WE'VE MOVED! 549 3rd St

After some very LONG days and hours the new place is up and running! Starting Monday at 430pm we have classes at the new place:

549 3rd St. Portsmouth, OH

In addition to the new facility we've got a revamped new website!
http://pskcstrong.com/

This will be the last post on this blog, so please bookmark http://pskcstrong.com/ and follow us there.

We want to send a very special thanks to everyone who participated in the last workout at the original gym and helped the move.

Also this Saturday is bring a friend day! From 9-10am you can bring a friend for a free workout in the new place. Immediately following we will hold an open house where you can check out the new space and see what all we'll have to offer. Let your friends know!

New Gym Update

We are getting close! We just need to finish the bathrooms then move in and you guys will have 6000sq ft of CrossFit awesomeness. Since this summer a lot of people have been working HARD to bring this project to life and we are pumped to get up and going. There is going to be lots of bonuses and perks for you all.

SAVE THE DATE: We are looking at moving in on Saturday October 26th. We will have our last Pain Clinic at the old gym at 0900 and then go straight into moving/setting things up right after that. We will need as much help as possible to make it quick and painless. Bring a truck, bring a friend!

The week before the 26th the gym will be bare bones as we will be moving things out throughout the week. It will pretty much look like it used to when we first opened up over 3 years ago.

Below are some photos of the progress of the new digs:

It's gong to be great and we can't wait for the many memories to come.

Here is this week's prograaming. It's max out week, so you guys need to ingesting more quality calories this week to ensure you're primed and ready to go for the 1RM efforts. Don't forget to be getting quality sleep and recovery as well.

Monday
1RM Deadlift
Finisher
15 OH Squat 95/65
Legion Run
15 Burpee Box Jumps
Stoplight Run
15 Weighted Lunges 95/65
Gate Sprint

Tuesday
Test Max Pull-ups
TGU-work up to heavy Turkish getup
Finisher
5 rounds
10 OH Swings 53/35
10 KB Snatch (5 each arm)
10 Gob Squats
10 T2B
Cash Out-Row 500 meters or 50 cal airdyne

Wednesday
1RM Military Press
Finisher
You go I go style, teams of 2
6 Gate Sprints (3 gate sprints per person)
Then....
5 Clean and Press 115/85
10 Push-ups
20 Rounds (10 rounds per person)

Thursday
1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1
HSPU and Pistols(each leg)
30/30/30x4 stay at the same station
Wallball/Wallsit
Mountain Climbers/Plank
Swings/Rack Hold
Flutter Kicks/Hold legs 6" off ground

Friday
21-18-15-12-9-6-3
Burpee Pull-ups
Back Squat 95/65
Push Press 95/65
Weighted Sit-ups
Lantern Run

Importance of Recovery: SLEEP

One of the many takeaways from the Gym Jones seminar was the importance of recovery. We believe the three pillars to optimum health and fitness are:
1)Exercise
2) Diet/Nutrition
3)Recovery

We've got your exercise part covered. We offer the best general physical preparedness program. It works, we have several hours of data and results to prove it. Keep in mind though, that’s only 1 hour out of the day. The 23 other hours can really hinder the progress you just attained if you’re not paying attention to your recovery practices.

What you need to really understand is that you can only train to the level you can recover from. It's as simple as credit/debit system. The more physical stress you impose on your body (debts), the more recovery practices you need to conduct (credit).

We have done a good job of creating folks who love to train hard and train frequently. This is okay if you’re recovered properly. If you’re not you’re running a big risk of stagnant performance at best, injury at worst. Trust me I teach this lesson to myself over, over, and over again. Sometimes you have to listen to your body and not your ego.

If you're noticing a tweak, tightness, slight pain...lay off...rest. It's not a matter of being tough, it's a matter of being healthy. I'd rather take 2 days off now, instead of being laid up for two weeks. It comes down to risk versus reward.

We will never instruct you to do high reps of box jumps with bounding up and down the box. We will preach to step down. We never program high rep barbell snatches in the workouts. The risk of injury is too high. However, if you're going to be doing competitions be prepared to do that stuff, you'll have to make that individual choice when it presents itself.

"Training is chess: think ahead. If taking big risk right now seems a great idea there's a rook or a knight waiting to cut you at the knees."
-Gym Jones

Be smart about your training. Do everything you can to be fully recovered, healed, and hungry to train. It's not a matter of quantity of training...it's a matter of quality of your training. If you can make it to the gym 4 days a week, structure the rest of your days/hours around making those workouts the best you can be. You want to make sure you're rested, ready, and hungry to go for it on those days. In other words, you want to be fully recovered.

“Work + Rest = Training, Don't Do The Work If You Don't Have The Balls To Rest.”
-Gym Jones

If you’re eating like shit, sleeping like shit, and stressed to the max, how successful is your training program going to be?

Over the course of the next several weeks we plan to cover these recovery factors in detail:
1) Sleep
2) Diet/Nutrition
3) Stress

This post will focus on the importance of SLEEP:.

Get 8 hours of sleep a day. Period. If not, you are not operating at an optimum level. There is no argument to this. Not even the standard "I go just fine on 5-6 hours a night". No you don't. Compared to what? That's like saying I do fine working out while smoking a pack a day. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should or more importantly you are functioning at an optimal level.

