“Why I am StrongFirst certified.”

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Subject: “Why I am StrongFirst certified.”

What is the value of being a StrongFirst Certified instructor?

It’s not the 639lb deadlift I built by leveraging the principles from the School of Strength.

It’s not the 100 snatches I have achieved with a 70lb kettlebell.

StrongFirst is more than reps and sets.

It is a code. A community. A place to develop your character.

That’s what StrongFirst means to me.

Hector Gutierrez, Jr. performing a heavy deadlift

StrongFirst Certified Senior Instructor Hector Gutierrez, Jr.,
the author of today’s newsletter

My journey began when the kettlebell found me in 2006, which led me to Pavel’s work in 2007. Which took me to become a personal trainer in 2010. A trainer looking to find his way. Looking to find the “truth of fitness.”

Which I found at my Level 1 kettlebell certification on August 21, 2011, in La Jolla, CA.

The following year, I earned my Level II. On day two, I received a phone call during our lunch break. It was from the freight carrier letting me know that the mats were about to be delivered to the gym I was about to open. What we today call Hardstyle Academy.

Aligning myself with StrongFirst and earning my certifications taught me the value of living my life by a particular code—which is missing in our society today.

A code that taught me to be a student of strength, to seek excellence. A code that taught me humility and quiet professionalism. A code that taught me that strength has nothing to do with me but the greater purpose it serves.

These were virtues I valued innately but hadn’t cultivated until I found “my people.” People who also lived by a code.

At the Hardstyle Academy gym in Corpus Christi, Texas, we built a kettlebell community. Students have formed long-lasting relationships in and out of the gym.

Some of these students entered the sacrament of marriage and brought children into the world.

At one point, we had the largest number of SFG instructors under one roof. Fourteen of them—all had started as my students—were teaching the StrongFirst system to our new students. Many have since gone on to start their own coaching businesses.

We helped people battle their darkest, most uncertain moments like cancer, the death of loved ones, and a global pandemic.

Hardstyle Academy, with its trusted kettlebells, was their solace, the place where their minds could be quiet.

This is something I will hold in my heart forever.

Hector and his students at Hardstyle Academy

If you’re seeking to join our instructor ranks and to discover this incredible community that lives by a code, start training for your first cert.

The first step is making your programming focused and consistent.

They say that “variety is the spice of life.” It may be the case in some contexts, but not in strength training. Random “workouts of the day” will produce nothing but injuries and, at best, fatigue.

Even if you get lucky, and after a month of “WODs,” you see results, how do you know which variable(s) are producing them?

You don’t. Because there are too many moving parts, your results are unrepeatable.

To progress, you need more constants than variables.

As an example, here is a classic kettlebell military press progression that has worked for many students at Hardstyle Academy and will work for you.

Press twice a week, e.g., on Mondays and Fridays.
Identify a kettlebell you can press for strict 10 reps.
Set a timer for 20min and start doing sets of 3 reps. Rest for as long as needed between sets.
Complete as many sets as possible with perfect form and without struggle.

Your set number will naturally increase over several training sessions, e.g., from 10 to 15, then it will plateau.

When you cannot add sets without increasing effort beyond 8 on a 1-10 scale, start over with sets of 4 reps and then 5 reps.
When your gains with sets of 5 level off, add weight (+2kg for ladies and +4kg for gentlemen) and start over with sets of 3 reps.

Simplify your training.

Simplicity leads to repeatability, repeatability to consistency, and consistency to results.