Progressive Calisthenics

PCC Torrance: Once In A Lifetime

October 17, 2017 By Danny Kavadlo 6 Comments

Danny Kavadlo Torrence PCC

And you may find yourself in another part of the world…

That’s what tends to happen when we instruct Dragon Door’s Progressive Calisthenics Certification, the first and best bodyweight training certification on the planet. In fact, in the nearly five years since its inception, the PCC has taken place in dozens of cities and numerous countries, spanning across four of the seven continents.

I guess you guys really love your pull-ups!

Last week, my brother Al Kavadlo and I, along with PCC Team Leaders Annie Vo and Grace Kavadlo, headed from New York to LA for California’s fifth PCC workshop. To say that it was an amazing experience would be to gravely understate the sentiment. This was one for the record books. But more about that later…

The event took place at Kettlebells South Bay, my personal favorite training facility in all of LA County. This self-proclaimed “unconventional training” center features built-in human flag poles, super-high ceilings and more pull-up bars than you could shake a stick at. But for me, the best part of the weekend by far, was the people in attendance.

The energy that filled the room really had to be experienced in order to be believed. As anyone who’s ever been to a PCC can personally attest to, the combined vivacity that erupts when you get a group of calisthenics fanatics together is inexplicable. It’s no wonder there were so many personal records set! From muscle-ups, to pistol squats, and even a one-arm dragon flag, a multitude of first time feats of strength, balance and skill were achieved!

It warms my heart and feeds my soul to be part of the chemistry. But to be clear, I was only a piece of the equation. Everybody played their role in the magic. It was truly a shared experience.

We celebrate the successes of the person next to us. In encouraging them to do better, we also bring out the best in ourselves. That’s really one of the most spectacular parts of the calisthenics community. When you take your neighbor by the hand, you both bring out the best in each other.

And you my ask yourself, has there ever been a PCC where everyone in attendance passed the infamous Century?

Yes. Once in a lifetime there was. And this was it. I told you this was one for the record books!

That’s right; every single man and woman in attendance performed 100 proper reps—40 stellar squats, 30 perfect push-ups (or knee push-ups), 20 hanging knee raises and 10 powerful pull-ups (or Aussie pull-ups). Never before had this happened in nearly fifty certifications around the globe.

Will it ever happen again? I couldn’t say. But you can. That’s right—I hope to see you, dear reader, at a PCC down the road. We’ll see if lightning strikes twice.

Big congratulations to all the newly certified PCC Instructors. You’ve raised the bar for us all and I thank you.

The posse’s getting bigger!

-DK

Photography: Riley Christian

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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 G ET 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

Embrace the Journey – Lessons from the Pull Up Bar

October 3, 2017 By Carl Phillips 14 Comments

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.

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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.

Bodyweight Badassery Meets the Sideshow at the Seashore

September 19, 2017 By Danny Kavadlo 8 Comments

Al Danny Kavadlo Coney Island

A few nights ago, as summer was coming to a close, my son and I went to the beach one last time this season. We sat on the sand and looked into the sky. Slowly, I closed my eyes and reflected on the rapidly dwindling summer days of 2017. Times come and times go. All we are left with is our memories. And there is one summer memory stands above all as the freakiest!

This past Labor Day weekend, my brother Al Kavadlo and I had the tremendous honor of serving on a panel of judges at the 10^th Annual Coney Island Beard and Moustache Contest. It was our job to see which whiskers reign supreme in New York City and beyond. But there’s more: We were enlisted not only as judges… but also as performers!

The contest took place at the Coney Island Sideshow, home to circus showmen and human oddities throughout history. Hosted by performing strongman Adam Realman and “Handsome” Dick Manitoba (from legendary punk band The Dictators), the night was a celebration of classic New York, wacky and wild, in all its glory. The energy was infectious.

Adam Realman and Dick Manitoba

About halfway through the show, we had already viewed the hirsute contestants of several categories, including “Man or Beast” (best natural beard) and “Coney Island Curl” (best styled moustache). Now it was time for our act.

I can’t express what a remarkable experience it was to perform our bodyweight strongman act on this legendary stage. It warmed our hearts to be part of such a special history. From the sideshow performers of yesteryear, to modern day bodybuilders, to the pro-wrestlers we all admired as kids, there’s nothing like a strongman show!