You CAN get more sleep if you WANT it bad enough. You need to start thinking of getting enough sleep as the same as getting enough water. If I step foot in the gym having very little water intake, I know my workout and associated performance is going to be terrible. On the same token I can’t expect to be awesome on a habitual 4-5 hours sleep.

Like anything else that’s important you’ve got to make it a priority, same with sleep. Here are some tips to get more quality sleep.
1)      Sleep in a completely dark room. No lights, use black out curtains, tape over LED lights, etc.
2)      Shut shit down. Turn off the laptop/Ipad/Phone. No checking Facebook, twitter, etc. Get in bed and relax, read a book or watch the History channel. Establish a bed time routine, declutter the brain and get to bed early.
3)      Drink magnesium before bed. I started doing this and the quality of my sleep has dramatically improved. Check out this for why http://naturalvitality.com/natural-calm/
4)      Click here for other great tips click HERE 

The majority of you are not getting enough sleep. You’re putting yourself at risk for a whole bunch of risk factors (disease, being fat, early death, looking like shit). Make sleep a priority and watch everything around you start to improve.

SEALFIT 20X - 1 MONTH OUT

We are 1 month out from the 20X challenge! Now is the time to get signed up for this once and a lifetime experience. We've been fielding lots of questions of about the "20X" term and below you'll read straight from the founder of SealFit about the 20X Factor.

You may have heard me speak of the 20X Factor. It’s that watershed moment when you find that you are capable of far more than you previously allowed yourself to experience. This experience – Kokoro and Unbeatable Mind are good examples – alters your internal sense of self and concept of what is possible physically, mentally and emotionally. Your rational self gets out of your own way as you begin to trust your deeper powers. The 20X Factor is a super motivating concept that requires us to confront the limiting beliefs, behaviors and attitudes that have held us back from achieving our potential.

Beliefs: A belief is a concept or pattern of thought taken as true at face value, regardless of its objective truth; they have either been programmed through our nurturing or established through observation and experience. Most weak beliefs become self-fulfilling prophecies because the belief leads to behavior that reinforces the belief, thereby cementing an attitude around it for a lifetime.

A good example is physical output. Many people believe their physical capabilities to be vastly more limited than they are. This belief system is built upon the weak pattern of thought around physical effort in a society that has grown soft. It has been further reinforced by a consumer driven marketing and litigation system that shakes down or penalizes anyone who pushes “hard work” as a product or service. Thus there has been a sad dumbing down, or outright elimination, of quality physical training in the educational system and in mainstream products and services. So a few generations have grown up not being pushed to experience the tremendous potential of their bodies and minds, and therefore they have no reason to believe in their vast potential.

Behaviors: Beliefs drive behaviors and behaviors cultivate habits – which define our destinies. We must not underestimate the body-mind connection when it comes to physical beliefs. A weak body weakens the mind and vice-versa. Even if you were positively challenged as a kid with an amazing parent or athletic coach, if you stopped training when you entered the workforce (and there are many realistic reasons for this), then you shifted from strong to weak behavior and made a habit of that weakness. So your destiny becomes one of physical decline and the mental frustration combined with a lack of confidence that comes with it. Many super intelligent executives come to me seeking mental toughness, and the first wave of mental toughness is found by re-committing to developing a stronger body and changing beliefs around what is possible at their age and place in life.

Attitude: Strong 20X beliefs, backed by 20X behavior will develop a “20X-er attitude”. The 20X-er attitude is seen in those who commit to “hard” and show up to put out 100% all the time. Whether on the training field, in the arena of the professional life or at home, a 20X-er brings the razor’s edge of excellence to every action. Rather than a random work out, 20X-ers train with a purposeful and challenging regimen like SEALFIT. Rather than turning the tube on at night, they feed their hearts and minds with great books, meditation or insight work. Rather than engaging in negative gossip, bickering or judging, 20X-ers hold their tongues and practice authentic communication. The 20X-ers reward is a character laced with confidence, mental toughness, patience, respect and humility. The destiny takes care of itself.

Train hard, stay safe, and go find your 20X Factor now!

CDR Divine
SEALFIT & Unbeatable Mind

If this sounds like something you'd like to experience, we'd love to have you join us on November 2nd. Click HERE to register!

Pull Up Program & 9/16/13 Programming

Get ready for pull ups...and LOTS of them. This cycle we're going to be training strict pullups 3 days/week (Mon/Wed/Fri). On Monday/Wed we will do the pull up sets in between the deadlift/military press sets. On Friday, we'll start with our pullups then go into the SealFit Friday workout.

For example on Monday, if the strength portion is 5 x 5 deadlift at 60%, you'll knock out your first set of deadlifts then bang out for your first set of pullups, rinse and repeat until all sets for BOTH exercises are complete.

Here's the details of the program. This is taken from Pavel's fighter program and modified somewhat.

The program is scaled to anyone depending on how many pullups they did and/or whatever band assistance they used. However, you need at least a 3RM on a band. Per Pavel;

"You start with an all-out set and then cut a rep in each consecutive set for a total of five sets. The next day add a rep to the last set. Then a rep to the set before that, etc."

To make it Kentucky proof, here's the deal:
1) You'll always do a total of 5 sets.
2) Your first set will always be an "all out" set. Based on that number, you simply subtract a repetition for each following set (ladder down).
3) The next day you do pull ups, you add in one more rep in order to increase your total volume by +1.

