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Motivation and Goals

Finding Strength in Strength

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Steve Llewellyn bridge

It has been well documented that exercise is good for our physical health but more recently the benefits of exercise have shown to have a great impact on our neurological and mental health.

Stress, anxiety and depression are conditions which are incredibly common in modern day western society. Our bodies and brains are susceptible to becoming overawed by the increasingly demanding pace of our lives as we attempt to manage a career, family life and eating healthily while still finding time to exercise. Add to this the fact that a rapidly increasing number of adults spend two hours commuting to their day job and then spend eight hours or more hunched over a desk–we have more than a few reasons that self-care gets neglected.

And while the general populous are well informed of the psychological effects of traditional cardiovascular pursuits (mostly running), it is less well known that strength training can have a profound effect on the human brain and a recent study made a direct link between resistance training and a decreased risk of dementia.

My own story draws lots of parallels with the points already touched upon.

I am someone who has experienced feelings of depression and generalized anxiety since my teens. I won’t delve into the reasons and just keep it relevant to the article, instead I want to share how strength and fitness has given me the tools to deal with it.

For years I masked these overwhelming thoughts and feelings through self-medication and isolation from situations which were uncomfortable, thus compounding those original triggers and behaviors.

I wanted to change my thoughts, behaviors and environment and escape the mental prison I had built for myself. Self-medicating was the only (albeit temporary) way out I knew. I had also been prescribed various medications which did not help and probably even made things worse.

It was then at the age of 25 that I decided I wanted to join a gym. I figured I could find a new outlet, a new, healthy obsession that built me up instead of dismantling my already frail body and mind.

So, with the support of an old school friend who had recently got back in touch, I took the plunge and signed a contract at a local chain gym.

It was tough going for a few months at least, out of my comfort zone and into a neon lit space full of people who very body conscious and (in my paranoid head) judgemental of skinny newbies invading their sacred space. On closer inspection however, I realized that I was not the only one who was unsure of themselves. There were lots of people pushing weights, sweating on running machines who looked like they were not necessarily enjoying what they were doing but still they were there, putting in the graft because somehow, they knew it was important. This inspired me to not quit when the going got tough, when I didn’t feel like driving to the gym to workout, when I wanted to lie in bed and eat junk food instead.

Steve Llewellyn crane hold

But gradually, things began to change. I started to notice an increase in energy levels, my physique was changing, muscles were starting to appear, and my mindset began to shift. My mood was more upbeat and my ‘stress cup’ was bigger. When the dark clouds did gather in my mind, they didn’t stay as long, and I could tell myself that they would pass instead of crumbling under the feelings. I started to give thought to how the weekend binges were having on me and I began to question whether I wanted to stifle my newly acquired gains with the habits I knew so well. The biggest shift was in starting to look forward to working out every other day rather than a thing to fear and dread like some necessary evil that must be endured to feel good about myself.

Over time, I curbed the drinking (no more binges) quit smoking and a new-found sense of belief and confidence took their place thanks to my now fully ingrained ‘gym addiction’. A few years later I discovered the magic of bodyweight calisthenics and from then I knew that I had found something that would keep giving back to me as long as I paid my dues.

As we draw towards the end of another year, men and women everywhere will begin a period of self-reflection, they will question the way they look, the way they perceive themselves and then tell themselves they really ought to start looking after themselves more in the new year. Many will join a gym (not for the first time) and will tell themselves they must go. That’s all good. However, it’s a sad fact that most gyms are full to bursting in January with eager new recruits but by March too many have lost patience or will to succeed and fall off the fitness wagon before repeating the same cycle next year.

The irony is that nobody actually needs a gym membership to improve any part of their health. Part of the beauty of bodyweight calisthenics and all the progressions taught at the PCC require nothing but something to pull on and the floor beneath you. And as Al Kavadlo says, “If you don’t have the floor beneath you then you have much bigger problems”.

Steve Llewellyn dragon flag

Even thirty minutes of brisk walking a day in the fresh air can have a hugely positive effect on both physical and mental wellbeing. These days, my training equipment checklist consists of little more than a skipping rope, a pair of gymnastic rings and a tree in the park to hang them from.

Of course, I am not suggesting that doing a bunch of push ups and pull ups will completely rewire your brain and make the pain of having a mental health difficulty go away. I still have days where I feel low for sure. No, I am saying that training my body gives me the most incredible coping mechanism imaginable, which means I can accept myself, my thoughts and feelings without drowning in them. Strength training has given me self-respect and made me a better husband and father, not to mention a pretty decent body for a guy over 40. I am truly thankful for having found strength in strength. Now, as a coach and personal trainer, my mission is to inspire other men just like me to be the best they can be.

 

****

Steve Llewellyn is a personal trainer and PCC Instructor from Birmingham, UK who specializes in helping men over 40 discover a passion for becoming stronger, healthier and changing mindset around nutrition and recovery. He runs 1:1 and small group training at The Bodyweight Basement. He can be contacted at bodyweightbasement.co.uk or email: stevellewellyn99@hotmail.co.uk Follow him on Facebook facebook.com/trainersteve99/

My Get Strong Transformation Challenge Story

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Brian Stramel Before After Get Strong Challenge

“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”
-Zen proverb

I bought Get Strong when it first came out at the introductory price, and eagerly read it in a day or two. I was no stranger to calisthenics and it looked like a great program… that I would start as soon as I finished up what I was doing at the time. At the time, I didn’t even consider entering the 16-week challenge.

I was also not paying close enough attention to my nutrition, even though I was keeping up with my workouts. Mostly owing to my love of craft beer, my weight had crept up to an all-time high. I remember feeling just blah. I didn’t move as well, and my belly was pressing into my shirt–worse yet, it was pressing into my Army (National Guard) uniform. That was it, I decided I needed to fix this! But, was the Get Strong 16 Week Transformation Challenge still going on?

So, I squeeked my entry in at the last minute, and took my Phase 1 Test on June 30th. Checking my log, I beat the test standards on every exercise except for the active hang. My grip gave out right at the 60 second mark on that one.

I got motivated to build an outdoor bodyweight gym, and did that as a 4th of July project.

Onward into Phase 2!

Phase 2 was a wake-up call for me. I had a solid foundation already, so I passed weeks 1-4 as written with no issues. Slow, controlled reps, I even spent extra time on the handstands. But, the Phase 2 test was another story. I failed on handstands, so it was back to weeks 3 and 4. I failed again, so rinse and repeat!

During this time, we also took our family vacation. Since Get Strong just relies on something to step up on and pull on (and the workouts are short) I could keep up with my Phase 2 workouts on vacation without it detracting from family time, even while camping!

