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With a bit of time to spare in the morning I made sure I had a look around and get a coffee in before starting the workshop. After checking out the club it was clear to see that getting the kettlebells to the studio was not going to be easy. The closest I could get my van to the club was about 200 metres away which meant a lot of carrying. Thankfully I had a helpful PTFM to give me a hand. We kicked off the workshop with some more swings and progressed quickly onto snatches. Again everyone was picking up the techniques quickly which meant we could really challenge them. We went through numerous complexes, supersets and hybrids. The major aim of the Extreme Kettlebell Workshop is to give trainers an introduction and get a feel for bells. Well these guys were certainly getting that!
After finishing in Wiesbaden I made my way to Frankfurt, although I didn’t actually need to go there for a workshop, Frankfurt has always been a big favourite of mine. Over the past few years, all of the meetings and work I've done with fitness first has been based in Frankfurt so I've got to know it quite well. I had to stop off there and get some Gluwein and bratwurst! I stopped at one of the restaurants I knew of and stuffed my face with the local cuisine before jumping back in the van and making the 2 hour trip to Karlshrue. With spirits high and feeling well fed the journey went by quickly and I was in Karlshrue in no time, thanks to those autobahns!
The next morning I went to check out the gym, I'd learned my lesson from earlier experiences that getting there early and finding the place was important. Some of these clubs are hidden away in shopping centres and they're not that easy to find. Thankfully the club in Karlshrue had easy access and a goods lift, which made my life very easy! I’d been warned by one of the regional PT managers to look out for the PTFM at the club. Florence was there to greet and help out and I don't think I've met a more active, lively PTFM before! Although by the end of the workshop she was just starting to go quiet! Had a great workshop here and the group were very keen to push themselves! They even went away with a few Trojan Lifting T-shirts as a souvenir.
After saying my goodbyes to all at the club and packing up the van it was time to drive to Munich. Now many of you may be thinking, wow Tommy must have seen so much! Well in actual fact I've hardly seen anything, most of my travelling has been done by night so some of Germany's best scenery has just been a blanket of black. The trip to Munich is quite a spectacular one as I've seen bits of it before. However this time as I snaked through the hills all I could see were the oncoming head lights. The only thing that kept me going was the thought of real Bavarian beer at the other end. So I got through the 200 miles and made my way into to Munich centre. I found what looked like a good beer house so parked up and made my way to the bar! Sitting back and relaxing with a good beer in Munich is always something that I savour and this time was no different to any other. I even tried a few more Munchen and Nuremburg sausages. What a way to spend a Wednesday night!
Thursday morning and I had a few hours to kill before the workshop. I'd already managed to find the club the night before when I drove in so I headed straight into town to see the sights. Possibly the first sights I'd really seen all trip! Munich has an impressive array of cathedrals and churches all within a stone's throw from each other. So when it hits the hour, you're in for an orchestra of bells! I relaxed back with a cappuccino and soaked up the sun before it disappeared behind the church spires. With a couple of hours still before the workshop I made my way to the club to do a bit of work and catch up on a few things. I was greeted by the PTFM, who spoke a little bit of English, but assured me that he was probably the best English speaker in the group. Oh! This workshop could be interesting! We managed to get through without too many misunderstandings. Over the last 4 days I've become used to speaking very slowly and in a funny tone, I hope when I get back to London I can snap out of it quickly otherwise people will think I'm foreign!
I didn’t hang around in Munich, as I had to drive to the other end of the country over night, so I though the sooner I leave the better. Unfortunately I was left at the height of traffic which meant it took me 2 hours to do 20 miles. I wasn't happy! However, I got on with it and soon the traffic was flowing and the miles were counting down, all 500 of them! If I kept going I was due to arrive in Hamburg at 1am. But luck just didn't seem to be on my side. As I made my way along another rollercoaster like autobahn, I saw some blue flashing lights behind me. I thought, oh dear, what have I done? Well it can’t have been speeding because there was no limit! The police pulled in front of me a directed me into a parking area off the main road. Getting out of my van I was quickly ushered away from the vehicle by 3 policemen. They started talking to me in German at which point I quickly said, 'sorry only English', hoping that that wouldn't annoy them further. Thankfully all they wanted to do was check my van for customs and to see that I wasn’t doing anything illegal. They asked what was in the back, so I said 'big steel balls with handles on'. They didn't understand, so I opened the back and showed them. At that point they started laughing and saying 'ah ya Strongman'!
So all was fine and they let me go on my way to Hamburg with another story to tell when I get back to England. Time was getting on and as the clock neared midnight my energy levels were dropping. So it was time for some late night German radio! Some old classics to sing along managed to get me going again and give me some much need alertness. I eventually made it to Hamburg and went straight to bed.
I had arrange to meet a friend who works for fitness first at the club for 9, so I went into town and met up with Seb for a coffee and a catch up. The kettlebell delivery then arrived and the Hamburg club are now the proud owners of some lovely bells! The workshop was the biggest yet and we had a lot of trainers getting involved.

So after saying my goodbyes, I packed up the van, set my satnav for London and off I went. Unfortunately, this was not going to be a leisurely drive, I had to be back in London for 8am to run and Advanced Kettlebell Course. After going through possibly the longest road works I’ve ever seen and making my way through Germany, Holland, Belgium and France I got to the tunnel in the middle of the night and waited for my train. I got back into London at 3am, caught a few hours kip and then it was time for the Advanced Course.

For more information on Fitness First Germany, please go to http://www.fitnessfirst.de/

For more information on the Kettlebell courses we run, please go to http://www.optimallifefitness.com/