In fact, as a kid growing up in South Brooklyn, it’s been a lifelong dream of mine to one day take the stage at the hallowed freakshow. Now I had my chance!

Al and Danny Kavadlo Partner Front Lever

We really wanted to do something special for the show, so we made it a point to feature only partner calisthenics in our act. Al and I demonstrated our signature partner front lever from the cover of Street Workout and the two-man human flag from Convict Conditioning 2. I even stood upon his back bridge as seen in Pushing The Limits. Most of the exercises we performed are detailed in our book Get Strong.

It was also a great thrill to serve as an ambassador of sorts, introducing the word of progressive calisthenics to a whole, new audience. The posse’s getting bigger!

Like the summer itself, our set seemed to fly by. Back to the facial hair! Soon, we were onto judge the “Dog and Pony” (best partial beard/chops) and “Carny Trash” (worst in show) awards. Bring it on!

Of course, the night ended with the coveted Brass Ring (best in show) and several other fantastic performances. Congratulations to all the winners and competitors of this amazing competition! The facial hair game is STRONG in Brooklyn!

Coney Island Beard and Moustache group photo

But for me, even more than the facial hair, keeping the strongman dream alive—bodyweight style—in Coney Island, Brooklyn is what made this night magic. Truly, this is one summer memory I want to hold onto. Fugeddaboutit!

Photos: Eliza Rinn and Norman Blake

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Progressive Calisthenics Returns To Beijing

August 29, 2017 By Danny Kavadlo 2 Comments

Last week, the Progressive Calisthenics Certification made its return to Beijing, China for the third time in just 18 months. Once again, I had the esteemed pleasure and honor of traveling to the Far East to lead a group of forty calisthenics enthusiasts through the school of Street Workout.

And what a thrill it was!

Based on the teachings of Paul “Coach” Wade’s best-selling Convict Conditioning series, the PCC is a three day, experiential course that not only teaches all the bodyweight basics like push-ups, pull-ups and squats, but also the more elite moves like muscle-ups, human flags, bar levers and more!

The course also details a magnitude of progressions, regressions, teaching methodologies, principles and programming, which can be employed for a lifetime of personal practice and shared instruction. We don’t just show you the moves—we give you the tools!

China PCC 2017 push-ups

The incredible group in attendance included calisthenics die-hards hailing from China, Taiwan, Korea, South Africa, Italy and even the good old USA! One of my favorite aspects about calisthenics is that it unites and celebrates people from different cities, countries and continents. There’s nothing quite like traveling half-way around the world and meeting new people who feel like old friends.

Beyond geographic boundaries and cultural divides, the bodyweight brother- and sisterhood prevails. It’s very much a family affair.

China PCC 2017 Straight Bridges

This team of Beijing bad-asses was a particularly strong group. On the very first day, history was made when four of the attendees performed a one-arm pull-up! It’s been said that only one in 10,000 people can pull off this incredible feat of strength. Indeed, Beijing was host to a fantastic crew of calisthenic killers!

China PCC 2017 One-Arm-Pullup — One arm pull-up at PCC.

In fact, I’m always blown away by what I see at the Progressive Calisthenics Certification. It’s a place where new life experiences are made, shared and celebrated. The personal records set (and the personal bonds born) live on, even after the workshop has commenced.

China PCC 2017 squats

When all is said and done, it went by too fast. The three days we spent in Beijing were magnificent and I’ll never forget them. I look forward to PCC’s return to the Forbidden City. Until then, I’d like to thank our partners at Beijing Science and Technology Publishing for organizing this event, the University of Physical Education for the use of their phenomenal facility, and of course—and most of all—everyone who made the voyage to train with me, dare with me and become a certified PCC Instructor! Congratulations to you all!

Keep the dream alive. The posse’s getting bigger!
-DK

China PCC 2017 Group Photo

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Ask Al: GET STRONG Edition

July 11, 2017 By Al Kavadlo 18 Comments

Ask Al Get Strong Edition

Since the release of our latest book, GET STRONG, my brother Danny and I have gotten a lot of feedback on our new program. It seems that you guys are loving the book!

Even though the program takes 16 weeks to complete – and it’s barely been two months since the release – many of you are writing to tell us that you’re already experiencing gains in muscle and strength. Awesome!

