Poughkeepsie Kettlebell

Personal Training

Plateaus are temporary

You must move beyond them

 Rich Kocher

 

 About Rich Kocher

     Rich Kocher is not your typical personal trainer. He has watched "burn after reading" with Brad Pitt and thinks that Brads character is funny in the movie, and partly because the stereotype is true for alot of personal trainers in the fitness industry but not Rich. He seeks excellence for himself and his clients. He gets results for him and his clients and expects them. Progress is the norm. A plateau is defined as a teporary halt in progress. Rich makes sure that the progress is constant or that the plateau is always as short as possible. He uses his toolbox of plateau-busting techniques to break plateaus or preemptively avoid them.

        One of his favorite quotes is "If you always put limits on everything you do pysically or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus. & you must not stay there. You must go beyond them!!"(Bruce Lee). Rich became a fan of Bruce Lee and studied JKD kung Fu for many years. It is this that led him to reading everything he could on J. Krisnamurti who Bruce credits as a great influence to him.  J. Krishnamurti was a world renowned spiritual teacher, who,  for more than 50 years, shared his message with people of all ages, races, and backgrounds. Rich recommends his books to everyone. He finds his work very inspiring and loves his themes on self reliance, a curious and questioning mind, freedom, breaking through your limitations, self-knowledge. Rich believes that health is a daily task that includes mind, body and spirit.

        He has done Goju Ru Karate, Soo Bok Do Karate, chi kung and JKD Kung Fu and has worked out in gyms consistently for the last twenty one years. He even once won a bench press contest-425 lbs when he was 16 years old, and took first place in a bodybuilding show not too long after. He has always loved strength training and anything to do with fitness. So he has a diverse toolbox of excercises, stretches, and mobility drills to choose from when instructing his clients. He knows cuing and remedial drills that can change someones form and movement instantly. He gives alot of hints, secrets, and subtle nuances to his clients from a wide range of sources. And is always seeking more for himself and his clients.He has dramatically improved peoples strength and flexibility with instruction of technique on an exercise. Also with verbal or kinestetic cuing. Just the other day he coached a client on a squat and they squatted 12 inches lower in five minutes! Just from the right coaching and an eye for body mechanics, and a diverse toolbox of corrective techniques and remedial drills. He has done this countless times with countless people on squats as well as other exercises and movements.  

      He believes in quality over quantity of exercise. He expects results from himself and his clients. Instantly and continuously, through time, practice and progress. He has helped countless people become interested in kettlebells, shed lots of weight and unwanted fat. He has transformed people and changed their lives. He loves doing it. It is his passion to take people who have lost their drive, focus, ease of movement and teach them a few easy remedial drills and exercises that if practiced lead to them doing movements and things that they never could of imagined. Taking people to levels of fitness they never thought attainable or were unable to attain on their own! Giving his clients confidence is his passion. helping them realize they can do alot more than they think they can.

        Rich is available for in home personal training, small group training, bootcamps & workshops. Rich also currently trains clients with kettlebells at New York Sports Club in Carmel, NY,  where he has been a Master Trainer at NYSC since 2007. Rich currently trains one-on-one and small group kettlebell classes, and workshops at NYSC . 

       Kettlebells are his passion ever since he came across them. They helped reinspire him and have given him dramatic improvements in his strength, flexibility, and mobility! Rich as well as his clients have gotten dramatic and life changing results from Kettlebells.

     "After I picked them up and tried a few workouts, I was hooked! It was like nothing I had ever experienced! I decided then I wanted to teach them and help people with kettlebells the way they helped me." (Rich Kocher RKC II ) He is a certified level II Russian Kettlebell Insructor which is the certification that is responsible for starting the kettlebell Revolution. The RKC is a professional and credible certification. You have to pass technique, physical fitness, endurance, and strength requirements, and teach before you get your certificate. And not to mention alot of people fail. Rich is proud of the fact that he has achieved level 2 in the RKC. It is an accomplishment that means something unlike alot of fitness certifications out there where you get your cert for showing up and paying a fee. Sometimes they give you the cert before you even finish the course. If you are lucky enough to know or be trained by an RKC you notice the quality. You definitly notice the quality when you train with Rich. It is not a paper cert. It has truth and credibility behind it and a standard. You cannot pass the cert without doing your homework and spending alot of time with the kettlebells and having a real understanding of the movements. Some people complain about the price of the cert being too expensive, but most of them could not pass it(so the price doesn't matter anyway). The old saying does apply-you get what you pay for. You can get the best or the cheapest. Most people would fail either some part based on lack of technique, flexibility, strength or conditioning unless they have spent alot of time with the kettlebells and really understand the moves and the body. It is a wellrounded all around combination of strength, flexibility and endurance you get from the kettlebell workouts. Not to mention the mental toughness. It is a three day test. Rich also learned alot of remedial drills and tricks in his toolbox from the RKC and some of the great people who attend. Kettlebells is something you need instruction on to do right and safely. Books and dvds are a start. But will only take you so far. But real-or should I say top level- kettlebell training can only be learned from one on one coaching. And to make sure you get the safest, smartest, most effective results from your kettlebells you should get some instruction from a qualified instructor. Make sure you are not doing anything counterproductive-that's going to hurt you. And learn a few techniques that will maximize the effectiveness and results of your time and efforts. After all you wouldn't go scuba diving  without getting a few lessons. And I hope you would't learn by watching someone scuba on utube. Rich always seeks out quality and the best when he gets coached. For more info on the RKC and their workshops, or to sign up for a workshop click here.      

         Rich also has a passion for all types of movement arts. All types of martial arts. Tai chi is one of his latest passions which he is currently recieving instruction in. He also loves Parkour, Free Running, Yoga, and is very fortunate to have met and worked with people of alot of different disiplines to help hone his own skills as well as his clients. He also has picked up discuss throwing and loves it. Working with people of such diverse backgrounds has helped him to relate to a wide variety of people. He works with people of all ages, backgrounds, and fitness levels. Some of the skills of relating to people he learned when he worked in the restaurant business years ago. He loves learning everything he can about fitness, strength, stretching, kettlebells and health including the mental side such as phylosophy, motivation, self-esteem, coaching, inspiring.  If he is not teaching, he is learning himself. And is also thankful for all the wonderful clients he has learned from. They all have taught him something and helped him learn. "Thank You"(Rich Kocher)

• (RKC II )Certified Russian Kettlebell Instructor - Level 2
• Certified Personal Trainer, ACE
• Certified Personal Trainer, NASM
• Master Trainer, NYSC

"If you are looking for easy, kettlebells aren't it. But if you are willing to put in the work, we'll get the results you've always wanted." -Rich Kocher RKC II

 

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Kettlebells, and Swords, and Axes Oh My!!!

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Poughkeepsie Getups!!!