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99 Reps

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John Du Cane Speaking At PCC

“There’s an epidemic.  99 reps…”

Dragon Door founder John Du Cane uttered this ominous phrase during the PCC workshop I attended.

In order to pass the PCC, you must complete the Century Test, which requires 100 reps. Yet there is a 99 rep curse.  One rep shy of the goal. There were multiple such instances when I got my PCC, and I feel they could have been avoided.

If you’re looking to get your PCC or are simply looking for some techniques to help you squeeze out extra reps in your training, this article is for you.

We’ll go through the four movements of the test one-by-one, but first a comment on form: great form will be more efficient and preserve energy throughout the test.  Before you worry about increasing reps, be sure your form is approaching perfect.

The Squat

PCC Century Test SquatsPosition check:

How is your foot position?  Do you have contact with the ground through your big toe, little toe, and the center of your heel?

Play with the width and rotation of your feet. Find a position that allows you to feel like you are sitting between your legs while keeping your feet flat on the floor, knees inline with your toes, with a neutral spine.

1) Lower down slowly and with control. On the way up, begin pushing not just down through the floor, but also to the sides, like you’re standing on a towel and are trying to rip it in half using your feet (your feet, including the big toe joint, must remain flat on the ground).

2) As you’re ascending out of the hole, bear down on your abs—think low and deep, like you’re about to get punched below the navel.

3) On the hardest rep(s), try using the Valsalva maneuver: breathe in on your way down, but don’t breathe out on your way up.  Hold the air in to keep your intra-abdominal pressure high until you hit the sticking point (the hardest portion of the rep).  At that point begin to slowly let the air hiss out as you complete the rep.  You should sound like a tire losing air.

4) At the top of each rep get tall and relaxed.  Now is a good time to take an extra breath before beginning your next rep.  You have 8 minutes.  The clock is not your enemy, fatigue is.

The Push-Up

PCC Century Test Push UpsPosition Check:

Are your forearms approximately perpendicular to the ground throughout the movement?

Are your upper-arms approximately 45 degrees from your body at the bottom of each rep, so that you look like an arrow when viewed from above?

Have you found a hand position of appropriate width for your upper-arm length and that accommodates your shoulder girdle? Play with hand placement and rotation to find your best position.

Is your body in a straight line from shoulder to heel?

1) Pretend you have a big dial in each hand. When you hit the bottom of the rep, grip the dials hard and turn them as you push into the floor—the left one goes counterclockwise, the right one goes clockwise.  Your hand and elbow positions shouldn’t change, but you’re gripping and turning those dials anyway. The harder the rep, the harder you turn those dials and push.

2) Just before the sticking point, bear down on the abs (low and deep, like you are going to get punched in the gut again). Keep that tension until you finish the rep.

3) Lockout at the top of the rep and relax, but don’t linger. Remember: you’re still holding a plank. Don’t sag when you relax—your next rep will be terrible if you start in a weak position.

4) Remember the pressurized breathing from squat tactic #3?  Use that again.

The Hanging Knee Raise

PCC Hanging Knee RaisesPosition Check:

Is the bar deep in your hands, not near the fingertips?  Do you have a strong grip on the bar?

Are you shoulders packed down so that you’re not dangling off the structures of your shoulder?

Are your knees and feet together?

Check again.  Failure to get into the right position will reduce your body’s willingness to fire the abs and to flex the hips.  Don’t believe me?  Grab a bar with your fingertips, hang from your shoulder sockets, leave your legs flailing around and let me know how you did versus being in a strong position.

These tactics will be about limiting body-sway, which is typically what wrecks candidates on the hanging knee raise.

1) Lower the legs slowly after each rep.  The shorter and lighter your legs, the faster you can go. The more you’re built like me, the more you’ll need to control the eccentric portion of the movement.

2) Do not relax at the end of a rep.  You risk losing position and incurring sway.

3) When the reps begin to get hard increase your grip on the bar, your depression/packing of the shoulder-blades, and the pressure you’re applying between your knees and feet—double-down on your starting position.

The Pull-Up

PCC Century Test Pull UpsPosition Check:

Do you have a deep grip on the bar—i.e., not near your fingertips?

Are your feet slightly in front of your body?

This is it. The moment when people complete 9 1/2 reps and wonder what just happened. Here’s how to avoid that:

1) Crush the bar.  When the reps get hard your grip gets harder.  You’re about to go for rep 100?  Crush that bar like it’s covered in butter and you’re dangling over the Grand Canyon.

2) Right before the sticking point, bear down on the abs and glutes.  Deep and low for the abs, hard for the glutes.  This won’t help unless you’re already crushing the bar.  You are crushing the bar, right? Good.  Crush harder.  They should have to pry your hands off the bar after your 100th rep.  Want a high-five when you pass?  Too bad.  Your hands won’t open for the next several minutes.

3) Remember the pressurized breathing?  Now’s your time to shine.  Get air in at the bottom position.  Start hissing out air at the sticking point.  Keep hissing until you complete the rep.

