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Progressive Calisthenics - The Official Blog for the PCC Community

Century Test

PCC DC – A Historic Occasion

July 15, 2014 By Al Kavadlo 33 Comments

Al Kavadlo and Danny Kavadlo at the Washington Monument

Last weekend my brother Danny and I visited our nation’s capital en route to our latest PCC event in Alexandria, Virginia. Between touring sights like the Washington Monument and witnessing so many historic PCC firsts, it was a weekend I will never forget!

As is always the case with the PCC, calisthenics enthusiasts from various backgrounds and disciplines gathered together to hone their bodyweight skills, draw inspiration from one another and push their limits to set new personal achievements.

Every time we do a Progressive Calisthenics Certification, it’s a whirlwind of a weekend and I can’t believe how quickly it’s all over. But like the old saying goes, time flies when you’re having fun!

Time was not the only thing flying at last weekend's PCC!
Time was not the only thing flying at last weekend’s PCC!

The caliber of athletes attending the PCC continues to impress and amaze me. We had so many incredibly strong individuals gathered together in one room that the collective energy was off the charts! The number of firsts that took place was truly awe inspiring.

A First Muscle-up at the DC PCC
There’s no better feeling than the satisfaction of getting your first muscle-up!

For the first time in Progressive Calisthenics Certification history, each and every PCC candidate who took on the Century test met the challenge and earned their ranking to become an official PCC instructor. The collective energy amongst this group was so intense, once the Century momentum got going, it was unstoppable!

In addition to the unprecedented passing rate, we also saw lots of first muscle-ups, first back levers, first handstands and other groundbreaking achievements. Many a plateau was destroyed. It really felt like there was magic in the air!

Al Kavadlo Spotting a Handstand at the DC PCC
Calisthenics magic!

In fact, I even achieved a personal best myself! I did what I’d consider my cleanest, slowest muscle-up I’ve ever done. Or at least the best one I’ve gotten on video!

Notice that I am rolling my hand slowly over the bar rather than beginning with a false grip, which adds an extra challenge. Thankfully the bar is relatively thin!

Congratulations to all the newly certified PCC instructors! Knowing that this group will be out there spreading the word about calisthenics and changing lives in the process is a wonderful feeling.

There are currently PCC events planned in 9 different cities over the next several months. I hope to see YOU in the next group photo!

We’re Working Out!

-Al

Group Photo at the July PCC in Washington DC

***
Al Kavadlo is the lead instructor for Dragon Door’s Progressive Calisthenics Certification. Recognized worldwide for his amazing bodyweight feats of strength as well as his unique coaching style, Al is the author of four books, including Stretching Your Boundaries, Raising The Bar: The Definitive Guide to Pull-up Bar Calisthenics and Pushing The Limits! Total Body Strength With No Equipment. Read more about Al on his website: www.AlKavadlo.com.

Filed Under: Workshop Experiences Tagged With: Al Kavadlo, Century Test, handstands, muscle-up video, muscle-ups, PR, Washington DC PCC Workshop

Be Warned, You Have to Earn It!

July 7, 2014 By Claude Castro 8 Comments

Al and Danny Kavaldo with Claude Castro

I have a new fondness and respect for all things bodyweight since completing the Progressive Calisthenics (PCC) course in Australia this past February and successfully passing the “Century” test.

As a lifter, I typically liked to lift what I thought of as “heavy stuff.” However this “stuff” was rarely my own bodyweight. It was obvious from the start that I would have my work cut out for me!

When the PCC initially came to my attention approximately 6 months before the workshop. I immediately jumped on it, and paid my registration while thinking, “Time to get it done and earn another worthwhile certification!”

My next thought was that I’d never been heavily into bodyweight training…  What would I do to prepare? Had I mixed up my ambition with my ability?

This had to change!

Previously, I dropped my own body weight down from a solid 92kg frame to a leaner (and much more comfortable) 78kg .  I had made that change with a focus on running and the desire to be a more complete trainer.  So, it wasn’t long before I was playing around with my own weight while preparing for the PCC. Fortunately I have both of the Convict Conditioning books along with a reasonable library of other resources which allowed me to plan accordingly and meet the workshop testing criteria.

My programming was designed around the following basic movements. Please note these were not all performed on the same day.

  • Chin-up & push-up variations.
  • Pistol squats
  • Hanging leg raises (now my go-to abs exercise)
  • Running. Well it is bodyweight!
  • Bridges
  • Handstand /play holds and handstand pushups
  • Bodyweight dips on gymnastic rings
  • All the stretches I knew!!!

I worked with a basic 5×5 based strength protocol for all the movements. The benefit of this for me was that I had already applied it to barbells and kettlebells with success.  Now, given my fondness of the protocol, it worked for my bodyweight training.

Sometimes I needed to switch to a simple 3×3 depending on how fried my body felt from an overloaded workout the day before–a rookie mistake that I often made from stubbornness. It’s a different kind of hurt when the nervous system is depleted! Take my word for it!

The only other major variation was on the days when I felt good and decided to put in more volume. For example a 15 x 5 set on the chins up–clearly I like chin ups! They’re the one movement that petrifies the newbies and are the base test entry for the RKC cert. So out of fear, I already had the “money in the bank“ with regard to pull ups. I now actually enjoy them!

With my new enthusiasm and lower body weight, I was well on my way towards my plan to pass the PCC.

I like to plan, so my first stop was asking myself, what does it take to pass? How long do I have? And then work backward from there.

To pass the PCC I’d have to do the following in less than 8 minutes:

  1. FULL SQUATS:                        40 reps
  2. FULL PUSH-UPS:                   30 reps
  3. HANGING KNEE RAISES:   20 reps
  4. FULL PULL-UPS:                    10 reps

TOTAL:    100 reps

At first this seemed like a reasonable request. I gave it a go, sort of completed it and thought it wasn’t too bad. This was another rookie mistake! Later on I realized I would have to do the test after 3 days of intense bodyweight training, and had to finish each exercise in one set with strict form!

Fortunately for me, this was a great big wake up call. I prepared myself accordingly with a solid base of general physical preparation (GPP). I turned up to the workshop ready to be taught, and was physically conditioned to at least perform the basic exercises.  I was there to learn and not get hurt because of a lack of conditioning. It costs money to attend these courses and it’s a total waste for all if you turn up unprepared.

Many movements are taught–push-ups and variations, chins and variations, front levers, back levers, pistols, and floor holds–just to name a few.  And let’s not forget the muscle ups!

I take a casual approach to these workshops because I like to have fun and absorb the knowledge as it is taught. As I know these guys are not going to just hand your certification to you just because you’ve shown up to the workshop. So I make a point of getting myself adequately prepared and ready by cert time. No excuses.