This is an example of the first week for someone with a 5RM:
WEEK 1
Monday - 5RM,4,3,2,1 (total = 15)
Wednesday - 5RM,4,3,2,2 (total = 16)
Friday - 5RM,4,3,3,2 (total = 17)

Next week we start back on Monday and begin again with another all out set. If this time you were able to get 6 on your all out set, your program would look like this:
WEEK 2
Monday - 6RM,5,4,3,2, (total = 20)
Wednesday - 6RM,5,4,3,3 (total = 21)
Friday - 6RM,5,4,4,3 (total = 22)

Per the article, the higher the # of pull ups the greater the decrease in pull ups in between sets. For our purposes, once you have a 10RM you will subtract your sets by 2.
WEEK 1
Monday - 10RM, 8, 6, 4, 2 (total = 30)
Wednesday - 10RM, 8, 6, 4, 3 (total = 31)
Friday - 10RM, 8, 6, 4, 4 (total = 32)

For you to really reap the benefits of this program it will require 2 main things:
1) Consistency, you need to do this a MINIMUM of 3 x days/week. The program is actually designed for 5 x days/week. So if want to, come to class early a couple days a week and knock your "homework". Or you can actually do these at home as well if you miss a day in the gym.
2) Logging, you will need to keep a daily total of your total pull up volume so you know what number to increase on your next pull up day.

Coach Zak has even made this way too easy for you guys. He developed a customized excel spreadsheet that you can download to your phone! All you need to do is input your current pull up numbers into the spreadsheet and it calculates out your volume for you!
Click HERE for the program.

Now onto this week's programming:
Monday:
a. Deadlift 5x5 @ 60%1RM
b. Strict Pullup sets

10 min AMRAP
15 x HSPU
15 x Slamball
15 x Box Jump


Tuesday:
Power/Squat Clean 5-3-3-1-1

4 rounds
5 kb snatches  (53/35)
5 kb clean & press
5 kb 1 arm rack squats
*all reps must be completed on one side before being switched to the other.
**every 2 minutes perform 5 burpees, then pick up where you left off.

Wednesday:
a. Military 5x5 @ 60%1RM
b. Strict Pullup sets

Teams of 4 - "Airdyne 500"
Each person does 20 cal sprint while other 3 rest, relay style until 500 cals is reached.
*cool down = accumulate 5 minutes in the plank (time permitting)


Thursday:
10 minutes to work up to 1RM "Bear Complex"
Power Clean
Front Squat
Push Press
Back Squat
Behind the neck Push Press

With a partner, complete AMRAP in 4 minutes at each of the
following stations:
 Wallball (20#/14#)
 KB swing (70#/53#)
 Sit ups
 Overhead lunges (45#/25#)
 burpee box jumps
 *Only 1 partner can be working at a time and score is total number of reps
performed.


SEALFIT Friday:
Pullup Program Sets/Reps
then...
Stoplight Run with 45/25lb plate
50 x Thrusters 115/85
Stoplight Run with 45/25lb plate
50 x T2B
Stoplight run with 45/25lb plate

9/9/13 Week of Programming

Art in the new gym

After a tough week we are back to regular schedule and excited to get back to training! This week we're kicking off a new cycle. The lower body lift will be the deadlift and for the upper body lift we're combining max dead hang (no kipping) pullups with military press.

A couple notes, remember when you're establishing your training 1RM maxes for  your lifts, these are not a true all out 1RM. This will happen at the end of the cycle. Just work your way up to a heavy 1RM and use that number to base your percentages off of for the rest of the cycle. We will really go for PRs at the END of the cycle.

When it comes time to test on your pullups and you can't bang out one without a band, no problem. Just choose the band strength where you can get at least 3 pullups.

Finally, beginning this Friday we're introducing SEALFIT Fridays. This is a day dedicated to training to the upcoming 20X Challenge being hosted at PSKC. If you're going to participate you must complete in the workouts wearing your BDU pants and boots. This way your boots will be broken in and you're used to training in your gear. We will also start rucking.

Here's this week's programming. We had to move some things around in order to do a special 9/11 Memorial workout.

MONDAY
Establish Deadlift Training Max
12 minute AMRAP
6 OH Squats 95/65
9 Box Jumps
12 HR Push-ups
Cash out-500 meter row

TUESDAY
Establish maximum number of Strict Pull-ups then..
Establish Military Press training max
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
HSPU
Wallball
Pull-ups
Weighted Sit-ups
(All exercises 10 times, then 9, etc.)

Wednesday - 9/11 Memorial Workout
Lantern run

THEN 11 REPS OF THE FOLLOWING:

30/24in Box Jump

125/85 Thruster (deaths @ pentagon)

Burpee Chest To Bar Pull-Ups

175/120 Power Clean (AA FLight #175 (south tower))

Hand Stand Push Ups

KB Swings (2 pood/1.5 pood)

Toes To Bar

170/120 lb DL (Flight 77 and flight 93)

110/75 Push Jerk (number of floors in each tower)

Finish with Lantern run

Thursday
5-4-3-2-1 DB KB Thrusters
Finisher
5 KB Snatch (each arm) 53/35
5 KB Push Press (each arm)
10 Goblet Squats
15 OH Swings
3 Rounds

SealFit Friday. 
Teams of 2 (wear your boots and BDUs)
50 Curtis Ps 95/65
Legion Run with ruck if you have one
40 Curtis Ps
Legion Run with ruck
30 Curtis Ps
Legion Run with ruck
20 Curtis Ps
Legion Run with ruck
10 Curtis Ps
You go I go style on the Curtis Ps and the runs together.