4) Savagely rip that bar off the supports.  Think about driving your shoulders and elbows toward the Earth, rather than pulling your head over the bar. Refuse to fail.

These techniques, properly utilized, should get you about a 20% increase in reps. Practice them and watch your numbers go up.

See you at 100 reps.

Al Kavadlo, Eric and Beth Bergmanns6

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Eric Bergmann is a New York City based strength coach, movement specialist, and proud member of the PCC family. He co-owns Bergmann Fitness—a boutique training and nutrition service—with his wife, Beth. You can find out more about them at bergmannfitness.com

Technology Meets Minimalism in Silicon Valley

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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

***

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.

The Hidden Powers of Short Bridges and Shoulder Stand Squats

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Shoulder Bridge

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been conducting a little experiment. Due to an intense work schedule, combined with not getting enough sleep, I found myself in a condition that was not optimal for intense workouts. So, I decided to revisit a few of the early steps of Coach Wade’s “Big Six.”

In Convict Conditioning, as well as at the PCC, the warm up for the work sets of our training can come from practicing earlier steps of the movements. For example, if our work sets consist of knocking out reps of full bridges, we would warm up for them with a few meaningful sets of short bridges or straight bridges (the first and second steps of the progression in Convict Conditioning).

The first step of the Convict Conditioning squat sequence is the shoulder stand squat. This step is outlined in the original Convict Conditioning book, but explained in a little more detail in the Convict Conditioning Ultimate Bodyweight Squat Course DVD and Manual. This move is controversial because for many beginners (especially those who are overweight), getting down on the floor, and essentially getting upside down, will present a big obstacle right away. Then, if they’ve managed to get into the shoulder stand, it can be difficult for some larger people to get into the end position simply because they may be in their own way. This can be a major obstacle and it really doesn’t take that much extra weight to cause either of these issues. So at the PCC, we teach some other beginner drills which are more easily applicable to people of all shapes, sizes, ages, and fitness levels.

However, I’d recently managed to mildly annoy—but not injure—my left knee. In general, I tend to err on the side of caution and will make no apologies for stopping an exercise or movement if I feel a certain type of discomfort. Over the years I think this attitude this has helped me remain uninjured even while doing a fair amount of intense training and advanced drills. Exercise should make us stronger, not screw us up!

Shoulder Stand Squat Sequence

Though accidents happen, avoiding injury during training should be a top priority. While we are all continually encouraged to “get outside our comfort zone,” part of our own individual fitness journeys should include learning to carefully monitor our physical selves. This of course will be different for everyone, and will change as we age. I’m not saying that we should be afraid of what we’re doing in the gym or in life, only that it’s a good idea to start paying attention to, and learning to understand the subtle signals from our bodies.

So I wondered what kind of benefits my annoyed left knee could gain from the shoulder stand squat—and if the unweighted movement might give me the chance to analyze what might have happened in the first place, or at the least identify some trouble spots. I also started to consider what some of the other beginner steps could bring to my other challenges and goals.

The following is what I did, at a reasonably slow speed, which took a lot of control:

Two rounds:

  • Short bridges – 25 reps
  • Shoulder stand squats – 25 reps
  • Bar Hang – 1 minute
  • Full bridge
  • Plow stretch

The rep range in my example above was chosen since those were the Convict Conditioning “intermediate standards” for the short bridges and shoulder stand squats. This wasn’t meant to be an especially taxing workout, but I did find parts of it surprisingly challenging, in a way that indicated I might be working with my nervous system as much as my muscles. The above rep ranges are not necessarily appropriate for everyone, and will take some experimentation. When in doubt, do less on the first round to figure out where you stand (and where you stand on that particular day).

Adrienne Timed Bar Hangs

Intrigued by the CNS response of the above example, on a day following a very challenging kettlebell workout in the same week, I decided to make a different version but with the same general ideas:

First round :

  • Short bridges – 25 reps
  • Shoulder stand squats – 25 reps
  • Crow stand – 1 minute
  • Full bridge
  • Plow stretch

Adrienne Crow Stand

Second round:

  • Short bridges – 25 reps
  • Shoulder stand squats – 25 reps
  • Wall handstand – 1 minute
  • Full bridge
  • Plow stretch

I ended with Coach Wade’s “Trifecta” and some deep squats. Everything felt easier and better executed.

Going back to the more advanced drills the next day, I had a new confidence, and could tell that progress was made that week, just from the two small sessions with the earlier steps. Since then, I’ve made it a point to have more sessions like these during a typical week.

I encourage you to revisit earlier steps you have learned from Convict Conditioning and/or the PCC Workshop. Even if you feel like you’ve long-since outgrown them, they still hold their own challenges and can teach you a lot (especially if you go purposefully slow). For those of us who are instructors, they also help us stay sharp and empathize with our clients when explaining and working through those beginning progressions. Never underestimate the power of those early steps!