You have to earn it, so be warned!

It was clearly one of the more enjoyable workshops that I have attended. Along with the incredible manual, the information I now have access to will keep me and my clients busy and challenged for a long time to come.

Now off to the bar for some much needed practice!

Claude Castro One Arm Handstand PCC Australia

Filed Under: Workshop Experiences Tagged With: Century Test, Claude Castro, PCC Australia, workshop preparation

PCC is Taking Over The World

April 29, 2014 By Al Kavadlo 52 Comments

PCC_ConventionCenterSignLast weekend my brother Danny and I led Dragon Door’s fifth-ever Progressive Calisthenics Certification along with PCC Team Leader Adrienne Harvey. With the rapid growth of the PCC, it’s amazing to think that it’s been less than a year since our first certification course last June in St. Paul, Minnesota.

In that time, we have certified nearly 200 trainers in 3 different continents. Every one of those new PCCs is now sharing their knowledge with others and spreading the word about calisthenics. It blows my mind sometimes to think about the impact that PCC has already had on the fitness world, but we are still just getting started!

In the months ahead we have workshops booked all over the world including Ireland, Germany, Holland and Egypt. It’s amazing to travel the globe teaching calisthenics, but I’m also very excited about my hometown gig in NYC this summer.

It’s beginning to feel like PCC is taking over the world!

PCC_St_Paul_2014_2

For our most recent certification, we returned to the Twin Cities. This time the event was held in Minneapolis at the city’s downtown convention center. Once again, an extremely impressive group of fitness enthusiasts, fanatics and aficionados showed up to hone their skills, inspire one another and attempt to take on The Century test to earn the title of PCC instructor. I’m proud to say that this group had our highest passing percentage yet since beginning the certification!

The caliber of candidates we’re seeing at each PCC seems to be continually improving. It’s an amazing feeling to be in a room with so many incredible bodyweight athletes who all have the same love for calisthenics. Everyone at PCC comes away with a unique experience, having both shared their own knowledge and received new ideas in return. We can all learn from one another and I am continually learning more myself each and every time we do the PCC.

If you’d like to attend (or host) a PCC event in your city, let us know in the comments section below. In the years ahead, we want to bring the PCC to as many places as possible! There’s nothing quite like the in-person experience of spending 3 intense calisthenics-filled days with other like-minded individuals.

We’re Working Out!

Al

PCC_St_Paul_2014_3
***
Al Kavadlo is the lead instructor for Dragon Door’s Progressive Calisthenics Certification. Recognized worldwide for his amazing bodyweight feats of strength as well as his unique coaching style, Al is the author of four books, including Stretching Your Boundaries,  Raising The Bar: The Definitive Guide to Pull-up Bar Calisthenics and Pushing The Limits! Total Body Strength With No Equipment. Read more about Al on his website:www.AlKavadlo.com.

 

Filed Under: Workshop Experiences Tagged With: Adrienne Harvey, Al Kavadlo, Century Test, Danny Kavadlo, Kavadlo brothers, Minneapolis, motivation, PCC Workshop, Progressive Calisthenics Certification Workshop, Twin Cities, Upcoming Workshops, world wide

PCC Australia – The Experience of The Century

March 25, 2014 By Darren Manser 26 Comments

Darren_ManserWhen I signed up for the first ever PCC Australia, I knew I had my work cut out for me. I didn’t find out about the event until fairly late,  so I only had 3 weeks to get ready for The Century.

The first time I attempted the test, I completed the 100 reps in 8 minutes and 50 seconds. Not bad. I’ll be able to shave those 50 seconds off in the next three weeks, I thought. I decided to send Andrew Read from Dragon Door Australia an email to make sure I was doing it right. Andrew responded to my email very quickly.

“100 repetitions need to be completed within 8 minutes.  Once you start the exercise you cannot stop until the desired reps are completed.  You must complete ALL ten chin ups in a row.”

Crap, Crap, Crap. I thought I was able to stop throughout the set.

Three weeks out my max rep chin ups was a whopping eight reps. And that was fresh, with no hanging knee raises before.  How the hell am I going to do 10 chin ups AFTER holding onto the bar to do 20 hanging knee raises–especially at the end of three days of attempting all sorts of new and interesting techniques?

I then stumbled across Coach Wade’s article about kicking ass in the Convict Conditioning certification. Ideally you need to do 50% more for each activity prior to the weekend.

How the hell was I going to do that? I decided I was just going to keep doing the Century. I’d stop all other training and simply practice the test.

In the beginning I did the century morning and night for two days straight.  What a stupid idea!  As a result of me being 105kg (231lbs), I’m way too heavy to jump into that much volume.  I was now way too sore and the PCC was getting way too close.

After a couple of days with no training, it was time to rethink the strategy and start again.

My new strategy was to do as much work as I possibly could whilst staying as fresh as I could so I decided to do ladder super-sets.  I combined the squats and the push-ups and then the hanging knee raises and the chin ups.  I based the ratios on what was coming up in the PCC.  It looked something like this:

Squat:      4, 8, 12, 16, 20

Push up:  3, 6,   9, 12, 15

Squat:      4, 8, 12, 16, 20

Push up:  3, 6,   9, 12, 15

Squat:      4, 8, 12, 16

Push up:  3, 6,   9, 12

Squat:      4, 8, 12

Push up:  3, 6,   9

This adds up to a total of 184 squats and 138 push ups.  All done with excellent form (at the time I thought I was doing a brilliant job, that was of course until I did the PCC and realized how you can polish every little technique to get more out of it).

The ladders for the hanging knee raises and the chin ups looked like this.

Knee Raises: 2, 4, 6, 8

Chin ups:       1, 2, 3, 4

Knee Raises: 2, 4, 6, 8

Chin ups:       1, 2, 3, 4

Knee Raises: 2, 4, 6

Chin ups:       1, 2, 3

Knee Raises: 2, 4

Chin ups:       1, 2

Knee Raises: 2

Chin ups:       1

Total hanging knee raises: 60 reps

Total chin ups: 30 reps

Ideally I would rest for a couple of minutes in between ladders, although sometimes the morning permitted this and sometimes it didn’t.  Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I have 6 children and I also run my own Natural therapies business, as a Naturopath, Acupuncturist and Kinesiologist.  So between my sets I would lift up my 3 youngest children (Bodhi 4, Tyson 3 and Ruby 15 months) up onto the chin up bar, so they could hang.  Or I would hold their feet and they would do a handstand.

I would do the routine three or four mornings in a row and then have a rest day. I made a deal with myself that I wouldn’t test myself again with the chin ups before the weekend. I simply didn’t have enough time to recover from a training session like that.  I was however, hoping and praying that the adrenaline from the event and the other attendees cheering would help raise me over the bar.

