EDITOR’S NOTE: Welcome to our 12 reps feature. In each appearance of 12 Reps, our coaches, writers, and occasional guests will be answering the same twelve questions each time. Go “into the locker-room” with them and get to know our coaches and writers a little bit better!
12 Reps with Kettlebell Expert Mike Mahler
1. Who was your first coach and what did he or she teach you?
Pavel Tsatsouline and he taught me his RKC kettlebell training system.
2. Who is the coach you most admire?
Brooks Kubik, author of Dinosaur Training. His book had a huge influence on how I approach training. I had the pleasure of teaching with him in the U.K. last year. Great guy and excellent writer.
3. If you could have a superhero power, what would it be?
The ability to fly would be incredible. Would certainly make getting around a lot more fun.
4. What athlete, dead or alive, would you most like to talk with?
Mike Tyson would be very interesting to talk to. He has had such a crazy life that and you could learn a lot from someone like him.
5. When did you know that coaching was your calling?
When I was eighteen I caught the training bug. After that it became an obsession and it was inevitable that I would get in the business.
6. What is the best and hardest part about being a coach?
It is very rewarding helping people take charge of their fitness and how doing so often improves all areas of their lives. The hardest part is trying to get people to realize that less is often more and the importance of restoration.
7. What is your favorite physical activity or exercise?
I love snowboarding and hiking. With training, if I had to pick one exercise it would be the kettlebell clean and press.
8. What is your favorite “cheat” food?
Coconut ice cream.
9. What is your biggest accomplishment?
I am most proud of the money I raised from my Live Life Aggressively book that I have used to support two important causes: wounded soldiers and abandoned animals. Many people also made some major life changes after reading the book and that is humbling to say the least.
10. What do you bring to your students/clients that is different than other coaches and programs?
A holistic approach that covers strength training, mobility work, restoration, my live life aggressively philosophy, and the big one that differentiates me from other coaches is my focus on the importance of natural hormone optimization.
11. What is you favorite quote?
“I like things to happen; and if they don’t happen, I like to make them happen.” – Winston Churchill
12. What was/is your favorite sport and why?
Far and away MMA! I love the visceral intensity of the sport and how much of a chess game it is. The display of athleticism and mental toughness in MMA is mind blowing.
Want more Mike Mahler? Well then,do four weeks of free workouts designed by him or read our two part interview.
If you missed any editions of 12 Reps, be sure to check out our archives. You never know who we might talk to and what might get said!