***

Adrienne Harvey, Senior PCC Instructor, RKC-II, CK-FMS, has been RKC Certified since 2010, and RKC Level 2 certified since 2011. Kettlebell and bodyweight training have been crucial in Adrienne’s personal quest for fitness.  A core member of the PCC team, Adrienne loves sharing her knowledge with small groups and individuals. She also loves to develop recipes and workout programs to further support performance, body composition, and of course—FUN. Go to http://www.giryagirl.com for more information about Adrienne.

PCC Holland: A Gathering of Awesomeness

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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

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/.

Introducing the SCC

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Why SCC? By Al Kavadlo

When my brother Danny and I teamed up with Coach Wade and Dragon Door to unveil the Progressive Calisthenics Certification in 2013, we knew we were on to something big.

Coach Wade’s Convict Conditioning series had already established itself as the #1 calisthenics program in the world, and my book Raising The Bar was doing very well among calisthenics enthusiasts who wanted to, well, raise the bar with regards to their pull-up training.

These books exposed a huge new audience to moves like the human flag, one arm pull-up and muscle-up. The demand for a hands-on, in person experience to better learn these skills (and be able to teach them to others) was coming to a boiling point. In late 2011, Coach Wade, John Du Cane, Danny and myself began planning the PCC curriculum and assembling what would become the 600+ page manual.

When we finally conducted the initial PCC workshop in June of 2013, the reaction was even better than we had anticipated. Over 50 trainers, coaches and enthusiasts showed up for our first event and the positivity was through the roof! A good time was had by all and PRs were continually set throughout the weekend. Connections were formed that have not only persisted, but grown stronger to this day. Everyone came away from the weekend having learned a great deal–myself included.

Dragon Door CEO, John Du Cane, remarked to me after that initial weekend that typically in his experience, most certs take about 2 years to get the kinks ironed out. “But you guys knocked it out of the park this first time!” he added.

PCC has been rocking ever since, but there was something missing…until now!

What is SCC?
SCC stands for Strength Calisthenics Certification. It is Dragon Door’s one-day, entry-level bodyweight certification, based on Coach Wade’s “Big 6” foundational calisthenics movements: push-ups, pull-ups, squats, bridges, leg raises and inversions. Although an adequate level of strength and conditioning is required to get the most out of the course, the testing is far less severe than for the PCC. All you need to do in order to pass is demonstrate a baseline of calisthenics competency by completing the following in less than 3 minutes:

SCC Testing Requirements

Why SCC?
With PCC going full steam ahead, the number one concern we’ve been hearing from potential attendees is that the 3-day PCC curriculum can be a bit intimidating. Not everyone feels ready to embark on advanced modules like the human flag, back lever or muscle-up. The SCC is the perfect choice for anyone who needs more focused attention on the basics. Others simply can’t afford to commit an entire three days to taking the certification, but are still interested in gaining a legit credential in the field of calisthenics.

Al Kavadlo Coaching Squats

Who is SCC for?

  • Fitness professionals who want to improve their knowledge of bodyweight exercises, while earning a new credential.
  • Calisthenics enthusiasts who are looking to grow their personal practice and meet other like-minded practitioners.
  • Those new to bodyweight training who want a crash course in the fundamentals.
  • Anyone who is considering taking the PCC, but isn’t sure they’re ready for the financial/time commitment.
  • YOU!

It’s a No-Brainer
Signing up for the SCC is a no-brainer for anyone who’s seriously considering taking the PCC. It’s also a slam dunk for any fitness professional (or enthusiast) who wants to get in-person instruction from some of the most experienced calisthenics coaches in the world. In addition to Danny and myself, the entire PCC leadership will be on hand for the debut of SCC: Adrienne Harvey, Angelo Gala, Beth Andrews and Logan Christopher will all be there to ensure the best possible experience for all who attend.

The inaugural SCC event will take place this November in my hometown and favorite place in the world, New York City!

It’s going to be epic! I can’t wait to see you there!

Sign up for SCC by September 18th and save $50 on your enrollment! Space is limited – register today!

Strength Calisthenics Certification Workshop

“Replek” Training for the PCC

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Karl Indreeide Replek Training

As I prepared to attend the recent PCC Workshop in New York City, I began using a system inspired by the Swedish running technique known as “Fartlek Training”, a form of interval training where you let the terrain and your mood direct the speed and intensity of your running.

The name “Fartlek” translates to “Speed Play” in English and “play” is a very accurate word to describe it, as it’s close to the way a kid moves just for enjoyment or exploration.  It is running by feel, running by inspiration.

I decided to name my system “Replek” as it is a similar method to Fartlek, except instead of playing with your speed, you play with your reps.

The plan is well suited to the PCC Century Test as well as getting the most out of the workshop weekend. In addition to positioning you to pass the Century, it also adapts your body to handle a high volume of calisthenics over several days.

