California

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

Progressive Calisthenics Returns To The West Coast!

February 14, 2017 By Danny Kavadlo 4 Comments

2017 Mountain View PCC

The date was Thursday, February 9. I rose at the crack of dawn, ready to board a plane from New York to San Francisco. I was intent on instructing, along with my brother Al Kavadlo, our fourth Progressive Calisthenics Certification in the Golden State of California. To say that I was excited would have been an epic understatement. My soul was on fire!

This three-day workshop, which covers all the Street Workout staples like push-ups, pistols, muscle-ups and more was scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Evolution Trainers, one of the Bay area’s premier training studios. The staff is world class, the facility is breath-taking and most importantly of all, the team of PCC participants slated to attend was absolutely top-notch!

Mountain View PCC 2017 Partner Pistols

But I almost didn’t get to meet them…

The evening before, a billowy blizzard fell over the North East. I woke up to find the city streets of Brooklyn, New York covered with over twelve inches of snow. Schools were closed, people called out of work, the trains were delayed and of course, the airline cancelled my flight. In fact, this airline cancelled all their flights out of John F. Kennedy airport.

But as those of you who’ve read STRENGTH RULES know, Rule # 10 of Danny’s Dos & Don’ts is “Don’t take No for an answer!” So I went to the airport anyway.

Amazingly (and slightly aggressively), I re-booked on a more sympathetic airline. After some persuasion, I was able to get on a flight scheduled to depart at 11:00am. At 6pm, I finally boarded the plane. At 7:30 I was in the air. Just before midnight, we finally touched down. HELLYEAH! Silicon Valley, here I come!

It is an incredible feeling to bring primitive movement and physical strength development to a part of the country so well known for specialized science and technological modernity. It’s a perfect union of cerebral innovation and primal instinct.

CEREBRAL PRIMAL

I cannot say enough kind words about this fantastic group of PCC candidates, who came from around the globe, hailing from across the United States and even as far as Brazil and Australia! As has become commonplace at these workshops, this tribe of calisthenic killers was not limited only to fitness trainers, martial artists and athletes, but was inclusive of everyday enthusiasts, like local tech professionals, physicians and working professionals. There was even a renowned journalist in the house! And of course, everybody there was a calisthenics freak! If you attend a Progressive Calisthenics certification, then no matter what your background is, you are one of us!

Support Press NICK

In classic PCC fashion, multiple PR’s and first time feats of strength were achieved. From flying human flags, to mighty muscle-ups, to stealthy hand balancing and bridge work, it was amazing to see everyone in the room get better and better as we trained together. In addition to the world-class coaching from the instructor team, the boundless energy of every single person in the room undoubtedly contributed to so much excellence.

This life-changing weekend flew by in the blink of a proverbial eye. I will miss my newfound brothers and sisters of the PCC family, but I know I’ll see them soon! This weekend lived up to and far exceeded my high expectations. There is truly nothing like an in person experience.

Congratulations to all the new PCC Instructors in the house. Welcome to the family!

The posse’s getting’ bigger,

-DK

PCC Mountain View 2017 GROUP

Technology Meets Minimalism in Silicon Valley

October 6, 2015 By Peter D'Epiro 5 Comments

PCC Mountain View Lead Photo

For the first time since its inception, the Progressive Calisthenics Certification (PCC) touched down in the Bay Area, specifically Silicon Valley, California. The land of technological innovation and gadgets was introduced to primitive movement patterns and raw strength development, through the use of nothing more than one’s own bodyweight!

Hosted at the Bay Area’s premier fitness and performance training facility, Evolution Trainers, the beautiful California weather and custom built outdoor scaffolding jungle gym allowed for a wonderful combination of indoor and outdoor training throughout the course.

PCC Mountain View Outdoor

As has become commonplace at the PCC, the group of participants was an eclectic mix that included fitness trainers, military personnel, martial artists, teachers, local tech professionals, and calisthenics enthusiasts. Attendees came from the northern and southernmost ends of California, all over the United States, and even as far away as Hong Kong.

This class was unique for me. Having attended the very first PCC in Minneapolis over 2 years ago, I was back for this one as an assistant, which provided a unique vantage point on the curriculum relative to my first time around. Not having to focus on my own performance, aches, pains and anxiety about the Century Test, I was able to view the class as a whole. Seeing all the participants work on the various skills gave me a new and different sense of the incredible experience that is the PCC.

Dragon Door typically likes to track PR’s, when students are able to perform a skill for the first time. While a requisite amount of power and stability are needed to perform the various feats of strength at the PCC, it is amazing to watch attendees who genuinely cannot perform a skill, work through the progressions during the class, receive cues and coaching pointers, and ultimately succeed in execution. From pistol squats to muscle-ups to hand balancing, it was amazing to see everyone in the room get better together as the weekend went on!

PCC Mountain View Crow

Seeing this process in action validates the well thought out progressions and regressions of the curriculum. This highlights the knowledge, communication and teaching skills of Master Instructors Al and Danny Kavadlo, along with Team Leader Logan Christopher, who also lent his insights to this particular course. It was a pleasure to coach alongside such legendary talent.

PCC Mountain View Coaching

The PCC has evolved since its inception, yet still maintains a wonderfully positive and supportive atmosphere that leads to new friendships, professional connections and gains in physical strength. It is an incredibly fun and inspiring experience. Complimenting the technical insights this weekend were individual talks by both Al and Danny about the paths they’ve taken to the PCC, the principles of progression and program design. These talks are not only engaging, but further deepen and personalize an already powerful experience for the students.

