Progressive Calisthenics

Reaching Calisthenics Potential

September 25, 2018 By Marc Ayala Leave a Comment

Marc Ayala Pistol squats with Al and Danny Kavadlo

I love calisthenics! Give me an outdoor pull-up bar and a clear, blue sky over a crowded, stuffy gym any day. To me, there’s nothing better than getting strong and fit in the simplest, purest way I can, and I believe that bodyweight training is the most efficient and effective way to do so.

It seems like many people agree. In fact, bodyweight exercise has gotten a lot of attention lately. But, what exactly is “calisthenics”?

There are many definitions out there, but I choose to define it as a system of training that relies solely on the weight of one’s own body and the interaction with the world around them. This is inclusive not only of squats, pull-ups, and push-ups, but also running, jumping, punching, crawling and climbing. Through this system, strength, endurance, mass and mobility can all be properly achieved. Not to mention mental attitude…

It isn’t just about having big muscles (although that is nice!) I believe that to reach true calisthenics potential, one should strive for more. Specifically, we should strive for the ability to move freely and unencumbered. While there is no doubt that being strong and lean is important, it’s also important to be mobile and able-bodied. In other words, calisthenics exercises are tools to help you get stronger and fitter in the real world, not just the gym. That is the true value!

Al and Danny Kavadlo Waterfall Crawling In my opinion, a true student of calisthenics needs to have exposure to all pillars of the system. In addition to putting in the sets and reps, it’s helpful for overall strength and wellness to develop real world skills and coordination from activities such as hiking, swimming, throwing and sprinting. Working in scenarios where all the muscles are employed together while navigate toward a goal is the epitome of the calisthenics movement.

Does this mean that push-ups, pull-ups, and squats are a waste of time? Absolutely not! They are the true foundations of physical strength, as well as some of our best tools for building range-of-motion, endurance, and coordination. Not only do these exercises possess a wealth of value in their own right, but they serve as a means to an end. Allow me to elaborate:

Squats can build your legs to hike a mountain; push-ups can build your strength for punching harder than your opponent; the strength gains you get from pull-ups can be applied to rock climbing. These exercise tools have a wide range of applications and are adaptable toward a vast multitude of goals.

What if you what if you don’t want to take part in any of those activities and just want to be big and strong? Well, that’s fine, too! Big biceps, tree trunk legs, and bat wing lats are all excellent things to have–and are objective proof that you care about your body’s health and function. All goals are good goals!

How far you want to push your body? We have no choice but wonder what we’re capable of when we truly unlock our potential by building the strength to take on the world! Let your imagination run wild…

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Marc Ayala, PCC, is a personal trainer located in Boston. With a love for reading and research, he is constantly on the quest for more knowledge and sharper skills. Marc is passionate about uncovering the physical potential in his clients, pushing them to levels of strength that they never thought possible.

Calisthenics: The Fountain Of Youth

September 11, 2018 By Dan Earthquake Leave a Comment

Dan Earthquake progress photos

I’ve always had a vivid imagination. I’ve heard that anorexics always see themselves as fat, but I saw the opposite with my physique. Like Michelangelo saw the sculpture of David he would release from a block of stone, I saw my muscles and strength beneath. I only think I look fat in old photos. For instance, I was “as fat as a fool” when I swam the English Channel. But, that kept me warm, helped me float, and fed my muscles.

I was very happy with my long term physique for long distance swimming and strength. I saw myself as a small sumo wrestler with a considerable amount of muscle mass covered with a protective layer of fat. It worked very well for the things I wanted to achieve. I’ve swam over a mile (2000m) in 1.9° Celcius (34° F) and three miles at 40°F. Not to mention, six hour swims every two weeks or so for a year with plenty of physical work—cycling in high gears, carrying the bike whilst jogging and rowing a boat were part of my program. I felt strong and healthy for the most part and rarely cold.

Now in my 40s, it’s wiser to be lighter. The trophies of the heavy work remind me that the daily minimum is the way to go and the desire to lift heavy weights and cover very long distances has waned along with my mass. I now feel the cold more.