B4B

"EVERY MAN DIES, NOT A EVERY MAN TRULY LIVES"

Last night everyone's lil buddy passed on. To quote his mother "he gained his angel wings in his mommy's arms just after midnight, surrounded by his family."

The family wishes to express their most sincere gratitude and appreciation for all those who have battled alongside with them. 

Today is not a day to mourn. Today is a day to celebrate. 

Boston touched more lives in the 4 years he walked this earth than most people do in their entire lifetime. 

The following will be the schedule for the rest of the week at the gym and the visitation and funeral arrangements:

THURSDAY - 530pm the "BOSTON" HERO Workout

7/22/09 - Boston's Birthday

7 deadlifts - 225/155

22 kb snatches 53/35 (11 each arm)

9 "Slurpees" (slamball to burpee) 20/10

4 rounds for time

We will open our doors up at 530pm at the gym for any and all would like to come down and honor Boston through this Hero workout. We will run heats every 15 minutes and stay as long as needed. Everything can be scaled to meet each person's ability. Any and all are welcome to come and pay tribute through this workout. 

**The rest of the classes will be cancelled for the remainder of the week in order to attend visitation/funeral services. Regular schedule will resume on Monday. 

FRIDAY:

Visitation at Melcher funeral home from 5pm -8pm 

SATURDAY:

Funeral services 10am at Holy Redeemer Church

The family requests that you wear your favorite John Deere and/or Battling for Boston shirts for both the visitation and funeral services. 

This will be a time to celebrate an amazing little boy's life not for sadness. Boston wouldn't have it any other way. He was wild, he was hilarious, he was stinker, he was a sweetheart and that's exactly how we will remember him. 

Joe and Ash wants to directly thank YOU, each and every one of you over the last 9 months who have joined the battle. A community has united under the B4B banner and strengthened one another through love, prayers, and support. The family is amazed and humbled through your support. 

The family is strong...strengthened through their faith in God..and strengthened through you. Please continue your love, support, and thoughts. 

Most importantly the family requests that you cherish...

each breath

each moment 

each smile

each laugh

each hug

each kiss

you have with your loved ones. Time is precious, time is a gift. Honor it through your actions..

Today we battle hard for Boston...

WE WILL ALWAYS BATTLE FOR BOSTON

300 Minutes

For the majority of us we have an average of 5 of gym time a week (if you're lucky). Out of 168 hours a week, you’ve only got 5 hours a week to train. That's 300 precious minutes.

Within those precious 300 minutes a week, you’ve got to do your part. You’ve got to earn it.

This was a key takeaway I learned from the Fundamentals seminar at Gym Jones a few weeks back.

“YOU BECOME WHAT YOU DO, MORE IMPORTANTLY, YOU BECOME WHO YOU HANG AROUND. SO CHOOSE YOUR PEERS AND INFLUENCES WISELY”.

Set a higher standard for yourself. Don't conform or believe what society claims is "hard". Modern day society is weak, mediocre, and excuse driven. Everyone gets a trophy, no one earns anything. Don't believe them...this is not you.

Push yourself and those around you. You’ve only got 300 minutes a week, respect that.

During those 300 minutes you have to got to be willing to commit, to attack, to journey deep within yourself and embrace the pain. Afterall, "pain is not your enemy, it is your call to greatness".

For those 300 minutes through your effort and intensity you can create an amazing environment for people to train. PSKC is 4 walls and a roof…the magic is the people..the environment...the intensity. Don’t just TAKE from it…GIVE to it.

Give to it by being relentless by refusing to listen to the weakness in your mind telling you it hurts.
Set a higher standard.
Become the higher standard.
Don't let anyone around you accept anything less..

Crush your weakness.
Every fucking minute....
300 minutes...time is ticking. What are you going to do about it?

SEALFIT 20X CHALLENGE: Saturday November 2nd

We are thrilled to announce that PSKC CrossFit will be hosting a SEALFIT 20X Challenge on Saturday November 2nd!

What is the 20X Challenge?

"The 20X event is a one day (12-14 hour) crucible delivered by SEALFIT certified coaches at CrossFit gyms and other training sites around the country. The objective of 20X is to transform and expand your definition of your capabilities as an athlete and human being.

20X demonstrates that you are capable of at least 20 Times more than you think you are. You will experience a permanent shift in your awareness and confidence. This training is a great mental toughness preparation for the famous Kokoro Camp, which you may decide is your next 20X goal after the challenge. You will test yourself against the SEALFIT standard and learn techniques that will allow you to dominate many of life’s challenges. You will gain mental toughness and a warrior’s non-quitting spirit as you learn to embrace the suck, become a world class teammate, and find your true potential!"

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Sign up quick as they are only accepting 30 slots for this unique training. We are the only gym in the Midwest that is hosting the crew from SEALFIT.

Check out what some CrossFit Games competitors have to say about SEALFIT:



Free feel to email dale@pskcstrong.com with any questions. See you November 2nd!

The Battle Continues

Ten months after diagnosis the battle rages on, 4 year old Boston and his family are fighting the fight of their lives. After months of treatments, trips, hospital visits, chemo, clinical trials the brain tumor on 4 year old Boston remains.

Today, this moment more than ever the Schwamberger family needs our help, support, love, and most importantly our prayers.

