Reviews

I started Kettlebell class in May 2007, I have been a gym rat for years and in just two months of classes with Jay I have seen a big difference in my body and balance which I never achieved at the gym.
Jay's knowledge of Kettlebells, flexibility and fitness in general is amazing. I haven't been able to do squats for over 20 years due to a leg injury, he had me doing them my first day training with him.
His classes are always challenging, fun, and rewarding. Jay's teaching technique is always helpful my technique improves with every class he teaches.

I travel alot, so when I discovered kettlebells it was the best thing that happened to me. I got the kettlebell and the DVD and went to work. I could see some progress but knew there was more to it and fortunately stumbled across Jay's beginner class. Jay explained and demonstrated everything then went on to help me with the smallest of details that really made the big difference that you can't get from watching a DVD. He's patient and you can really see that he does this because he truly enjoys it. If you want to get into kettlebells and you want to do it properly then this is the place to be and Jay is most definately the man to see.

What I like most about Jay is his innate ability to know when his students are ready to step it up a notch. When he sees that you are moving into a comfort zone, he will plant seed of encouragement that will make you push through the discomfort to a place of pride that only fellow KBer's can understand. That's what makes this so special is everyone starts out as beginners, and as you progress with all your blood, sweat and tears, everyone is right there with you and the camaraderie amongst the members is something you will not find at a gym. Wait, there's more.......the results I've seen in the mirror are truly amazing. I've been lifting weights and doing cardio for 15 years and within 2 months of working out at the KB Club, I'm finally getting back to my fighting weight without looking bulky. If you REALLY want to make improvements in your body composition and health, come join us at the K.B. Club and Jay will put you on the fast track to becoming the BEST THAT YOU CAN BE!!!

Jay has everything you want in an instructor: Knowledge, Patience and the willingness to share. I've leanrned from a lot of teachers in the past 3 years. All have been darn good. What seperates Jay from the pack is his ability to take what I say and what I do and formulate feedback so I can correct myself.
He also has an awesome extreme streching segment after a workout that will highlight some of your mobility issues.

I recently attended and completed an HKC certification taught by Jay. I have previously completed other certifications from both USAW and Crossfit. The HKC certification was the simplest of the three (we only went into depth on three movements); however, the HKC was the best of the three. By best, I mean I got the most out of the class. The reason, in my opinion, was Jay. Jay is a teacher. He is a teacher in the purest sense of the word. He knows how to take a concept and explain it in such a way that his audience can understand it. In other words, he is not just reading off a cue card or repeating some script that the corporate office gave him. He understands kettlebells and fitness from his years of experience and research. He possesses the communication skills and repertoire of coaching demos to explain the concepts in many different ways. If someone in the class didn't quite get the lesson. He would stop the class and explain it in a different way. Our individual comprehension of the principles of the kettlebells was his number one goal. He would force you to understand it. Jay has a passion for sharing his knowledge. He doesn't just go through the motions. This is in direct contrast to other certifications I've done where the instructor would give you enough information to pick out the correct answer on the multiple choice test. You pass the test, and you're certified. You will not leave a lesson with Jay without a deep and thorough understanding of the lesson he is teaching. I highly recommend Jay. He is a tremendous instructor. While Jay is in great shape, he may not have the biceps and lats of some Crossfit instructors or the quads of some USAW coaches, but if you are interested in LEARNING about kettlebells and fitness, there is no one better.

Jay Armstrong is a phenomenally talented instructor. He is incredibly talented at breaking down all of the kettlebell moves and then synthesizing them poetry in motion. I highly recommend Jay to EVERYONE who wants to learn kettlebells!

Jay's passion for kettlebells fills the room! He takes the time to communicate and share his knowledge and experiences in such an easy and simple way so that everyone can understand it, enjoy it and most importantly use and apply that knowledge to be healthier and help people get healthier. By spending time with Jay you will learn, you will get better and you will have fun while playing with kettlebells.

Jay like many great instructors made the difficult extremely easy and fun. I was doing the HKC Kettlebell certification and the little details made all the difference in the world with the different lifts we did. I've been involved in martial arts and weight training for over 20 years and I would highly recommend him and his services.

