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Progressive Calisthenics - The Official Blog for the PCC Community

Upcoming Workshops

Top 5 Reasons Why an In-Person Workshop is the Best Way to Supercharge Your Training

August 29, 2022 By Danny Kavadlo Leave a Comment

Danny Kavadlo and Al Kavadlo Perform a "Four Man Flag" at the Holland PCC

It’s been ten years since the inception of the Progressive Calisthenics Certification. In that time, hundreds of trainers from all over the world have been certified in bodyweight exercise. Countless PR’s have been set and lifelong friendships have been made.

On October 1-2, Momentum Fitness in New York City will be hosting the ONLY Progressive Calisthenics Certification on the calendar. That’s right: this is the only PCC currently scheduled, so if you ever wanted to attend, now is the time.

At every PCC, amazing things happen. There is no question that this event will supercharge your calisthenics training like nothing else. Here’s why:

1. The Most Complete Programming

Pushups at the Holland PCC

There are many calisthenics courses these days. PCC is the first and the best. In fact, PCC is the only certification with eleven modules, including push-ups, pull-ups, muscle-ups, human flag, inversions, floor holds and more. There has never been a more comprehensive two-day bodyweight course.

The PCC Instructor manual was written by none other than Paul “Coach” Wade, the best-selling author of the Convict Conditioning series, and contains over 500 pages of the most detailed calisthenics writings and illustrations ever compiled.

There are two additional seminars. The first seminar, Principles of Progression, details the universal truths behind all calisthenics (and strength training) advancement. The second seminar On Bodyweight Programming explains how to put all this new information together for quantifiable results.

The weekend concludes with the legendary Century test. Click here for more on that!

2. PCC Is for Everybody

Large group photo from the NYC PCC 2017

Everyone is welcome here. That includes folks of all fitness levels, training backgrounds and body types. Every single attendee is encouraged in a friendly, inclusive environment. From the curious beginner to the beastliest bar athlete, calisthenics doesn’t discriminate. Progressive calisthenics accommodates everyone.

PCC also provides you with a strong connection to a supportive, global community for future training, forums and opportunities. This includes both friendships and networking. I’ve remained close both professionally and personally with so many of my PCC family over the years.

3. The Inspirational Power of the Group

Participant performs a human flag at the China PCC

I’ve seen it again and again: PCC attendees pushing themselves beyond their previously perceived limitations.

There’s a reason why more people have achieved their first muscle-up, pistol squat or human flag at PCC than anywhere else in the world. It’s the overflowing energy that comes from putting a group of calisthenics freaks in a room together. Remember what that’s like?

I’m thrilled to say that this is the first workshop taught by both myself and my brother Al Kavadlo in twelve months! We’re ready to bring the thunder!

4. No Substitute for an In-person Experience

Participant performs a dragon flag at the China PCC

If recent times have taught us anything, it’s that humans need real interaction with other humans. Sure, scrolling through social media and looking at fitness-related “content” is an easy way to pass the time, but it really doesn’t help your physical (or mental or emotional) health.

The experience you acquire at PCC is a stark contrast against the screens and solitude induced numbness to which so many of us have become accustomed. In a world overrun with online courses, PCC stands out. At PCC, every attendee receives personalized training geared directly to them. Corrections are physically presented in real time by experienced instructors who work directly with you. Under the scrutiny of a Master Trainer, you will achieve things you never imagined possible.

5. Continuing Education

Annie Vo assists PCC Participant in L-Sit exercise

The enhanced professional credibility you get from becoming a PCC is priceless. Dragon Door is an established leader in the fitness industry and PCC is the gold standard for calisthenics certifications. This is part of what gym owners look for when hiring trainers, as well as what potential clients need when seeking professional guidance.

Furthermore, while PCC is for everyone, not just fitness professionals, it qualifies for continuing education credits toward your personal training credentials. In fact, PCC is the only bodyweight workshop approved for CEC’s from ACE and NASM, the two largest certifying bodies.

Two participants at the London PCC perform a weighted bridge

It’s just a few more weeks before the calisthenics lightning strikes again. I can taste the electricity… Will I see you in NYC?

LET’S GOOOOO!

-DK

Filed Under: Progressive Calisthenics, Workshop Experiences Tagged With: bodyweight exercise, calisthenics certification, calisthenics workshop, Danny Kavadlo, NYC PCC, PCC Workshop, Upcoming Workshops

PCC Recap: 2014

December 16, 2014 By Al Kavadlo 23 Comments

PCC Holland with Al and Danny Kavadlo

2014 has been a landmark year for the PCC and things are only getting bigger!

In the first full calendar year of PCC, we held 9 certification events and tested over 200 candidates, visiting 6 different countries on 3 separate continents along the way. Personal records were shattered, friendships were formed and lives were forever changed. (Perhaps mine more than anyone else’s!)

John Du Cane, Al Kavaldo, Danny Kavadlo, Adrienne Harvey

It has been an absolute pleasure getting to meet and work out with other like-minded calisthenics enthusiasts from so many different places. I am proud to say there are now certified PCC coaches all over the world!

