PCC Workshop Experience

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 Comes To Boston!

May 2, 2017 By Danny Kavadlo 6 Comments

Danny Kavadlo Boston PCC

In 1858, Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. famously referred to the city of Boston as “the hub of the solar system.” This past weekend, Boston could have been called “the hub of the calisthenics system,” as this historic American city hosted the first Progressive Calisthenics Certification ever held in the New England area.

I was lucky to be there and play witness to this amazing weekend. Here’s how it went down:

Day One

I treasure the first day of the Progressive Calisthenics Certification. Participants from different backgrounds, varied walks of life and numerous locations gather, wildly excited by the prospects, yet still unsure exactly what to expect. But if there is one thing that I’ve learned from my journey as a trainer, a calisthenics practitioner, a PCC instructor and a human being, it’s that bodyweight culture brings people together. In classic PCC fashion, we entered the room as strangers but left as family. From one-arm push-ups to full press flags (even a first-time one-arm pull-up!), many PRs were recorded—and multiple bonds were made. The calisthenics wrecking crew muscled up to the challenge and then some. The excitement in the room was contagious and the energy was priceless.

Boston PCC Flag: The flag flies high in the State of Massachusetts! — The flag flies high in the State of Massachusetts!

Day Two

PCC was pure beast mode the second day! The morning began with leg progressions, ranging from squats and lunges, to pistols and beyond, followed by back bridges in all their forms. It was fantastic to see people coming out of their comfort zones and stepping up to the challenge. Attendees helped each other bring out their best, training hard and stretching their boundaries.

Following floor holds such as the L-sit and dragon flag, the afternoon found us back up on bar for front and back lever progressions. The feats of strength, balance and flexibility were rivaled only by the solidarity and encouragement.

Angelo Gala Bridge — PCC builds bridges.

Day Three

The final day of the Progressive Calisthenics Certification is always bittersweet. As the attendees are celebrating their physical prowess and accomplishments, they are also preparing for the whirlwind weekend to come to an end. But the truth is, it’s just the beginning.

Now that we’ve all met and trained with each other, it’s on us to keep it going in the future. In addition to the new moves and skills we’ve acquired, we’ve also adopted a new family in our calisthenics brothers and sisters.

The Boston PCC Brotherhood! — The Boston Brotherhood!

I’d like to personally congratulate this new group of certified PCC instructors! As our community continues to grow, we also grow as individuals. With upcoming workshops in London, Poland, New York, LA and Australia, there are more opportunities than ever to get certified. Remember, the first rule of PCC is you do talk about PCC, so keep on spreading the word!

The posse’s getting bigger,

-DK

PCC Boston 2017 Group Photo

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Master PCC Danny Kavadlo is one of the world’s leading authorities on calisthenics and personal training. Danny has authored several internationally-acclaimed, bestselling books including STRENGTH RULES and DIAMOND-CUT ABS, has been translated into over a dozen languages, and appeared in The New York Times and Men’s Health, Bodybuilding.com and TRAIN magazine. When not traveling the world as a Master Instructor for Dragon Door’s acclaimed Progressive Calisthenics Certification, he trains individuals one-on-one in his native New York City.

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

Progressive Calisthenics Returns To New York!

January 17, 2017 By Danny Kavadlo 8 Comments

Danny Kavadlo Human Flag NYC PCC 2017

The first PCC of the New Year was held in my hometown of New York City this past weekend, and if it’s any indication of what’s to come, then it’s clear that 2017 will be another incredible year for the Progressive Calisthenics Certification!

In our fourth foray into the Big Apple, over thirty-five calisthenics freaks assembled to train, learn and grow together. We started the weekend as strangers, but ended it as family. As my brother and fellow PCC Instructor, Al Kavadlo would say: Hey hey hey! That’s what PCC is all about!

Hey hey hey! That’s what PCC is all about!

There was a mix of calisthenics practitioners, martial artists, dancers, everyday working folks and lots of personal trainers at this one. Attendees came from as far as England, Canada, Bermuda and Puerto Rico to take part. The bodyweight community is even more widespread than we’d imagined.

This man came all the way from Canada to re-certify!

This event was particularly exciting for many reasons. To begin with, it was the first PCC where Dragon Door partnered with CRUNCH fitness, one of the largest gym organizations on the planet. This alliance truly illustrates how much the calisthenics movement is growing. This partnership will undoubtedly lead to the continued education of more and more trainers in the future. No wonder there were so many in attendance! They came from many locations to improve themselves as personal trainers, fitness professionals and even human beings. The future is bright!

