Kat Tabakova (full name Ekaterina Gabrielle Tabakova) is a Strength and Conditioning Coach, StrongFirst Kettlebell Hardstyle Instructor and IKSFA Girevoy Sport Instructor, Calisthenics Coach and Movement and Performance Therapy Specialist. Kat lives in New Zealand and coaches worldwide.
Fitness Minimalism is a philosophy in which you focus your training time on a small number of carefully selected and optimized activities that strongly support things you value – lifelong function, health, strength, mobility etc – and then happily miss out on everything else.
Certifications:
Certified Auckland University of Technology Level 4 Personal TrainerCertified StrongFirst SFG Kettlebell Instructor (Levels I & II)
Certified RehabU Movement and Performance Therapy Specialist (Levels I & II)Certified RehabU Mobility Fundamentals Coach
Certified Auckland University of Technology Group Fitness Instructor
Certified IKSFA Girevoy Sport Coach
Certified Crossfit Gymnastics Trainer
Certified Precision Nutrition Level 1 Coach
Achievements:
SINISTER Hardstyle Kettlebell Challenge – first and only New Zealander to achieve – 2019
Kettlebell Sport National Record in Snatch – 2019
Kettlebell Sport National Record in One Arm Long Cycle – 2018
Crossfit Australasia Regionals – 2013, 2014
Powerlifting North Island Championship – 1st Place – 2008
For all that I am, I stand on the shoulders on giants. Some of them are:
– My parents, Ludmila and Vladimir Tabakovi for making learning and health a priority and being an example of hard work, commitment and perseverance,
– My English tutors in Russia, for making learning English language fun.
– My Jewish Sunday School teachers, for instilling a love of Jewish culture and making my childhood magical.
– My middle school English language teacher, Janna Alexandrovna, for believing I can do better and not settling for mediocrity.
– My Senior College of New Zealand teachers: Economics teacher Mr Cahill, Chemistry teacher Mr Frank Liu, English Literature teacher Ms Beresford – for making me fall in love with the subjects I was learning in my third language.
– My Business Ethics professor Ross McDonald – for passionate thought-provoking classes and recommending amazing books.
– My first fitness profession mentor, Matt Newey – for his wicked sense of humour, drive, care for his clients and being a great role model.
– My first CrossFit coach, Gareth O’Donnell – for teaching me the importance of understanding biomechanics, working hard, being honest and never giving up.
– My StrongFirst instructors Fabio Zonin and Shaun Cairns – for sharing their vast knowledge in a fun and accessible way, and patiently answering all my questions 🙂
– My friend and mentor, Nutritionist and Author, Maria Middlestead – for being an amazing human, role model and friend.
– Mai-Linh Dovan of RehabU for teaching me the foundations of applied evidence-based physiotherapy and diagnosis-inclusive rehabilitation.
– My best friend since childhood, Yuliya Sokolovskaya, for being an inspiration in personal life and work, for never giving up on our friendship even though we live oceans apart, for not being afraid to ask the tough questions.
– all the authors of the hundreds of books that taught (and continue to teach) me so much. I am grateful to be living in the world where we have access to so much knowledge, and I try to pay this gratitude forward through my YouTube channel Kat’s Kettlebell Dojo, my Instagram Kettlebellacademynz, my blog and my coaching practice.
Kettlebell Academy of New Zealand 