We’ve also been getting a lot questions about the GET STRONG program. Though we did our best to explain everything as clearly as possible in the book, there are a few concerns that have been raised more than once.

That’s why I’ve created this special “Ask Al” video.

In it I address:

–What to do if you’re having trouble kicking into a handstand

–How to alter the hanging leg raise if you’re too tall to fully extend your legs

–The correct way to sequence your exercises

–How to incorporate Aussie pull-ups into the program

Let us know if you have additional questions or feedback about the program in the comments below.

Let’s GET STRONG!

Let’s Get High! How To Do A Muscle-Up

June 13, 2017 By Danny Kavadlo 20 Comments

Danny Kavadlo Muscle Up

One of the things I love most about Progressive Calisthenics is the fact that it is a multi-faceted discipline.

You see, we human beings have a tendency to over-categorize and compartmentalize just about everything. Sadly, this can lead to an improper representation of concepts that can often be better expressed with blurred lines. In other words, not every peg fits so squarely into a hole.

An imaginary, over-lapping Venn diagram comes to my mind when I consider the virtuosity of the muscle-up. It’s a proverbial chameleon of classification. Is a muscle-up strength training or skill development? Conditioning work or muscle building? Power or control? Well, friends, the mighty muscle-up is all of the above and more!

In fact, this ultimate bar experience is the perfect fusion of raw strength and refined technique. It’s an upper body exercise that recruits full body harmony, firing up your muscles while also getting your heart racing. The muscle-up is the only upper-body move in the calisthenics kingdom that employs a push and a pull: it resembles a pull-up that transitions into a dip. But there is a lot more that goes into it. Dare with me if you will…

In The Beginning

If you consult the internet, you are sure to come across a multitude of memes portraying very fit individuals who make the muscle-up look easy. It’s not. To be clear, this is an advanced exercise and a solid foundation in the basics in necessary before exploring it.

On that note, people sometimes think there is a hidden trick or a “hack” to performing a muscle-up. There isn’t. It takes work. While the information detailed ahead will undoubtedly help your training and technique, I recommend that anybody who is serious about muscle-ups be able to a do at least 10 perfect pull-ups, 20 hanging knee raises, 20 dips and 30 push-ups before even attempting to tame this beast.

Get A Grip

Every exercise begins with our contact with the environment. In this case, the way we approach the bar is very important. To perform a muscle-up, position your hands only slightly wider than the width of your shoulders. Yes, this is narrower than you would typical place them for a pull-up. Keeping your hands closer together will help you bring the bar lower down on your body when you initiate the movement.

If you are new to muscle-ups, then use an overhand grip. (Again, this is unlike the pull-up, where beginners generally favor an underhand grip.) In fact, for many people, an exaggerated overhand grip, with the hands cocked over the bar as much as possible and the backs of the hands facing straight up at the sky, is preferable. This is sometimes referred to as a “false” grip, and can ease the transition from pulling yourself up, to pressing yourself over the bar.

Danny Kavadlo Muscle-Up 2

Breaking Down Your Muscle-Up

Pull the bar as low down on your body as you can. Get explosive! Aim to get the bar all the way down to your hips, although it will probably wind up closer to your chest. Use as much speed and force as you can muster up.

Danny Kavadlo Muscle-Up — It begins with an explosive pull. Practicing this movement pattern alone—without muscling over the bar—is a viable exercise in its own right.

At this point, press your chest forward and around the bar. Aiming to bring your elbows above your wrists will assist you in this transition. It’s also helpful to buck your hips out behind you and extend your legs out in front of you so they can act as a counterweight as you maneuver around the bar.

Now press your hands into the bar, extending your elbows and straightening your arms. You want to “dip” yourself up, while maneuvering the bar down. It is not unusual for one arm to go over before the other at first. This asymmetrical act is sometimes referred to as “chicken winging.” While it’s OK to use this avian assist in the early stages (no one’s first is the best), it is something we want to avoid as we develop more strength and skill. Ideally, over the course of time, both arms will go over together like a dip on a single, straight bar.

Once you are fully over the bar, you have completed the rep. Although advanced practitioners can train to do slow muscle-ups, generally speaking, all of these steps occur very quickly. Go for one or two reps at a time, so you can remain fresh for each attempt. Eventually, you can increase your reps.