Finally, it was off to Melbourne for me.

The Course was AMAZING.  On the first morning, the first thing we did was the hollow position.  We drilled this again and again.  Then we applied that position to almost everything that we did.  WOW!! It is totally amazing how much better a push up feels whilst doing this. I even feel my poor little abdominals now whilst push-upping.

Then onto the next exercise, then the next exercise.  Every single section we did across the weekend, I had a first.  There was not one activity that I didn’t improve on.

The weekend flew.  The generosity of both Al and Danny was definitely one of the highlights of both the course and my life.  The support from the other attendees was amazing.

Sunday afternoon we arrived at the Century test.  There were a lot of fine looking specimens in the room.  My heart rate was jacked.  My palms were sweaty.  How on earth was I going to hang onto the bar–let alone do the test?  I had a massive feeling of letting down Al and Danny if I couldn’t do it.  I also thought I was letting down my kids, particularly my boys.  (I want to be a good role model for them).

As I watched the other people do the Century I was inspired.  Some people were amazing.  Some people were only just getting through.  A couple of others were not making it.  Then for some reason I thought, “The best thing I can do is the best that I can do.”  If I hadn’t prepared enough then that’s my fault.

Finally it was my turn to test.  I decided to take it nice and easy.  I started with getting to 30 squats and decided to have a rest in the top position.  (Once you start the set you can’t move your feet with the squats, shift your hand and lift your bum in the push ups or let go of the bar with the hanging knee raises and the chin ups.  Although you are allowed to let go of the bar in between the hanging leg raises and the chin ups).  Then I did another 10 squats until Andrew, my counter, says, “You’re done with the squats.” This caught me off guard – for some reason I thought I had to do 50. No complaints here!

On to the push ups! I waited maybe 30 seconds to allow my heart rate to fall slightly and then started my set.  I moved to 15 reps.  I stopped in the top of the push up position, took  a few breaths, then did 5 more repetitions to make 20.  Then 10 singles from 20 to 30.  YES!!!! The push ups were now done.

From the push ups I moved straight across to the hanging knee raises.  I wanted to get them done as quickly as possible so that I could have a long recovery before the pull-ups. I’d been practicing hanging knee raises a lot in the last three weeks and I actually got through them easier than I expected. All that was left was the pull-ups!

I had a lot of time left on the clock, so I took full advantage of it. I shook out the tension in the arms as much as I possibly could. I caught my breath and let my heart rate slow down. Before I knew it I was down to one minute and it was time to start the pull-ups.

I positioned my hands on the bar and started my first few repetitions. When I made it to 6 repetitions, I remember thinking, “I can’t believe it, only four to go!”  I pulled really hard  again – now only three repetitions left.  Pulled hard again for number eight.  Two to go!!! By this time the other two people who were testing at the same time I was had already finished.  All the people were now cheering for me.  Pulled hard once more, and I only had one repetition to go.

An image of my 4 year old son pops in my head.  I decide that I’m going to do the last rep for him.  I yell out a massive “Come on” to psych myself up.  The crowd is cheering so loudly, Danny and Al both walk over and are standing in front of me, willing me to complete the last repetition.  Andrew, my counter, was cheering too.  I pulled as hard as I possibly could whilst only thinking about my son.  I must do it for him.  Somehow, some way I get over the bar.  Everyone cheers.  Al and Danny are both jumping up and down.  They come over to me and high-five me and give me a big hug.  I have tears in my eyes.  What the hell just happened?  How the hell did that happen?  What an amazing feeling.  I was then presented with my official instructor shirt and my certificates.  Then went outside and cried.  I did it!

So what did I learn from this process?

Ideally I should have been 15kg (30lbs) lighter.  This would have made all of the movements and the test a great deal easier.  More practice before the event would have been good, too.  Now that the course is over I am so motivated to incorporate this into my lifestyle, not just as a work out. I am really looking forward to what is possible.

The whole PCC course was amazing.  The presenters, Al Kavadlo and Danny Kavadlo were AMAZING with their knowledge and their time.  All in all this was THE best course I have ever done.  I would thoroughly recommend anyone to do this course.

I would like to say a massive thank you to John Du Cane, Paul Wade, Al Kavadlo, Danny Kavadlo and Andrew Read.  You have all changed my life in one way or another.  I love you all.

PCCAustraliaOfficial

Filed Under: Workshop Experiences Tagged With: Al Kavadlo, Andrew Read, Australia, bodyweight, calisthenics, Century Test, certification, Darren Manser, Dragon Door Australia, PCC, progressive calisthenics, Progressive Calisthenics Certification Workshop, workshop experience

I Failed the Century… and What I Learned as a Result

February 11, 2014 By Marcus Santer 41 Comments

Al and Danny Kavadlo in NYC

“Nothing happens without hard work, time and discipline.”
Al Kavadlo

I know, it’s a real cliche. But like most cliches, it contains an element of truth—I hit 40, looked at myself and my life and thought, “Is this it? Is this all I’ve done?”  And because I couldn’t afford to buy a Porsche, I decided to do the other cliched thing men frequently do when they hit 40, I decided to get into the best shape of my life.  Not that I was in bad shape to start with, but I definitely had that ‘Skinny Fat’ thing going on.

I’d spent the last 10 years focusing solely on Qigong (think Chinese Yoga if you’ve never heard of Qigong) to take care of all my physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs. But looking in the mirror at my 6 month pregnant belly, I had to accept that as good as Qigong had been for helping me say goodbye to depression and thrive in spite of the stresses and strains of modern 21st century living, when it came to keeping me physically strong and looking good, it simply wasn’t delivering the goods.

Something had to change.

Now there’s something you should know about me before we go any further.  When it comes to research I’m a bit OCD, because when I commit to something I go all in. But I won’t commit to anything until I’ve really done my homework. Know what I mean?

This formula has helped me to succeed in most things I do:

1) Work out what I want to achieve.
2) Find a Method that has a proven track record for delivering what I want to achieve.
3) Find a good teacher that teaches that Method
4) Work my arse off: Persistence, discipline, tracking progress.

Using this formula I discovered:

1) I wanted to get into the best shape of my life.
2) When it came to physical exercise, calisthenics was my preferred method because it could help me grow strong and I didn’t have to waste $1,000s on equipment, memberships and so on.
3) The best source I could access was something with the odd title: Convict Conditioning.
4) I was ready to invest the required hard work, time and discipline.

The 3 things I loved about Convict Conditioning which made it stand head and shoulders above any other information I could find back in 2011 were:

Paul ‘Coach’ Wade is direct with a no bullshit approach to getting strong.
The progressive, step by step nature of his system.
A focus on ‘The Big 6′.