All in all, this newly minted group of PCC instructors walked away with much more than a piece of paper declaring them “certified”. They left with new skills, new friends and membership in one of the most special and positive communities in the fitness arena.

PCC Mountain View Group Photo

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About Pete D’Epiro: A fitness & performance coach in the San Francisco Bay Area for 20 years, Pete specializes in training the unique population that is the Silicon Valley executive/entrepreneur as well as junior athletes ranging from middle school to Division I scholarship athletes. Pete also volunteers his time to Stew Smith’s non-profit Heroes of Tomorrow, providing free training to candidates preparing for careers in military special operations, law enforcement, & fire. Most days of the year Pete can be found at the world-class training facility, Evolution Trainers (www.evolutiontrainers.com), in Mountain View, California.

Unstoppable: PCC Encinitas Wrap-Up

January 29, 2015 By Adrienne Harvey 12 Comments

Since the very first PCC workshop in St. Paul, MN in June 2013, Al, Danny, and I have continually been impressed by the people who are attracted to the PCC. It may sound like a cliché, but even though we are the instructors, we always learn tons from the attendees. This PCC in Encinitas, California was no exception, and possibly one of the most inspiring and educational workshops yet. One of the things that I most admire about Al and Danny as Master PCC Instructors is their continued commitment to constantly honing and improving how they teach and present the PCC. Since I haven’t had a chance to teach alongside them in several months, it was even more obvious to me how much they had tightened up the already great curriculum for maximum results.

The group of participants at the Encinitas workshop was especially unique. For starters, some came from the immediate area, but others arrived from as far away as the East Coast, Japan, Brazil, and Puerto Rico. While the majority of participants are usually fitness professionals, this group also included an IT security expert, people working in construction, retired law enforcement officers and firefighters, a current firefighter, active and former military, physical therapists, a research scientist, an attorney, a teacher, a US Marine MAIT (Martial Arts Instructor Trainer), along with many very accomplished personal trainers and coaches. Even beyond that, the age range of the participants (18 to late 60s) was nearly as impressive as the extreme skills and strength exhibited by the older attendees.

John Fletcher Performs a fingertip L-Sit — John Fletcher Performs a Fingertip L-Sit

Danny and I had a funny conversation over the past weekend about how we’ve both started to see our ages as a bragging point—not unlike when we were kids on the playground! (“Oh yeah? I’m TEN so I get to go on the monkey bars first!”) But we also both agreed that because of our training and lifestyles, we feel as good now—if not better—than when we both were younger. Personally, I know for a fact I’m far better coordinated, stronger and more skilled than when I was just thirty. Age does not have to mean a decline in strength or ability—regardless of what the mainstream media constantly tells us. The attendees in their 40s, 50s, and 60s were not slowing down at all, it was very clear that their ages were just an indication that they’d had more time to practice! They were irrefutable proof that you really can train with progressive calisthenics for a lifetime—a strong, able, enjoyable and healthy lifetime.

Larry Berry Performing One of MANY Front Levers of the Day — Larry Froley Performing one of MANY front levers he did that day

Another pattern with this group were some of the incredible comeback stories (which you will be hearing much more about in future interviews on DragonDoor.com). The participants in Encinitas were so driven that age, an accident, life-threatening incident, or even the loss of a limb in the past could not stop them from excelling at their training—and getting the most out of this workshop.

During the Century, Al, Danny and myself each had a testing station, and the number of participants was such that one person would be testing on their own at the end with Al Kavadlo. David Rodriguez who had been inspiring everyone all weekend, waited until the very last to take his test. David (pictured below) has one prosthetic leg, but was so strong, skilled, and agile that I honestly kept forgetting that anything was different about him at all. His incredible attitude effected the group on a very deep level, which was fully evidenced during his test. David not only passed, but SMASHED each part of the Century Test to a soundtrack of our cheers and short periods of awed silence. As he strongly completed the 10th pull up (and looked like he could go for at least 10 more) the emotions in the room ran strong. David’s hand is probably still sore from all the high-fives…

David Rodriguez completing the Century Test

In addition to the curriculum, other benefits of attending the PCC of course includes networking with other fitness professionals and enthusiasts. And while friendships are always formed at the PCC, this time they seemed to happen right from the beginning. Normally it takes about a day for a group to gel, but for some reason, at the Encinitas PCC, this process started right on the first day. At one point I nearly mistook a pair of training partners for old friends or even family. It’s actually a shame that these two guys live across the country from each other because they are ideal workout partners. Originally, Russell Demczak and Alex Martinez paired up for some of the drills because they have similar builds, then continued to train and excel together during the whole weekend. During the extremely advanced back lever portion of the workshop, despite it being near the end of the day, each of their reps showed marked improvement.

Steady improvement was another universal theme for the weekend. While we always see drastic improvements, PRs, and other victories great and small, I was particularly impressed with the sheer volume of incremental and steady improvement from everyone. Can’t wait to see what these people are doing six months from now!

I don’t like to speak for others, but feel safe to say that all the PCC instructors this past weekend were honored to teach such a fun, accomplished and inspiring group at the Encinitas PCC.

Moments from the Encinitas PCC

Hope to see you at a PCC Workshop soon,
Adrienne Harvey, Senior PCC Instructor

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About Adrienne Harvey, Senior PCC Instructor, RKC-II, CK-FMS, Primal Move Nat’l Instructor: Originally RKC Certified in 2010, and RKC Level 2 certified in 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!