Replek is nice and forgiving. It takes your daily stresses, aches and pains into consideration. Like a sly lover, this plan lets you believe that the initiative and follow through are all yours, that there is no plan, really, no string-pulling, no forcing. It’s all about you and what you feel like doing.

You stay within your comfort-zone, don’t do anything you don’t feel like doing, and yet results appear and motivation grows. Your comfort zone will expand from the inside out, and what seemed like too much work a while ago just isn’t anymore. You didn’t break any barriers. The barriers just moved.

There is a time for working through adversity, facing your demons, finishing unbearable workouts and so on. To be able to fight through discomfort is invaluable. But so is getting results without suffering, and learning how to productively back off at the right moment.

Replek for PCC is done this way: You pick exercises or chains that you want to work on (pull-ups, push-ups, squats, leg raises, bridges, etc.), then you start playing a game with yourself.

Karl Indreeide Replek Training

Here are the rules of the game:

Wherever, Whenever
It is up to you if you want to do all your reps in a condensed workout, spread them throughout the day or do some combination of the two. I recommend that you mix all these modes. After a while, you won’t care, because you’ll have grasped the essence of the program, which is sneaking the reps in whenever possible.

Never to Failure
That means you must always stop at least one rep before your failed rep. Most sets should stay way clear of that. The only exception to this is when you on occasion, do some version of the Century Test.

Avoid Punishment
As this program is based on positive reinforcement, it is your job and responsibility to stay away from the punishment of injury, failure, getting overly exhausted or negative self talk  (or negative self talk about you giving yourself negative self talk). Stay away from the drama. Stay away from the heroism and struggle. Observe your form, do your reps, log your sets, stay fresh.

Keep a Log
You always want to capture exactly which exercise/variation you do, your number of reps and sets and the daily total of any given exercise. The log is the most important tool of this method. The log is also crucial in keeping your motivational fire burning (pun not intended, but gratefully received). In the beginning you might actually have to force yourself to log. In a short while, however, you will have a deep desire to do so.

Just write the date and the reps for each exercise. You don’t need to bother with noting rest periods and so on, but can feel free to keep additional notes if you find it helpful. But we don’t want to punish you for training by forcing you to write an essay, do we?

This was my log entry for the 16th of May, this year:
BW squat: 50
Push-ups: 20/22/6/20/24/21/21/20/22/23/15 – 224
Shoulders feeling much better than yesterday
Wheel roll-out: 10/10/4 – 24
Pull-up: 9/6/9/7/10/ 10 (chin up)/5/7 – 63
Pistol:
R: 4/3 – 7
L: 2/2/2 – 6
Push-ups – one hand on basketball
V: 4/6
H: 4/6
Bottom position of pistol: 50 sec/50 sec
Short bridge:  1 min
Crow (sec): 10/20/20
Squat bottom pos: 5 min
Couch stretch: 4 min

Another day looks like this:
Pull up: 1/5/7/13 – 26
That was all the training I did that day. Still, getting the 13th rep in was very nice! It is not my historical best in that department, but the best I had done for a long time.

Personal Records
One of the great features of this program is that you can experience personal records on a daily basis. Your goal is to increase the number of reps during a set as well as the total number of reps of any given exercise during a day. Say your first day you do four sets of push ups: 5/10/15/7 = 37. The next day you do 4/7/16/10/ 3 = 40. Boom! You double-PR’d on the push up! Whenever you PR underline the number or write in bold as I did here, so it is always easy to track the history of PRs, and check your current status.  By the way, the PRs we are talking about are the ones within this program. Forget about past glory and previous heights of achievement. Focus on the present.

Less Structure
Some days you’ll have the time or inspiration to collect your reps within the frame of a more conventional workout. Structure those sessions however you like, and feel free to change trajectory mid-flight. Concentrate on one exercise at a time, or do super-sets, tri-sets or circuits. You are guaranteed to stumble upon combos or sequences that work really well for you, and that belong in your arsenal of go-to-workouts. You will also experience that there is drive in open-endedness, especially given that you have your previous PRs to relate to.

Test the Waters
Always be extra careful with the first few sets. Hone in on the perfect rhythm, and at the same time actively search for any discomfort or pain. Go slow. Think of these reps as screening. Maintain tension in all the right places. Does this feel like a good day for squats / push ups / L-sits? If so, go for it! If not, it may be best to back off and try something else. Other times an exercise will feel much better a couple of sets in, so don’t be to quick to abort, but also keep the “ live to fight another day” mentality at heart. If it is not a great day for squats, it might be an excellent day for pull-ups.

Stay Modest
Sometimes you will feel like a star. You become the exercise, you feel power running effortlessly through your whole body as you perform perfect reps. This is when you can astonish yourself with a crushing PR. Most of the time, though, stick to modest ones. Many small PRs are preferable to a few big ones. Try to not get more than one PR per exercise each day, and don’t PR on the same exercise two days in a row.  Remember that the PR is the reward that will keep you going. Spread them out. The smaller the increments, the more PRs you can enjoy. You are setting yourself up for a very productive schedule of reinforcement, and are safeguarding against overuse.