Type Slow Negative

In addition to the above-mentioned explosive pull-ups and straight bar dips, simply practicing the lowering phase of a muscle-up can be helpful, too. Because muscle-ups have a huge neurological component, doing just half of the range of motion (the eccentric half) allows your body to rehearse how it feels spatially to do a muscle-up, without actually doing the muscle-up.

To do so, climb to the top position. You can use a step, a bench or the aid of a training partner. You can even assist yourself by jumping into it. When you’re at the top, pause and engage all the muscles in your body. Now lower yourself down as slowly as you possibly can. Hinge at the elbows and bend at the shoulders, as you lower your chest to the bar. Wring your wrists around the bar and extend your legs forward as you continue your descent. Continue all the way down until you are hanging from the bar. This type of slow, negative muscle-up will give you a taste of the movement pattern. Like all things muscle-up related, it’s harder than it may seem.

Bar None

It can take a great deal of time and energy to achieve your first muscle-up, but the feeling of getting high above that bar is worth it. Take your time, respect the journey and understand that, like many great things, it will require discipline, intensity and consistency. Even after you’ve done your first muscle-up, it may be a while before you do your second. That’s ok. It’s a long road; enjoy the ride. In time, the sky’s the limit!

If you’ve experienced any breakthroughs with your muscle-up training, please let me know in the comments section below. Danny wants to hear about it! For that matter, feel free to post any questions you may have about muscle-ups. After all, we’re all a work in progress. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

Keep The Dream Alive,

-DK

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Internal Martial Arts and Calisthenics

May 30, 2017 By Ray Shonk 6 Comments

Ray Shonk Flag Lead Photo

A long time ago, before I became a trainer (and after a long hiatus in my own fitness and martial art training), I decided to get back on the scene. I began training a martial art called Taijiquan, also known as Tai Chi. To be perfectly honest, I chose this after watching late night Kung Fu movies. Inspiration comes from many places!

Without much research on it, I jumped in. The first few classes were exceptionally frustrating. I was super uncoordinated and it felt like I was doing “the robot.” I was unprepared for the fluidity of many of the moves, as well as for the full body unity that is required. However, after about a year, things eventually started smoothing out, and I finally got into the martial side of Taijiquan.

Ray Shonk Tai Chi

I started working on “pushing hands” or chi sau, and once again the frustration kicked in. As I had previously experienced, I felt clunky in many of my movements.

I decided to get into weight training in hopes of improving my performance. Like many folks from my generation, weight training seemed like the most viable way to get better physically equipped. And while it’s true that my weight training at this time incorporated a few push-ups and assisted pull-ups, the primary focus was still on external resistance.

Speed ahead years later and I got a bit stronger and leaner. I won my first gold medal for Taijiquan. I even left my corporate job to become a trainer. But something was still missing in my own development. I needed to try something different…

At this time, a good friend of mine introduced me to the Kavadlo Brothers by showing me a YouTube video. Like many, my first thought was, “How can you possibly get stronger using no weights?” But I kept an open mind and gave it a shot. I started my training with the basic, fundamental movements of bodyweight strength training: push-ups, squats, lunges, dips and, of course, pull-ups!

Ray Shonk Pull-Up

After several months of training in both calisthenics and Taijiquan, I noticed that I was not only getting faster, stronger and leaner, but all my movements flowed more freely. I had found what I was missing! The movements in all aspects of Taijiquan required control of multiple muscles at the same time and calisthenics promotes multiple muscle recruitment in each exercise. I mean, lets look at it. A bench press uses the pectorals, triceps and deltoids, but a push-up hits all those muscles, as well as just about everything else. A strong man may be able to control others, but a truly powerful man can control himself.

It’s been five years since I put the weights down for good. Now that I’ve established a solid foundation in the basics, I’ve incorporated more advanced bodyweight exercises like the pistol squat, muscle-up and human flag. I have since attended the SCC in New York with Danny Kavadlo, and the PCC in Boston with Al & Danny Kavadlo. I’m finding that I’m stronger, faster and more agile in my late 30’s than I ever was in my 20’s. A huge part of that has been training my body with my body, an art that extends as far back as man. My Tai Chi practice and all aspects of my life are better with calisthenics!