I dived in and here are the results: I’m stronger now at age 42 than I was when I was 22.  I look and feel better too.  And it’s all thanks to ‘Coach’ Wade and the brilliant Convict Conditioning.

Why I Took the PCC in Sweden

“Welcome to the most advanced, evolved, engineered piece of fitness equipment in existence… Your own body!”
Danny Kavadlo

I’m always keen to offer the best to my own students, it’s important I’m doing everything I can to help them live a happier, healthier and longer life. And based on my own experience with Convict Conditioning I soon began encouraging them to pick up a copy and get practicing too.

But the majority of my students are as far away from the ‘ideal’ customer the Convict Conditioning sales page is targeted at as you can get. And unfortunately most were unable to get the benefits simply because they couldn’t get past the marketing.  So I began looking for a way to teach my Qigong students calisthenics but in a way they would find accessible.

Marcus Santer with the awesomely talented Kavadlo Brothers--two of the instructors from the epic Sweden PCC
Marcus Santer with the awesomely talented Kavadlo brothers at the epic Sweden PCC

Something else you should know about me—it’s important to me that I’m suitably qualified to safely teach somebody something before I start. But trying to find a suitable calisthenics based instructor training course was proving to be a bit of a non-starter.

I saw that Dragon Door started teaching PCC courses in the USA, but I couldn’t quite stretch to traveling to the USA from the UK for a 3 day course.  So you can imagine my delight when I saw there was going to be a PCC workshop put on in Sweden. I didn’t hesitate for a second. I signed up straight away and began working on:

‘The Century’.

The Century really bothered me because it’s the gateway between you and the right to call yourself a PCC instructor.

I knew I could do 40 body weight squats
I knew I could do 30 push ups
I knew I could do 20 hanging knee raises

But the 10 pull ups, hmm. Now I was worried.

On a really good day with a following breeze I could just about crank out 11. So how the hell was I going to crank out 10 after doing the 3 other exercises in The Century and under 8 minutes?  But before heading off to Sweden, I’d managed to do The Century twice and I was optimistic I’d be able to pull it off on the day.

Boy, how wrong was I!

After two and half days of awesome, mind blowing calisthenics tuition from Al, Danny and Adrienne I was exhausted.  So when it came time for The Century test, here’s what happened:

  • Squats – Pass
  • Push ups – Pass
  • Hanging knee raises – Pass
  • Pull ups – I got to 6 and I knew I was in trouble.

Hanging from the bar trying to get my 7th pull up was an experience I won’t forget in a hurry. Agonizing inch by agonizing inch I finally strained my chin over the pull up bar.  “7!″ my examiner, Adrienne shouted.

I could hear the other PCC students urging me on.  In spite of wanting to let go of the bar, the iron determination I’d forgotten I had simply refused to let go. I took a deep breath and pulled the bar…  Slowly I ascended, millimeter by millimeter as the support of the group gave me strength I didn’t have.   Ah, but this was no Rocky movie—I got 1/2 way and my arms simply stopped pulling.

It felt as if someone was setting fire to my muscles, and I had zero left in the bank—but still I wouldn’t let go!

I heard someone behind me shout, “Change your grip!”  At the time, I had an overhand grip on the bar, the ‘pull up’ position. The underhand, ‘chin up’ grip can, for some people, make life a little easier.  And somehow I managed to change my grip and gave it another go.

Nothing.

I hung there for what felt like an age and then it was ‘game over’ as my feet landed back on the floor with a heavy thud.

I’d failed The Century.

What Happened Next?

“There’s a lot of failure on the road to success and that’s good.”
Danny Kavadlo

After 3 days of full on calisthenics awesomeness (I did my first non-handed head stand and some other cool stuff) I simply didn’t have enough juice left in the tank.  And hey, what use is a test if everyone passes? It’d be a pretty poor test right? Because then the only requirement for success would be being able to afford the cost of the workshop. You’d literally be buying your qualification not earning it. And that doesn’t work for me.

Luckily the generous people at Dragon Door give you 90 days to submit video evidence of you completing The Century.  So the first thing I did was grab myself an accountability partner.  Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned about getting something done it’s this—having someone to hold me accountable increases the likelihood of me getting the job done. It’s amazing what I can do if I know I’ve made a promise to someone else I’m going to do it.

The second thing I did was grab Danny and ask him how I should practice to nail The Century. His advice was to practice The Century.

So twice a week for the following 4 weeks I did that.  And twice a week for the following 4 weeks I failed.  Again and again and again.  And then on 8th December, much to my amazement I finally did it.  The video’s here if you want to watch it.

One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned on the road to passing The Century is that failure really is just a stepping stone to success, that you can only really fail something when you give up.

Summing Up

Group photo from the legendary PCC Sweden Workshop
Group photo from the legendary PCC Sweden Workshop

I was a little nervous about traveling from the UK to Sweden on my own to attend a 3 day calisthenics workshop. Would I make a fool of myself? Would I be too old? That kinda crap.  But I was delighted to discover all my concerns were unfounded. A friendlier group of dedicated and friendly students you couldn’t wish to find.  And as for the instructors, well, awesome isn’t a big enough word to do them justice.

So, if you’re on the fence about attending a PCC workshop. Based on my experience I’d tell you to book your spot ASAP and take advantage of the generous early bird discounts Dragon Door offers.

Thanks for reading and I hope you’ve found something of value in this article.

Kindest regards,
Marcus

Marcus Santer helps people to live happier, healthier and longer lives through the practice of Qigong. He is the founder and chief instructor over at Qigong15. The author of 4 books covering all aspects of Qigong his mission is to make Qigong as popular as Yoga, Tai Chi and meditation, because he believes Qigong is quicker to learn, less physically demanding and gives greater benefits than Yoga, Tai Chi and meditation all put together.  You can find over 500 posts showing you how to live a happier, healthier and longer life through Qigong on his blog, Qigong15.com

Filed Under: Motivation and Goals, Workshop Experiences Tagged With: Century Test, Marcus Santer, PCC, Progressive Calisthenics Certification Workshop

Building Strength Without Mass

October 29, 2013 By Al Kavadlo 53 Comments

al1 I’ve been getting at least one almost every single day for a while now. In the beginning they were annoying, but after the first few times I actually started to get a kick out of them. I even came to find them flattering. After all, the people who send them are generally well intentioned and often don’t realize they are being rude. Some of them are actually very polite. I’m talking, of course, about emails like this one:

al2_emailIf I had seen the me of today when I was a teen, I probably would have wondered the same thing. After all, the main reason I got into strength training was because I was a scrawny kid who wanted to build some muscle. Fourteen-year-old Al would be very disappointed that after 20+ years of working out I still wasn’t as massive as the Incredible Hulk.