Whenever you PR – back off, and then see what you feel like the next day. The next day you might do a very low total number of reps in that exercise, just to recover, or maybe stay away from it completely. If you feel like too much time has passed since your last PR, then do a volume PR – these are always accessible. You can always get in one more rep during a day. Just make sure you don’t sacrifice your form just to get an extra rep. This is why you can rest as long as you need between sets.

Maintain High Standards
The aforementioned point taken into consideration, a standard to reach for might still be a good idea, as long as you don’t rush to get there. If you are preparing for the PCC, then passing the Century Test is an obvious goal. 40 squats, 30 push ups, 20 knee raises and 10 pull ups should feel very comfortable on their own, meaning you should be able to do 60 squats, 45 push ups, 30 knee raises and closer to 15 pull ups.

Prioritize
The last pull-up is where many Century hopefuls fail. Make the pull-up and pull-up related work the centerpiece of your efforts.  The push up is also a natural focal point – follow the progressions in Convict Conditioning or Pushing The Limits!

That’s it! Now all you have to do is start somewhere, preferably well within your comfort zone, and then let the Replek catch up with you and unfold. Enjoy the journey, have fun, and get strong!

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Karl Kristian Indreeide, PCC, is part owner of Gym Ila in Oslo, Norway, where he teaches kettlebell and bodyweight training. He also runs HAVA-Instituttet, which provides consultation, seminars and full-scale health and social services.

Calisthenics Regressions for Strength Progress

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Al and Danny Kavadlo demonstrate regressed push ups

I once attended a very high level Taekwon-Do seminar taught by an Olympian ranked 3rd in the world. I was looking forward to learning a lot of advanced techniques–yet here we were, all of us black belts, simply learning how to stand still.

The instructor spent the rest of the day drilling us on how to improve the techniques we all learned years ago. Even though we never strayed beyond the “easy” kicks and punches, we all became much better by the end of the weekend. Since that seminar, I’ve taken that lesson to heart not only with Taekwon-Do but also calisthenics.

It’s always important to train your foundation no matter how advanced you become.
It’s always important to train your foundation no matter how advanced you become.

When I first discovered Convict Conditioning, I made the mistake of rushing into the more advanced steps. This was despite ample instruction not to do that in chapter 11! Even though I could (barely) meet a regression standard, I figured I had passed that level and no longer had any need for that technique. After all, I could do loads of close push-ups, so why would I ever need to practice push-ups on my knees?

But, just like my Taekwon-Do, I’ve learned that I’m never above the earlier steps. There are always a few nuggets to discover with the earlier steps no matter how many reps I can do of the more advanced techniques. Here are a few examples of how the earlier steps can still hold some value to your training.

1: Warming Up

It would be considered foolish to load a bar with your maximum working weight for your first set, yet that’s exactly what I used to do. I would go from 0-100 mph as I cranked out reps of the the hardest step I could muster. Is there any wonder why I was plagued with muscle control issues, balance issues, and sore joints after a few weeks?

These days I always start my workouts with some of the first level steps of each exercise. If I’m practicing bridges I still start with step 1 (short bridges) to wake up my posterior chain and loosen up my hips. As a bonus, this approach to my practice also allows me to fully dial in my mind-muscle connection. My body and mind will both be warmed up for the next steps. It also helps me get a feel for the state of my body, so I know if I can push hard or if I should take it easy that day.

2: Muscle Building High Fatigue Drop Sets

In Paul Wade’s article, “the Diesel 20”, he mentions using easier techniques to highly fatigue a muscle group towards the end of a workout.

On of my favorite methods is to start with archer push-ups, then drop down to the narrow push-ups, then normal push-ups, and finally push-ups on the knees.

Like all drop sets it can be sort of funny to shake and struggle with an “easier” step. Watching myself struggle to get 6 knee push-ups is always a great way to keep myself humble.
Like all drop sets, it can be sort of funny to shake and struggle with an “easier” step. Watching myself struggle to get 6 knee push-ups is always a great way to keep myself humble.

3: Filling in Tension Gaps

For the longest time I’ve always noticed my back and biceps muscles would fully contract at the top of a pull-up but they tend to relax a bit towards the bottom of each rep.

Mark Shifferle Keep Tension on Back Muscles

I refer to these points as tension “gaps”. These gaps can be detrimental to muscle development, strength, power and can place more stress on the joints.

One of the best ways to fill in these gaps is to use an easier technique and practice proactively tensing the muscles at these weaker points in the range of motion. By going to the Jackknife pull-up, I was able to work on maintaining the tension in my back while keeping my shoulders and arms tight at the bottom of each rep. This is much easier on the earlier steps because my muscles are not overridden by a much higher level of resistance.

4: Learn What’s Missing

Many times I’ve struggled to advance because I was missing a critical technical detail.

