammonia spewed out by “metcons.”

What You Will Learn

–The tools of classic Russian anti-glycolytic training—and how to apply them to program design.
The next generation of anti-glycolytic training—developed and tested by StrongFirst.

–For those dialed in biochemistry—the science behind the system.

–State of the art kettlebell training plans (swings, snatches, C&Js) that develop a wide range of qualities—while putting a premium on power. Minimize fatigue and soreness while leaving plenty of energy for other pursuits.

Health can never be divorced from Strength – and vice versa.
Be healthy.
Be strong.
#bestrongfirst

>>> Click the link in the bio >>> [SPECIAL EVENT] STRONG ENDURANCE™ by Pavel

#strongfirst #enduranbce #endurancetraining #strongendurance #pavel #paveltsatsouline

3 days ago

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3/9

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[VIDEO] #StrongFirstTip – Nailing Your Set-Up

One of the keys to nailing your set-up for your kettlebell ballistics is to ignore the kettlebell.

That's right…ignore it…until it's time to not ignore it. Instead of reaching for the kettlebell first and then finding your set-up.

Nail your set-up and then reach for the kettlebell. Reaching for the kettlebell first will usually overextend your position.

Instead stand about a foot length from the kettlebell > hinge first > then reach for the kettlebell.
Perfect set-up every time.

–Brett Jones @brettjonessfg , StrongFirst Master Certified Instructor & Director of Education

#strongfirst #kettlebell #deadlift #kettlebelldeadlift #swing #kettlebellswing #clean #kettlebellclean #snatch #kettlebellsnatch #brettjones #bestrongfirst

1 week ago

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4/9

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Speaks Eric Frohardt, US Navy veteran and former CEO of #StrongFirst:

"It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years since 9/11. It’s even harder for me to believe how many friends and teammates I’ve lost in this war. We owe it to those who fought for us to live a life worthy of the price they paid. In the words of John Stuart Mill:

“War is an ugly thing, but..the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth a war, is much worse… A man who has nothing which he is willing to fight for…is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.”

#911 #neverforget

2 weeks ago

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5/9

“If you measure strength by a number (as in a weight you can lift), you’re going to feel weak most of the time. Strength is an attitude.”

Strength: the ability to overcome strain.

You choose the obstacle or it chooses you. Overcome it. That is strength.

Is a person who can overcome cancer not strong because they can’t deadlift 2x bodyweight? Or a single parent grinding out two jobs around the clock to support themselves or their child? Resistance comes in more than just numbers…

We’re lucky to be able to train with weights and measure our progress with something peripheral to the vicissitudes of everyday life. For myself, any challenge I overcome in the weight room is merely a metaphor for the goals/obstacles I wish to reach in the outside world.

For some people, just surviving another day requires great strength.

We admire strength the same way we admire an awe inspiring cathedral or impressionist painting. Because of the daringness, vision and will that went into creating it. By going beyond what was once seen as a limitation.

How do you get strong? Find something that makes you feel weak. Then master it.

It can be as simple as fighting the urge to succumb to a habit that’s killing you or ruining your life, or for a person with an injury, learning to walk again or touch their toes for the first time in years.

Find what you need to do despite how hard it is. Have patience, focus, commitment and discipline. Do it for years. Anything meaningful takes time to build. Do it until that thing that seemed impossible becomes reality. Then life will throw you a new challenge. Repeat.

John Grimek once remarked about the sad state of a person whose strength was only purposeful in the gym. He stated that someone strong at the gym but weak outside of it (in personal relationships, character, morals, spirituality) was weak overall.

Strength is not a number on a gym wall. It’s a lifestyle choice. It’s a personal growth journey that transcends the boundaries of opaque standards.

–Philippe Geoffrion, StrongFirst Forum

Original quote: Mark Reifkind @rifstonian #StrongFirst certified Master Instructor

#strong #bestrong #bestrongfirst

strongfirst

•

“If you measure strength by a number (as in a weight you can lift), you’re going to feel weak most of the time. Strength is an attitude.”

Strength: the ability to overcome strain.

You choose the obstacle or it chooses you. Overcome it. That is strength.

Is a person who can overcome cancer not strong because they can’t deadlift 2x bodyweight? Or a single parent grinding out two jobs around the clock to support themselves or their child? Resistance comes in more than just numbers…

We’re lucky to be able to train with weights and measure our progress with something peripheral to the vicissitudes of everyday life. For myself, any challenge I overcome in the weight room is merely a metaphor for the goals/obstacles I wish to reach in the outside world.

For some people, just surviving another day requires great strength.

We admire strength the same way we admire an awe inspiring cathedral or impressionist painting. Because of the daringness, vision and will that went into creating it. By going beyond what was once seen as a limitation.

How do you get strong? Find something that makes you feel weak. Then master it.

It can be as simple as fighting the urge to succumb to a habit that’s killing you or ruining your life, or for a person with an injury, learning to walk again or touch their toes for the first time in years.

Find what you need to do despite how hard it is. Have patience, focus, commitment and discipline. Do it for years. Anything meaningful takes time to build. Do it until that thing that seemed impossible becomes reality. Then life will throw you a new challenge. Repeat.

John Grimek once remarked about the sad state of a person whose strength was only purposeful in the gym. He stated that someone strong at the gym but weak outside of it (in personal relationships, character, morals, spirituality) was weak overall.

