"When it comes to choosing a trainer ...

  Skill matters..."

Photograph of Karen Rudiger in her signature pose; hand balancing on a ball.


What are you working on? RM

Question everything that doesn't feel right ...

... then seek the guidance of an athlete to help you correct it.

      My sport of passion is extreme snow skiing and freestyle skiing. I can run a 5 minute mile, do a one handed chin up, and demonstrate many skills for all levels of fitness training. I am 59 years of age. The photo above is me hand balancing on a ball. Let's call this an illustration for a challenge into midlife. 

A little story; Ten years ago I was working-out in the gym with another trainer/circus performer. I was practicing a cross training routine for skiing, where I stand on basket ball, perform squats and one legged squats. My friend and I challenged one another with our routines for strength, balance and flexibility skills. We played like children and a thought came to mind to try hand-balancing on a ball. The goal became a playful inspiration, but first I had to learn 'how to' hand-balance, my sports never required hand balancing acts. This is were having an experienced circus buddy in the gym to spot me made the learning curve easy! From that day forward, I held the goal in my minds eye and committed to an exercise regiment. Refined my practice by dissecting and correcting postures. Explored the physics, strengthened my weak links and incrementally built the body mechanics to hand balance on a ball. I practiced balancing everywhere; on a surf board, the rocks, park benches and fences, tables and chairs and even in the hallways waiting for an elevator..... hand balancing became a "slow moving" new sport for me.  Different from extreme snow skiing, body building, power lifting, cycling, mountain biking and other athletics I pursued in the past. Hand balancing is no different from learning any other physical skill. Practice requires practice, it is the process of working for an outcome until you finally succeed the goal.