Back from vacation, I was able to pass those pesky Phase 2 handstands and move on to Phase 3. Phase 3 was a lot of fun, I enjoyed the split routines and extra volume devoted to the upper and lower body on their respective days. Handstands remained a challenge and while I passed week 3 as written, it was at the raggedy edge of my ability. So, I camped out in week 4 for a few weeks and just passed the Phase 3 test on October 23rd.

I met my goal of getting to Phase 4 by the end of the 16-week challenge timeline. I know the real work is just beginning as I work steadily towards the Phase 4 test.

By focusing on my workouts, dialing in my nutrition, and eliminating most of the empty beer calories, perhaps dabbling with intermittent fasting (thanks for the tip Al!), I have made tremendous progress over these 16 weeks. The stats: I lowered my body fat by 7%–from 16% down to 9% (digital caliper measured). I dropped 23lbs and lost six and a half inches from my belly and over three inches from my waist! More importantly, I look and feel better than I did a decade ago when I returned from a tour in Afghanistan, and I was in great shape then.

The final bonus of this journey is that I witnessed a really cool culture of fitness develop within my family. The kids (8, 8, and 13) call the bodyweight rig the “ninja gym” after American Ninja Warrior and love playing on it. They also all knocked out at least one chin-up after getting inspired by watching me work out. My wife is feeling left out as the only one in the family who can’t do one. That won’t last, however. She’s now passed her phase 1 test and is determined to surpass her chin up goal!

***

Brian Stramel is the Grand Prize Winner of The GET STRONG 16-Week Transformation Challenge

Embrace the Journey – Lessons from the Pull Up Bar

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Carl Phillips and Danny Kavadlo

“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities,
but in the expert’s there are few.” – Shunryu Suzuki

Too often in life we want to rush ahead. We want to be better, more informed, more polished. What we don’t always want to respect is the process required for getting to that point. Our strength and fitness training journeys are a case in point.

The truth is, earning our stripes and getting good at just about anything in life takes time. It takes energy and focus. It takes a lot of hard work. It isn’t always pretty but the work involved in getting better is absolutely necessary.

Practice, persistence and patience are often requirements for improving. Not as sexy as “8 Minute Abs” or “Deadlift 500 pounds with These 5 Secret Steps,” but we know from bitter experience that the snake oil pitches rarely work. Hacks and shortcuts aren’t usually the road to our goals we hope they’ll be.

Learning to Appreciate the Grind

A certain amount of grind—showing up and doing the work—is necessary in most endeavours. Sticking points are inevitable the further we move away from beginner status. The more we spend time and effort engaged in a particular task, the more chance of hitting the point of diminishing returns.

How do we retain our enthusiasm for our goals when we hit these points?

One potential answer is to learn to embrace the journey. We immerse ourselves in the process of just trying to get a tiny bit better. We focus on incremental increases. and throw away comparisons to others. We’re doing this for us so the only point of comparison should be to ourselves, when we started out. Acknowledging and appreciating how far we’ve already come.

Personal Examples – Tussles with the Pull Up Bar

A personal example may be in order.

I’m a practitioner and fan of calisthenics. I’ve included some form of bodyweight basics in all my workouts for over two decades. As I’ve grown older, more and more of my workouts have become bodyweight based. It has been a constant for me. I find this form of training endlessly fascinating. I love the raw simplicity. I find the type of strength it develops to be so much more impressive than just lifting ever more external weight. A perfect front lever or pistol squat is a beautiful thing to witness.

However, along the way I have often run into spells of frustration with a perceived lack of progress, or when I hit plateaus. This frustration gets me nowhere fast and just leads to me enjoying my exercise sessions much less. Even dreading them a little at times, looking for an excuse not to practice. Not ideal.

Enter the Kavadlos

Along this journey I’ve sought out the lessons learned from those ahead of me, who possess a larger degree of expertise. In the world of calisthenics, the Kavadlo surname kept on popping up on my radar. The tattooed brothers from New York not only walk the talk, but also write with a stripped back clarity that is rare in the fitness realm. I became an immediate fan.

In a world of fitness bombast and dogma, the Al and Danny’s message was that many ways can work. Yes, they presented ideas and frameworks for their readers from their own hard won success and experience, but they also encouraged us to find our own way. To experiment and find what works and fits best for us.

The brothers approach their work applying an almost Zen-like “Beginner’s Mind.” They know that although many of us seek them out as experts, they are also still students in strength themselves. Never afraid to challenge their own ideas. Never afraid to learn more.

This message resonated with me deeply. I read every book the brothers put out. I nodded along, laughed at the humour and appreciated the deep wisdom in some of the words. What I wasn’t always good at was putting what I read into practice. There was a gap in me applying some of the lessons I was learning when it came to working out. This was particularly true in the case of embracing the process for its own end, rather than being focused on an external goal (more pull ups, less fat etc).

I’m pleased to say this changed in a big way last year. A major catalyst for this change was that I actually got some in person time with Danny Kavadlo.

Carl Phillips and Danny Kavadlo

While both the brothers are incredible writers from my perspective, nothing can really compare to an in person experience. I sought out some of Danny’s time on a visit to New York. To be honest, I wasn’t really expecting to be able to get any time with him as I knew there was a Dragon Door PCC workshop in town during our stay. However, I got lucky and Danny was able to find some time for me to not only have a 1 to 1 work session, but also spend a little time talking about his approach to life. The talk turned into a series of posts elsewhere (here, here and here.)

Danny has a motivating presence. He is truly the larger than life character you hope he will be. He also just seems a great guy, both interesting and interested. He exudes an energy and confidence that is tough to fake. In short, he seems very much like the real deal.

The lessons from that sunny and hot day on the legendary Tompkins Square Park bars will stay with me forever. It is an experience I truly cherish. One of the biggest takeaways from the many I had that day was the fact that there really are no shortcuts. No tricks that will get me to double my pull ups overnight. No hacks I was missing out on. We have to embrace the grind at a certain point. It’s part and parcel of the journey. However, our achievements are also all the richer for this journey.

The time with Danny inspired me but it also made me re-evaluate. It made me take stock. It has led to a shift in how I approach my workouts. I have chosen to embrace the journey. See the plateaus as a necessary part of the journey. Understand that sometimes they’re my body’s way of telling me to back off a little and/or change something. I hope to be at this for my entire life, so really, what’s the rush?

The result of this renewed approach is I get frustrated much, much less. I enjoy my workouts a whole lot more, even approaching them with a practice mindset at times (trying to refine a skill) rather than beating myself into the ground. As importantly, this has led to improved performance in a few areas of focus. I’m no Olympic level gymnast but I’m okay with that and that’s never been the aim. As long as I am improving from where I started and have been, something is going right.