The worst example was my journey into single leg squats. Again, I was foolish and just breezed through some of the earlier steps thinking I was above them. Within a couple of months, I was doing 10 single leg squats on each leg. The catch was I was tilting and moving all over the place and sometimes had to slightly bounce out of the squat. I also had to do them on an elevated surface so my front leg could extend below the level of my supporting foot.

After a year, I developed tendonitis in my right knee and it got so bad I had trouble walking up stairs. I struggled to figure out what was wrong for months, and was sometimes on the verge of tears with frustration. As a mountain athlete I need strong and healthy legs to hike, ski and pedal and here I was hobbling around like an old man.

I finally swallowed my pride and started all the way back at step 1 in the squat progressions. By the time I had made it to narrow squats, I had learned that my legs had exceptionally unbalanced development in the hips and hamstrings.

I still make close squats a staple of my training to keep my muscles balanced
I still make close squats a staple of my training to keep my muscles balanced

It’s been over a year now and I’m back to doing single leg squats. Now there is no bounce, no tipping or wobble and I don’t need an elevated surface. Even though my numbers are far lower than before, my legs have never been stronger or healthier. I would never have figured out where my technique shortcomings were unless I went back and explored the earlier steps to a deeper level.

5: Learning to Use the Body Better

I believe Progressive Calisthenics is more than just a system for building strength and muscle. To me it’s a vehicle towards understanding my own body and learning how to use it better. Using the earlier steps has always been exceedingly helpful towards doing this. I can always control myself and dial in cleaner technique with an earlier step than I can with an advanced step. My mission is to learn why the earlier steps are so much cleaner and more stable. Once I know why, I work on bringing those qualities up to the more advanced moves. Of course, as my advanced moves become better so do my earlier steps and the whole process starts over again. In this way the quality of the earlier techniques feeds into the more advanced moves and the advanced moves make it possible to learn even more from the earlier moves. It’s a cycle that’s infinitely progressive.

In the martial arts, the student is always encouraged to retain the lessons they learned at the previous ranks. There’s a reason why students are encouraged to have a “white belt mindset.” The color black is made up of all of the rank colors that come before it so when you wear a black belt you’re still wearing a white belt, a green belt and so on. The earlier belts, and the exercises they represent are never discarded. They simply remain in the mix. The same thing is true for calisthenics, the earliest steps are never discarded but are recycled and re-purposed.

Discard nothing and gain everything!

 

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Matt Schifferle a.k.a. The Fit Rebel made a switch to calisthenics training 5 years ago in an effort to rehab his weight lifting injuries. Since then he’s been on a personal quest to discover and teach the immense benefits of advanced body weight training. You can find some of his unique bodyweight training methods at RedDeltaProject.com and on his YouTube channel: RedDeltaProject.

I ♥ NYC PCC

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NYC PCC Workshop 2015

Last weekend, the Progressive Calisthenics Certification made its return to New York City with a sold out crowd of over 40 calisthenics enthusiasts from all over the United States as well as the rest of the world. Attendees hailed from Norway, Sweden, Spain, Guatemala, Australia, Austria, Singapore, England, Canada, and of course, my hometown, the Empire City herself. It was truly a melting pot of bodyweight strength practitioners!

Though calisthenics has existed since the days of the ancient Greeks, the modern street workout movement has its roots right here in NYC. Many of the world’s best-known calisthenics specialists hail from the Big Apple. It’s no wonder we had such a strong group of bar athletes in the house!

NYC PCC One Arm Chin Up
The city that never sleeps certainly hasn’t been sleeping on its calisthenics game. As always, new personal bests were happening left and right. From the muscle-up to the pistol squat to the human flag, attendees were constantly breaking new ground, unlocking new skills and refining existing ones.

NYC PCC Chamber Press
Besides becoming better practitioners, we also devoted a lot of our energy toward becoming better at training others. Everyone at the PCC gets to experience both ends of the personal training equation throughout the weekend.

NYC PCC Partner Cossack

It’s great to see more and more ladies taking to progressive calisthenics. This weekend’s event had the most female attendees of any PCC so far. It’s an honor to welcome 15 of the strongest ladies I’ve ever met into the PCC family!

NYC PCC Women

Time flies when you are having fun, and that would explain why the whole weekend seemed to go by in a New York minute. When the 3-day whirlwind was over, we were left with over 40 newly minted PCC instructors, a whole lot of wonderful memories and connections that will last a lifetime.

It’s been more than 2 years since the inception of the PCC, and the world’s #1 bodyweight certification continues to go strong. Next up is our long-anticipated debut in the United Kingdom and then it’s back to the US for our return to Alexandria, VA (there are still some spots left for both these events!).

A PCC certification is like a license to drive: it’s a big responsibility, but it can take you places!

2015 NYC PCC Group Photo

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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 five books, including 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.

