I want to repost this story my Dad sent me out of the blue today. Here it is, unedited. Please note that my father started learning English at age 41, having immigrated from Italy. My dad is 67.
Before I get into why I think anyone can benefit from kettlebell training I must tell you how everything started.
I was leaving for Italy, one morning in October 2008, to escort a small group to Turin for the bi-annual Salone del Gusto 8-day extravaganza. I woke up at 6:30AM with a pain in my left leg. A pain that had been bugging me for a couple of months but never got too serious to get the advice of my doctor.
I got up, had a breakfast and went out for my morning exercise of about 45 minutes of walking. At the end of the walk the pain was more noticeable, but I kept going on. There was no time to think of anything else than driving to the airport.
The problem was getting worse by the minute but only when we arrived in Milan and had to walk out of the airplane I realized that I was in for something really serious.
We arrived there a day ahead of the group, we checked into our hotel and decide to go into Milan, just for fun. But walking for me was really excruciating, I was almost in tears and decided to go back to the hotel. I had a miserable sleepless night. But the business was requesting my attention.
To shorten the story I returned from Italy on the 26th of October seated on a wheel chair. Early the morning after my return, I was at Mayo clinic to find out what was the reason of these pains. No painkiller was able to take care of the problem, the pain was unbearable.
After an extensive series of X-rays and a MRI the diagnosis was a “protruded disc” was pushing into the sciatic nerve, therefore the excruciating pains.
The options to alleviate the problem were just a couple, surgery or physical therapy. My doctor suggested the latter and I was happy because I didn’t feel like I wanted to have a surgery that would require a long and painful recovery. Unfortunately Mayo Clinic was fully booked for at least about two months.
A this point my son David decided that I needed to find an alternative. He was already training with kettlebells and started searching for somebody in the Rochester area. The only RKC trainer available was Tim McPhee in Byron. I get a call from my son: “give a call to him and make the arrangements to do the training.” David doesn’t waste much of his time, he knew that was the only thing I needed.
I called Tim and made the first appointment at his house and decided to start with two sessions weekly.
I must admit that I was really curious and hesitant, actually more hesitant than curious of this kettle bell training. I had no clue of what this was all about. I knew what kettle bells were but I couldn’t imagine why and how a cowbell could cure my back problems. But I didn’t have another option and had to go and meet with Tim.
Tim was very nice, we immediately established the right feeling, but the curiosity, and hesitation, around the system was still hanging there. Actually, before I started other thoughts were milling in my mind. One serious concerns was how in the world training with a weight could help my painful back? If there was any logic it should have been the opposite, call it ignorance or whatever these were my major concerns.
Honestly after the 2nd session all my concerns were gone. I was quickly getting better, the pains were gone, I quit taking painkillers and started moving a little bit better. And the fun part of the story is that I liked the work out. Maybe because I was getting relief and the pain was gone but I really started liking the exercise.
Now, after a little bit more than one year I can start getting an understanding of this experience that I believe it is extremely positive. No more back pains especially when I stand hours on my feet, neither for walking or sitting or sleeping. I lost some weigh from the 42 pant size, now I’m very comfortable (loose) in the 38 and hope to go back to wearing, again, those old 36 that are still hanging around in my closet.
An experience that I strongly recommend to all those people with back pains, do not be scared of the word weight, chose the bell weight you like better and work with that. To see the gain and benefits I suggest three sessions a week, keep your diet in control and you’ll a new person in just a few month. Thanks Tim & David.
Gabriele Dellanave
TravelingtoItaly.com