In fact, even though I’m about 30 pounds heavier now than I was at age fourteen (in spite of not growing an inch taller since then), I’m still a fairly small guy. And though my bodyfat percentage sits comfortably in the 8-12% range (I tend to naturally lean out in the summer), at a height of 5’11’’, I’m incredibly small by bodybuilding standards. Good thing I’m not interested in becoming a bodybuilder!
al3 As a kid, however, I desperately wanted to bulk up. Though I managed to beef up to 190 pounds by my early twenties, I eventually came to find that I felt and performed better when I wasn’t carrying so much mass. Though bulky muscle-men seemed ubiquitous to me in my youth, as an adult I soon discovered that to people who weren’t fans of pro wrestling and Arnold movies (which, shockingly, is most people), being overly bulky is a turn-off. It took me a long time to change my perspective, but I’ve since learned to embrace my physique and take advantage of its benefits.

Though there are a few notable exceptions, most advanced bodyweight practitioners tend not to have huge, imposing physiques. Instead, high level calisthenics athletes usually have more of a lean, athletic build. After all, if pound-for-pound strength is the goal, it helps to be relatively light. The higher your muscle to weight ratio, the better off you’re going to be in regard to bodyweight training. Though you definitely need some muscle mass to achieve high levels of strength, it’s more pragmatic to make a little muscle go a long way. At a certain point having too much mass becomes cumbersome. It’s weighs you down more than it helps.

Build Your Foundation

Regardless of whether your aim is to add muscle mass or simply get strong, the first thing you need to do when you begin training calisthenics is build a solid foundation. Though everyone starts at a different place, building to at least 40 bodyweight squats, 30 push-ups, 20 hanging knee raises and 10 pull-ups (those numbers might look familiar) is a prerequisite that should be achievable within a few months (or a few years, depending on where you’re starting).

Women should aim for the same numbers, but with knee push-ups and Australian pull-ups in place of the full ones. This is not an issue of sexism. Biologically, women have a lower propensity for upper-body strength as compared to men. Of course with proper training, women have the potential to develop serious upper-body strength!

al4-adrienne Once you’ve established that baseline of fitness, you’ll have likely built a bit of strength, stamina and muscle along the way. If you aren’t looking to grow your muscles past this point, however, it’s time to start training more advanced exercises and leave the high reps to your warm-ups.

Skill Out

It is often said that strength is a skill, and like any skill, the way that you get better is consistent practice. The goal of a strength workout is not to focus on the quantity of reps, but instead the quality. I recommend sticking with sets of 3-5 reps. However, it is helpful to add additional sets to offset the low rep range and allow for adequate volume. For this reason, I suggest performing 3-5 sets of each movement in a given workout when strength is the primary goal. Remember, you don’t need to do the same amount of volume as you would in a hypertrophy workout. The most you’ll probably ever need to do of a single exercise is 25 reps per workout. We’re not necessarily looking to get a pump, either. In fact, you’ll want to take longer breaks in between sets when you’re doing pure strength work than when the goal is mass-building. I recommend anywhere between 2-5 minutes of rest between sets.

It’s important to understand that strength is as much neurological as it is physical. Whenever you try to get your body to do something that it isn’t used to doing, it has to build a new neurological pathway to make it happen. Even when you ask your body to perform a familiar movement pattern, it will have a hard time if the leverage has been made less favorable than what it’s become accustomed to. Your brain has never had to send that specific message to your muscle before, so it must work very hard in order to arrive there. The message often comes in fuzzy.

Imagine using a machete to chop your way through the thick vines of a jungle. This is how hard your brain must work to get your body to do something for the first time. Now imagine you’ve lived in that jungle for ten years and walked the same few routes over and over, gradually clearing away the brush little by little. Eventually the path would be easy to walk and you’d arrive on the other side much more quickly, and with much less effort.

al-5 The same thing happens in your brain with consistent training. Over time, the pathway becomes clearer and the message arrives faster. The body adapts to whatever stimuli it is consistently exposed to. A body that is regularly called upon to apply force against resistance will get better at doing so.

Lean Machine

Diet may be the single biggest factor that determines whether or not you will increase or decrease in size. If you want to grow, you’ve got to eat a lot. Conversely, if you’re not interested in gaining weight, you shouldn’t be overeating. Though nutrition is a bit more complex than a simple calories-in minus calories-out equation, nobody ever gained significant bulk without the calories to back it up. Conversely, you can’t lose fat without being in a caloric deficit.

Personally, I follow a very simple diet: I eat when I am hungry and stop when I am full. I avoid mindless snacking and stay away from processed foods. I’m not trying to gain mass, but I’m not trying to lose it either. People love to ask me how many grams of protein I consume each day or how I time my carbohydrate intake, but the truth is I don’t concern myself with such trivialities. There is no need for the average person to possess a profound knowledge of nutrition in order to have a lean, strong physique. One need not understand how free radicals and antioxidants work in order to know that eating blueberries is healthy.

al6 Regardless of your ambitions, the most important thing is being consistent with your training. Focus on making regular exercise a part of your lifestyle. Don’t over-analyze the details, especially if you aren’t doing the work physically. Of course if nutritional science is of genuine interest to you, there’s no reason to ignore that yearning.

Just don’t make your life any more complicated than it has to be. When all is said and done, the most important thing is to respect and appreciate the body you have. It’s great to strive for physical perfection, but the journey matters more than the destination.

***

About Al Kavadlo: Al Kavadlo is the lead instructor for Dragon Door’s Progressive Calisthenics Certification. Recognized worldwide for his amazing bodyweight feats of strength as well as his unique coaching style, Al is the author of three books, including Raising The Bar: The Definitive Guide to Pull-up Bar Calisthenics and Pushing The Limits! Total Body Strength With No Equipment. Read lots more about Al on his website:www.AlKavadlo.com.

Filed Under: Progressive Calisthenics Tagged With: Al Kavadlo, Century Test, consistency, diet, muscle mass, skill training, strength, strength training, weight gain, weight loss

Vibrancy, Athletic Skill and Diversity: The Hallmarks of Dragon Door’s PCC Candidate

September 3, 2013 By John Du Cane, CEO and founder, Dragon Door 25 Comments

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Al Kavaldo, Danny Kavadlo, Adrienne Harvey and I were remarking appreciatively to each other about the extraordinary athleticism and the great diversity of the candidates at our second PCC workshop (and the first PCC, for that matter).

The athletic skill level was often off the charts. And yet even the most skillful of the candidates found themselves busting out PRs and discovering new challenges to inspire them forward in their ongoing quest for physical development.