For me, getting some expert tuition and cues from someone far ahead of me in capability and experience has been a game changer. I would encourage anyone interested in strength and fitness to seek out the same in person experience. If you are a bodyweight enthusiast like me, you can do no better than getting some of Danny or Al’s time (or both at a PCC).

The Obstacles Will Always Be There

I try to let this approach, and the lessons I’ve learned from it, spill over into other aspects of my life. Embracing the journey for its own sake in whatever I am applying myself to. I don’t always achieve that goal and still get frustrated at times but I’m getting better. I’m more consistent.

The pull up bar will always be there. However good I get at getting myself up to it, someone else will be able to do more reps, with a cleaner technique and that’s okay. It’s inspiring. All I can do is be committed to make my reps the best they can be for that day. Clean up my own technique, try not to leak strength or waste effort. Drive for that perfect pull up. Know that I gave the bar my best today and commit to showing up again and again to do more of the same.

We can all decide to embrace and appreciate the journey. Doing so often proves so much more fruitful than fighting it. The journey is where we spend a part of ourselves. Where we work towards our goals, where we earn our own prizes.

***

Carl Phillips writes short books full of big ideas and is the proud owner of Frictionless Living which is focused on helping readers live simpler, finding focus and clarity in distracted times. He is also a calisthenics enthusiast.

Take Hold Of The Flame

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FREAKSHOW Danny Kavadlo

Recently I received an email from a friendly fitness follower. This is what he asked: “Hey, Danny, how do you stay so motivated?” Well thanks for asking! But the truth is: I don’t!

That’s right. I don’t.

There is a fire burning deep within me. It’s in you too! This fire makes me move, helps me survive the night and execute what I must. But this fire is not motivation. There are days when I wake up and I simply don’t know what the hell.

  • How am I going to pay my bills?
  • How can I be a better man?
  • A better trainer?
  • How am I going to feed my son and go on another day?
  • And those damn pull-ups…. When can I find the time?

To evoke the California thrash band Suicidal Tendencies, “How can I laugh tomorrow when I can’t even smile today?”

Sometimes I’m terrified—not motivated at all—but very afraid. Yet somehow, I keep a roof over my head. I work. I cook breakfast. I pay my bills and take my kid to school. And, yes, I do the damn pull-ups. But it has nothing to do with motivation.

The fire within is dedication.

If I waited for motivation to strike, I wouldn’t do much of anything. My mortgage would go unpaid. My bathroom would be filthy. I’d go days without showering. I certainly wouldn’t work out half as much as I want to or need to. It’s not that I’m lazy—it’s that I’m real and I acknowledge the fact that tasks take effort.

A fire burns deep within us all, but it’s not motivation. Take hold of the flame!
A fire burns deep within us all, but it’s not motivation. Take hold of the flame!

And I’m NOT sorry to admit, as I type these keys on a rainy Friday morning, that I’m not motivated at all. Instead, I’m accountable. I said I’d write this damn blog and I’m doing it, whether I feel like it or not.

The fire within is discipline. 

We live in the hash-tag generation, kids. Everything is #motivationmonday or #flexfriday. Well, Danny’s here to tell you that’s a bunch of jive! Do not wait for #motivationmonday! Do not wait for motivation any day!

These slogans are designed to inspire, which of course is a good thing. I’d never deny that. But motivation comes once in a blue moon. It’s the great, white whale of lore—an incredible beast to behold—but don’t base your life on trying to capture it, or your life may pass you by. Discipline is accessible every day, while motivation comes and goes.

A fire burns deep within us all, but it’s not motivation. Take hold of the flame and shout at the devil!
A fire burns deep within us all, but it’s not motivation. Take hold of the flame and shout at the devil!

You do the things you choose to do because you care. You do the work every day, whether you’re motivated or not, because it’s important to you. Be leery of #inspirational memes from people you never heard of (or even memes from me.)

The only truth is the truth that takes place in the real world. Virtual reality is not reality and social media is not social. Do not count on others to motivate you. Be determined and take care of what you must.

The fire within is determination.

Are you “motivated” to brush your teeth? Do you jump up and say “Hellyeah! It’s teeth time!” Or are you dedicated because it’s important for your quality of life? Are you “motivated” to pay your rent, or do you do it because you don’t want to live on the street and eat out of a trash can? Are you “motivated” to go to the DMV when you have to renew your license?

You see where I’m going with this, right? In the end, motivation is overrated. It’s an illusion. The fire within comes from you, not from any external force. It’s your own dedication, discipline and determination. And the flame is strong.

So stand up, calisthenics brothers and sisters, my family and friends! Be strong, and take hold of the flame!

****

Danny Kavadlo is one of the world’s leading authorities on calisthenics, nutrition and personal training. He is the author of several best-selling Dragon Door titles including GET STRONG and STRENGTH RULES. Danny has been featured in the New York Times, Men’s Fitness, and the Huffington Post. He is a regular contributor to Bodybuilding .com and TRAIN magazine. When not working one-on-one with clients in his native New York City, Danny travels the world as a Master Instructor in Dragon Door’s internationally acclaimed Progressive Calisthenics Certification. Find out more about Danny at www.DannyTheTrainer.com

Taking The GET STRONG Transformation Challenge

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John Du Cane Pull-Ups Get Strong Transformation Challenge
John Du Cane comes off the bench to help John Du Cane with the Get Strong Phase 3 Pull-up and Chin-up sets.

What mechanism acts as both the Great Protector of our health and well-being—while often acting as the Great Saboteur of our attempts at physical transformation?

That mechanism would be Homeostasis:

  1. “The tendency of a system, especially the physiological system of higher animals, to maintain internal stability, owing to the coordinated response of its parts to any situation or stimulus that would tend to disturb its normal condition or function.”
  2. “A state of psychological equilibrium obtained when tension or a drive has been reduced or eliminated.”

As the cliché goes, we are creatures of comfort. We seek to minimize pain and to quickly eliminate any perceived threat to that comfort. Without this overriding tendency, of course, our internal systems would collapse—as they de-regulate into a chaos of conflicting and unbalanced energies.

But when we seek to transform ourselves physically, the whole construct has to shift. No more Mr. Nice Guy. Now, we have to deliberately, savagely, nastily traumatize our own bodies—to shock them into change…

We have to willfully terrorize ourselves out of the sloth of our addiction to ease…

Far from reducing or eliminating tension and drive, we need to psych ourselves up into an unreasonable quest for dis-comfort, dis-equilibrium—and a kind of planned mayhem. We freaks of fitness storm the barricades of complacent physical mediocrity—and to hell with the naysayers and stay-at-home couch potatoes…

However, all this savagery of intent still screams for proper leadership. Whatever the fire burning in your belly, you’ll go nowhere fast if you don’t have wise guidance from fitness experts who are true masters of their game.