I celebrate improvisation: I participated in the UK Strongest Man heats by training in my garden with scrap metal and old tires and tree trunks. Recently I ran my portions of a relay triathlon between London and Paris wearing normal clothes and my usual Dr. Marten boots. I used a steel bicycle made in 1963 for the cycle stage. “Did you find that at the roadside or in a museum?” joked a team mate. In the poem “If,” Rudyard Kipling challenged the individual to see their work destroyed and to rebuild again “with worn out tools.” I realise that I’m railing against convention. To me, the veneer of professionalism which demands branding and uniformity ignores the individual art of survival and practicality. Improvisation is not fashionable, a bit like calisthenics in some quarters. The poster boys and girls of conventional fashion wear makeup, have suntans, clean clothes, and operate in perfect conditions which do not exist in reality.

At the Louvre in Paris the other week, I photographed a bearded statue with a big arm. “That’s me,” I declared to myself, that perfection visible to me beneath an imperfect form. “It’s what you are becoming,” said a voice from the future. I didn’t realize until relatively recently (the last decade or so) that I am a time traveler. I’ve often imagined my future self returning to give advice. Sometimes the advice felt unhelpful, but I took comfort that the future me cared enough to try and help. Sometimes sneering at the elder know-it-all version of myself, I resolved to do it my way. “Stick to the basics,” he said, but I clamored for the cheer of the crowd, the wow of friends and colleagues. Vanity lifting and trophy hunting were (and are) very seductive.

“Calisthenics is both the fountain of youth and the quick route to old age,” my future self advised. “I’m curious about it being the quick route to old age,” I commented. “Time flies when you have fun,” he replied, “Especially given your habit of doing things unconventionally. Don’t worry,” he regularly assures me at opportune moments: “Everything will turn out fine, but the work has to be done.”

Dan Earthquake Tree Pullup

I remember these inner conversations and revisit my younger self to reiterate the message. Sometimes I didn’t listen—I remember that too. There’s still more to do, always more to do. Each day is a new start, a bit more revealed from the block.

Winston Churchill had the right idea: “Live dangerously, take things as they come. Dread naught: all will be well.”

Dan Earthquake English Channel Swim

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Dan Earthquake is involved in event safety and hosts winter swimming training camps for Channel Swimmers. In 2013 the Channel Swimming Association awarded him the trophy for “Greatest Feat of Endurance” for his 21hr 25 minute crossing of the English Channel. In August 2018 Dan was part of the 4 person relay team that set a new record for the Enduroman Arch to Arc triathlon between London and Paris. For more info, visit www.eqnrg.info

PCC London: Rise Of The Underground

May 15, 2018 By Al Kavadlo and Danny Kavadlo Leave a Comment

Al and Danny Kavadlo at the London PCC 2018

This was one for the record books.

For our fourth foray into the UK, we revisited The Commando Temple in the Deptford section of Southeast London. In many ways, Deptford reminds us of our hometown Brooklyn, New York.

You see, like people, landscapes and neighborhoods change. The first time we visited Deptford, it was rough and sketchy, with only a few businesses and seemingly endless dirty streets. But that was a few years ago.

Now, in 2018, once-abandoned buildings have given way to specialty shops selling artisanal cheeses, craft beer or pricey handmade trinkets. People who used to be scared to visit Deptford (and Brooklyn, for that matter) now flock downtown for street fairs, festivals and fancy espressos. Things change.

That said, there is one venue in this “up-and-coming” neighborhood that kept its underground roots, remaining brutally intense and completely hardcore: The Commando Temple.

“The Temple,” as its members call it, is a sanctuary of positive energy and fearless training. It’s also the perfect home for the Progressive Calisthenics Certification!

Al Danny Teaching London PCC 2018

Yet as amazing as “The Temple” is, the group of calisthenics freaks in attendance was even more impressive! Bodyweight warriors, yoga practitioners, fitness professionals and street workout enthusiasts from a total of seven countries—even as far as India—showed up to share in the experience, train their hearts out, and learn a thing or two along the way.

Dragon Flag London PCC 2018

It is always a mind-blowing affair to behold, as we explored bodyweight progressions encompassing the most fundamentally basic, to the most extremely advanced. Human flags flew, muscle-ups soared and pistols prevailed as we all drew in from this epic training session.

It should come as no surprise that the Progressive Calisthenics Certification always attracts a group of particularly strong females. This time was no exception!

Whoever said women can’t do pull-ups has never met these ladies!

At the end of each PCC, when the Century testing is finished and the certificates have been handed out, we like to give everyone one more chance to jump on the pull-up bar if there is something they’ve been wanting to give another shot. Inevitably, someone hits a move for the first time that eluded them all weekend. Once again, the PRs continued late into the final day.