It is said there is power in knowledge. Training with Jay makes this statement so true on so many levels. I have been so fortunate to have Jay as my teacher, trainer, and mentor. It is rare in life to have someone cross your path that instills in you knowledge in such a way as to empower you both physically and mentally. If someone would have told me a year ago I would be attending kettlebell classes and loving it, I would have said, “What is a kettlebell?” Where I am today compared to where I began my journey some time ago, is amazing to me. I now know that there is nothing that I cannot accomplish. That accomplishment comes with training, and of course, practice. I have been in Jay’s HKC training classes where the abilities of the students are vast, from exceptional knowledge of the specific training to none at all. Jay has the unique ability to be able to teach everyone in the class something new without making it boring to those who have more knowledge or overwhelming to those that do not. That is quite a feat!! It is so incredible to know, without a doubt in your mind, that anything you wish to do is within your power. Jay has shown me that by breaking down the movements, and with practice, anything is within my grasp.

I attended Jay's HKC Kettlebell Certification this past weekend. It was outstanding! The course not only vastly improved my personal kettlebells skills, it provided me with tools and exercises to properly teach the movements. It has made me much more confident in coaching and it will help so many people at my gym improve their skills as well. Highly recommend.

I was 28 when I first discovered Kettlebells. I found Jay who has a real gift for teaching. His instruction was clear, focused and patient. Especially for someone like me who started from scratch. Jay gave just enough info and adjustments at just the right time. After 3 sessions I had the foundational excercises: swings, snatch,press and turkish get ups down solid. When I trained on my own, I felt a sense of core competence which is a big deal to me since kettlebells aren't something I can b.s. my way through without risk of serious injury. I also felt a core brute strength that I had never experienced from free weights. I happily drove an hour each week to the training, for several weeks plus his initial seminar. More than a year after my last session, Jay's lessons have still stuck. Unfortunately I find myself taking it a little "too easy" these days so I will be making the drive back out to League City to train with Jay again.

Jay is a helpful guy to say the least. I learned so much from his guidance at the Sept. 2008 RKC Certification that I was a totally different girevik coming out of it. If I had a problem, question, uncertainty, anything, Jay knew how to coach it. He is calm and approachable. He is exacting and professional. These are the necessary qualities of someone who instructs others.

Jay, David Cogswell and his wife Miriam Cogswell are not only extremely skilled and knowledgeable but they are gifted teachers as well. My wife and I just finished the Level 1 Workshop and it was well worth the time and money.
The facility is first class as well.

I signed up for one of the intro workshops and was very impressed. The group was mixed and Jay had a coach's eye for ability and form. At 37 years of age and having lifted weights off and on my adult life kettlebells was something new. The class was well paced and feedback was constant. I would highly recommend any one intereseted take the workshop and get ready for some amazing results via kettlebells. The team that was on hand to assist was equally impressive. I'm looking forward to coming back to Houston and learning more about the techniques offered. Thanks for the help and lifetime fitness routine

I am a Chiropractor with over 20 years experience and have a B.S. in Health and Pysical Ed. and I can say that I learned more about my body in a few hours with Jay and his team than I have learned in 20 plus years of formal "education", not to mention 40 plus years of working out ineffectively. I live in Louisiana and it was a bit of a hike to go to see Jay in Houston but it was worth the trip. He has always answered me e-mails and continues to encourage this 63 year old on his way to passing the RKC. Overall a great teacher and demonstrator. I have taken several of my more motivated friends and patients to Houston for a "SPECIAL" workshop that Jay put together just for them. He goes out of his way to help and teach.

Dr. John Sullivan

I recently took a class and the Level I Workshop. Here are my rating for the training received from Jay Armstrong

Instructor knowledge base: 10
Instructor's ability to communicate with all class participants: 10
Instructor's demonstrative skill: 10 - He takes time to break down the moves into easily understood segments...explains body mechanics.

Participants in class or workshops will definitely get an excellent return on their investment. Jay is totally accessible by email or phone. He is happy to answer all questions. His enthusiasm is catching. I am now thinking about training for RKC.

I became interested in Kettlebells through dragon door and Enter the Kettlebell book and DVD. Even though both were great I desperately wanted some hands on instruction locally. I googled and found Jay right here in Houston and they were happening to have an introduction class in the next 2 weeks. As you can imagine I was both excited and nervous since I have had a heart transplant recently and wasn't sure how well I would do. Jay and his team were totally awesome. The minute I met Jay and David they made me feel comfortable and enthusiastic about what I was about to learn. The instruction was great and gave me all the fundamentals to exercise safely and effectively with kettlebells. After several months I'm stronger than I've ever been in my life (at 49) and surprisingly my yoga practice has improved dramatically as well. I constantly am encouraging friends and family to learn kettlebells and encouraging all my friends in Houston to check out Jay and his excellent team.