Otherwise we become a foolish, disorganized rabble, our dreams of physical transformation derailed by misinformation and false promises.

And here’s the great beauty of a well-organized, well-planned transformation program: it helps jump us out of the rut of our normal meandering exercise patterns. Instead of two steps forward, three steps sideways, one step back, woops, two more steps back, yikes, half a step forward and so on—boom, we suddenly have our marching orders, a goal to achieve, fire in our eyes, confidence in our hearts, competitive juices flowing and a sense of driving purpose.

30 perfect Feet Elevated Push-ups can be surprisingly demanding
30 perfect Feet Elevated Push-ups can be surprisingly demanding

Now—against all the homeostatic odds—we can embrace the pain-drenched ecstasy of the struggle for physical glory. And succeed, right? 🙂

Get Strong is exactly that well-organized, well-planned, proven program you can count on to effect the changes you desire. You can do it on your own, of course, but why not join forces with other bodyweight exercise enthusiasts?

So, when Al and Danny Kavadlo created their Get Strong 16-Week Transformation Program, we thought it would be perfect to include a community contest to help motivate us all to give this thing our best possible shot. We can join forces with a bunch of fellow maniacs, urging each other forward, come what may…

While waiting for the printed copies of Get Strong to arrive from China, I decided to preview the Transformation Program myself. Almost without any exception I train alone: bodyweight exercise, kettlebells and Chen Tai Chi. Mostly in my office. This is all well and good, but this solitary training has its pitfalls—as I quickly realized once I embarked on the Program. I will describe my experience below, but first, here’s the contest we devised:

To qualify:

  1. Submit one or more Before photos taken within three days of beginning the contest.
  2. Submit one or more After photos taken with three days of completing the 16-week contest.
  3. Submit an article detailing your performance progress through the Get Strong program, beginning with the Phase 1 Test as the baseline.

Entries can be submitted up to October 30, 2017, sent to support@dragondoor.com
Winners will be announced November 15, 2017.

Judges: Al Kavadlo, Danny Kavadlo and John Du Cane.

Grand Prize: $500 in cash, one free RKC or PCC workshop, interview, dedicated PCC blog piece.
Next four best entries: Interview, $300 off any Dragon Door workshop.
Next fifteen best entries: $100 off any Dragon Door workshop.

We have also set up a private Facebook group The Get Strong Transformation Challenge. Purchase the book and we will automatically invite you to join or accept your request to do so.

My experience with the first three phases of the Get Strong Program

The First Phase is called The Foundation—and it is literally that. Raw newbies would need the full four weeks, if not additional weeks, to be able to test out. The thing though about all the Phases, is the inclusion of one or more exercises that you may have been neglecting in your own practice.

John Du Cane Handstand
A work in progress on my Wall Handstand—some technical tightening needed on that left elbow…

At age 68, my current biggest vulnerabilities are my elbows and my right knee. I had reduced my pull-up practice because of tendinitis in those elbows, so I definitely felt the one-minute Active Hang part of the Phase 1 test. Those tendons were letting me know of their existence… Yes, I tested out with ease overall, but I realized Phase 2 was going to up the pain factor by a fair amount.

Phase 2 is called Brick and Mortar. I did NOT pass the Phase 2 test at the end of the four weeks and had to repeat Weeks 3 and 4. The villain was the Wall Handstand. Amazingly, I had never practiced handstands in my life. Strange, but there it is… So, I entered Phase 2 a handstand virgin and paid the price. The test requires a 60-second hold. I made it to 55 seconds! An undoubted weakness that I have enjoyed confronting in Phase 3—which requires two sets of 60 seconds in Week 4.

Did I have any other problems with Phase 2? For the testing, probably the toughest part was only being allowed one minute between each exercise. Those who have taken the Century at the PCC would appreciate the energetic demands of completing 30 Push-ups, 10 Chin-ups, 20 Hanging Knee Raises and 40 Squats plus an additional four exercises with just one minute rest between each…

On to Phase 3, Concrete and Iron, where things start to get more challenging for sure…

Phase 3 is where both my elbows and my right knee asserted themselves. Phase 3 introduces Assisted One Leg Squats and Bulgarian Split Squats. As a former sprinter and longtime martial artist my legs have been my strong point—pistols for instance were never a problem. However, for quite a while now, I have stopped doing unilateral leg work—and have just done regular squats or double-kettlebell squats. It was a shock to discover how much weaker my right leg was than my left. I have enjoyed the challenge of fixing that—big time.

Combining relatively high reps of Assisted One-Legged Squats and Bulgarian Split Squats is not the breeze you might think it to be…
Combining relatively high reps of Assisted One-Legged Squats and Bulgarian Split Squats is not the breeze you might think it to be…

My elbows are really squawking from attempting 2 sets of 10 Pull-ups, plus 2 sets of 10 chin-ups plus 3 sets of Hanging Straight Leg Raises—mixed in with other arm-intensive drills in close succession to each other. Here, I am straight-out being sensible. From bitter experience, I know that pushing into the realm of tendinitis will be highly counterproductive to future progress… There is good, constructive pain, then there is foolish, destructive pain… So I am going to take the time I need to advance without injury, whatever pace that might require.

John Du Cane Hanging Leg Raises
3 sets of 10 reps. I don’t feel this in my abs, but I sure feel it in my arms…

The most challenging new exercise for me in Phase 3 has been the Feet Elevated Pike Push-up. I had never performed this move in my life other—so another hump to surmount.

To succeed with the Get Strong Program, particularly when you are older, proper recovery is essential. I have become acutely conscious of needing that much more sleep, that much more rest and that much cleaner a diet. To that end, I have found Wim Hof’s ice therapy and breath-holding exercises immensely helpful. A very recent and wonderful addition to recovery has been my discovery of the Air Relax dynamic compression system. It’s hard to truly quantify, but I believe it has cut the recovery time for my leg work by perhaps as much as 50%. Exciting…

All in all, test-driving the Get Strong Transformation Program has been an exhilarating personal experience for me—and I have been immensely enjoying the additional strength I have gained from a religious adherence to the Kavadlo Brothers’ blueprint.

I hope many of you join me in taking the challenge—and I look forward to hearing your stories down the road!

Revive, Restore, Recertify!