Back Lever London PCC 2018

Neighborhoods change, things come and go, but experiences like this make people stronger and provide lasting inspiration.

Speaking of changes, this was our final three-day event. The PCC will be switching to a two-day format beginning with our next workshop in Beijing this summer. Two-day events in Austin, NYC and Holland are all on the books as well in the months ahead.

We hope to see you there!

PCC London May 2018

The Pursuit of the Daily Minimum

February 6, 2018 By Dan Earthquake 13 Comments

Coach Wade regularly encourages keeping a training log.

It’s not a new idea to me: I’d had several periods of doing this over the years, but stopped completely in 2008. It was due to one of his articles that I eventually restarted counting in November 2014.

I realized that I needed to establish a value system that could be comparable over several years. Subjective input such as “felt good today” is too ambiguous to be of value to me in the future. There are all sorts of systems depending on the discipline. Cyclists, swimmers and runners often use watts expended, calories burned or distance traveled. Lifters/gym rats may use weight shifted. I decided to record sets completed (my basic set being 5), with pull ups, dips and pistols recorded as 1 per repetition. Intensity of effort could also be recorded but I generally choose not to, it being subjective. For instance on 11th November 2015 I did 131 ring pull-ups, the most I’ve ever done.

Three years of statistics show progress. I’m doing more volume – over twice as much in 2017 as 2015.

Fifteen free squats in a row in January of 2015 made my knees creak. I was doing the deck of cards for sets and dreading the pictures. Two years on and I’m doing assisted pistols with the knees much better. In late 2015 I came across a concept of establishing a daily minimum to aim for. This came from an interesting study by Matt Perryman in his book Squat Everyday – Thoughts on Overtraining and Recovery in Strength Training, which is very well thought out. I’d been overdoing it – I’d thought – as lots of things were aching. What I ended up doing after considering many things and looking at my training logs was to stop doing exhaustive sessions with rest days and transitioned into a daily routine.

In the past, I have practiced a lot of failure training, believing it was doing me good to exhaust myself completely with muscle soreness common for the following days. Injuries over the years from over enthusiasm and foolishness – vanity lifting – took its toll. That sort of training really doesn’t appeal to me anymore. Daily training with basic calisthenics wasn’t too hard to transition into. I’ll admit to getting caught up in chasing the numbers – 505 free squats continuously and 550 incline push ups gave me plenty of time to reflect on my soreness the following days.

Super-high reps have a place in training though, even if it is not always the most efficient way of training; sometimes it’s just too much fun to stop. My problem tempering my enthusiasm is solved by pursuing the daily minimum concept. Last year my total set value was 25,565. Dividing this by 365 days gives a daily average of 70. I have a “bare minimum” of 27 that I do for mobility/pre-hab everyday at both ends of the day. Studying my figures seems to suggest that 47 work sets on top of this is about optimum for me at the moment. That gives me 74 which if followed consistently will top last years total. There were days last year where I felt supercharged and did a few hundred sets. The following days were back to bare minimum and recovery seemed sluggish. The trick on the days of great enthusiasm is to stay fresh enough to be able to do the daily minimum the next day. Not as easy as it sounds.

Pursuing the daily minimum is a long term strategy with a lot of flexibility. I embraced the Replek concept that Karl Indreeide identified on this blog on July 21, 2015 – so much so I had to look up what it was called again. At weekends I sometimes swim or row a boat doing just the bare minimum. I count these efforts separately so this brings down the daily average. I adjust daily minimum for the rest of the month accordingly.

Eg: 20th January my total for the month was 1386.
31 days in January gives a total of 2294.
2294 – 1386 = 908
908/11 days remaining = 82.5 daily minimum.

On the 21st I did just 30 sets, then 93 on 22nd. On the 23rd I had a good day and did 174 sets. This meant the average came down to 76.4. I’m trying not to chase the numbers too much – rather I’m using them to smooth out the lumps. As I improve I’ll move the daily minimum upwards – or fill them with more challenging exercises. At the end of each month I look at the numbers and review what I’m doing. Coach Wade’s programming squares are good tools – measure what was done against what was planned – often they’re quite different.

There is nothing I do that is original. I have shelves of exercise books and twice as many that I gave away that didn’t suit my practice. I’ve trained with strongmen, powerlifters, bodybuilders, runners, triathletes, swimmers, martial artists and had the benefit of many good coaches. All of us are composites of the people we admire.