The past year we have rallied the cry "Battle for Boston" "B4B". The battle continues and we must remain steadfast in our fight.

"God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers". 

In this case his smallest soldiers as well. Our lil soldier is decked out in green and yellow, sitting high atop his trusty John Deere tractor ready for the fight that is to come.

We need you more than ever to join him in the fight for his life.

The past year his mother and father have been examples of love, courage, and tenacity as they have supported their amazing son fight brain cancer.

 Now, as a community we need to lift them up and shower them with love. For those that know Joe and Ash, they would be the first two people that would be there for you. Now it's our time.

On Saturday August 24th, the Driven Foundation will be hosting a Benefit Basketball game for Boston - "Balling for Boston". Join us as former Ohio State football players  Roy Hall, Craig Krenzel, Antonio Smith, Andy Groom and a few others take the court against against local sponsors. Check out more info HERE

Come have some Scioto Ribber lunch with the Buckeyes before the game and get pictures and autographs by the players. The meet and greet lunch with the Former Buckeyes will be held at Temple Baptist Church by Crispie Cream donuts from 12:00-1:30. Tickets for the meet and greet are $50 for the general public and $40 for PSKC members. This includes the cost of the game.

For more information and to get your VIP ticket contact Mike Dillow @ 740-935-2849.  All proceeds goes torwards the Battling for Boston fund as he battles cancer.

This amazing and loving needs our help. Please pass the word and get your tickets now.

Bring a Friend Pain Clinic = Saturday 9am

the angry deer in action

Saturday Pain Clinics are "fun"...you get a partner and share the suffering. We break out all the toys and start the weekend off right. If you're curious about PSKC or CrossFit come on down this Saturday at 9am to check us out for a FREE workout. Just show up around 8:45am to sign the waivers and we'll get to it. No sales pitch, no pressure, just an awesome workout with awesome people.

After the workout, we'll hang out for a bit then head over to the new building for a tour. There's been A LOT of progress in the last couple of weeks. WE ARE PUMPED!

Hope to see lots of new faces this Saturday. If you plan on attending shoot an email to dale@pskcstrong.com .

SEE YOU SATURDAY

22JUL13 - Week of Programming

You Will Overhead Squat..and You Will Like It

This cycle our lower body movement will be the overhead squat and upper body movement will be the split jerk. These are most advanced movements in the macro cycle (close to year's worth of programming). Go ahead and take 2 minutes to get your bitching over with about the overhead squat..we know it's not your favorite and we know you don't like it...and we know you have (insert any excuse here) why you "can't" do them. We don't care..you're gonna do them anyways.

The good news is that you'll have 6 weeks to practice them and get better on them. It's important that you get in on Monday/Wednesday to get your training maxes established. Of course you can skip every Monday if you want. Then again you're the one who has to live with yourself ...just saying.

The biggest problems you don't like the overhead squat is your lack of mobility (especially in the thoracic/hip areas). We'll be teaching you all mobility drills to get these areas prepped for lifting. So stay with it and spend the necessary time getting prepped and warmed up. This cycle you'll have the opportunity to see HUGE increase in your PR with this movement if you stick to it.

And now for this week's of programming:

Monday
Skill:
Find training max for OH squat

Finisher: 12 min amrap
6 oh squats ( 75/115)
12 push ups
15 box jumps

Tuesday
5 strict pull ups / muscle ups
3  heavy thrusters
20 min cap to achieve maximum weight and rounds

Finisher: Do heats if necessary. 10 min cap

21 15 9
Deadlifts (155/225)
Slamball
Oly option: 5x2 full squat snatch

Wednesday

Find training max: split jerk

Finisher: 30/30/30 x4
Mountain climbers on rings/rock hold
Goblet squat/ wall sit
Push press/ oh hold or handstand hold
Flutter kicks/ flutter kick holds

Thursday
Oly. Option 5x2 full squat clean plus 1 jerk

Parter up: 7 rounds of
3 reps bench
3 deadlift
3 kb front squat
* increase weight each round

Finisher: relays of
8 x100 m lane of pain sprints

Friday
Gate sprint
100 DU
100 sit ups
80 DU
80 push ups
60 DU
60 step ups
40DU
40 t2b or k2e
20DU
20 HSPU
Gate sprint

Sweat is the Glue that Bonds Best

This photo is what we're all about...bonds forged through sustained effort and intensity. Each drop of sweat is like another link in the chain. This is what I loved about the Army, the friendships and bonded formed under the most stressful of situations.

"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers, For he today who sheds his blood with me shall be my brother."

CrossFit offers a similar format.  Communal suffering is an incredible relationship builder. If played organized sports you can relate, and that's the best way to describe it..a team atmosphere, all year long. You grow and suffer day in and day out together.

In addition to the team building atmosphere we offer, it's an amazing stress reliever. It might just be the only period of the day where you shut off your phone, disconnect from the "world", and focus on yourself. It has a very focused meditative effect where it's just you and the task at hand.

A few weeks ago I had the great pleasure to meet and learn from Dr. Theresa Larson DPT.  "Doc" is awesome and incredibly helpful. In a quick weekend, she taught me a crap ton about mobility, helped me with my low back, and made time for my endless questions.