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Annie Vo Aussie Pullup Variation

This January marked my ninth Progressive Calisthenics Certification since first becoming PCC Certified three years ago. In that time, I have been a student, an assistant, an instructor, and now, a Team Leader for this organization. I’ve had the privilege of attending and teaching in seven countries spanning three continents, and I continue to grow with each experience. In addition to PCC, I have attended and repeated an extraordinary number of workshops in numerous modalities, from RKC to Gym Jones. I can tell you firsthand the skill building advantages, knowledge development and incredible motivation that come from doing so.

But that wasn’t always the case…

When I started as a personal trainer a decade ago, I had very little practical information or experience working with real clients. I wrestled with what every new trainer feels at this point: Am I an imposter?

I had the good fortune of being introduced to kettlebells early on in my career which lead me to attending my first RKC kettlebell certification. I spent my hard earned money and precious time to see what I could learn. That weekend changed my life. I eagerly attended RKC Level II and continued to read extensively on the topic. Over the years, I found other mentors, systems and methodologies ranging from yoga to powerlifting. I attended courses all over the world to learn from the most experienced trainers and coaches of our time. I can tell you without hesitation, the PCC stands at the front of this list!

Annie Vo's 1st PCC

Between events, I built a solid clientele and got to put my lessons to use, weaving the fabric I began threading years ago. I learned about proper technique, exercises for strength and flexibility, client assessment and ultimately, to see the virtue of each discipline and their own unique philosophies on training. Feeling less like an imposter, I began implementing these methods with my clients, filtering out the minutiae and honing my craft. For many years I felt that this alone, learning the information, was the foundation of my experience as a personal trainer. I was wrong. Well, partially wrong.

It is a mistake to not revisit the original information.

The pursuit of any skill (not limited only to training) takes consistent practice, attention to detail and frequent evaluation. Many years ago when I first began playing piano as a child, I hated it. There was so much theory, remedial scales and lots of esoterica. Over time I began playing short tunes, incorporating the pedal and experimenting with different tempos. I had achieved a competency that allowed me to read music and remember songs. Eventually, something crazy happened: Piano became fun. I continued to explore and found classical bass, which would become the tool of my first career. Like with the piano, the practice became a consistent habit. It soon became time to find a new teacher, play with a larger orchestra and make professional advances. As the old phrase says, after skill acquisition, “The student becomes the master.”

That really isn’t the case.

Perhaps what people call “mastery” goes beyond having knowledge. To me, it is the understanding that (despite all this information), there is so much more to know. In other words, you can never have a complete command of everything.

The amount you can absorb and retain the first time around is limited. This is why it is so important to recertify your PCC. As both a musician and fitness professional, I can attest to how skills can degrade without further exposure to good coaching and feedback, along with regular practice.

Another reason to recertify is that it is electric to be surrounded by so many like-minded individuals. Training together, sharing stories and investing in the collective experience of learning are priceless. Each event draws professionals and enthusiasts from all over the world who bring with them their own individual experiences (as well as that of their clients). There are very few times in one’s professional or personal lives that offer so many unique perspectives. Everyone comes in with their sliver of the world and they want to share it with you.

NYC PCC Group 2017

There are two dimensions to growth, two timelines that are intertwined. There is the dimension of you the person and then the dimension of the information you have received. You, the person, are constantly changing. You are getting older, falling in love (or out of love), trying new foods, reading new books and traveling to new places. The way that you understand your clients expands because you have expanded. The PCC has also changed over time. The curriculum has evolved. The level of instruction has been refined. The depth of knowledge has deepened.

Not too long ago, paleontologists made the surprising revelation that the Tyrannosaurus Rex walked tilted forward with its tail pointed up, changing the overall posture and gait of the animal. This made it considerably more dangerous and menacing than the slow moving, tail dragging Godzilla of my childhood. Were the paleontologists wrong before or are they wrong now? Well, facts change. Positions on things change when new information is introduced. It has to. Given the information they had at the time, they could not have come to any greater truth. In a way, paleontologists were correct then, but are closer to the truth now. This is the process of growth.

Annie Vo PCC Single-leg squat

When you recertify, you are coming back with new observations, experiences and skills that you didn’t have the first time. You may be in a better place to receive information. In the beginning, everything is new and it is difficult to retain all that is being presented. As you grow, you may find some of the lost information is now relevant. Your needs change over time.

So, why should you recertify? Because you are a different person and it’s a different PCC.

 

 

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Annie Vo is one of New York City’s most successful and sought-after personal trainers. As a PCC Team Leader, RKC Team Leader and Level III Gym Jones Instructor, she has taught certifications and seminars all over the world. She has been featured in The New York Post, NPR and Mademan.com. A diverse and complex talent, Annie Vo holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Columbia University and is a renowned classically trained musician. Learn more at annievo.com.

I Am Not An Athlete

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Danny Kavadlo NOOOO!

EDITORS’ NOTE: The opinions expressed in this column belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect that of Dragon Door Publications, its staff or its affiliates.

As you may know by now, I am not one to get bogged down on semantics. Progressive Calisthenics, bodyweight training, and street workout are all terms that I use more or less interchangeably to describe the way I train. I believe that the tendency to over-categorize things is not a worthwhile pursuit. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

“Ice cream maker” or “front lever curl”? Say what you like. “Shrimp squat” or “skater squat”? Both work from where I stand. “Aussie pull-up”, “bodyweight row”, “plank pull” and on and on and on. They are all very fine to me.

Numerous items, concepts and phenomena can go by several different names. We often find that the same material has many monikers. Most of the time I encourage folks to use whatever word they are most comfortable with.  Danny Kavadlo doesn’t care if you “train” or “work out”—as long as you do it!

But despite the flexibility of linguistics and my openness to expression, words do in fact have meanings. I am a linguist, a grammarian and a fan of proper syntax. I believe in using words correctly, even if many terms are synonymous and phrases overlapping.

In fact, there is one word in particular, that I do feel is used inappropriately in fitness circles, to the point where it’s losing its actual meaning. Perhaps it’s lost its meaning already. The word is “athlete.”

The American Heritage Dictionary defines athlete as:

definition of the word athlete

To me, someone who exercises, even if they train with great intensity and frequency, is not an athlete. Not even if they hired a trainer. Not even if they’re really, really, really good at exercise.

To be clear, I myself am not an athlete.

Yes, I’m trained. (I’m definitely NOT gifted.) I have a good degree of physical strength, stamina and agility. I’m committed to my fitness.  Perhaps I’m a motivator, even a role model to some. But I’m not an athlete.  I do not compete in any sport, organized event, or other such game or contest. Nor do I train to do so.

I am a guy who works out – and I’m proud of it!