Ray Shonk Jungle Gym MuscleUp

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Ray Shonk, PCC, SCC is a personal trainer in Grand Rapids Michigan, a adjunct professor at GVSU and owner of Quest Fitness. He currently specializes in Calisthenics, Sports Performance and Martial Arts training. When he is not training he spends time brewing beer, and spending time with friends and family. Learn more at www.questfitnessgym.com.

PCC Goes Commando

May 23, 2017 By Grace Kavadlo 4 Comments

PCC London 2017

I’d heard big things about the Commando Temple gym in London from Al and Danny after the previous Progressive Calisthenics Certification there, so I had high expectations going into last weekend’s event.

This would be the third time the PCC was happening in Great Britain, but it was my first time visiting the legendary Commando Temple. Despite the hype, it was even better than I expected!

The Temple is nothing like your typical gym, which tends to be bloated with treadmills, stationary bikes, and machines. It is truly a playground for DIESEL people! There is tons of floor space, pull-up bars of every width, a Swedish ladder, full-sized parallel bars and even customizable human flag handles.

I was immediately impressed and knew it was going to be an event of epic proportions. Still, nothing could prepare me for the energy and excitement that took place throughout the weekend.

PCC London Al Kavadlo Flag

As a self-professed geek, I was thrilled to see that the walls are covered in comic book and superhero art. Everywhere you look there’s a figurine or picture with inspirational action icons!

The superheros pictured on the walls weren’t the only superheros in the room. Just like the unassuming Clark Kent turns into Superman at the blink of an eye, these polite British chaps turned into full-blown calisthenics beasts once they were unleashed on the bars!

PCC London Hanging Leg Raises

The guys weren’t the only ones getting in on the action, either. There were some Wonder Women in this group as well. I love connecting with other ladies who share my passion for calisthenics. As a female, it’s empowering to be on the forefront of a movement that is typically dominated by men. However, at every PCC we are spreading the word that pull-ups and push-ups aren’t just for the boys. The ladies of PCC never fail to impress me with their strength and solidarity.

PCC Ladies Group Photo

As always, the PCC brings people together from all over the world. Though there were many local Londonites in the house, attendees came from places as far and varied as Senegal, South Africa, Italy, Greece, Belgium and Ireland. We were all united by our passion for calisthenics and our desire to improve. And improve we did! There were more PR’s set than I can ever recall seeing at a PCC workshop. Pistols were firing, flags were flying and handstands were happening everywhere.

PCC London Handstands

The whole weekend went by in a flash! When all was said and done, we were left with new friends and a great group of newly certified progressive calisthenics trainers. It’s an honor to teach and share what I’ve learned so far in my journey, and it’s a privilege to be a part of this wonderful movement. My favorite thing about the PCC is how it brings out the best in people. We all have a superhero inside of us.

PCC London 2017 Group Photo

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Grace Kavadlo is a PCC Team Leader, personal trainer and group exercise instructor located in New York City. She is a columnist for Bodybuilding.com and can be seen in several Dragon Door books, including Al Kavadlo’s Zen Mind, Strong Body and Paul “Coach” Wade’s Explosive Calisthenics. For more information about Grace, check out her website, www.DieselGrace.com.

Taking The GET STRONG Transformation Challenge

May 16, 2017 By John Du Cane, CEO and founder, Dragon Door 26 Comments

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:

“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.”
“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

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:

Submit one or more Before photos taken within three days of beginning the contest.
Submit one or more After photos taken with three days of completing the 16-week contest.
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…

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!

How to Restore Desk-Damaged Physiques with Calisthenics

May 9, 2017 By Adrienne Harvey 23 Comments

Adrienne Harvey UnDesk Lead Photo

Years ago, well before the PCC, and just after Convict Conditioning began to get extremely popular, I heard Andrea Du Cane say that we shouldn’t live in the posture of our sport. In many cases, we should also not live in the posture of our work.

It seems as though many of our clients (and in some cases ourselves) spend the majority of their working hours seated at a desk looking at a screen, then spend hours staring at a small screen. So, let’s take a moment to work with some do-anywhere calisthenics exercises to help build healthy habits while undoing some of the desk-damage so we can continue to help our students, clients, and ourselves safely build strength.