Al and Cecelia Tom Clutch Flag at the PCC

The calisthenics movement continues to grow and grow. Next year we have confirmed 11 more PCC events through the end of September (we will likely still add one or two more for October-December).

In 2015 we’ll be visiting unchartered land as well as returning to some familiar territory. Here is the line-up for the new year:

January 23-25, 2015 – PCC in Encinitas, CA

February 27 – March 1, 2015 – PCC in Mountain View, CA

March 27-29, 2015 – PCC in Minneapolis, MN

Mini Group Photo MN PCC Workshop

April 17-19, 2015 – PCC in Munich, Germany

April 24-26, 2015 – PCC in Alessandria, Italy

May 1-3, 2015 – PCC in Dundalk, Ireland

May 15-17, 2015 – PCC in Dallas, TX

Mini Group Photo Germany PCC

June 5-7, 2015 – PCC in NYC

July 31- Aug. 2, 2015 – PCC in Alexandria, VA

Sept 11-13, 2015 – PCC in Haarlem, Holland

Sept 18-20, 2015 – PCC in Chicago, IL

Hope to see you there! We’re Working Out!

ProgressiveCCInstructorBanner

***

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 more about Al on his website:www.AlKavadlo.com.

Filed Under: Progressive Calisthenics, Workshop Experiences Tagged With: 2014 recap, Al Kavadlo, PCC Workshop, progressive calisthenics, Upcoming Workshops

The First Rule of PCC

August 19, 2014 By Danny Kavadlo 45 Comments

Danny Kavadlo fight club tribute photo

People are always asking me if I know Coach Wade. “Is it true?” they ask. “Can he really do one-arm handstand push-ups? What does he look like? Is there a Progressive Calisthenics Certification coming to my city?”

“Yes there is!” I tell them. Tell everyone you know! The first rule of PCC is you DO talk about PCC.

The second rule of PCC is you DO talk about PCC. The next event is October 10-12 in Haarlem, Holland! This particular workshop really looks like something special. My brother and PCC Lead Instructor, Al Kavadlo, have personally met and trained with Martijn Bos, owner of Trainingscentrum Helena, Holland’s #1 Calisthenics and MMA studio, where we will hold the country’s first ever Progressive Calisthenics Certification. We are looking forward to meeting a lot of new friends there!

Danny Kavadlo Coaching Hanging Knee Raise
Danny Kavadlo coaches Martijn Bos at PCC Germany.

No wait. Back up. Let me start over.

For months, I couldn’t sleep. My brother Al and I were literally the top Personal Trainer and Fitness Manager in a company that employed thousands. Our job was to train everybody generically regardless of individual situations. Which company did we work for, you ask? A major one. In fact it is one of the biggest chain gyms in New York City. But we wanted something more.

Tired with the standard conventions of the industry, we chose to walk off the beaten path. Commercial fitness teaches trainers to believe that with isolation machines and protein powders, we will grow to be athletic, strong and functional. That if we buy this product or that pill, all our problems will be solved. But they won’t.

We’re a generation of men and women raised on gimmicks and machines. Advertising has us chasing treadmills and Shake-weights. Thigh-masters. Bowflex. We were wondering if another piece of equipment was really the answer we needed.

Al Kavadlo bridge

Many do what they’re told. Pull a lever, push a button. At PCC, we do Push-Ups instead of pushing buttons. We don’t pull a lever; we become the lever. It was right in everyone’s face. We just made it visible. It was on the tip of everyone’s tongue. We just gave it a name.

Danny Kavadlo Human Flag
Welcome to PCC

Every time we arrive in a new city, we meet people we’ve never trained with before, yet we have an instant kinship as fellow bodyweight warriors. We’re all part of the same family. Déjà vu all over again.

Al and Danny Kavadlo at Munich Airport
You wake up in Munich

To date, we’ve had nine Progressive Calisthenics Certifications in seven different cities, spanning three continents. Bodyweight training, the oldest and noblest form of strength training, is gaining a resurgence. Progressive Calisthenics is becoming this incredible, global community. PCC is the first and best bodyweight certification.

PCC Workshop in Sweden

“What’s next?” everybody wants to know. “Is it true? Is Coach Wade building an army?”

DO talk about PCC! Tell everyone you know!

The posse’s gettin’ bigger!

-DK

***

Danny Kavadlo is one of the world’s most established and respected personal trainers. He is a Master Instructor of Progressive Calisthenics and the author of Everybody Needs Training: Proven Success Secrets for the Professional Fitness Trainer. A true in-person experience, Danny is known globally as a motivator and leader in the body-weight community. Learn more about Danny at: www.DannyTheTrainer.com.

Filed Under: Motivation and Goals, Workshop Experiences Tagged With: bodyweight certification, bodyweight exercise, calisthenics community, Danny Kavadlo, functional training, PCC, Progressive Calisthenics Certification Workshops, Upcoming Workshops

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

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