After taking several group classes and a recent level 1 workshop with Jay, I can say that he has done an excellent job. His analysis of exercise form is discerning and insightful, and his numerous and frequent explanations and corrections far exceed what could be expected from a book or DVD. Jay does an excellent job of including students of all skill levels in a supportive manner, from rank beginner to pre-RKC, so that all feel included and appropriately instructed. After a cursory introduction to kettlebells from the CrossFit perspective, it was a pleasant surprise to learn from Jay the great diversity of exercises, strength and conditioning that can be achieved with kettlebells. I would recommend Jay highly to anyone considering kettlebells as vehicles for fitness development.

Anytime Kettlebells are introduced into a fitness center great instructors are needed. Jay defines that in his lessons and his energy about Kettebells and im very happy to have learned from him. Jay's instructions on Power with the blend of safety make for a great workout and maximum use of a great fitness product. Thank you Jay!

Being an educator, sports coach in the Health/Sciences field and a Master Instructor in the fitness field, I truly appreciate Jay's scientific yet intuitive approach to teaching Kettlebells. He has a direct yet supportive approach that gets the best out of everyone.
I am preparing for the RKC due to participating in his Level One course a few months ago. I left inspired and fired up for a new venture to add to my personal training arsenal.
After purchasing DVD???s/books he recommended, I decided to return to fine tune my skills and introduce my husband to a formal Kettlebell instruction. I picked up so many tips to fill in the blanks that the DVDs didn't articulate. My husband left with more Kettlebells and signed up for the next Level One workshop. In our class there were a majority of non regulars. Jay left no one behind and took the time to explain scientifically how and why things were happening, in a way that made sense, which everyone certainly appreciated. Jay's passion for teaching is apparent and his expertise is top notch.
Whether you have never touched a Kettlebell or are an avid Girevik, it's worth the trip to take a class or workshop with him. Not only will you learn something and get a great workout, you will have a laugh or two!

I'm 22 and for the past 6 months I have been training for bulking. I had heard about KB's when the 300 movie came out. KB's are a great way to tone and cut. When I got to the KB class I thought I was at least in good shape. Jay, was able to make me think twice about that. This was the best experience I have had in a workout. For me I was the only guy in a class of 7 and everyone was receiving personally training to tender their limitations.

Jay worked with me to fix my form and gave very great advice. He was a great teacher and I'm definitely going back to train some more at the Kettle Bell Club.

I had been rehabilitating past back and knee injuries with KBs and Pavel's DVDs. I ran across Jay's workshop online. This was my first 'live' KB instruction. Jay was superb in assisting me to get the basic KB moves correct in form while accommodating my limitations.

I urge anyone to take a workshop from Jay. You will get compassionate yet challenging guidance. Jay is a true teacher, because he could instruct all the students in our workshop, regardless of physical fitness level.

Anyone who takes Jay's workshop will have a great start to improved fitness with KBs. I really appreciated his assistance.

"Kettlebells get a two thumbs up from me for achieving weight loss, increasing physical strength and an overall feeling of well being. Over the past 3 1/2 months I have lost 19 pounds and at the age of 54 I am stronger than I have ever been in my life. I have really gotten a lot of compliments on my physical transformation in recent weeks. I don't feel matronly any more!

With the varied strength, ballistic and mobility exercises the classes are never routine, so I never get bored and always feel challenged. I was thrilled when I recently did a sumo deadlift with 80 pounds. That was unthinkable months ago.

I got into my sad physical state when I injured not one but both knees about three years ago. My solution was to lay in bed and eat as many sweets as I could get my mouth on. Bad idea. With Kettlebells and improved food choices (notice I did not say diet) the weight has begun to come off and my knees are better.

Being a Sunday sailor I want to keep up my strength and mobility. I can see Kettlebells helping me do that for years to come.

Keep up the good work and thanks for teaching Kettlebells!"
-- Debbie Kennedy - League City, Texas - June 27, 2007


Update August 7, 2007

I recently had blood drawn for testing. Last year at this time my cholesterol total was 250. My total now is 197.
For those who understand these things my bad cholesterol LDL went from 161 to 118. My ratio of good to bad cholesterol went from 3.6 to 1.8. My doctor's office used the word drastic in describing the decrease.

Thanks Jay and David. I could have never done it without your help. I really cannot say enough good things about Kettlebells and how it has improved my physical health. I recommend it to all will listen.