Like many of us, athletes dedicate themselves to their craft. But unlike us, their craft is athletic performance – not physical fitness or health. They prioritize their sport. Athletes train and work in extreme conditions to the point where they risk their own well being for a single competitive goal. I most certainly don’t do that.

Yes, I dedicate myself to my craft, but my craft is not a competitive sport. My craft is preaching the word of fitness, writing books and promoting health. My goal is not to out-perform anybody at any specific discipline. An athlete’s is.

That’s the key difference between someone who trains and someone who is an athlete. To us, the training is its own pursuit. Placing in a competition isn’t.

I have tremendous respect for athletes. Most of us do not have the desire to allocate our time the way they do, and I praise them for what they’ve given to the world. The fact that I can perform clean muscle-ups or that I have a well rehearsed human flag does not render me an athlete. We can revere our own outstanding performances while still employing correct language.

To be clear, being athletic does not make one an athlete.
To be clear, being athletic does not make one an athlete.

In Other Words

I’ve cooked thousands of meals for my family and friends. Preparing food with my own hands is one of the greatest sources of joy in my world. It feeds my soul as well as my body. But cooking a meal doesn’t make me a chef. My career does not consist of making food for paying customers, designing menus, sourcing ingredients and managing a kitchen staff.

I grow my own tomatoes, garlic, basil and cilantro. I harvest it, slice it, dice it and prepare it. But growing herbs does not make me a farmer.

I sing in the shower, but I’m not a singer.

See where I’m going with this?

The same culture that awards children who place last with trophies for participation wants to dub anyone who ever hits the gym an athlete. Well, they’re not. And that’s not a bad thing. I applaud each and every person in the world who makes fitness a priority. I am proud of everyone who works out. Our achievements are to be celebrated! But let’s not lose sight of the big picture.

Au Contraire

Because of misuse, the word “literally” can currently be used to mean “figuratively.” The word “humbled” is now used in place of “honored.” These words have changed to include definitions contrary to how they were originally purposed in language. Let’s not have the same thing happen to “athlete”.

The fact that we are not athletes is what makes our achievements in progressive calisthenics so cool anyway. We are just people who want to work hard and earn something, while having fun doing it. No one here is willing to get a concussion or a pill addiction to do so. Our goals are not about winning; they’re about improving!

And, yes, I’ve done more pull-ups than most. But if you beat my record, I’m happy for you. It’s not a loss. Maybe you’ll inspire me to do more, not so I can beat you, but because we help each other be the best we can be. It ain’t a game. It’s life.

Keep The Dream Alive,

-DK

Finding Balance Between Mind and Muscle

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Steve Opalenik Balance Mind Muscle

I grew up in the perfect storm of cheesy action movies and the rising star of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Visions of attaining the perfect physique filled my head, and snapshots of Arnold from Commando carrying a tree on his shoulder filled my vision boards. But as I grew older, I found that the oversimplified pursuit of a chiseled body was useless if I did not take the time to stop and smell the roses.

Many times, my younger self would feel guilty about taking a rest day or skipping a workout to spend time with family and friends. Unfortunately, it cost me quite a bit of time off due to injuries and overexertion. My approach was far from balanced, and was driven solely by ego. Even after those early injuries, I still could not see the error of my ways. It wasn’t until years later that I found a healthy, balanced approach that was able to relax my body and mind, while exercising them as well.

Discovering a technique known as Progressive Muscle Relaxation helped me find that balance. PMR is a technique for learning to monitor and control your muscular tension that was developed by Dr. Edmund Jacobson in the early 1920s. The main idea is to create tension in a specific muscle area, and then relieve that area of the tension. In doing this, you are able to monitor your body as it physically relaxes, and get a decent amount of muscle work in as well.

The technique is comprised of three parts: breath control, body scanning, and dynamic muscle tension. It is important to understand these aspects individually before trying to blend them together into a cohesive practice.

Breath Control:

The first thing to practice before diving into progressive muscle relaxation is breath control. There are a million and 20 articles and YouTube videos out there on breathing techniques and philosophies, all of which offer some interesting insight on the subject. For our purposes, we are going to focus on cyclical breathing, also known as square breathing.

The idea is basic in nature, but has a complex bodily reaction. To start, you should understand why it is sometimes called square breathing, it is simply because the breath has 4 parts to it: a 2 second inhale, a 2 second pause (this is not holding your breath, but rather a pause between inhale and exhale), a 2 second exhale, and another 2 second pause between exhale and inhale. It is sometimes called cyclical breathing due to the nature of the breath as it flows between each transition to form a circle (isn’t it cool how your breath can be both a circle and a square?). It is also an important image to hold when breathing, as it’s not just a breath in and out, but rather a breath in that goes to the lungs and diaphragm and then returns to complete a circle through your respiratory system with the exhale and pause. It is also of import to note that the breath is not shallow in nature – you are not breathing into your chest – you are breathing much deeper, into your diaphragm and lower dantian, which is at the center of your body, 2 inches below the navel, and 2 inches back inside the body.

Body Scanning:

The concept of the body scan has its origins in the history of meditation and prayer, as well as being revitalized recently with the mindfulness movement. Without delving too deep, it is the internal scanning of your own body, while in the practice of meditation, to notice stuck points of energy, emotions, or physical maladies. Generally, it is progressive in nature, as you have a fixed starting and end point. These points may vary, but generally it’s good to start at the top of your head, and work your way down toward the feet. A body scan can also vary in length of time as well. You can do a relatively quick scan focusing on parts of the body for 30 seconds at a time, and spending more time on areas in which you sense the sensation of stuck energy, or you can do a longer practice, spending a minute or two at each area, and allocating more time to any “stuck areas.”

Dynamic Tension:

The beginnings of dynamic tension have roots dating back to old-school strongman Charles Atlas. It’s a simple practice that literally pits muscle against muscle. Dynamic tension focuses on tensing the muscles of a certain body part and then moving said body part against the tension, utilizing isometric movements through a wide range of different muscles, and muscle relationships. This is the physical act of creating the tension aspect of progressive muscle relaxation. Picture the flexing techniques of a bodybuilder. Their routines utilize the ability to flex a specific part of the body, while relaxing other parts of the body at the same time.

Steve Opalenik Bridge

Now that we have formed a basic idea of the individual aspects and concepts of progressive relaxation, let’s Voltron these bad boys, and focus on the practice itself.

Begin either standing, lying or seated. Whichever position, it is important to have a relaxed posture, maintaining a straight spine with arms and shoulders relaxed, and legs slightly bent.

