IDEA World 2011 - The Power of Kindness

In August, I was invited by IDEA Health & Fitness Association to present a workshop at their 2011 Fitness World Convention. In the fitness industry this is the equivalent of performing at the Oscars. IDEA has been around for 25 years, and is the leader in health and fitness. The association's mandate is to educate and inspire its 22,000 plus members beyond the status quo, and to enhance and elevate the health, fitness and wellness professions in general.

My session was called "Train Like An Ultimate MMA Fighter". It was the first time IDEA had explored MMA based conditioning at any of their conferences.

My right hand man and marketing manager, Ron Weinberg, was with me and he put in a lot of hours on this project. There was much riding on this event for me personally and my business. It was a pilot workshop by IDEA to see if MMA related programming could appeal to the general fitness community.

At 4:30 pm on August 14th over 100 trainers and group exercise instructors were present at my workshop held in the Los Angeles Convention Center. In addition, a production crew from IDEA was filming it for an upcoming educational DVD.

Although I was anxious to get into the practical portion of the workshop, I felt it important to explain what MMA Conditioning was all about as there were many unique aspects to introduce. As I finished the last of my PowerPoint slides, I was more than ready to lead my carefully planned class upon attendees.

Even though it was the end of the day, and many participants had attended hard charging workouts before mine, I knew that they loved to be challenged. Thus, I was determined to provide a level of energy, instruction and motivation that they would remember. As my session went on, I noticed more and more people coming in the room to watch. The energy was building throughout the space. It felt great!

Towards the last 45 minutes of the session, Douglas Brooks showed up. For those that are unfamiliar with Douglas, he is one of best known and highly regarded leaders in the fitness industry. Off to the side, he gave me a big thumbs up, which meant the world to me. I paused and introduced him to attendees and told the following quick story:

Twenty years ago, I wrote 3 letters to the top trainers in the industry. Only one responded. Douglas not only called me, he spent 2 hours on the phone with me! When I was filming my first DVD, I consulted him and he helped me tremendously. Over the years, he has become a good friend and mentor to me.

With that one simple act of kindness 20 years ago, this man helped shape my career. As one of my favorite authors, Wayne Dyer, would say "never underestimate the power of kindness".

I have a challenge for you: The next time you are at a favorite coffee shop, buy the next person behind you their cup of coffee. Don't let the person know you did and just walk away. This act will do more than you think.

MMA Training Concepts - Hammer Time

There is no question that without a strong striking game, you are not going to last in the MMA game. We have seen the tide of fights changed with one well placed strike. Whether it’s an elbow or a punch, timing, strength and endurance are major factors.

There are a variety of ways to develop strong strikes. At Burn with Kearns, we use a lot of “off the shelf” items to accomplish this. For an item to be consided “off the self” it has to be affordable, adaptable and functional.

One of my favorite items that anybody can find and implement is small sledge hammers, in weights anywhere from 2-6 pounds. The amount of work that can be done in multiple dimensional angles is truly amazing and limitless. They can develop grip strength and endurance in all the muscles used for striking.

For the MMA and grappling game, they are one of my go-to tools for fight prep. When we perform this workout, there will not be a muscle you do not feel in your entire striking mechanics. This is also great for shoulder and hand rehab as well.

Ultimate MMA Magazine Review of My New Grappling Conditioning DVD

The May 2010 issue of Ultimate MMA Magazine features a review of my new Grappling Specific Conditioning DVD:

"If you haven't seen Kevin Kearns perform you're in for a big treat. He's comfortable and humorous on camera, so his personality pulls you in and keeps you hanging onto every word as he takes you through every exercise."

"Speaking of which, these exercises are amazing. He had us on the ground, in our office, working along with him.  Working out may be the only thing in this world better than writing, so we decided to forego all work for a bit while we Burned with Kearns. Eventually, we got back to pounding the keyboard, but this DVD is going home with us. Guaranteed."

