Wonder Woman Wednesday: Lauren Heyne

Before she started training at Seattle Kettlebell Club, Lauren Heyne admits to not exercising regularly for ten years. Starting with the club in the days when owner Nikolai Puchlov used to teach classes in the park, Heyne gets her sweat on 3-4 times a week at SKC.

“I liked that the classes were short enough but also managed to work a bunch of different muscles, and I was able to do it.” Heyne said. “I didn’t feel immediately defeated.”

Prior to coming to SKC, Heyne enjoyed walking or riding her bike as forms of transportation, but now thanks to kettlebell training, she finds those activities a lot more enjoyable. Some of her favorite places to bike are Beacon Hill and The Chief Sealth Trail.

"The thing I noticed after I started coming regularly was that when I was riding my bike up a hill, I wasn’t out of breath, and I wasn’t tired,” Heyne said. “After about six months, pants that I didn’t think fit me fit me again.” 

Heyne has also noticed that since starting at SKC, she’s also been more conscious about her diet, but she believes in balance.

“One reason I exercise is so I can have a beer every day. I want to be able to do that,” Heyne said. “I wanna be able to eat pasta sometimes too.”

Heyne takes the Sport classes 3 times a week and the Kettlefit (previously known as GAP) once a week.

“I like the Sport for the endurance and the consistency, and it’s easy to see your growth and meet personal goals,” Heyne said. “For the Kettlefit, I like the quickness and the muscle isolation.”

For those new to kettlebell training, Heyne’s biggest suggestion to people who are just giving kettlebells a swing for the first time is to "dial it down."

“I think that people get the higher weight and go way too hard,” Heyne said. “I think it’s way smarter to listen to your body.”

Heyne reminisces about the beginning days at SKC when the classes were much smaller, and she notes she still has an award for perfect attendance she received almost 3 years ago. One thing that keeps her coming to the club as it grows is the caring nature of the owners and trainers.

“I’d get a text from Nikolai if I didn’t show up,” Heyne said. “I notice when I haven’t seen someone who comes to class regularly. That matters to me a lot when someone notices when I’m gone.”

Living in Seattle since she was six, Heyne graduated from UW with a degree in Linguistics, and she currently works as a consultant for a financial services firm. She has been married for 22 years, and her 20-year-old son is currently attending St. John’s in New York studying TV and Film

When she’s not kicking butt at SKC, Heyne also enjoys lawn bowling. She mentions that she likes the social aspects of lawn bowling versus the competitive nature behind it, which is the reason she enjoys SKC so much too.

“I like the people, and I like the activity. If I don’t like it, I’m not going to do it. I’m not that person,” Heyne said.

-Camille Borodey 

Transformation Tuesday: Adam Price

Adam Price first heard about kettlebells when his daughter was in kindergarten, and she had a friend whose father, a police officer, mentioned training with kettlebells.

After spending a year in Ecuador and returning to the states, eating bigger portions and working a desk job had led Price on a search for fitness.  He dabbled in CrossFit and circuit training, but had a hard time finding a workout routine that he was passionate about. After stumbling upon Seattle Kettlebell Club, he feels like he’s finally found a gym that matches all his needs. While he has nothing against CrossFit, he found that he kept getting injured. 

“My goal in fitness is to be able to do fun stuff. That's my idea of a good level of fitness,” Price said. 

Before traveling to Ecuador in 2004, Price was inspired to go to Australia after reading Bruce Chatwin’s The Songlines but ended up being sent to Brazil for an exchange program. He decided to go to Chile as well and ended up spending several summers there. 

While in Chile, Price was on a quest for some volunteer work, so he ended up assisting a textile analyst in disassembling 1500-year-old Mummies and putting them in a humidification chamber for day long cycles. 

“There’s that party game Three Truths and a Lie, and when we play that, I always say that I carried around dead bodies in garbage bags, and I ripped someone’s head off, literally,” Price said. “Those are my two truths. Then I add some really boring lie like I’ve never been to Cleveland or something.” 

After leaving Chile, Price went to Ecuador with the intention of convincing his wife, who he met at college in the states, to marry him, but he also found himself playing semi pro basketball. His team even won a National Tournament. Price considers himself an average height, but in Ecuador he was the tallest guy in the league.

“The coaches’ brother saw me playing in the streets, and thought I was the tallest guy in the country” Price said.

When he wasn’t shooting hoops, Price tutored in English and Math while he was in Ecuador. Holding a B.A in Math Master’ s degree in teaching, he used to work as an elementary school teacher. 

These days, Price, who also has a Master’s in civil engineering, works as a hydraulic engineer in the army core, but recently cut back on hours to focus on family. 

“I’m able to play with my kid and dog, and go hiking with my wife, and it’s not a big deal,” Price said. “Use this activity [kettlebells] as a tool to be fit for everything you want to do in your life instead of saving up all your tolerance, energy, and your pain thresholds to throw into the workout.”

“I know that in the 45 minutes I’m going to get tired, and I’m going to get a good workout,” Price said. “I’m going to see people that are friendly, and the next day I’m going to feel really good and healthy.”

Price also praises the trainers at SKC on letting members set their own level of effort making and for fostering a less intimidating environment.

“I’ve been coming in at least 4 times a week, and I’ve been doing that for basically 9 months injury free, and I feel like I’m moving a lot of weight around, and not getting injured, and I’m 42,” Price said. “That’s good living after 40.”

Visit www.seattlekettlebellclub.com/join to get started on your fitness journey today.