About FFI™

FFI™ are Irelands leading authority in Athletic Development / Performance and S&C qualifications. FFI™ are also one of the most sought after experts in team / athlete Athletic Development / Performance S&C training. 

FFI™ have worked with

  • Currently: Dublin Camogie Senior Selector and AP/S&C Coach 2020
  • 10 times world BJJ champion Roger Gracie and his academy
  • Dublin County Senior and Junior Camogie teams
  • Senior Club Hurling and Camogie teams
  • Junior club Camogie and Hurling teams

We are available to work with any athletes or teams.

When you train with FFI™ you will have one of Irelands most experienced tutors, Shane Nicoletti. Shane worked with the National Training Centre as a senior tutor for 13 years before setting up FFI™.

Shane taught on the personal trainer course, the Neuromuscular and physical therapy course and the Pilates instructor courses.  Shane is also a qualified

  • Neuromuscular & physical therapist
  • Athletic Development / Performance and Strength & Conditioning coach
  • Rehabilitation specialist,
  • Pilates and Corrective Exercise Rehabilitation Tutor

So you will receive quality education in the health fitness, AP / S&C sector.

FFI™ was the first and is the most experienced outdoor / indoor group kettlebells S&C training in Ireland. We started our fitness revolution as kettlebellsireland in 2006 and in 2010 we evolved into Function and Fitness Ireland FFI™.

Below is a list of our qualifications and skills.

Our Qualifications

Testimonials

Origin of Kettlebells

The kettlebell or girya (Russian: гиря) is a traditional Russian castiron weight looking somewhat like a cannonball with a handle. The kettlebell has become a popular exercise tool due largely to the efforts of strength and flexibility coach Pavel Tsatsouline and also by World Champion and world record holder Valery Fedorenko. Many companies produce their own brands of kettlebells and kettlebell exercise programs. Some modern kettlebells feature adjustable weights. Kettlebell workouts are intended to increase strength, endurance, agility and balance, challenging both the muscular and cardiovascular system with dynamic, total-body movements.

Kettlebell lifting has been nationally recognized and performed throughout the world for decades, and its competitive exercises are the 'Two Kettlebell Jerk' and 'One Kettlebell Snatch'; performed in that order for ten minutes each. The competitor with the highest overall score wins.

The Russian ‘Spetnaz’ (special forces) use kettlebells as part of their training regimes as well as the U.S. armed forces. More recently English Premiership football clubs have been using them for strength and conditioning, eg: Liverpool and Chelsea Football Clubs. Hollywood celebrities have started using kettlebells as part of their fitness programmes. Geri Halliwell used Kettlebells as part of her latest training regime to get into shape. So they must be good, right?

Pavel Tsatsouline

Former Spetnaz (Russian special forces) soldier Pavel Tsatsouline has introduced Kettlebell training to the United States where he helps train the U.S. armed forces, police and fire fighters, as well as the general public. As a result you can find American football teams adopting this form of training too.If you are a member of the general public Kettlebell training will melt away stubborn fat, tone and strengthen flabby arms, abs and legs. It will strengthen your core and back, and improve your mobility. Kettlebell training will also improve your heart and lung fitness. 

In the photo above, you can see Shane our head instructor receiving congratulations from Pavel for qualifying as a kettlebell instructor with the RKC in 2008.

Why Train with Kettlebells

Because it is the number 1, fat burning, hand held gym. This is one of the most versatile pieces of training equipment that you will ever need. The Russian kettlebell can be used to burn calories (big time), Tone, lengthen, or even build if you want? You can get strong and fast without getting big! It will even give you a cardio workout at the same time. The beauty of kettlebell training is that you don’t have to spend hours at a time. Each session can be from 10-30 minutes. Believe me, you can get a lot of work done in 10 minutes with a kettlebell, if you want?

Benefits of Kettlebell Training?  
Decreased body fat
Strengthens the core
Increased muscle tone
Increased mobility
Increased strength and endurance
Increased cardiorespiratory fitness
Improved body composition
Improved sports performance
Whole body functional training
Better quality of life
Less time spent training
Quick results and FUN

If you are serious about your health and fitness, if you want to reduce your body fat, tone your muscles, kettlebells are for you. If you want to get stronger and more explosive in your sports, kettlebells are definitely for you. If you are the kind of person that does not use their gym membership and has little time on their hands to train, kettlebell training is also for you.

Kettlebells have been used and tested by the US Secret Service, The Russian Special Forces, World MMA champions and athletes. The general public will benefit greatly from Kettlebell training, through a reduction of stubborn fat, to a stronger and more mobile body. Hollywood actors, actresses, musicians and singers use kettlebells as part of their training to look great when performing.

The first Class/workshop will show you the basics of the main techniques. From there on in, classes lasting from 20-45 mins, 2-3 times per week is all you need to get yourself into the greatest shape of your life. Now there is no need to spend money on an expensive gym membership that you will probably never use. One Kettlebell and you can train the whole body for a combination of strength and cardiorespiratory fitness.

Kettlebell training can be done in the park, at the beach, in the garden, or in your own home.

The main difference between Kettlebells and other free weights (barbells,dumbbells etc.) is that the weight in the Kettlebell is off-set from the centre. The Kettlebell recruits more stabilization muscle fibers and works your grip strength more. Because of this arrangement and with the bucket like handle, the range of exercises differ from exercises that you can do with a traditional dumbbell. Kettlebell movements mimic the way that our bodies should move with functional movement patterns. This type of training teaches our bodies correct movement skills and patterns.

All of the basic kettlebell movements involve triple extension of the ankle, knee and hip joints. Training these joints together with explosive kettlebell movements will improve your lower body power. The end result will be an improvement in your vertical jump, starting strength, power, sprint speed, reaction strength and a reduction in common  injuries, like hamstring strains or pulls. Apart from  lower body power, you will also develope upper body strength/power and strengthen your core. A strong core can also reduce the chances of athletes getting injured.

Kettlebell training also focuses on mobility of all the major joints in the body. A strong, mobile and powerful athlete is the end result of kettlebell training.

What other equipment do we use?

Barbells: Apart from using kettlebells we also use Barbells in our methods. We teach Olympic weightlifting techniques and derivitives of the classic movements.

Power clubs: We also teach power clubs training to our members and athletes in some cases. Power clubs are the oldest strength and conditioning tools known to mankind. Based on the warriors mace, gada or club, this tool is an excellent way to mobilise, strengthen and condition the full body. Power clubs promote training in all movement planes which in turn, mimics life and sporting movements.

Body weight: In all of our classes we teach some kind of body weight movements. Some movements will have either a Pilates or a yoga type twist to them. Most are primarily to help mobilise our computer athletes, but all are there to help you move better.

We promote real strength & fitness training that gets real results.

FFI™ tutors have been involved in teaching health and fitness instructors since the late 1990's, so you can be sure that you will be taught by experienced teachers of strength, health and fitness.

In The Press

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