I’m 44 this year. I started doing isometrics when I was 3 – before I knew what they were. Calisthenics drills came at 7 in judo class thanks to Ted Spacey – I still do his wrestlers bridges every night. Pull-ups started at 16. Last year I did my best pull-ups ever! Best of all, it’s still fun and I only do the basics. Odd sessions with Jim L. (who does some of the CC3 drills) and PCC Steve Llewelyn remind me that I’m just scratching the surface of what is possible.

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Strength for Life

January 30, 2018 By Marc Ayala 5 Comments

Marc Ayala Strength For Life

It’s a new year, and gyms across the country are flooded with folks who’ve made the decision to change their lives. Unfortunately, these pursuits often start off well, but end up gradually fading away – often, before February even begins.

There are myriad possibilities for why so many of these efforts don’t achieve their goal; unfortunately, the first thought is often that the person is lazy, unmotivated, etc. While that may be the case for some, I have found that there is a factor that seems to be even more significant: the lack of a deep understanding of the process.

The fitness industry has done a poor job in terms of educating those that have a true desire to improve their physical being. New gym members are left to fend for themselves among the sea of machines and exercise equipment. To all of those afflicted by this current state of the fitness industry, I propose the following potential solution: strength training. Not the sort of strength training that is so often thrown into discussions of diet and health as an afterthought. I am referring to the deliberate, gradual improvement of your ability to exert force onto the world around you. This has the potential to change your body, bolster your confidence, and open doors that you thought to be cemented shut.

What We Want

We all want to be able to look in the mirror and have an instant, unmistakable sense of pleasure and contentedness with our appearance. When we think that we look good, we assume that others probably think that we look good as well. And nothing boosts this pleasure more quickly than a compliment from a friend or colleague.

We want to be independent. Not in the sense of paying your own bills and coming home at any hour of the day, but a sense of real physical independence: the ability to be able to shovel out your car after a snowstorm, walk up a flight of stairs without an escalator or handrail, or to be able to open a pickle jar. In an age where you can find someone or something to do anything for you – for a fee, of course – we are gradually losing our ability to thrive without depending on others. How amazing would it feel to be able to shovel out your entire driveway after a blizzard, then have the strength of body and character to shovel out your elderly neighbor’s driveway and enable them to make it to their grandkid’s first ballet recital?

How We Get It

Strength is the ability to exert force onto our environment and effect change. It is what allows us to explore and manipulate the world at will. Who would ever want to be prevented from living up to their fullest potential by something that they have direct control over? Unfortunately, thanks to the flood of conflicting information in the world, we often have no clue where to look or how to start on this endeavor. Fortunately, with a little bit of patience, a hearty dose of effort, and some good ol’ discipline, the plan that I propose here can get you there. Let’s get started!

Kavadlo Brothers Raised Pushups

Push Me, I Push Back!

The ability to push through our hands and influence the environment around us is so incredibly important, yet unappreciated until one can no longer do so. The ability to push doors open, push yourself up off of the floor after falling on ice, and countless others are examples of the need for pushing prowess. How do we improve our ability to push? We practice pushing!

Elevated Surface Push-up

Find a box, table, or anything sturdy that is roughly hip-height. If too challenging, use a slightly taller surface. Place your hands onto the edge of the surface with your palms lined up with your shoulders and squeeze it.. Brace your body into a steel beam with legs locked straight, ankles squeezed together, abdominals clenched, head up tall . Lower yourself slowly under full muscular control until the lower part of the chest touches the surface, elbows within 4-inches of ribcage. Return to the starting position slowly, without bouncing off of the surface. Momentum is the enemy here.

Goal: 20 repetitions. Then, use slightly shorter object and build to 20-repetitions. Repeat until using knee-height surface easily.

Standard Push-ups

Begin kneeling in an all-fours position with the hands directly beneath your shoulders. Next, extend one leg at a time back until the toes are dug into the ground and legs locked straight. There should be a straight line from your ankles to your shoulders when viewed from the side. No bellies sagging toward the floor, no bent knees, no drooping head. Lock your legs straight and try to feel the muscles on the fronts of the thighs tighten. Squeeze the butt muscles and tighten the abdominals as if bracing for impact. Pull the back of the head toward the ceiling, without lifting the chin. It should feel as if you are giving yourself a double-chin. Now, squeeze the floor and slowly lower yourself until your chest gently kisses the floor.. Slowly push into the floor and ascend until full arm extension.