The Doc

Here's a quick list of why Doc is so awesome:
1) She's a former Marine
2) She's close to 8 ft tall..not really but she's pretty tall.
3) A former pro softball player
4) Worked and studied under Kelly Starrett of mobilitywod 
5) Loves to help veterans through Team RWB

She recently published an article detailing the psychological benefits of CrossFit and it speaks a lot to the incredible stress relieving benefits that is can offer. Be sure to check her website out and on Facebook. She's an amazing resource.

Speaking of amazing..check out Sass's 200lb clean!


Videos are awesome and that's why our latest obsession is Instagram's ability to offer video clips. We will try to post short lil clips everyday of what is going down in the gym. So be sure to follow pskc_crossfit on Instagram to check in on the action. You'll be sure to get great actions pictures and videos like this:

Great work this week, the end of another strength cycle and the numbers show you guys put in the effort.



We'll finish it out strong on Friday and of course an epic Pain Clinic on Saturday. See you guys at the gym!

Developing an Unbeatable Mind

Coach Ash with CMDR Mark Divine of SealFit

For over the last year and a half I've completed and participated in an online program called "Unbeatable Mind Academy". This program has been developed and led by Mark Divine, the founder of SealFit, a former US Navy SEAL who has gained a lot of success within the CrossFit and Special Operations community for his approach to developing mental toughness and cultivating the warrior spirit.



CrossFit has the ability to give and teach you many things about yourself. There is no better program for developing your personal physical fitness. Clean and jerks, muscle ups, deadlifting, double unders, box jumps...doing physical things you once thought were impossible. That's just the physical realm...the real break throughs occur mentally. That's also where all your personal failures occur as well....the mind.

It's impressive to watch someone string together multiple muscle ups, lifting massive amounts of weights, but to me the most impressive thing to watch is to witness someone make the decision they are going to do something. To watch them fail, fail, and fail again...becoming a victim of self doubt....of fear. Then something clicks...something made the connection mentally to believe..to commit..then it happens...victory. Imagine if we could harness that belief daily? That's where UMA comes into play. It teaches you the fundamentals of developing mental fitness and toughness.

"Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win."
-Sun Tzu

There are many tenets I've been fortunate enough to experience through this program. The military was my best teacher and I was blessed to have been taught by truly the "best of the best". As a young officer I was fortunate enough to have landed an assignment with the best and brightest minds the Army has to offer. Men forged with a physical tenacity only matched by their intelligence. Many of the lessons I was too young to fully appreciate and absorb. But through the UMA, CMDR Divine has been able to bring those lessons to the general populace.

The biggest lessons I try to utilize in my daily practice are
Developing breath control
Interdicting negative thought patterns (Fear Wolf/Courage Wolf)
Developing powerful positive visualizations
Focused Mediation

Here's a clip of those mental toughness practices in action during a 45 minute plank hold.



Here's another clip of CMDR Divine explaning the Unbeatable Mind Program:




If you'd like to learn more about the program, click HERE. If you don't want to enroll in the program, I highly encourage you to spend some time and get signed up for their free program.

Now here's what is in store for you this week. You'll have plenty of opportunities to harness mental toughness this week as we've picked some team WODs and some other tough ones where you'll have plenty of opportunities to really focus on being present and decide if you'll feed negative or positive energy to your mind and body. We will also be testing out your new maxes for the power clean and bench press. You've worked hard over the last 6 weeks, now it's time to let it show.

Monday:
10 minutes to establish 1RM Power Clean
Conditioning:
Teams of 4 (only one rowing/airdyning at a time)
300 cal AirDyne Race
*non-working teammates must hold barbell (135/95) overhead. Up to team to strategize. (15 minute cap)
rest 3 minutes
3000m Row Race
*non-working teammates must hold 4 x (53/35) KBs in Rack position. Up to team to strategize. (15 minute cap)

Tuesday:
10 minutes to Establish 1RM Thruster:
*olympic*
10 min to establish 1RM Squat Clean

Conditioning:
5 rounds
5 Deadlifts(275/155#)
10 lateral bar burpees


Wednesday:
Max Bench:
Conditioning:
“Minute to Win It”
60 seconds max calories on AirDyne
Rest 1:30
60 seconds max burpee pullups
Rest 1:30
60 seconds max Goblet Squats (70/53)
Rest 1:30
60 seconds max Double Unders
Rest 1:30
60 seconds max burpee box jumps


Thursday:
With a continuously running clock perform 1 strict pullup on mintue 1, 2 pullups on minute 2, etc until you cannot perform the pullups in the allotted minute (10 minute cap)
rest 2 minutes...
Then perform the same for STRICT HSPU
*Olympic*
10 minutes to work up to a heavy hang squat Snatch (during pull up portion), then follow same rep scheme on the minute as class strict HSPU section with 75% of the highest successful hang snatch (1 on minute 1, 2 on minute 2 etc.)

Conditioning:
Teams of 3 – “Frianabeth” from the Validus Games
Fran – 21-15-9 Thrusters (95/65) & Pullups
Diane – 21-15-9 Deadlifts (225/155) & HSPU
Elizabeth -  21-15-9 Power Cleans (135/95) & Ring Dips
(15 minute cap)
Only one athlete working at a time, must switch out every 30 seconds until all workouts are completed.


Friday:
Stoplight Run with 20lb med ball
20 kb swings (53/35)
7 kb thruster each arm
5 rounds

NEW BUILDING!

on the corner of Court & 3rd St. 