Pull Ups

Pull-ups can be done just about anywhere. They are great for preventing shoulder injuries and are very functional. Thus, it's no wonder why the military and many top MMA athletes include pull-ups on a regular basis in their training. The really fun part is that they can be performed in a bunch of challenging and different ways.

1. If you can not handle your own bodyweight, place a chair behind you to put your feet on. This will reduce the weight load.

2. To avoid shoulder injury, never have your hands wider than shoulder width.

3. Vary your grips often to increase different muscles activated

New MMA Conditioning Article

The July issue of Inside Kung Fu Magazine features an article I wrote called 3 Steps to MMA Greatness. My 3 phases of conditioning are: 1) Strength and Hypertrophy 2) Explosive Power and 3) Gas in the Tank.  You can read a pdf version of the complete article here.

Burn with Kearns Certification for Personal Trainers and Martial Arts Instructors

BURN WITH KEARNS CORE CERTIFICATION WEEKEND
Friday, May 15 - Sunday, May 17, 2009 

Nexus Martial Arts ▪ 14 Kendrick Road ▪ Wareham, MA

GET A CAREER ADVANTAGE WITH A BURN WITH KEARNS CORE CERTIFICATION
You will learn how to develop cutting edge Mixed Martial Arts training programs that incorporate demanding challenges which mimic the fighting environment with innovative wellness concepts for a complete conditioning advantage - physical, mental and spiritual.

Course Bonuses:
- Receive all 5 Burn with Kearn Conditioning DVDs
- Group Dinners Included
- With the completion of this weekend course, you will receive a certificate of completion

for more information and registration

The Martial Arts Spirit

Today was a very interesting and heartfelt day. About a month ago, I was contracted to conduct a seminar at America's Best Defense in Attelboro Mass. Two weeks ago the owner, Paul Garcia, informed me that a student of his had suddenly past away and had no life insurance to boot. He was a father and grandfather.

After losing my own father when I was 12, I felt the need to "pay it forward". Paul asked if I could do anything for the family as his school was going to direct all seminar proceeds to the student's family. My mentor, Tim Barchard and I discussed it, and we came up with a plan to donate my seminar fee to the family. It was the right thing to do. We had over 100 attendees and raised over $8000 for the family. That is the true spirit of martial arts, helping others out in need.

Article about this special seminar

UFC Fighter Training Updates

The holidays are here and things are in full swing. I have several fighters getting ready for early 2009 fights. Last week I went down to NJ to work with Kurt Pellegrino on his new gas in the tank program for his fight on Feb 7th. It was truly an evil program. Kurt called me 5 days later and said he was already feeling the results.

A few weeks ago, Stephan Bonnar came in to work with Kru Mark and myself. Stephan has made real progress after his knee surgery and is ready to get back in the ring. Marcus Davis and I will be working closely together over the next few weeks for his fight in ireland. As always Kenny Florian and I continue to work smarter on his S and C conditioning.

Happy hoildays. Cry in Training, Laugh in Battle.

Climbing Out

Some days even trainers don't want to train.

Yesterday, for the life of me I could not get out of bed at 5am to workout. So I decided I would train later in the day between a corporate consulting project in the am and in the afternoon training Kenny. I considered it my penance for not getting up in the am. Here's what I did
Climbed 246 stairs for 30 minutes with a 30 lb vest on. This was a killer in the heat, but I had to finish. Then I did 8 circuit station with a 40 lb medicine ball with a 10 vest on.

1. Snatches
2. Squat toss
3. Bent over rows
4. 3 way lunges with grappling grip
5. Shoulder toss
6. Across toss
7. Zercher get ups
8. Overhead 4 flght stair carries.

I was glad when I was done!  You can see this workout on the bonus section my Basement Tape 1 for MMA Conditioning Strength and  Hypertrophy Laying the Foundation. I used a medicine ball for more grip strength.

Till next time "Cry in Training Laugh in Battle"