Orlando, Florida | October 2010
(The “Evil Russian” has just approached me and is watching me swing a kettlebell amongst 75+ other students in an open air canopied stadium in
the Central Florida heat.)
<<<===== Scene: BEGIN =====>>>
Evil Russian: “I want you to play ‘chicken’ with your crotch”
Me: “Sorry, I’m not following…”
***(Should've seen the expression on my face).***
Evil Russian: “When you finish your kettlebell swing at the top, I want you to hold your entire body stiff like a statue… tense.
Strong.
Except, when the kettlebell reaches eye level, I want you to fire your lats* and throw the kettlebell down with straight arms.
And then I want you to wait there – everything stiff except your arms throwing the kettlebell down.
And I want you to wait.
And wait.
And wait… until just before the kettlebell is about to hit you in the crotch…
…and then I want you to get out of the way!”
Me: “What if I forget to get out of the way?”
Evil Russian: “Comrade, it only takes one time to forget…
…then you’ll remember forever. Trust me.”
(Walks away)
<<<===== END =====>>>
That was my first personal interaction with Pavel Tsatsouline – the GodFather of the Modern Day Kettlebell Movement – at my RKC Certification in 2010.
Pavel & me in 2010 at the RKC Certification and then in 2016 having coffee in Santa Monica, California.
Prior to that, I had read several of his books and had followed his training advice from afar.
Pavel has been one of the biggest coaching influences in my life (along with Coaches Geoff Neupert, Dan John & Mike Boyle).
This website (which I started in 2010!!!) is a culmination of my training experiences with the kettlebell as both a student and strength coach.
About Me
My name is Chris Lopez.
I’ve been a strength coach for over 20 years and I was the first Canadian certified with the SFG Kettlebell Instructor designation (back in 2014 at the inception of the StrongFirst Organization).
I started training with kettlebells purely out of selfishness.
As a young father (my wife and I had our first daughter in 1998) and entrepreneur (I started my personal training business in 2001) I needed a way to stay strong, lean and athletic but that didn’t require the same amount of time commitment as traditional “gym” training did.
I bought my first kettlebell in 2003 just before the birth of our 2nd daughter. She and I have been through a lot…
In 2005 we had another daughter.
In 2007 we had another daughter.
Hold on… just how many kids do you have?!?!
My wife and I now have 5 kids…
I know… a bit of flair for the dramatic 🙄.
Our son was born in 2009.
So needless to say as a strength coach and father of 5 who also runs several businesses and has coaching commitments and a great relationship with his wife… I don’t have a lot of time.
So I turned to kettlebell training to keep me in shape.
Nothing says “Dad” like a minivan in the suburbs.
More…
In 2014 we sold 90% of our belongings (including our house in downtown Toronto), bought 1 acre of jungle property on the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica and built an off-grid home out of shipping containers.
When we moved I brought 6 kettlebells with me… and I had a chin-up bar welded to ceiling joists of our house right outside my home office.
My oldest daughter and me getting a kettlebell workout in while our Costa Rican shipping container home is still under construction.
And that’s all the equipment I use to stay in shape.
This blog is about me teaching you how to do the same… getting lean, strong and athletic while training less than 2 hours per week in the comfort of your own home or wherever you want to be.
If you’re into long, arduous workouts that leave you gassed and feeling like you got hit by a truck… then sorry, I’m not your guy.
If you want to build a strong, lean, athletic body using a simple training method, without fancy equipment, and do it in less time than it takes you to DRIVE to the gym… then I’m 100% sure that I can help you with that.
Enough about me, head over to the comments section below and tell me about you!
Whether you leave a comment below or you’re on my email list and email me directly, I promise to get back to you personally (no bots).
Let’s chat!
–Chris Lopez