She’s officially ours! Over 6000sq ft of CrossFit awesomeness. Our members deserve the best we can give them and the new building will do just exactly that. We’ve come a long way in under 3 years. You all have invested so much into us, it’s time we return the favor. We’re here for the long haul. Gone are the days of wondering if we’d have enough people to cover the rent.

We’ve been blessed with growth and we are stepping on top of one another at the current gym.
We’re moving down the road to the historic Boneyfiddle district and we’re gonna reinvest in downtown Portsmouth. Just has CrossFit has given so much renewed energy to each of us, our goal is to spread that same infectious energy into downtown Portsmouth.

the crew enjoying a great 4th of July WOD

Our goal is to have a world class CrossFit facility right here in Portsmouth, Ohio. We are beyond excited at the endless possibilities the new building will offer. Here’s what we’re planning on having:

• 40 feet of rig and racks
• Olympic Lifting area
• Beginners area
• More Airdynes! (just kidding..well maybe not)
• WIDE OPEN SPACE , plenty of height for rope climbs and plenty of width for rope climbs.
• Competition Program
• CrossFit Kids
• More classes..

As far as perks go:
There will be showers, kitchen area, kids, area, lounge, wifi, and other great stuff.

Speaking of perks, we are now an official retailer/distributor for Reebok CrossFit gear! We’ve worked a special deal to get PSKC members a discount on anything Reebok CrossFit offers. Here’s what we gotta do. In order to get this going the gym needs to make a pretty big first order. At the gym, we have a couple catalogs floating around so you can see what you want. The biggest thing people are wanting are the Nanos, including the brand new Nano 3.0. Take a look at whatever want and remember you’ll receive your member's discount off the MSRP, PLUS you don’t have to pay shipping/handling!

You will need to write down your order and pay BEFORE the order can be made. Once we hit the designated amount, the gym will make the big order and your gear can be on the way. We’re setting the deadline to have your order in by Monday, July 8th. After we make the initial order then you can order whatever you want/whenever you want. If you have any questions, email dale@pskcstrong.com

Exciting things are coming! There will be a lot of hard work that needs to be done, but the good thing is that we’re not scared of hard work. We will be leaning on you guys heavily during the next couple months as we’ll be getting things together, so thank you in advance. From day one, we've said this is your gym and because of each and every one of you guys..your gym is gonna be awesome.

Don't forget this Saturday is bring a friend Saturday! Bring a buddy for a free workout, just show up at 845am to sign the waivers and get ready for a great one!

Get to Know a Member: Ninjy aka Kendra

In the second installment of "get to know a member" we feature Kendra aka Ninjy. Kendra is an amazing example of true female strength. Not just the strength measured in pounds lifted, but strength of personality, of kindness, character, and determination. 

She wasn't born that way though, an athlete through high school and college, she struggled to find her place when sports was over. Clearly she needed to get skinny, after all that's what all the magazines and TV tell our young women today. 

The first day Kendra walked into PSKC she struggled with the 18lb kettlebells. She was so programmed to dancing while "working out" it was almost as if she needed to be on beat to do swings and presses. That quickly ended and she realized there's no "rhythm" to 330lb deadlifts and 250lb front squats. 

She's had an amazing journey from fancy outfits and choreographed routines to 1st place finishes and 250lb front squats. 

A longtime friend of mine recently approached me and told me "man, Kendra is amazing..she's the reason and inspiration I started CrossFit". So I figured there would be more people out there who would benefit from hearing a little more about "Ninjy".

Beauty does not lie in the weight on the scale, beauty lies in the weight you're capable of lifting and moving. Being is strong and capable is beautiful. This is the lesson our daughters need to start hearing. If I ever have a daughter, I'd be proud of two things:
1) I'd want her to be taught by "Ms. Massie"
2) I'd want to lift and CrossFit like "Ninjy".

Here's a little more about Kendra in her own words, I hope it's something our girls can learn from.

"Coming from an athletic background of being a three sport athlete in high school and a college athlete, I was always pretty active. Yet, I was never the smallest and never have been the one with the most confidence. In high school and college, I was made fun of every once and while for the way I looked. I either was overweight or even “manly.” Yes, I said it, “manly.” This was always a confidence issue as well as worrying about it constantly.  After one year of college, I caught myself drowning away sorrows quite frequently due to many personal issues I was going through and dieting (what was that?). This went on for a few years until I woke up one day hating myself. I hated the way I looked and the person I had become. Here I was, graduating college with a degree in education and I was a complete DISASTER. My life was a mess and I needed to fix it.  I decided to pick up running and take part in different fitness classes. I ended up losing close to thirty pounds and still looked like a disaster. Exercising was a part of my life for a couple years, but it was beginning to become a chore because the constant thought and torture of having to be skinny and I gained some of the weight back.

Two friends (Brandon Coleman and Shaye Berry) mentioned a place named, “PSKC.” They were positive that I would love it. After being hounded for weeks, I decided to set up an intro. Not to mention, that Sara tried to get me to come a year prior and I wasn’t interested. I walked in the first day intimidated and had my intro with Ann in the storage room. I constantly was thinking, “what in the world am I doing?”while swinging around this kettlebell thing and seeing the members of this place pounding out mountain climbers and weighted sit-ups. I remember thinking, “YES! I am going to be skinny!” Come to find out the values I would learn from these people were life changing.