Korean dip

In what other workshop of 21 participants would you encounter this number of Personal Records?:

First Clutch Flag—13

First Full Human Flag—5

First Muscle Up—4

First Full Back Bridge—5

First Back Lever—8

First Elbow Lever—7

First 1-Arm Elbow Lever—1

First 1-Arm Push Up—3

First 1-Arm, 1-Leg Push Up—3

First Freestanding Handstand—2

First Stand-to-Stand Bridge—1

First Wall-Assisted 1-Arm Handstand—3

First Wall-Assisted, No-Arm Headstand—9

First clutch flag attempt

How can this be?

Well, to my mind, this is how:

  • The candidates came VERY prepared.
  • The candidates often had extensive backgrounds in related disciplines like Martial Arts, Yoga, and RKC.
  • The PCC system of careful progressions and cueing allowed surprising breakthroughs in physical achievement, almost as a matter of course.
  • The candidates themselves were encouraged to share their own strength-skill secrets with the group—and often advance each other’s progress exponentially.
  • The teachers taught from an immense experiential knowledge base—allowing them to convey the absolute nitty-gritty of what works to get results.
  • The fun, easy, supportive team-feeling of the event enhanced the learning experience immeasurably.
  • The 600-page-plus manual contained a goldmine of extra tips to leapfrog your athletic progress—It’s the best work of its kind ever put in print, no question.

First Muscle-up

So, you might be asking yourself—“Do I belong in the PCC?”

You belong, in my opinion, if you possess any of the following:

  • A burning passion to excel athletically.
  • A willingness to work hard AND skillfully at your physical practice.
  • The capacity to enjoy the company of other like-minded bodyweight exercise enthusiasts for three fun-filled days.
  • The humility and wisdom of a Beginner’s Mind and the willingness to drop your ego at the front door.
  • The physical preparedness to pass The Century test.

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Yes, many of the PCC candidates exhibit eye-popping strength and flexibility skills. Terrific. However the PCC is built to sustain YOUR individual quest for physical development—at whatever level you enter. It’s your body and your life—and the PCC is here to help you make it the BEST body and the BEST life…for YOU.

Interested? We look forward to welcoming you into what we consider the most vibrant new movement of physical culture on the planet. See you soon, we hope… 🙂

Yours in strength,

 

John Du Cane, CEO

Dragon Door Publications, Inc.

First Back Lever

Filed Under: Workshop Experiences Tagged With: athletic skill, Century Test, diversity, Dragon Door Publications, John Du Cane, PCC instructors, PCC Workshop, personal trainers, teachers

Al Kavadlo’s PCC FAQ

June 4, 2013 By Al Kavadlo 10 Comments

Al_and_Danny_teaching

In less than 48 hours, I’ll be getting on a plane from New York City to St. Paul, MN to lead the first ever Progressive Calisthenics Certification workshop. After almost two years of planning, the PCC is finally happening – this is a very exciting time!

The PCC workshop will contain tons of information distilled down through the experience of PCC mastermind Paul Wade as well as myself and the other instructors. There will be a lot to learn and attendees will come away with something that cannot be gained from a website, book or DVD – real life experience! Nothing in the world can replace firsthand knowledge. That’s why most of the weekend is going to be spent practicing these exercises, not just talking theory.

With the inaugural workshop quickly approaching, I’ve been getting lots of emails and other messages with questions about the PCC. Here are answers to the questions that have come up most frequently.

al_teaching_pistol

I’m not interested in becoming a personal trainer. Can I still take the PCC?

Yes! The PCC is open to anyone who wants to improve their knowledge and performance of bodyweight strength training. Though the coursework is geared toward those who want to pass their knowledge and skills onto others, anyone who is passionate about calisthenics is encouraged to attend.

How is PCC different from Convict Conditioning, Raising The Bar and Pushing The Limits?

The PCC curriculum combines content from the Convict Conditioning books as well as my books, but it will be more in-depth than any of those materials. More importantly, however, is that it’s an interactive experience! Books are great resources, but they can’t actually tell you if your form is correct. At the PCC, Steven Low, Adrienne Harvey, my brother Danny and myself are personally going to give you the cues you need to improve your technique and performance on these exercises as well as instruct you on how to effectively pass this information along to your clients. And of course, there will be a chance for attendees to pick our brains during the Q&A session.

I’d love to take the PCC but I live too far away to travel to St. Paul. Is it possible to get a copy of the PCC manual without attending?

The 600+ page PCC manual is incredibly special and it’s only for PCC attendees – no exceptions. The good news is we will be offering workshops all over the world in the months and years ahead, so everyone will have a chance to attend and get their hands on a copy.

I have an old injury/ailment/weakness that will prevent me from being able to complete the Century. Can an exception be made for me?

The Century test must be performed according to these guidelines.

When will PCC be coming to my hometown?

In addition to the inaugural event, there are two more PCC workshops already scheduled – a second one in St. Paul as well as our first European workshop, which will take place in Gothenburg, Sweden. Over the next few years, we will be visiting lots of other locations in the US and abroad. Watch this page for updates on future workshop dates.

Al_headstand

Photos by Audra May Photography

And for those of you attending the groundbreaking first ever bodyweight certification – I’ll see you this weekend!

***

About Al Kavadlo: Al Kavadlo is the lead instructor for Dragon Door’s Progressive Calisthenics Certification. Recognized worldwide for his amazing bodyweight feats of strength as well as his unique coaching style, Al is the author of three books, including Raising The Bar: The Definitive Guide to Pull-up Bar Calisthenics and Pushing The Limits! Total Body Strength With No Equipment. Read lots more about Al on his website:www.AlKavadlo.com.

Filed Under: Workshop Experiences Tagged With: Adrienne Harvey, Al Kavadlo, Century Test, Danny Kavadlo, FAQ, frequently asked questions, PCC, Progressive Calisthenics Certification Workshop, Q&A

Five for 5

May 28, 2013 By Paul "Coach" Wade 46 Comments

Summer is knocking at the door, boys and girls. (Allegedly.) Everyone is outside, hanging out in the golden rays, whiling their hours away in sun-soaked fun and romantic adventure. (Allegedly.) Summer lovin’. It’s like a scene from Grease, I tells ya. And why the hell not? A spell in the sunshine promotes Vitamin D synthesis, improves mood, and boosts immunity. It may even increase lean tissue-building testosterone levels. (Allegedly.)

Seriously, there are some times you want to lock yourself away in your cell and perform hours and hours of calisthenics—and there are times you definitely don’t. There are times you want to get a quick, productive workout under your belt, so you can go out and enjoy life instead. For a lotta folks, summer is one of those times.

