SHARI WAGNER

Shari Wagner is Denver Metro’s kettlebell expert. She has been certified and teaching kettlebells for 14 years. Shari was recognized for her expertise in the Russian style of kettlebell training and was promoted to a Team Leader position with Dragon Door’s prestigious Russian Kettlebell Challenge certification leadership team. She is the only RKC Team Leader and Level 2 certified instructor in the Denver Metro area.

Shari founded Iron Clad Fitness in 2009 with the mission to redefine fitness by helping people of all shapes, sizes, ages, and backgrounds. Through kettlebells Shari gained control over PCOS, eliminated chronic neck, back, and knee pain, and reversed Osteopenia in her spine. At Iron Clad Fitness, Shari inspires and supports members to reclaim their health, banish physical pain and build strength beyond what they think is possible.

“I didn’t grow up playing sports and I was never good at them. The word athlete didn’t exist in my life. I didn’t play on the monkey bars, or throw balls around in the yard. I was a weak and clumsy kid. I would dabble in exercise here and there and I always found myself more drawn to strength training, yet I had no actual strength. I was very sporadic with my training because I would either get bored or injured, or both.

In my early 30’s I was diagnosed with Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). I researched healthy eating plans to help manage my PCOS symptoms and had some success. However, I continued my habits of sporadic training and I was plagued with chronic neck and back pain from multiple disc herniations as well as chronic knee pain. I was also diagnosed with Osteopenia (low bone density).

Fast forward to 2007 – Enter The Kettlebell

Everything changed when I discovered kettlebells. I was having fun practicing my kettlebell technique while getting a great workout, and I wasn’t getting bored or stagnating. Most importantly, I wasn’t getting injured. I was lifting weights I never thought possible and building strength I didn’t know I had. Kettlebells were reshaping my body and my life. I saw a strong and muscular new physique emerge before my very eyes. My chronic neck, back and knee pain seemed to magically fall by the wayside and many of my PCOS symptoms became more manageable. My bone density numbers started rising, which meant I was building bone instead of losing it. Within a few years, the osteopenia in my spine was completely reversed.

I became a better cyclist, finally completing the Bike MS 150 mile 2-day bike tour, with NO knee or back pain and without crazy amounts of training! I tried snowboarding for the first time. I bent a bolt. I did my first-ever pull-up. I went rock climbing. I completed a sprint triathlon, again with very little tri-specific training. I found that I was becoming more adventurous and willing to try new physical activities because I finally had confidence in my physical abilities and in my body. I finally realized that I am an athlete.

My life was improving so greatly, that I had to share these amazing tools with others. It takes time, lots of training, passion, and dedication to become a Russian Kettlebell Challenge instructor (RKC). I decided to become an RKC instructor so that I could help others reach their strength and fitness goals, find their inner athlete, and improve their quality of life.”

When I’m not playing with kettlebells, you can find me on a nearby hiking trail or just enjoying time outdoors, knitting, crocheting, and other crafty things, spending time with our dogs and cats, or volunteering with our local greyhound adoption group.

Certifications:

RKC TL – Promoted to Team Leader, RKC Leadership Team, January 2016
RKC II – Level 2 Russian Kettlebell Challenge Instructor, April 2014
RKC – Russian Kettlebell Challenge Instructor, April 2009, October 2010, September 2012, October 2013
PN Level 2 Coach – Level 2 Precision Nutrition Coach, July 2015
PN Level 1 Coach – Precision Nutrition Coach, Level 1 November 2012, November 2014
CK-FMS – Certified Kettlebell Functional Movement Specialist, October 2010
TRX-STC – TRX Suspension Trainer, March 2010
CPR & First Aid, August 2012, February 2018