Start with one big breath in and out, breathing down to your dantian. Then close your eyes and take ten more breaths focusing on the principles of square breathing. When you finish the tenth breath, begin your body scan at the top of your head, and work your way down the body, contracting your muscles at each point for 30 seconds as if doing an isometric hold. After thirty seconds, release, and focus on bringing breath to these muscles for an additional 30 seconds. Concentrate on feeling the blood flow to your muscles to nourish them. As you continue breathing you should feel your muscles becoming heavy and starting to relax.

As your mind/muscle connection improves, you will be able to feel your heartbeat/pulse within the blood flow to the muscles. Don’t be disheartened if you can’t yet, it takes a long time to get this feeling. Keep practicing and it will come with time. Generally, you follow this practice all the way down to your feet, hitting major and minor muscles groups on the way down including your nose, eyes, chin, throat, shoulders, biceps, triceps, forearms, hands, chest, back, abs, glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves, feet, etc.

When you reach the end of your body scan, take 10 breaths, followed by one deep breath and slowly exhale. When you feel comfortable, open your eyes if they are closed, and feel the weight of your body in a full relaxed state.

Just like anything, this practice can take time to develop and feel comfortable in, and often, when you are beginning, it is helpful to have someone guide you with auditory cues to help you focus and move through your body. Don’t be disheartened if you can not make it through your whole body with your first attempt, instead, when you next try the practice, focus on hitting the major muscle groups, and in time you can begin to refine and define the areas that you want to target.

These concepts of Progressive Muscle Relaxation, when married with concepts of exercise and dynamic tension, help to bring balance to our whole selves by exercising BOTH our bodies and minds. So in reality, you ARE able to relax but also get a good workout in at the same time, which gives a new definition to a rest day.

Steve Opalenik Group photo

 

 

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Steve Opalenik is a PCC instructor, licensed mental health counselor and calisthenics fanatic located in Massachusetts. He is the president of The Promethean Project (theprometheanproject.weebly.com). Connect with Steve on Facebook for more: facebook.com/prometheancounseling

Chaos-Proof Calisthenics Workouts For Long Term Success

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Adrienne Harvey Archer Pull-Up

One of the greatest things about Convict Conditioning style progressive calisthenics exercises are their extreme portability. We no longer need a giant gym stuffed full of highly specific machines to get a workout. For many of the exercises, we just need a floor. As the now-famous line from Pushing the Limits goes, remember, “if you don’t have a floor to work with, then you’ve got bigger problems!” On any given day, you may see me or one of my neighbors working out using the apartment building itself. In fact, one neighbor in particular has been giving the railings a heck of a workout with high rep, raised pushups—not bad for a guy that chronologically qualifies as a “senior citizen”.

A pattern I have seen—and have personally experienced—for long term success in strength, health, and maintenance of body composition is thinking beyond time-bound programs. Most people who have maintained a strong, fit, and healthy body for a lifetime have done so by seamlessly making training part of their lifestyle. On the flip side, we’ve probably all observed others jumping from program to program or from diet to diet without experiencing much success at all. I bet a number of us here have done that too. While it’s a great idea to try new things, we must give them a real, fair try at the same time instead of becoming human yo-yos! Fortunately, simple but challenging workouts with calisthenics and minimal equipment are extremely sustainable for a lifetime, regardless of how busy we get with life’s responsibilities.

Evolving and Refining a Lifestyle

When we strive to make strength activities part of a lifestyle, the pressure of “all or nothing” doesn’t loom as large. This can be especially useful for your new clients or students who have been overwhelmed by the prospect of extreme fitness programs in the past. And from time to time, some of us may also stack up too many changes to try all at once. Many beginners who come to us for training and advice will need to ease into calisthenics training for a while until they even enjoy it. A few sets of the beginning Convict Conditioning progressions coupled with being more mindful about food is a smaller starting hurdle than a written-in-stone hour or longer workout and specific meal plan for each and every day.

Also, when working with a specific goal or program, it’s very handy to have a backup plan for your workouts between programs, or when life gets in the way. So, even when we aren’t leaping forward toward that goal, we’re still moving in the right direction. More importantly, even with a shorter, simpler workout than what we should have been doing with our specific program, we’re still making a long term investment in our health, habits, strength, and fitness.

Adrienne Harvey PCC Dips

I will describe these highly sustainable training approaches in detail in my upcoming book with Dragon Door, Eat Strong, Lift Strong, Move Strong: Proven Secrets for Strength, Power and Robust Energy. But, the general idea is to work towards a given skill or strength goal while allowing for flexibility within a few parameters. In this blog post, I’ll outline a few general workout strategies to weave into your lifestyle or around a program. Many of these ideas are great to have as safeguards against life’s chaos wrecking our goals. As instructors and/or business owners, we may also spend so much time working and training others that we’re left in the frustrating and perilous position of having little time for our own workouts.

Full Body Tension, Full Body Results…

No matter what plan you choose, or how many different exercises you do—or don’t do—be sure to get the most out of your time and effort by using full body tension. Far from being isolation exercises, movements like pull-ups, squats (especially the advanced versions), and lateral work with flags require full body muscular participation for ultimate success. The good news is, you’re training your whole body at this time too. A few minutes of exercises performed with full, high tension effort is time well spent. Gripping the pull-up bar hard, gripping the ground with your hands and/or feet, engaging the glutes and midsection—all activate more muscle fibers and teach us to move and lift safely in life outside of training, too.

Adrienne Harvey Neuro-Grip Push-ups
Neuro-Grips pretty much force you to use full body tension, and I love them for it!

So this year, instead of a New Year’s resolution, consider a goal of consistency. Below are some of the approaches I take on very busy days, when otherwise I’d be tempted to neglect my training.

Recipes for Consistency:

Paul Wade’s “Consolidation Training” (some may know this as GTG, Grease the Groove) is described in Convict Conditioning Vol. 1 for building skills and strength. Using this strategy, you’ll perform an exercise several times on the same day without maxing out. For example, I may work on singles or doubles of the human flag progressions on the hour. Later in the day I’ll do a simple full body workout which might just be a few runs through the Century Test performed slowly and with extreme precision. Consolidation training works fantastically for any of the very high tension, high technique, and advanced bodyweight exercises like bar levers, dead hang muscle-up progressions, advanced pull-ups, and generally anything that’s very difficult for you. On the days that I have focused on bar exercises, my short supplemental workout might consist of squats, jump-squats, and sprints. High skill and balance movements like handstands also really benefit from the consolidation training approach.

