To start off I want to thank Mike Mahler and Dylan Thomas for being a stand up professionals and making good on their word. Mike made a commitment to us and he stuck by it. There were date changes, location issues and even coaches dropping out at the last minute. Mike delivered a top notch workshop that I am feeling as I type and Dylan came by at the last minute to give Mike a hand after the dropouts.
The location was was fantastic, in the heart of NYC a few floors up from street level. The place is called Fighting House Studios. Here is their website for anyone interested http://www.fighthousestudios.com
The day started off right on time, 9 am with Mike and Dylan going through their introductions. We lined up in alphabetical order and then did our own introductions. People attended there from all over the country. From two “government” workers out of New Mexico to one guy from Ohio who spent $800+ in traveling and lodging to attend the original Kettlebell/Olympic Lifting workshop and one female who enjoyed Mike’s workshop from the previous week so much she came back for more!
The workshop progressed perfectly throughout the day. It started off with the basics then ended with a demonstration of advanced moves and routines. Mike and Dylan paced everything just right and were there every step of the way to correct people with their form. A few people had difficulty with certain movements, as expected, but they showed the upmost patience and professionalism. They were tough but fair. Only one person had to do 25 pushups!!! I’m not gonna give much away as far as what we covered but I will tell you this. It was 8 straight hours with a 5 or 10 minute break every two hours. IT WAS INTENSE!!! I’m still sore 4 days after!!!
At the end of the workshop Mike handed out a free copy of his DVD for our troubles and promised to email us a free copy of his Kettlebell manuel which he did the next day. Our troubles, Mike? You’re the one who had to bust his ass to get the workshop to even happen.
After the workshop a few of us met Mike and Dylan at their hotel to grab a bit to eat, shoot the shit and talk some trash. The whole experience was tremendous and worth every penny. If you ever have the chance to attend a workshop by either Mike or Dylan don’t hesitate to sign up. You’ll learn an immense amount of Kettlebell theory and training and also a great deal about other aspects of training not necessarily only associated with Kettlebells. These two are stand up professionals and put the people who paid their hard earned dollars FIRST! Mike did everything necessary and unnecessary to make sure he gave us a bang up workshop and I feel he accomplished that and I’m sure the other attendees would echo that…
BTW… This was only a beginner class!!!
Thanks for posting the photos, great stuff. To answer the question about the texas workshop, my post was an error. The Texas workshop will be on October 23 and the Dayton Ohio workshop will be on October 16.
Mike Mahler
Mike Mahler and Dylan Thomas are consummate professionals who put on a quality workshop. Mike understands the importance of commitment and seeing things through. Whether you are looking for more information about kettlebells or training in general, Mike is the go to guy. He has been in this game a long time, ? oh and did I mention ? he is as strong as a bull.
Whether you need to bone up on advanced kettlebell techniques or you need to lift the bell for the very first time, you owe it to yourself to go to one of Mike?s workshops. When you go, eat your Wheaties, because the breaks are short and the work is intense.