Goal: 20+ repetitions

After becoming proficient in these three foundational pushing motions, you will have now earned more definition in your arms, shoulders, and chest, as well as the ability to push back when the world pushes you. Congratulations! You have earned it.

Kavadlo Brothers Pullups NYC

Pull Yourself Together

There is nothing like the ability to wrap your hands around the world around you and pull yourself through, over, and beyond. See that tree branch? See if you can pull yourself up into the tree and afford yourself a bird-like view of the world around you, only accessible to those with the strength to handle anything that the world presents to them. As a nice side effect, you’ll also build a serious set of arms. Time to pull!

Australian Pull-ups

Find a sturdy table, a horizontal bar, or any other object that is between hip and sternum-height that you can grip with your hands and hang from. Grab the object and walk your feet under it until your lower ribs are under the edge of the object. At this stage, your legs should be straightened, arms should be straightened, and hips should be elevated and perfectly aligned with the knees and belly-button. Pull the lower chest to the edge of the surface and pause firmly against the surface. If these are too challenging, use a taller surface.

Goal: 20 repetitions

Negative Pull-Ups

Stand on chair or similar object in front of the Pull-Up bar and take a narrow, underhand grip on the bar. Either tip-toe or use a small hop to get the chin over the bar with the elbows fully closed and in tight to the ribs. Hold this position as long as you can, not allowing the shoulders to shrug or the body to swing. Allow yourself to slowly descend toward the ground inch by inch.

Goal: 60-seconds

Pull-Ups

Begin hanging from the bar with fully straightened arms. Next, squeeze the bar as hard as you can and pull like your life depends on it! Going from straightened arms to chin over the bar is an amazing achievement for anybody, no matter which sex or how old. Take pride in the fact that you can maneuver your body around the environment at will. Got any room left in those shirt sleeves now?

Goal: 10+ repetitions

Kavadlo Brothers Squats DC

Strong Legs, Limitless Reach

Legs are the unsung hero that everybody relies upon for quite literally everything that we do, yet put little care into strengthening them. See that mountain? How about hiking to the top and basking in the glory of conquering nature’s skyscraper. Or being able to play tag with your kids?. The legs have an amazing potential for strength, endurance, and versatility. It would be shame to waste that potential. Let’s build those wheels!

Brisk Walking

This is where is all starts. Walking? Really? Yes. The best way to get better at traversing the world with confidence is to practice traversing the world with confidence. Stand up tall like there is a book on your head and you don’t want it to fall. Pike your feet up and never allow them to drag. Let the arms swing by your sides naturally. The swing of the arms is a good sign of the expressiveness of a person. Show the world that you are full of life and vigor! Walking gently builds the endurance in every joint in the body through low stress, high repetition motion.

Goal: 60-minutes

Assisted Squat

The ability to go from a standing position to a campfire squatting position under full control is crucial for maneuvering the world. To achieve the full squat requires a proficient degree of ankle, knee, hip, and spinal mobility, as well as strength. To build this ability, walk up to a door frame or anything that is about hip height that can support you pulling against it. Place your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, with the toes either facing straight forward or slightly turned out. This will vary person-to-person, so try both ways. With a firm grip on the object, sit your butt backwards toward the wall behind you with the chest lifted proudly, then slowly descend until the backs of the thighs touch the calves. Your heels should be firmly planted into the floor. Your knees should be perfectly lined-up with your feet.

Goal: 60-second hold

Full Squat

Once you have held the bottom of the squat for 60 seconds with the arms straightened out in front of you, attempt to stand up by keeping the chest lifted and straightened the knees and pushing the hips forward toward the object in front of you. Congratulations! You just went from a full squat to a stand. Now, slowly sit back and down into the squat again, pause for two seconds, then stand up. This ability will keep you strong and limber for life, so long as you keep practicing and utilizing it in your worldly adventures. You’ll also build one firm set of legs!

Goal: 25+ slow repetitions

What Now?

So, you can now push back against the world, pull yourself over, around, and through it at will, as well as climb it with ease. What are you going to do with your newfound abilities? The world is out there, waiting patiently for its beauty to be appreciated. The doors of possibility have now been opened! Don’t let them go to waste!

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Time Goes By: The Top Ten PCC Blogs of 2017

December 26, 2017 By Danny Kavadlo 8 Comments

Danny Kavadlo New Years Blog

What is time? Are our lives just a series of randomly occurring events? Or perhaps our experiences are inter-connected by some odd, invisible thread. Who knows? Maybe any “timeline” at all is purely a human invention—our best attempt at comprehending the way that affairs unfold.