My hands are up, officer; I’ve been guilty of long, draining, excessive workouts throughout my career. But I have also experimented with very brief, efficient, training sessions—and I want to share a few of the tactics I’ve personally used for super-short workouts. Specifically, I’m gonna give you five types of session that will keep your motivation high, keep you strong, flexible and tough—and all for the temporal investment of a mere five minutes. (Yeah, you read that right. Five minutes.)

I want you crazy kids to enjoy summer. Think you can’t get a viable training session done in five minutes? Read on, Macduff.

 

The S4 Method

This right here is my personal favorite strategy for a quick, effective workout. It’s simple, too—provided you can view a clock or wristwatch. For any movement or body-part, you warm up, then perform: a minute of a strict bodyweight strength exercise; a 60 second muscular hold for stamina and control; a minute of a fast calisthenics exercise; and a final stretch. (Strength, Stamina, Speed and Stretch—four “S” qualities. S4, get it?)

So the method looks like this:

paul_pic1

How quick and simple is that? You just knock out each of these for one full minute. Non-stop activity, with no rest in-between exercises. That’s it!

If you think this is not effective, I challenge you to try it. Here’s how it might work for midsection. You warm up for a minute with some abdominal tension, leg swings and hip rolling; then—eye on the clock—jump up and grab the overhead bar. For sixty seconds you grind out slow, smooth, perfect leg raises. (Ten reps is about right, champ.)

paul_pic2

By now, you are grimacing—but you still got some life in ya, right? So drop to the floor and press out into an L-hold—now stay there for sixty seconds.

paul_pic3

By the end of this (if you manage it) your legs will be trembling, and your gut will be in agony. But the show ain’t over, bud. Hook your feet under something; you have one minute to pump out as many bent-leg sit-ups as you can stomach. (Pun intended.) You are going for speed—military style.

paul_pic4

 USCMC image (LCpl Esteban Gallegos)

By now your midsection is spent, and you will be pretty much snapping up using everything you have. The minute—which will seem endless—finishes, somehow. Your body just wants to curl up in pain right now, but I want you to do the opposite—roll onto your stomach and straighten your arms, pushing up into a cobra stretch.

paul_pic5

This hold is a strange mix of relaxing—as it decompresses your confused and tangled, deep-fried muscles—and painful, as the time mounts up. One minute of this, and you walk out a free citizen—if you can walk at all!

Sure, this workout is too tough for most athletes. But as with all progressive calisthenics, you can tailor it to your own level. Can’t do leg raises? Knee raises or lying leg raises. Not loved by the L-hold yet? Bent-leg holds or jackknife holds work the same. Too shot to do the sit-ups? Throw a b-ball at the wall and catch it on the rebound for a minute (an underrated gut exercise).

Even the time aspect is variable. A minute is unthinkable for these exercises? Start with 30 seconds for each and build up a few seconds each session.

The S4 method works with pretty much anything. Want some upper-body push action?

paul_pic6

Again, with the PCC “toolbox” you can vary the difficulty in dozens of ways. For example, beginners might sub dips for kneeling push-ups. The elbow lever could be swapped for easier prone statics like planks, wall planks or raised elbow levers (see the PCC Instructor’s Manual for even more options). Fast push-ups could be subbed for incline push-ups, focusing on pumping out rapid-fire reps in the top range. Stretch out on a doorway for an easier pec stretch.

S4 works for legs, too:

paul_pic7

If you are working on unilateral or asymmetrical exercises, it’s best to alternate sides each rep. Again, you can use different difficulty levels, or different techniques—S4 stands a lot of tweaking.

Strength, control, speed and mobility. That’s three simple, five-minute workouts right there that very few advanced athletes could manage—trust me.

 

Gear Change Sets

Fancy a change? A workout new and fresh, free from the baggage of your long-term program? It’s a good idea to try novel exercises. It’s another cool idea to change your sets and reps. But how many athletes think about radically changing their speed? Or, how about changing your speed as much as possible…in a single set?

This is the basic idea behind Gear Change sets. You begin with a handful of slow-mo reps, and finish with a bunch of max speed reps. There are many ways you can approach this. A great one is to shoot for 4 slo-mo reps—that’s 30 seconds up, 30 seconds down—immediately followed by a minute’s worth of a very high-speed, explosive exercise for the same body-part. For example, after 4 slo-mo squats, I used to perform tuck jumps for a minute (if you are outside, a maximum speed run for 60 seconds is probably even better).

So here’s a potential Gear Change workout for the legs:

paul_pic8

 

paul_pic9

Ever combined slo-mo squats with running? Murder.

Pick the right movements for your ability, and you have an amazing five minute body-part workout right there. But for Christ’s sake, always start each slo-mo rep at the bottom—or you may find yourself doing a 30 second negative squat you cannot push up out of. Slo-mo reps are tough, so don’t try slo-mo with an exercise unless you can do at least twenty strict reps with it at regular speed.

The method works for any body-part. For midsection, you could follow 4 slo-mo leg raises with squat thrusts for 60 seconds. After slo-mo push-ups or pull-ups, you might apply a minute of intense bag work or shadow boxing. You get the idea.

This slow-to-fast method is an amazing way to train. Through the complete elimination of momentum, the slow moves are tougher than you imagine (until you try ‘em). They just seem to hit the muscles in a new way, activating deeper fibers we don’t reach by bouncing mindlessly through reps, like so many folks seem to do. Very slow reps also really teach your brain something about the movements you are using; leverage, joint tracking, movement angles, weight shift. Subtle qualities of bodyweight motion, easy to miss at regular speed, now scream at you. When you are done with them, your muscles feel totally numb—and asking them to switch to their highest gear is a true challenge.

The Gear Change set also replicates real life. There would have been times when our ancient ancestors had to move very slow with high tension—maybe dragging a carcass back to the cave—then they were forced to suddenly fight off a predator trying to steal their prize. Slow to fast. Survival today is no different; imagine a soldier in the desert carrying heavy weapons or equipment, suddenly having to run for cover in a firefight.

Don’t get me wrong. Gear Change sets (like the other ideas here) are not meant to form the basis of your long-term training program. But they sure are fun, effective and instructive once in a while.

 

The H.P.A.S. Protocol

This is a beaut of a workout. I’m gonna call it HPAS, coz “Half Pyramid Antagonistic Super-sets” is too hard to say (at least for me). The premise—as always—is real straightforward. Pick two exercises for opposing muscle groups. Begin by doing each for 10 reps, then each for 9 reps, then 8 reps and so on, until you get down to one rep per set—and you do all this without stopping.