At Home Training Variations

As an entrepreneur, I work a lot at my home office, and on heavy deadline days or product launches, I may not really have time to venture too far from that home office at all for my own training. Luckily, I’ve set up a pull-up bar in the hallway among other things, and of course have full use of the floor. I love to use the idea of “exercise snacks” along with Pomodoro technique productivity intervals: I work for 25 minutes, then practice an exercise or movement sequence for 5 minutes. At the end of the 4th 25 minute stretch, I take a full 10 minutes to do a more concentrated mini-workout. If you work at an office, depending on the corporate culture (and the exercises you choose), you may also be able to implement this at work.

Those who’ve read my website in the past already know about the “chores workouts” where I pit near max sets of a given exercise against a rest period of folding clothes or another short household task. This is a great way to build up higher reps on your chosen exercise. Have you tried it?

I recently read about a simple variation of consolidation training. A famous model placed a post-it note in a high traffic area of her house that simply read “15 squats”. Whenever passing near the note, she did 15 squats. Easy. I sometimes do a more involved version of this which includes the pull up bar and a designated area for mobility and floor based exercises. A lot can add up during the day.

Errands Circuit

One of my fondest memories of the early days of the PCC Workshops back in 2013 was when Al, Danny, John Du Cane, and myself were walking to a restaurant in St. Paul, MN. While we were enjoying a lively discussion, each of us kept pausing to point out “Street Workout-able” features in the landscape. We saw low bars for advanced raised feet push-ups, medium railings for Aussie pull-ups, skinny curbs for balance-challenging pistols, an edge of a planter for elbow levers, a round sign post for clutch flags, along with any number of poles, bars, railings for pull-ups and pull up variations… you get the idea. Developing a keen eye for these features (while keeping safety in mind, please) can turn most errand-related walks down the street into your own personal strength and skill obstacle course.

Adrienne Harvey Aussie Pull-Up
Caption: Look around for bars and railings that are approximately this height for an impromptu Aussie Pull-Up challenge!

Alternately, I also like to time my errands and workouts together. If I have to go to Whole Foods (which happens a lot) I’ll make sure my route to get there includes a short stop at a park so I can knock out a workout (usually a circuit including pull-ups, push-ups, squat variations, and a cardio component like sprints, burpees, or mountain climbers), then grab dinner or a snack at the hot bar before grocery shopping.

A Full-Body Format: Push, Pull, Legs, Plus….

The last paragraph in the errands circuit hinted at this approach. It’s been described in many great strength and fitness books for calisthenics as well as kettlebells and other forms of weightlifting. I am especially fond of the way Max Shank describes using push-pull as an approach to programming in Master the Kettlebell. On a day with minimal time to workout, this super-set strategy gets a lot of work done quickly, and allows you to work on a variety of skills in the same session.

Here’s one of many examples of this type of workout (choose number of rounds based on your fitness level and available time):

  • 15 Push-ups
  • 15 Aussie pull-ups (bodyweight rows)
  • 30 Bodyweight squats (actively pull yourself down under tension)
  • 1 Quick sprint or 30 mountain climbers
  • 5-10 Pull-ups
  • Practice crow or handstands/handstand push ups resting as needed for one minute total

When I have time, after 3-5 intense rounds with minimal rest, I’ll end with sets of abdominal focused exercises like dragon flags (or the progressions up to) or hanging leg raises, and maybe even a set of twisting mountain climbers until I nearly face plant. Whew!

Adrienne Harvey Hanging Leg Raises
Full hanging leg raises near the end of a workout can be brutal!

If you’re ready to advance in skills and strength in 2017, I hope you have found these ideas help. On a tough day full of obligations, there are still plenty of options to keep moving forward towards your goals, and to maintain a healthy active lifestyle.

Have you tried some of these ideas before? Do you have some of your own to add? I would love to hear from you in the comments section below.

Here’s to a happy and successful 2017!
I hope your training is going better than ever,
Adrienne Harvey, Senior PCC

 

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Adrienne Harvey, Senior PCC Instructor, RKC-II, CK-FMS, has been RKC Certified since 2010, and RKC Level 2 certified since 2011. Kettlebell and bodyweight training have been crucial in Adrienne’s personal quest for fitness.  A core member of the PCC team, Adrienne loves sharing her knowledge with small groups and individuals. She also loves to develop recipes and workout programs to further support performance, body composition, and of course—FUN. Visit her website, GiryaGirl.com for workouts, recipes, and more.

The Top Ten PCC Blog Posts of 2016

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PCC Collage 2016

With 2016 coming to an end, it’s been almost 4 years since the inception of the Progressive Calisthenics Certification, and it continues to be an amazing ride. This year the PCC visited China, Australia, Germany, Holland, and The UK, in addition to traveling across the United States. We certified hundreds of new PCC instructors and reached so many more people through this blog. As we head into 2017, the world’s #1 bodyweight strength training certification is still going strong!

As lead instructor for the PCC, I personally select and edit every post that we run here on the PCC blog, so I am intimately familiar with all of the content we’ve shared since the beginning.

Here are my top ten PCC blog posts from 2016, in no particular order:

– The O.G. of PCC himself, “Coach” Paul Wade, analyzed bodybuilders’ muscular development over several decades in an attempt to determine how much muscle mass you can really gain without steroids.

– My PCC co-lead instructor Danny Kavadlo shared this humorous and introspective post about questioning one’s own body of knowledge.

– PCC Instructor Robby Taylor’s article on calisthenics neck training helped me take my calisthenics training to the “necks” level.

– PCC Team Leader Matt Schifferle’s “Centerline Principle” is a great piece of exercise theory that you can apply to your workouts right away.

– Senior PCC Adrienne Harvey shared this helpful article on improving your hand and grip strength with calisthenics.

– PCC Instructor Brad Sadler’s Workout Tips For Busy Professionals are perfect for anyone who has a hard time fitting their workouts in around a hectic schedule.

– PCC Team Leader Matt Beecroft’s tips for learning the freestanding handstand are sure to help you progress with your hand-balancing practice.

– PCC Instructor Benji Williford shared three of his most inspiring clients’ motivational stories about how calisthenics played a role in overcoming breast cancer.

– PCC Team Leader Grace Kavadlo broke down the PCC approach to the bodyweight row, aka the Australian pull-up.

– I wrote several articles for the blog myself this year, but my ten minute bodyweight squat challenge got more likes and comments than any of the others that I wrote, so it must be my best.

Thanks to all of you who read this blog and support the PCC movement. I can’t wait to see what next year has in store for the PCC and the entire bodyweight strength training community. Let me know what your favorite posts were from this year in the comments below.

I hope to see you at the PCC in 2017!

We’re Working Out!

Al

 

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Al Kavadlo is the lead instructor for Dragon Door’s Progressive Calisthenics Certification and the author of several best-selling books, including Street Workout and Pushing The Limits. For more information visit www.AlKavadlo.com.