Preparing for the PCC Experience

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Al and Danny Kavadlo Finger Tip Pushups

In our ever-growing, fast-paced world, the need for instantaneous information extends through many areas in our lives – especially fitness.  Topics like: The 5 Best Exercises You’re NOT Doing and Three Secret Hacks to Gain Strength Instantly promise quick results with minimal effort.  Much of the fitness industry has gone the way of the late night As Seen on TV infomercial where we bounce from different training ideas, exercises and equipment only to have them all collect dust in either the corner of the room or the corner of our minds.

I do not blame the trainer for getting sucked into this slick style of marketing, nor do I blame companies for using these marketing tactics to gain a wider audience and increase their bottom line. In this day and age we are responsible for ourselves and it would probably serve us best if we took a few deep breaths before we dive into the latest trend.

I have been a proud RKC instructor since 2008 and have been happy with Dragon Door’s products and courses; I’ve also admired their marketing strategies. Like it or not, marketing is essential to grow a brand or business and it usually requires something memorable or out of the ordinary to make a person take action. Seeing the Kavadlo brothers performing feats of strength with only their bodyweight is truly inspiring and sends that immediate shockwave of determination through the body: I want to do that.

Al and Danny Kavadlo Elbow Levers

Still, I didn’t want to jump right into the PCC certification for fear that it was Dragon Door’s way of staying relevant in the ever changing landscape of fitness and it would not be as good an experience as advertised. After taking a step back and doing more research I decided to sign up and I am glad that I did. All throughout the years Dragon Door has remained true to their roots and backed up their marketing by providing a learning experience of the highest quality.

First off, they bring out the best instructor team. Al and Danny are the best not only because they can wow any mortal human being with their movement prowess; they can also actually teach the movements they are performing in a safe and progressive manner.

Like every other Dragon Door course I have attended, Al, Danny, Adrienne and the rest of the team were focused on the curriculum and were direct with their approach. Their primary objective was to not only teach the movements in easily digested portions, they also wanted to teach us how to instruct our clients through the progressions.

The other thing Dragon Door has done remarkably well with the PCC is to make the course all-inclusive for every age and fitness level.  People might have one of two types of reservations when considering the PCC: Either it is going to be too difficult or it is going to be too easy. I was in the former class, having only trained bodyweight basics like squats, pull-ups and push-ups; I had never challenged myself with advanced progressions and variations.

Balancing the course to make it appropriate for everyone in attendance seemed like an impossible task, but the instructors handled it beautifully. I can say this is truly a certification that includes everyone. The participants at the PCC I attended in Encinitas this January were a great mix of male and female fitness enthusiasts ranging in age from 18 to over 60, each bringing different training backgrounds and skill sets. For every core exercise presented the instructors had several remedial options as well as advanced options. Everyone was able to find variations to practice that were challenging, yet appropriate for their individual fitness level.

L-sits PCC Encinitas

The PCC Century Test

In true Dragon Door fashion, you have to demonstrate proficiency in basic movements and pass the Century Test to earn the PCC credential.

I had a client ask me recently “why does there need to be a physical test to prove you are a good coach?” I thought about it for a moment and told the client that “testing is a way to truly devote yourself to a challenge and bring out a better version of yourself.  You have to put some skin in the game!”

After signing up, I had to ensure I was successful at completing the test and passing the course. Here is the blueprint and workouts I used during my PCC century test preparation. I hope it serves you as well as it did me.

Do Your Homework

Before diving right into a program I wanted to first understand exactly what I was getting into. I found a great article on the Dragon Door website by Adrienne Harvey which helped address the exact exercises, repetitions, techniques, order and time allotment I needed for the test. I wrote all of these on top of my workout training page so I always had them in front of me.  They are as follows:

Century Test Chart

I officially began my training six weeks out from the certification. After my research I decided to test myself to see where I was from the start. I went in fresh after my normal warm-up and went through The Century trying to be as strict as possible with form.

I was mostly happy with the results, however there was work to be done and this baseline test showed me exactly where I needed to center my attention. I could feel that my form became sloppy as each exercise wore on. In my previous training programs I had not been performing push-ups and pull-ups in the higher repetition ranges I needed to pass the PCC test, so this would be my primary focus.

Getting your Reps Up

I dedicated three of my five training days to the specific bodyweight exercises of the PCC.  After practicing various combinations of calisthenics, I would rest and perform the PCC test at the end of my workout to see if I improved. I liked adding the test at the end of the workout because the PCC certification test is performed at the end of the three-day training course so fatigue will be a factor and being able to pass when you are tired is essential.

One workout I did I called The Century and a Half. Like the name implies, you do the entire Century at the end of your workout and after your pull ups, you start right back with the squats and perform all of the exercises for half the number of repetitions.  I allotted myself a maximum of 12 minutes to complete the century and a half routine.

If you find your general conditioning lacking, it may cause a problem during the PCC test. For this, I added some sprints into the training mix.  Trust me; you want to be in good cardiovascular shape for the Century. Your adrenaline will be pumping–and after your 40 squats so will your heart rate.  If you cannot catch your breath the rest of the test could be a struggle and you don’t want to let your cardiovascular system be your undoing.