Crunch Trainers Side Planks

This weekend’s PCC was also host to some very special guests including living legend Jack Arnow, who dropped some time tested wisdom and demonstrated several septuagenarian feats of strength! Our Street Workout photo contest winner, Steve “Grizzly” Opalenik was in attendance as well. Additionally, Martin Dubovic from Street Workout magazine not only attended the course, but also documented the whole event. Be on the lookout for a special all-star video coming soon!

Street Workout contest winner Steve “Grizzly” Opalenik lets his freak flag fly!

The three rigorous days of push-ups, pull-ups, dragon flags and muscle-ups, as intense as it is, seems to fly by in a flash. That’s why it’s up to us to stay in touch, preach the gospel and spread the word!

NYC PCC Dragon Flag

Personal bests were achieved, lessons were learned and strength was celebrated. It was a weekend we’ll never forget, and as everyone who’s ever attended a PCC already knows, there is no substitute for an in-person experience. With more events scheduled this year in Boston, California, London and Poland, we hope to see YOU soon! The posse’s getting bigger.

Keep the dream alive,

-DK

NYC PCC at Crunch Gym Group Photo 2017

PCC Holland: A Gathering of Awesomeness

September 15, 2015 By Silvio Bauer 9 Comments

Danny Silvio Al Kavaldo Holland PCC 2015

I’m still hung over. Not from having one too many—mind you other than maybe one too many muscle-ups.

This whole past weekend, I was on a constant dopamine rush. I took a little trip to the beautiful city of Haarlem, which is a half hour bus ride away from Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

From the time I stepped onto the airplane up until this moment, I’ve been maintaining a sheepish grin on my face.

All this happiness bursting out of me came from attending the Holland PCC . Not only was it a thrill to meet the PCC team for this workshop (Lead Instructor Al Kavadlo, Master Instructor Danny Kavadlo, and Instructor Grace Kavadlo) but also to be around so many like-minded fitness freaks.

Pull Ups At Holland PCC 2015

Once the whole crew and attendees gathered in a circle to introduce themselves, you could almost feel the room vibrating with all the positive energy everybody brought with them. With the first of many of Al’s signature “HEY, hey, heys” of this weekend, the group started to become a little family of fitness weirdos.

It was a blast to see everybody bringing their unique expertise to the table. I met attendees from all over the world (one person came all the way from Taiwan)! We had engineers, IT professionals, personal trainers, physical therapists, CEOs, martial artists, Street Workout World Cup participants, and many more. This is the kind of group you can’t replicate, which is part of the reason why this PCC workshop was such a unique experience.

Al and Danny Demo Shrimp Squats Holland 2015

No matter where you come from, or your occupation, I can basically guarantee you’ll hit several PRs during a weekend like this. If it’s a new move that you’re trying for the first time, or one you’ve worked on for a while and now finally “get it”, you will push your physical limit on a weekend like this.

My own favorite PR was the mighty muscle-up. I’ve worked on this one for quite some time. But up until this weekend, the muscle-up was an elusive skill for me. I could do it on a good day when I was fresh but it wasn’t pretty when I got over the bar most of the time. After some cues from Al and Danny, it finally “clicked” with me. I got over the bar every single time I tried it. Afterwards, I had the urge to do muscle-ups throughout the weekend just to make sure I hadn’t lost it!

A video posted by Silvio (@neatstrength) on Sep 11, 2015 at 8:10am PDT

Not only did Al, Danny, and Grace do a fantastic job by providing helpful cues and tips, they managed to add significant value to everybody’s life just by sharing their humble and simplistic approach to calisthenics. You know these guys know their trade the moment they start to speak to a group. They are attentive speakers and involve everybody during a talk or a demonstration. I was more than impressed by how they skillfully managed to simultaneously tame and energize this group of fitness enthusiasts.

Special thanks goes to John Du Cane for making these events possible and to our host Martijn Bos and his wicked crew from Trainingscentrum Helena for their generous hospitality.

The PCC Instructor Manual, shirt, and certificate made up only a small portion of the things I took home with me. I formed new friendships, gained new insights for training people and I took home a bucket full of new skills and life experiences. I’m absolutely certain that every single one of my co-attendees feels the same way.

PCC Group Photo Holland 2015

I’m grateful to be part of the PCC family and I look forward to welcoming new members to the clan!

-Silvio

Silvio Bauer, PCC Instructor, is an engineer by trade and a passionate minimalist training enthusiast. He writes about his training approach over at his website NeatStrength.com. You can follow him on facebook.com/neatstrength or on instagram.com/neatstrength/.