The kettlebell demands total-body synchronization of movement so it is paramount that you partner with an informed instructor who knows and can communicate best practices. Dynamic Kettlebell’s trainers are all RKC (Russian Kettlebell Challenge) certified and are fitness experts. They have detailed knowledge of body mechanics and experience with rehabilitating men and women of all ages, sizes, and ailments. Most of all, they maintain a keen awareness of proper kettlebell form and technique and are relentless in their pursuit of instilling the right form and technique in everyone they train.
DKB Trainers include:
Keira Newton, RKC II, Level 2 Z-Health
After years of snickering at her husband, Keira first picked up a kettlebell in 2005 when he challenged her to stop laughing and start swinging. She couldn’t walk for a week. She stuck with the challenge initially when she realized that she could get an all-in-one workout in a fraction of the time she spent at the gym. Keira was convinced she found her ideal fitness solution when she lost the 44 pounds she had gained during her second pregnancy in just four months after her daughter was born. She continued to reshape her body in the years that followed, slimming her hips, dropping three more waist sizes, and building her lean muscle. Keira eventually devoted herself to kettlebell when she realized that it demands her full attention and makes her focus on both her physical form and her mental state of being. Practicing kettlebell has driven keira to discover how to conquer her fears and push her personal limits. It has given her an avenue to fight for something, for anything that she wants. Not only has Keira continued to achieve her physical goals, she has learned through her kettlebell practice, that she has profound strength in her mind and in her spirit.
A certified Feldenkrais® practitioner (Feldenkrais® is a form of bodywork that teaches the functional integration of the whole self to support awareness through movement,) Keira continuously infuses her dedication to kettlebells with her deep knowledge of body mechanics to create a one-of-a-kind expertise that can’t be matched. Moreover, Keira is relentless in her pursuit to evolve and deepen her expertise, taking every possible learning opportunity and immediately integrating her new knowledge into her kettlebell workouts.
Born of her commitment to the kettlebell lifestyle, Keira founded Dynamic Kettlebells in September, 2008. One of her top goals is to make kettlebell more accessible to everyone, regardless of age, physical abilities, strength, or health goals. Her passion for kettlebell is infectious and her commitment to see students evolve, endless. She combines her strict attention to detail with a keen sense of humor to deliver intense workouts that are simultaneously fun and exhausting. She expects the most out of all members every time they work out and supports them with tough love.
Mark Bixby, RKC
Mark discovered kettlebells in 2002 and found that they are the quickest, most effective way to train. While he was initially amused that its practitioners seemed to train with cult-like devotion, kettlebells quickly became a staple in his life because of the physical challenges they present, the camaraderie they encourage and the functional benefits they bestow that carry over into his daily existence. A combination of past injuries and persistent low physical self-image had caused Mark to have severe posture issues and chronic back pain. Kettlebells taught Mark how to use his hips so that he didn’t tuck his pelvis and slump with his posture. He grew taller, stronger and more confident. More than six years later, Mark has accomplished huge gains in strength, flexibility and stability and he finds that kettlebells still present significant physical and technical challenges. Because the skill set can always be refined, kettlebells continue to push Mark towards higher levels of body awareness and fitness. The workout never gets boring.
Mark began teaching kettlebell conditioning to high school students in 2003. He taught the students that while they might not all be "A" students, their safe application of kettlebells could yield definitive quantitative and qualitative results for specific sports or general fitness and well being. One student set a personal record and won the state competition in the long jump at the end of his year of kettlebelling. Other students stood straighter, taller, and stronger after achieving significant gains with the bells. The experience he had teaching kettlebells to high school students has translated nicely to teaching at Dynamic Kettlebell Fitness, where clients have achieved quantitative goals for their physiques and the qualitative enhancement of toughness and self-confidence that are staples of kettlebell training.
In addition to training at Dynamic, Mark teaches 10th grade Modern World History and 12th grade World Literature at Santa Fe Preparatory School. He lets his classroom teaching philosophy of helping students gain success (even if small) carry over into his kettlebell training: small steps often lead to huge gains.
Sunny Schultz, RKC
Often feeling awkward, clumsy and ridiculously non-athletic in a family of highly athletic siblings, Sunny never knew the feeling of power. Sunny was an outdoors person, hiking, camping and enjoying the "workout" she found in the Sangres, but she didn’t last long at the gym.
Keira first put a kettlebell in her hand when she was in her late 20's. After that initial training session, Sunny found herself sore beyond belief and full of utter shock at how quickly this little ball of iron had rendered her unable to think of anything else. At that time, Sunny was a fulltime college student, raising two small children and working as the office manager at a high-end catering company in Santa Fe. She often woke at 3 a.m. to study and could rarely focus until she had accomplished at least 15 minutes of swings, squats and suitcase lifts.
In the winter of 2008, after moving her family to Iowa, Sunny decided to certify at the Russian Kettlebell Challenge in Saint Paul, MN. She trained alone and on the phone with Keira for over 8 months, until she was strong enough mentally and physically to certify. Never before had Sunny felt such a sense of accomplishment and inner strength as she did leaving the certification in Minnesota. Not only did she learn the true meaning of "team", she also learned how facilitate kettlebell learning in a way that appeals deeply to people who, like her, desire to pick up the bell to find their own strength and transform their own body. Upon her return to Iowa, Sunny started training Kettlebells to eager locals. A local gym caught wind of the buzz she was creating and hired her to bring kettlebell to their members. She was getting quite busy with her own clients and the gym until DKB offered her a training position in THE place she loves to call home. How could she refuse?
Always "in training", Sunny makes it her goal to learn as much as possible from other RKCs and kettlebell clients. She feels that it is incredibly important to usher people into the world of kettlebell because it not only produces dramatic physical changes, it also instills a sense of power that so many people are lacking in their daily lives. Since she became a kettlebell trainer, Sunny has helped change the way people feel about themselves: showing people like her, people who might have watched as friends and family participated in sport activities, that they too can be strong, powerful athletes.