In 6th grade, a brilliant friend (math genius and fellow computer nerd) and I would get to school early to boot up a lab of dinosaur-era computers. Already at that young age, my friend had the dreaded forward leaning head, hunched shoulders, and rounded upper back from hours and hours of programming. Thankfully, I was still spending a reasonable amount of time playing in the backyard on the monkey bars—while getting regular reminders from Mom to stand up straight and keep my shoulders back—which saved me from the same situation.

But, pulling long hours at work, then tapping at tiny screens has left almost everyone pretty susceptible to bad habits and weaknesses that can hold us back in our calisthenics training—and in our everyday enjoyment of life.

First, for those of us who are instructors, it’s important to remember our scope of practice. If a student or client is in pain or has a medical issue—or even if you’re just unsure about the situation—always refer them to an appropriate medical professional.

As much as it would be great to think that a standing desk would solve all the sitting related problems of the world, some of us have noticed that intense cognitive tasks requiring full concentration and extreme focus just don’t seem to go as well when working at a standing desk. That has definitely been my experience, as my typing speed and overall productivity seem to suffer if I try to do highly mental tasks at a standing desk. So, under the assumption that we or our students/clients will need to work at a desk for a significant period of time most workdays, let’s discuss how we can help.

We already know that it’s important to take breaks from seated work. I’m a huge fan of the Pomodoro technique—it can also boost productivity at the same time. Basically, set a timer for 25 minutes of work, then take a 5 minute break to walk around, do a few movement exercises, then repeat the 25min, 5min cycle four times before taking a longer break.

Poor posture habits while standing and sitting often stem from a lack of core or (as Paul “Coach” Wade would say) midsection strength. It’s also pretty common for people with weak midsections to have or develop back issues. Think of the midsection as a cylinder, if the “front half” isn’t doing its fair share, then the back half will be carrying an extra burden. If the abs aren’t able to hold us upright while standing or seated, then the back has to compensate that much more—often leading to discomfort or worse.

The great news is that instead of doing endless questionable crunches, the PCC and Convict Conditioning methodology emphasize training the midsection specifically, and instruct us to engage it when performing most (if not all) of the other calisthenics exercises. For example, It’s hard to even imagine performing a pistol squat without abdominal involvement—the same is true with any advanced push-up (it’s critical for Neuro-Grip push-ups)—and just about every other exercise in the PCC and Convict Conditioning curriculum.

While many different schools of training have their own approaches to counteracting the very modern problem of too much sitting, in this post I’ll mainly focus on calisthenics strength, and very basic mobility. Nothing too fancy is necessary for most of our general population clients to work on counteracting the dreaded desk body. But, if you are inclined to work more on mobility and flexibility alongside your calisthenics strength, definitely check out Al Kavadlo’s Stretching Your Boundaries.

I think of “un-desking” as having the following components:

Unlocking the hips and hip flexors
Abdominal/midsection strengthening
Stretching and strengthening the shoulders and upper back

Unlocking the Hips and Hip Flexors

The short bridge (also sometimes called the hip bridge or shoulder bridge) is a regular part of my mobility warm-ups and those I teach to others. It’s accessible for nearly anyone. When practicing the short bridge, the beginner is comfortable and in control as they work towards bringing the hips higher while engaging their glutes.

Start on the ground with your hands at your sides. Push down hard through your heels and strongly activate your glutes to get your hips as high as possible. This is nearly the opposite of slumping over at a desk. It’s sometimes helpful to think of pushing the hips up and over towards your head (but only THINK this, your feet need to stay on the ground).

Adrienne Harvey Short Bridge

The straight bridge is another extremely valuable early step toward a full bridge in Convict Conditioning that is very useful long after achieving a full bridge. Like the short bridge, you may also know it by other names. Those of use who spend a lot of time typing—and who are also pull-up enthusiasts can greatly benefit from this move. I love it and love to hate it. At the top of this bridge variation, be sure that the shoulders feel rotated back and down. Experiment with different hand positions (fingers facing forward, to the side, backwards) while working to bring your chest and body high off of the ground in a reverse plank position.

Adrienne Harvey Straight Bridge — Remember to try different hand positions when trying the straight bridge: fingers pointing towards the toes, out to the sides, or pointing backwards.

A favorite bodyweight stretch from the RKC curriculum also has great value for calisthenics practitioners. It’s no secret that I love kettlebells as much as I love calisthenics, and I’ve found that including this RKC hip flexor stretch in bodyweight only workout warm-ups can do wonders for bridging. If you find your hip flexors are tight and have never tried this drill before, give it a go! It’s a lifesaver after long car rides, or marathon writing sessions at the computer.