Here’s one potential workout:

paul_pic10

paul_pic11

paul_pic12

Few exercises go together better than regular push-ups and Aussie pull-ups.

Back to back antagonistic superset madness! On sale NOW!!

Can all this be done in five minutes?—if you use brisk reps with no pauses, yeah. But it’s not easy, and most folks will have to seriously build up to this. (There’s a good goal, huh? I’m looking at you, Jack.)

The HPAS Protocol is a perfect example of how short sessions can be both powerful and productive. Very popular in jails. If you can follow the above workout, you will have scorched every muscle in your upper bod, knocked out 20 sets, and got a helluva cardio workout, too.

This workout is proof that you don’t need to be in the gym for hours to make progress. In calisthenics—as in life—it’s quality that counts, not quantity. A hundred thousand rhinestones won’t make you rich, son; but a handful of diamonds sure will.

 

“The Century”

The Century is the rapidly-becoming-classic PCC certification test. It is designed to display technical ability in combination with an advanced level of conditioning, but it can also be a damn fine workout in its own right. In case you haven’t heard of The Century (where you been, dude? Under a rock?!), it’s so-called coz it features one-hundred nonstop reps in a single set:

paul_pic13

PCC-certified super-achievers will probably be sick of training for The Century, but it’s still a good staple to return to from time-to-time. Not only is it great to get back to the basics, but a hundred reps of the good stuff will leave your circulation and energetic system supercharged.

Beware though—if you want to crack this sucker in five minutes, you better have taken some Super Soldier Serum this week, kid. It can be done, though.

 

Al Kavadlo owns The Century in under 2 minutes 39 seconds.
Can you come close to that?

 

The Bridge

One final suggestion. You want the best five minute bodyweight workout money can buy? Hold a bridge for five minutes.

paul_pic14

I’m not kidding. The bridge has so many benefits, it’s crazy. It is the best bodyweight exercise in the world. A long hold will increase total-body strength and endurance—not just in the showy muscles, but in the vital deep tissues and tendons. It will increase flexibility, mobilize the ribcage, hip flexors and stomach wall, and disperse adhesions and calcifications in the shoulders. It bulletproofs the spine and lower back and drastically reduces knee pain. The inverse head position increases circulation to the noggin, releasing endorphins, inducing calm, and improving brain health. The bridge rocks.

I know what you’re thinking. Just one exercise? That’s an imbalanced workout, for sure! No way, José. In the real world, most eager athletes do so much for the front of their bodies—the showy pecs, biceps, abs and quads—that throwing a little extra meat to the under-loved posterior chain cannot hurt one bit.

Besides, the bridge is one of the all-time bodyweight classics, no different from pushups, squats or pull-ups. If you can’t hold a bridge for five minutes, there’s no way you can call yourself in great shape, no matter what else you can do.

 

Lights Out!

There you go—a killer series of five-minute summer training tactics, just for you.

So, what are your plans tonight, buttercup? What’s that? In a little while, you’re gonna eat, grab a shower, then head out for the evening?

Sounds great!

…before that, you’ve got five minutes to spare for old Coach, right?

My thanks go out to Al Kavadlo (PCC Lead Instructor) for generously contributing such cool pics to illustrate this article. This is not the first time Al has donated pics (and advice) for free to promote the bodyweight cause—thanks Al!

***

About Paul “Coach” Wade: Paul Wade is the author of five Convict Conditioning DVD/manual programs. Click here for more information about Paul Wade, and here for more information on Convict Conditioning DVD’s and books available for purchase from the publisher.

Filed Under: Progressive Calisthenics, Tutorial Tagged With: Al Kavadlo, bodyweight exercise, bridge, bridging, calisthenics, Century Test, Convict Conditioning, creating workouts, fitness, HPAS Protocol, Paul Wade, progressive calisthenics, S4 Method, short workouts, tutorial, workout

Al Kavadlo on The Century

February 5, 2013 By Al Kavadlo 30 Comments

Century TestingA key part of what makes the PCC different from many other fitness certifications is the inclusion of a physical requirement. It’s not simply enough to pay the fee, show up and get your certificate – you have to earn the PCC title!

In addition to demonstrating competency in teaching basic calisthenics exercises, PCC certified trainers must also pass Coach Wade’s “Century” test, a strength and conditioning challenge that consists of 100 consecutive bodyweight repetitions performed as follows:

Men  Women
40 Squats 40 Squats
30 Push-ups 30 Knee Push-ups
20 Hanging Knee Raises 20 Hanging Knee Raises
10 Pull-ups 10 Australian Pull-ups

 

The purpose of this test is to establish a baseline of competency in the performance of basic calisthenics. The Century includes a combination of movements that demonstrate strength and conditioning in the entire body.

A lot of people have asked about how the test will be judged. Here are some guidelines to make sure you are doing things the PCC way:

  • The exercises must be performed in the order listed above. No exceptions.
  • Squats must be performed with a minimum depth of top of the thighs parallel to the floor and a full lock out at the top of each rep. Arms may be raised in front, crossed, or placed on top of the head. Heels must stay flat the entire time.
  • Push-up depth must reach a minimum of 90 degrees of flexion as measured along the outside of the elbow and a full lockout must be achieved at the top of every rep. A straight body position must be maintained throughout the entire range of motion. No sticking your butt into the air or leaving your hips down on the ground.
  • Hanging knee raises must be performed with the knees being raised above waist level and a full extension of the legs at the bottom of every rep. Swinging shall be kept to a minimum. Arms must remain straight the entire set.
  • Pull-ups may be performed with an overhand or underhand grip. The chin must clear the bar at the top of each rep and a full extension must be reached at the bottom. Kipping will not be allowed. (Australian pull-ups are to be performed with the bar at waist height and a straight body position must be maintained throughout.)
  • Rest may be taken in between exercises, but each exercise must be completed in a single set. You may pause briefly between reps as long as the position is held (i.e. top of push-up position, bottom of pull-up, etc.)
  • The entire test must be completed in 8 minutes or less. The reps may be performed as quickly as you like as long as all the above rules are adhered to. Form first!

Watch the Century Test in action below:

—

www.AlKavadlo.com

 A veteran of the fitness industry, Al Kavadlo has recently been appointed as the lead instructor for the Progressive Calisthenics Certification. Recognized worldwide for his amazing bodyweight feats of strength as well as his unique coaching style, Al is also the author of three books, including Raising The Bar: The Definitive Guide to Pull-up Bar Calisthenics and the soon-to-be-released Pushing The Limits! Total Body Strength With No Equipment.

 

Filed Under: Progressive Calisthenics Tagged With: Al Kavadlo, calisthenics, Century Test, Convict Conditioning, PCC test, PCC Workshop, progressive calisthenics

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