Or not. I sure as Hell don’t know!

In any case, whether the linear tracking of time corresponds to history, the universe or just how good we’re getting at pull-ups, we use calendars every day. We know exactly how much time has gone by. Sometimes it’s good to look back…

2017 was a huge year for the Progressive Calisthenics Certification: we welcomed new PCC instructors at workshops across the US, as well as in England, China, Poland and Australia. PCC has truly become a global phenomenon and we are thrilled at how big the family is getting!

2017 also saw the release of GET STRONG, the very first Kavadlo title to contain a specific, detailed 16-week program. To anyone who’s ever asked where the best place to get started is, or how far you can go, this book is for you. You asked for it. You got it!

Throughout the years, this blog has become more than just a forum for sharing information. It’s also been been a fantastic way for us to connect and grow as a community. As Master PCC, I am well acquainted with every single word that runs on this blog. Here are my Top Ten PCC posts of 2017:

– Brian Stramel wrote about his unbelievable, Grand Prize-winning metamorphosis when he took on the Get Strong Transformation Challenge.

– With his classic, bold simplicity and years of experience, Master PCC Al Kavadlo gave us these 5 reasons to practice pistol squats.

– PCC Team Leader Matt Schifferle explained the advantages of building muscle using the power of calisthenics.

– Drawing upon the connection between Eastern martial arts and progressive calisthenics, PCC Instructor Ray Shonk recounted his fitness journey.

– PCC Team Leader Grace Kavadlo shared her savvy in both strength and flexibility, giving us these 5 tips for training the V-sit.

– Here’s a stellar blueprint for arranging a group fitness calisthenics class by PCC Team Leader Matt Beecroft.

– PCC Instructor Steve “Grizzly” Opalenik demystified breathing, tension and meditation as they relate to the body and mind.

– In her signature fashion, PCC Team Leader Annie Vo explained how people change over time, the pursuit of knowledge deepens and why YOU need to recertify!

– With this masterful post on “chaos-proofing” your workouts, Senior PCC Adrienne Harvey gifts us with a mother-load of information about muscular tension, efficiency, programming and more.

– I contributed quite a few posts in 2017. You guys seemed to like this one. It’s called Take Hold Of The Flame.

I’m grateful to all of you who follow this blog. Thanks for reading, sharing, commenting and contributing. We appreciate it more than you know. The future is big and bright. We hope to see you at the PCC in 2018. Happy New Year!

Keep The Dream Alive!

-DK

Finding Strength in Strength

December 5, 2017 By Steve Llewellyn 12 Comments

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.

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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/

Borrow These Calisthenics Cues From the Recent NYC PCC

November 21, 2017 By Adrienne Harvey 6 Comments

One of my absolute favorite parts of any teaching situation is the opportunity to troubleshoot and help teach the troubleshooting process. This not only helps the participants with their own workouts, but teaches them how to help their clients make big changes quickly.

And whenever there’s a new group of people at a PCC, there are new questions, issues, and viewpoints. This was certainly the case at the most recent PCC held at Crunch Gym’s flagship location on 59^th Street in Manhattan. As the Kavadlo brothers always say—and they’re totally right about this—on the first day we enter the room as strangers, but leave as friends. The amount of networking, cooperation, and brainstorming among the participants this time was especially high. Can’t wait to see what comes of these new friendships and alliances.

While it’s unrealistic to claim that everyone who attends a PCC workshop is guaranteed to experience a big breakthrough in their training, it seems to happen frequently. People attending a PCC are usually either trainers, instructors or serious enthusiasts, but we all have our blind spots. The combination of the demonstrations, lectures, Q&A, and the partner practice sessions on all three days of the PCC creates a powerful learning environment. Even though I’ve been involved with the PCC since the very first workshop back in 2013, I still learn something new every time. Should also add that since even the most recent time I helped instruct, the curriculum has continued to evolve and improve.

All of that being said, it is extremely rewarding to give someone a game changer cue or idea that almost instantly takes them to the next level. So, in this recap of the NYC PCC workshop I’d like to revisit a couple of my favorite cues that came up at the workshop. To those who might think I’m giving away too much, understand that these ideas really are best absorbed real-time in the context of a PCC workshop.

“Point at Yourself” and “Pew-pew!”

