By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
Serving in the Armed Forces was the last thing David Cogswell ever thought he’d do. “The Vietnam War had just ended, and I had no desire to join the military. One of my high school teachers thought I’d be great in the military. I said, ‘no way,’ I intended to play baseball,” said Cogswell.
Off to Florida he went to attend college and play ball. In his second year playing ball, the coach decided he didn’t need Cogswell on the team. David found himself working in construction before the economy took a dive, and he was floating between jobs. That is until the Blue Angels flew over.
“I saw those planes and knew what I wanted to do,” said Cogswell. But the hitch was he knew he didn’t want to be on a ship, so he did not join the Navy. He went to an Air Force recruiting office and was advised to pursue the Pararescue Special Forces Unit of the Air Force.
With Air Force basic training finished, he began focusing on getting into the Pararescue unit. Entrance to the elite unit required passing a rigid physical fitness test along with an academic exam. Upon passing the initial tests, he attended a 13-week training period during which many others dropped out of the program.
“We worked out for six hours every day during the 13-week training. Along with physical training we were trained in anatomy and physiology and dive physics,” shared Cogswell. After that it was jump school and then more training in survival school.
Taking all the skills and knowledge the trainees had acquired, they were gathered at Kirkland Air Force Base in New Mexico where they learned the fine details of pararescue work.
The Air Force Pararescue Unit is an elite combat force trained, organized, and equipped to conduct full spectrum rescues. During times of conflict an Air Force Pararescue unit may be called upon to rescue military personnel or civilians in a combat zone.
During Cogswell’s tenure as a Pararescue member, the US was not engaged in international war, so he did not have the opportunity to use his skills in combat. His unit was called on to rescue civilians in difficult water terrain throughout the US.
After six years serving our nation, he took a job with a petrochemical company in the Houston region. His specific skills were utilized as a safety and security manager, and he instructed firefighters in HazMat operations.
Staying in great shape and ready to jump to rescue someone at any moment meant he would find a fitness program that gave him the most efficient workout with maximum results. That is how he landed on Kettlebells.
His wife, Miriam, and he began training with Kettlebells as individuals and as a duo. They won several championships. Then they moved from focusing on their own fitness and well-being to becoming certified Kettlebell instructors.
“Kettlebells is a whole-body workout including cardio and flexibility,” explained Miriam. The two of them teach others to properly use Kettlebells as a form of physical fitness. Their studio is in League City and people find them by word of mouth or through internet research. Their website is their only advertising medium.
“One hour three times a week working with Kettlebells gives you everything you need to be healthy and strong,” both David and Mariam shared.
“It’s a good workout in a short period of time and you can do it almost anywhere,” explained Miriam.
A Kettlebell is shaped like a cannon ball with a handle on the top and is made of cast iron. They come in varying weights just like dumbbells.
“What makes a Kettlebell workout unique and effective is that while working with a Kettlebell the bell is offset from the body so that you are using opposing muscles as you work with it. The ball is always pulling away from your body which is how the opposing muscles become engaged,” explained David.
Miriam and David work with clients for up to six lessons and often their clients then move on to working out on their own. Some of their clients elect to come for frequent sessions.
Kettlebells originated in Russia as a weight for measuring crops. They evolved to be used by strongmen in circus shows and then became a Russian sport. Eventually the sport was introduced to the United States. Kettlebell workouts are mostly used now by professional athletes, the military and others who want to keep their body in top shape.
David and Miriam are focused on keeping people safe and helping them to reach their physical fitness goals. If you have any doubt about the success rate of a Kettlebell workout, you can watch one of them demonstrate the complicated moves and then ask them their age and judge for yourself the value of a Kettlebell workout.
Of course, as with any fitness plan, Kettlebells are not suited for every individual and the couple do a complete evaluation of potential clients before they begin any training.