On a padded surface, get in a half-kneeling position. Without pushing forward in any kind of extreme lunge, simply think of tucking your tailbone while strongly activating your glutes. The front of your hip and thigh on the leg with the knee on the mat should feel a strong stretch. Take time with this powerful move and be sure to try it on both sides.

Adrienne Harvey RKC Hip Flexor Stretch

Abdominal/Midsection Strengthening

As mentioned earlier in this post, most if not all of the calisthenics exercises in the PCC curriculum and Convict Conditioning involve the abdominals. But if you or your students are having desk-related issues, focused abdominal strengthening can really help. The leg raise series beginning on the ground all the way up to the most exotic lever strongly impact the abs. Since the midsection recovers quickly, it can be trained much more often than most muscle groups—some may opt to train the midsection daily.

Adrienne Harvey Hanging Knee Raises — Double down on “un-desking” by combining slow and controlled hanging knee raises with a timed active hang. How slow can you go?

Stretching and Strengthening the Shoulders and Upper Back

Weak upper backs and weak shoulders tend to round forward during desk work—but so do the shoulders of active people—especially boxers and pull-up addicts! Spending time hanging from a pull-up bar can not only greatly increase grip strength, but it’s an opportunity to relax and activate the back with dead and active hangs—done for reps, this move is sometimes called a “scap-up” referring to the movement of the scapula. (In a past PCC blog post I outlined several different bar hang grips but in this case, even the most basic bar hang grip will fit the bill.)

Pay particular attention to how your shoulders and upper back are feeling, and if you’re a beginner, take it easy.

Adrienne Harvey Bar Hangs — The dead hang and active hang look and feel completely different!

Last but certainly not least, the Aussie pull-up, especially performed to the chest can help remind our shoulders to stay back where they belong. Far from being just a step on the way to the pull-up, the Aussie pull-up (aka bodyweight row) performed slowly with a nearly isometric hold at the top can help posture, upper back strength and lead to better lockouts at the top of standard pull-ups. Be sure to experiment with lower bars of various heights. The Aussie can be further regressed for beginners or deconditioned students by bending the knees. This shortens the lever of the body and places some of the body’s weight on the feet.

Adrienne Harvey Aussie Pullups, Bodyweight Rows

One of the great and occasionally frustrating things about progressive calisthenics is that there are so many options and there’s never time to talk about or do them all! I’ll just briefly mention dips here for intermediate folks, since the delightful chest stretch at the bottom of the dip (don’t dip so low as to risk impingement) is great after a day at the desk. Likewise a strong active hold at the top awakens many of the upper body muscles that suffer when we sit and slouch.

Adrienne Harvey Bodyweight Dips

Example Un-Desk Warm-Up Sequence (repeat for a few rounds if you have time):

Optimally begin by taking a short walk.

Short bridges: 5 reps, pausing for height and max tension at the top
RKC hip flexor stretch 1-2 per side
Dips and/or straight arm holds above dip bars
Bar hang alternating between dead hang and active hang (scap-ups) + a few pull-ups if they’re not maximum effort for you. This is not PR time.
Aussie pull-ups (aka bodyweight rows) 5 slow reps with max tension at top of each rep.
Short Bridge a few test reps to note improvement.

While it would be ideal for all workplace settings to have space for—and the social acceptance of—spontaneous exercise sessions, coming up with minimalist sequences for the work day can at least alleviate some of the issues until you can destroy the stress of the day at the gym or at home.

Bonus Slouch Slayer:

If you’re not sure if/when you’re slipping into a slouch at the desk, Place a mirror to the right or left of where you’re seated. While you work, take a second to catch a glimpse of your profile. Catching myself slouching a couple times was enough to build great upright posture habits at the desk. The moment you catch yourself in a really hunched slouch in that mirror, you’ll be motivated to sit up straighter, check your shoulders, abs, etc. At that point I’d also encourage you to stand up, and try a few of the calisthenics “un-desk” moves.

My home office is always a work in progress, but if I feel like I’m slumping, I’ll place that mirror to my left for a day or two – sure enough that fixes the problem!

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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. Go to http://www.giryagirl.com for more information about Adrienne.