Something I’ve seen both online and at PCC workshops with people who are so close to performing a perfect pistol squat is a slack looking foot on the leg held in front. Often, these same people will have the idea that they somehow aren’t strong enough to do it. But with one (or both) of the following cues they are often able to generate enough tension to pull off the move with precision.

The first cue is a personal favorite, it’s simply to think of pushing through the heel of the suspended leg while pointing the toe back TOWARDS you. “Point your toe back at your nose.” You’re basically flexing the foot as hard as you can, which causes the quad to contract very strongly, keeping the straight leg straight out in front of your pistol squat. You will want to stretch out the quad a little after this, and some folks (myself included, especially if I’m a little dehydrated) may actually get a little cramp in the quad. Common sentiment, “Oh I didn’t know I needed to contract the quad THAT hard”

Al also reminded us that generating extra tension from the upper body can also really help the pistol squat. Get in touch with your inner 007 and make the “pew-pew” fingers while strongly clasping your hands together. This can make for much more stable pistol squats in terms of tension and balance, and as in the example above, cute photos.

“I’m gonna hit you in the tummy, ok?”

By the time someone attends a PCC workshop, they’ve done a LOT of push-ups in preparation for the Century Test. But, changing the angle or the points of contact from a standard pushup in one of the many advanced progressions taught at the PCC can make the exercise feel brand new again. Old habits can sometimes creep back when the focus moves from the familiar standard pushup. The novelty of trying a new progression can cause even the most advanced of us to forget the crucial basics.

Such was the case with a participant I helped at the workshop. He had been repping out fantastic standard push-ups and all the other variations perfectly until this point. While raising one hand high on a platform to try a nearly one-arm uneven push-up, he seemed to forget about his midsection. But, without trunk stability, this advanced push-up would be impossible. I knew he could do it based on previous performances, and after seeing his lower back sagging on the attempt, I said, “Wait! Use your abs, I’m going to hit you in the tummy, ok?”

He said, “OK,” so I gently gave him a couple little chops right in the tummy. The first one let both of us know that he had let his core go slack, and the second one revealed that he’d fixed the situation. His back was suddenly straight again and he was able to successfully complete a rep of this difficult and frankly extreme push-up variation.

No matter what push-up variation we’re discussing, the push-up at its heart is a moving plank. And that of course requires abdominal stability The more advanced the progression, the more extreme the stability requirement.

PCC NYC Participants Muscle-Ups

One Last Thing…

At the workshops I’ve been invited to help teach over the years, I’ve noticed that while we have a ton of fitness professionals attend, we also have many people from other fields. As someone with a computer science background I’m always pleased to see developers, engineers, and other technical professionals show up to a PCC and perform extraordinarily well. The idea that they are setting such a strong example in their lives outside the fitness industry is also excellent for public health. Fitness and the ideas in the PCC and Convict Conditioning really are for everyone.

NYC PCC November 2017 at Crunch Gym 59th Street

While we may all admire and aspire to the most advanced steps, and videos and photos of those feats are typically the ones that go viral, the bread and butter basics of calisthenics are applicable to all human bodies. The early progressions, especially as taught at the PCC and in Convict Conditioning are powerful for any level. And the newly certified PCC Instructors from this most recent NYC PCC at Crunch’s flagship gym are ready to bring these transformative ideas to the world.

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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 has modeled in multiple Dragon Door titles including The Neuro-Grip Challenge, Rings of Power, DVRT, Neuro-Mass, Pushing the Limits, and several others. For her recipes and workout programs to further support performance, body composition, and of course—FUN, check out her website: http://www.giryagirl.com.

My Get Strong Transformation Challenge Story

November 11, 2017 By Grand prize Winner, Brian Stramel 7 Comments

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 30^th. 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 4^th 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 23^rd.

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!

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

Getting Started with the Freestanding Handstand

October 31, 2017 By Krista Stryker 3 Comments

Krista Stryker Handstand

I didn’t grow up as a gymnast.

As a kid, I played basketball and soccer, but was fairly uncoordinated and had very little body awareness. In fact, handstands didn’t even come on the radar for me until my mid 20’s, and at that time I had just barely built up the strength to do proper push-ups and my first pull-up. Handstands seemed like something only superheroes could do.

Fast forward to today, and I’m happy to say I’ve built a pretty solid handstand. It’s one of the things I get asked about most when I’m training (I also get asked a lot if I’m a gymnast, which always makes me laugh because at 5’9” with fairly long limbs I don’t exactly have the ideal gymnast build).