Strength is not a number on a gym wall. It’s a lifestyle choice. It’s a personal growth journey that transcends the boundaries of opaque standards.

–Philippe Geoffrion, StrongFirst Forum

Original quote: Mark Reifkind @rifstonian #StrongFirst certified Master Instructor

#strong #bestrong #bestrongfirst

2 weeks ago

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6/9

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#strongfirsttip: Which deadlift style is stronger: conventional or sumo?

In the conventional style the lifter keeps his feet narrower than his shoulders and grips the bar outside his legs. Russians call this style “classic.”

The sumo stance is wider and the arms are inside the knees at the start of the pull. Sumo stances range from narrow, with the arms crowded by the legs, to super wide, with the toes risking getting chopped off by the plates.

The sumo versus conventional debate is decades old and pointless. Historic world records have been brought down with both stances. Conventional: Andy Bolton, Lamar Gant, Konstantin Konstantinov… Sumo: Ed Coan, Max Podtinny, John Inzer…

In a nutshell, the sumo’s main advantage is a shorter distance the bar has to travel. The classic stance’s ace of trump is the higher level of arousal it tolerates.

Conventional pullers like Kirk Karwoski work themselves into blind rage, something sumoists like Tom Eiseman cannot afford due to a greater precision demanded by a wider stance.

Every lifter has to find his or her own answer to the question “Which style is better?”

Generally, if you have a short back and you are a psych lifter, the conventional style is your best bet.

A composed lifter with a longer spine is most likely to succeed with sumo.

—

The next TSC (Competition Edition) is scheduled for Saturday, October 30, 2021.

Participant registration is open – link in the bio!

—

#strongfirst #tacticalstrengthchallenge #deadlift #sumodeadlift #conventionaldeadlift

Photo: @justynamackova & @strongfirstcz

3 weeks ago

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7/9

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#strongfirsttip: Cannot get your upper chest or neck to the bar?

StrongFirst style pullups are notorious for being the hardest. Whether you are repping out at the #TSC or taking a shot at the #IronMaiden or #BeastTamer title with a heavy weighted pullup, you must complete your super strict reps by touching the bar with your upper chest or neck.

The following drill from the StrongFirst Bodyweight (#SFB) Certified Instructor Manual—a “lock-off”—will rapidly strengthen this most difficult part of the tactical pullup.

The lock-off comes from the rock climbers’ training arsenal. It looks like simply holding the top position of a pullup for time—but there is a lot more going on behind the curtains. Hanging like a ripe fruit is not enough.

Drive your elbows back hard, attempt to pull the bar through your chest, or at least to leave a bruise! This is called an “active static.”

Come down in a normal, not exaggeratedly slow, negative when the bar pressure against your neck or chest starts decreasing. Do not go to failure!

Adjust the resistance—add weight or get help from your training partner—to enable a strong 6-8sec hold.

If you need help, insist that your training partner gives it correctly: by pushing you up and forward into the bar, his or her hands below your shoulder blades. Holding the ankles is for amateurs.

Perform 3 sets in this manner, with a minimum of 3min of rest. Do this twice a week and carry on your normal pullup training.

A subtlety: for lock-offs use a grip wider than your shoulders to limit the elbow flexion and reduce the stress on the elbows. “Clear” the elbows afterwards with a handstand or another counter-stretch.

Like all isometric exercises, the above works exceptionally well for up to six weeks.

—

The next TSC (Competition Edition) is scheduled for Saturday, October 30, 2021.

Participant registration is open – link in the bio!

—

#strongfirst #tacticalstrengthchallenge #pullup #pullups #tacticalpullup #tacticalpullups

Photo: @dlabphotography & @strongfirst_france

4 weeks ago

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[ARTICLE+PROGRAM] Burpees and Kettlebell Swings for Improved Athleticism

>>> Click the link in the bio

“Combine the hard style burpee with kettlebell swings and you will build one powerful human.
Get better, get stronger and get more athletic.”

–Todd Cambio @the_red_gorilla
StrongFirst Certified Team Leader, StrongFirst Certified Elite Instructor

---

To learn more, please attend STRONG ENDURANCE™ by Pavel—Denver, CO—November 6-7, 2021

#strongfirst #hardstyle #burpee #hardstyleburpee #kettlebell #swing #bestrongfirst

strongfirst

•

[ARTICLE+PROGRAM] Burpees and Kettlebell Swings for Improved Athleticism

>>> Click the link in the bio

“Combine the hard style burpee with kettlebell swings and you will build one powerful human.
Get better, get stronger and get more athletic.”

–Todd Cambio @the_red_gorilla
StrongFirst Certified Team Leader, StrongFirst Certified Elite Instructor

—

To learn more, please attend STRONG ENDURANCE™ by Pavel—Denver, CO—November 6-7, 2021

#strongfirst #hardstyle #burpee #hardstyleburpee #kettlebell #swing #bestrongfirst

1 month ago

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9/9

Nail the SFG II Press Test with this Six-Week Plan

CERTIFIED INSTRUCTORS NEAR YOU

STRONGER TODAY special report BY PAVEL FREE when you join our list

TRAINING TIPS, ARTICLES, PROMOTIONS, AND MORE

STRONGER TODAY special report BY PAVEL
FREE when you join our list

TRAINING TIPS, ARTICLES,
PROMOTIONS, AND MORE