I have a local track that has pull-up and dip bars so it was a perfect place to combine calisthenics with cardiovascular training.  For my favorite workout I would run 400m at a pace that was comfortable and then I would do as many pull-ups, hanging knee raises and push-ups as I could with good form.  When I was done I would repeat three more times.

Not only was I training my cardiovascular system I was performing the calisthenics movements during a state of elevated heart rate and, especially after a few runs around the track, a state of fatigue.

If you live in an area affected by real winter weather or don’t have a track with pull-up bars, simply bring a jump rope to a location that does.  Skip for 1-2 minutes and then perform your bodyweight exercises for however many rounds you see fit.

With meticulous thought towards every detail, Dragon Door has truly done it again with their PCC certification course. It is a testament to how they understand fitness and the people who seek knowledge to make themselves and their clients better. If you are willing to practice the basics, you should have no problem passing the PCC exam and enjoying the weekend. I know I sure did!

Danny Doug and Al

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Doug Fioranelli, PCC, RKC-II, holds a Master’s degree in Kinesiology and is the owner of Rise Above Performance Training™ in Belmont, CA.  Check out his blog for more training articles and videos at DougFioranelli.com

The Meathook

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Al Kavadlo Meathook
PCC Lead Instructor Al Kavadlo demonstrates the meathook.

Using all of the body’s musculature together as one cohesive unit is among my favorite aspects of bodyweight training. Iso-lateral calisthenics moves like the “one arm push-up” are misleadingly named, as they require strength throughout the entire body—not just one of its appendages. Few iso-lateral moves demonstrate this full body harmony better than the little known (and perhaps more aptly named) “meathook” exercise.

Hooked on Calisthenics
Though a full body movement, the meathook still emphasizes certain areas. It requires tremendous grip strength as well as monstrous shoulders and lats, plus a powerful core. If you don’t have those attributes yet, practicing toward this move can help you build those areas along the way.

Before you are even ready to begin working toward the meathook, however, the first step is to be sure that you have a solid foundation in push-ups, pull-ups and hanging knee raises. I recommend getting to at least 30 push-ups, 20 hanging knee raises and 10 pull-ups before you even consider attempting the meathook. (Those numbers may look familiar.) I also suggest you get comfortable with full range-of-motion, straight hanging leg raises before working toward a meathook. You should to be able to get your shins all the way to the bar before you move on to the next step.

Al Kavadlo Hanging Leg Raise
Get comfortable with full range-of-motion, straight hanging leg raises before working toward a meathook.

Wipe Out!
The windshield wiper is a very challenging exercise in its own right, but it is also a crucial lead-up step toward the meathook. Once you’ve met those initial requisites, your next step is to start working on windshield wipers. Begin by hanging from an overhead apparatus, then raise your shins to the bar and begin rotating your legs and hips toward one side. Aim to get your legs parallel to the ground before reversing direction and lowering them to the opposite side.

Once you get comfortable performing several windshield wipers in a row, you’re almost ready to attempt the meathook, which you can think of like a static windshield wiper held on just one arm. Naturally, before you’re ready for all that, you’ll need to get comfortable performing a basic hang on one arm. These can be surprisingly tough when you are starting out. I advise you to use the progressions in Convict Conditioning 2 to build toward a one arm hang if you aren’t there yet.

Al and Danny Kavadlo Windshield Wipers
The windshield wiper is a crucial lead-up step toward the meathook.

Hook It Up
Though grip strength is an important prerequisite, remember that the meathook involves a lot more than just the ability to hang on to the bar. Your lats and shoulders need to be very strong and stable to hold the meathook, plus you will need powerful abdominals and obliques. Do not attempt this move until you’ve built up to a solid one arm hang and can do several consecutive windshield wipers.

Once you’ve satisfied those requirements, you are ready to rock and roll! Begin by grasping the bar tightly, then perform a windshield wiper toward your dominant arm. When your legs are all the way over to the side, lift your hips toward your elbow, folding your body around your arm. It may take some trial and error to get a feel for finding the “sweet spot” but at a certain point, you will feel your balance shift.

Al Kavaldo Windshield Wipers
The elbow of your primary arm should wind up down by your hip.

Once your hips are in position, begin to loosen the grip on your secondary hand, gradually transferring all of your weight to the other arm. When you feel confident enough to completely release your secondary hand from the bar, do so carefully.

You’re now holding a meathook – Congratulations! Stay here for a few seconds, then slowly reverse the movement and try it on the other side.

If you are unable to take your other hand away, try removing a finger or two instead. Over time you can work toward relying on your secondary arm less and less as you progressively build the strength to perform the full meathook.

Once you’ve gotten the “hang” of getting into a meathook this way, you can start building up to longer holds and experimenting with different methods of getting in and out of position. The meathook can also be useful for bridging the gap toward one arm pull-ups and the rarely seen one arm back lever.

There are many uses and applications for this move; feel free to experiment and get creative!

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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 five books, including 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.