But it hasn’t been easy. It’s taken me around three years of extremely consistent training to get where I am today, and while I probably could have progressed faster if I knew what I know now from the start, I’ve actually really enjoyed the ups and downs of the journey. It’s been frustrating and yet incredibly satisfying at the same time—and the constant challenge has meant that I’ve never been bored or lost interest in practicing.

If your goal is to learn to handstand, here are my best tips on making progress, whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been struggling to make progress for a while now.

No One is Too Good for the Wall

I train outside a lot, and out of everything I’m doing the main thing people like to stop and ask me about is my handstand and how they, too can work up to a freestanding handstand one day.

Without a doubt, my biggest piece of advice is to use the wall.

When I first started seriously working on handstands, I spent around six months practicing solely on the wall, and it made the absolute biggest difference in my handstand progression.

Now, I totally get that some of you will want to bypass the wall. After all, for a strong, athletic person, relying on the wall may seem like an unnecessary step. But working on the wall has countless benefits, including helping you to build endurance, establish a straight, solid handstand line, teaching you the beginnings of balancing in a handstand, and much more.

When getting started with wall handstands, most people will practice with their back to the wall. However, I’ve personally found that practicing with my chest facing the wall has been even more helpful.

Start in a plank with your feet touching the wall, then walk your feet up the wall until your body is completely vertical and your hands are only a couple of inches away from the wall (if it’s too scary to get that close at first, don’t worry, just work up to it). Once you’re there, push up through your shoulders as much as you can, tighten your core and glutes, and hold for time. This is going to help you build endurance upside down which is absolutely necessary to hold a longer freestanding handstand down the road.

Wall Handstand Balancing Drill

Once you’re able to hold a handstand for at least 30-45 seconds against the wall, you can start working on figuring out the balance portion of the handstand.

Here’s one of my favorite drills for balance:

Start by walking up the wall as described above.
Walk your hands away from the wall so that they’re about a foot away
Slowly remove one foot from the wall and balance it overhead so that your shoulders and hips remain in a straight line. It’s okay if your leg goes slightly past your hips, just focus on your hips being directly over your shoulders.
Even more slowly, remove the other foot from the wall and try your best to hold your handstand briefly. If you fall backward, just put your feet back on the wall. If you fall forward, simply cartwheel out.
Split your legs back and forth, working to feel the balance in your fingertips and the alignment in your shoulders and hips.

You can practice this drill for time to build even more endurance. Just be patient with it and go slowly—this type of training can’t be rushed.

It also really helps to film yourself doing the exercise so that you can see whether you’re actually as aligned as you think you are. Videos don’t lie!

Working Away From the Wall

Once you start to feel the balance against the wall, it’s time to start working on getting away from the wall.

There are countless ways to get into a handstand, but most people will start with the basic kick up. This can be frustrating at first, and you’ll have to work on figuring out how hard to kick up to hit that sweet spot. If you don’t kick hard enough, you won’t make it to vertical—if you kick too hard, you’ll fall or cartwheel over. It just takes time and practice.

Even when you start working away from the wall, don’t give up your wall training all together. While working your freestanding handstand is a necessary step in handstand training, you should still work on the wall to keep building up endurance and working on your balance and alignment in a handstand.

A good recommendation is to spend about half of your time practicing on the wall and half of your time working on kicking up into a freestanding handstand until you get really consistent with your freestanding handstand—then you can spend most (if not all) of your practice away from the wall.

Consistency is Key

If you’re serious about being able to rock a handstand, the number one thing to keep in mind is that you have to be consistent with your training. Since handstands are more of a skill than a strength exercise (although don’t get me wrong, they can definitely tire you out!), you can practice handstands nearly every single day.

And you should—even spending 5-15 minutes a day working on your endurance and balance holding a handstand will make a huge difference towards your progress.

Ultimately, though, you have to really want a handstand and be patient with the process. It can take a great deal of time before you feel consistent and comfortable in a handstand, but take it from me, the process is absolutely worth it.

And of course, it you want to learn more about handstands, come to the PCC!

Krista Stryker With Kavadlos at PCC

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Krista Stryker, PCC is an NSCA certified personal trainer and the founder of 12 Minute Athlete, a popular website and app helping thousands of people get fit in as little time as possible. Krista has been featured in The Washington Post, SHAPE Magazine, Muscle & Fitness Hers and MindBodyGreen. Find out more about Krista on her blog and connect on social media @12minuteathlete.