A few weeks went by and I became an addict. I saw coach Mo “burpeeing” herself to death, Ash doing an extreme amount of pull-ups, and Dale’s will to conquer anything that was thrown his way. This was awesome and I wanted to be exactly like them! One of the most memorable things that Dale has said that I apply to everyday life is his speech about the dogs: The fear dog and courage dog. After this speech, I knew that this was the right place to be. It was after this speech that I began to conquer my issues that were weighing me down for years. Partying way too much, worrying about things that didn't matter, past experiences I needed to forget and move on are just some examples. I needed to get my life together. PSKC has really helped me find myself and I have accomplished things that I NEVER THOUGHT would be possible (like be happy). I also know that anything that comes up in my life can be conquered as long as I turn my brain off and go!

Everyone starts out the same. It is all about making yourself better and supporting the gym family. Everyone begins with 18Ib kettle bells and works their way up. Everyone uses bands when they first start pull ups and ring dips. We have all been there. Stick with it and you will surprise yourself. My love is heavy weight and when I first started I was scared to lift heavy. I didn’t want to. I just wanted to be skinny!  I remember Mo making me use heavier kettle bells and I thought, “no way, you are crazy.” A few months went by and I started to change. I actually care about what I eat and watch what I eat (which is still a work in progress because I love wings and pizza). I started focusing on what I was able to do and what I could do to get better. You improve when you do not even know you do. Most importantly, I learned how awesome it was to be strong.

   It was freaking awesome seeing moms like D ,Ann, and Ash going through brutal workouts, Sara being one strong PREGNANT momma, Mo pounding out close to 100 burpees in 7 minutes, and Boo Boo deadlifting over 300 pounds. These are the ladies that convinced me it was awesome to get stronger.  It was ok to be strong and defininetly a better feeling then worrying about how skinny I was. Being able to have fun with my kiddies in first grade and being able to carry everything to my classroom in one trip is a good feeling too!
Over the past two years, I have not lost any weight, but I haven’t gained any either. I have lost a little over 10 percent body fat, gotten stronger, and gained my fun life back. I have many friends through the gym and I love each and every one of you. It’s not about who is the best, who can lift the most, or who can be the fastest. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses.  It is simply the fact of watching people do their first pull up, pushing themselves toward personal records, or even just finishing a workout. At a time when I was at my lowest, PSKC lifted me up and still is lifting me up. I love that place. Ladies, “strong is the new skinny” no matter what people say and surely not manly. If anyone says that, it is their own stupidity and they are jealous you can lift more than them. Thank you Dale, Mo, Zak, Ash, Ann, and Sara for all the time and effort you put in to make me better and believing in me."

Catching Up..

Apologize for the lack of posts but the last few weeks at PSKC have been insane! Two weeks ago we held our 3rd Annual Gauntlet Competition which was an big success. Athletes ranging from North Carolina, Kentucky, West Virginia, and all over Ohio came to Portsmouth to throw down. This year’s competition was intense.

We kicked off event #1 with a front squat ladder that topped out at 315 for males and 205 for females. If you made it all the way through the ladder you were then placed into a final jeopardy edition of the front squat where the heaviest attempt completed won the event, but if you went and heavy and missed the lift no credit was given. Graham Spagnola took first place for the guys with a BEEFY 370 front squat.


The women’s front squat finals was EPIC. Ninjy and Desiree Jones both went head to head picking 230, both of them nailed it…then came 240, both of them nailed it. Now onto 250! Desiree barely missed the attempt while Ninjy stuggled through and made the attempt.

Event #2 was a spicy triplet consisted of:
Power Cleans (155/105)
HSPU
Lateral Bar Burpees
It was a 7 min AMRAP with an ascending rep scheme of (2-4-6-8-etc)

Event #3 was a brutal chipper of:
600m Run
10 X Master P (Power snatch to overhead lunge) 95/65
30 x Toes2Bar
20 x KB snatch each arm
10 x Master P
There was  a 12 min cap.

After the 3 events we took the top 4 finalists from each category and pitted them head to head against one another tournament style. The winners would advance to the finals.
The semi-final event was a 5 min AMRAP of:
3 x Double KB Thrusters ( 70/44)
5 x Deadlift (275/185)
7 x Box Jump (30/24)

Then onto the finals, which was:
2 minutes max Ground to Overhead (205/135)
1 minute rest
2 minutes max calories on the Airdyne

The atmosphere, energy, and environment was incredible! We want to sincerely thank the athletes, judges, volunteers, spectators, and sponsors. We are indebted to each of you for helping create such an incredible event!


The very next weekend PSKC was in DC to participate and coach in Team Red White & Blue Veteran’s Athletic Camp at CrossFit Rubicon. This was such an incredible event and was honored to participate. No better way than to spend a weekend coaching functional fitness to active duty and veterans. Also had the chance to connect with other affiliate owners and learn about mobility, nutrition, and goal setting.

Team RWB is all about helping veterans integrate back into the civilian world through exercise. If you are a local Iraq and/or Afghanistan veteran and looking to get involved in CrossFit, email dale@pskcstrong.com. We are working on sponsoring a free year membership for a local combat veteran.

And this weekend we’re heading up to our friends at CrossFit Endeavor for a team competition! Any and all are welcome to come out and support our 2 teams. Of course afterwards we’ll be visiting PSKC North (aka World of Beers) for some celebratory brews.

We keep busy. No rest for the wicked and we will always keep rolling, one event after the other. You've got choices in life..sit back and watch life go by or go out there and make things happen.

Life is meant to be lived. Don’t sit back and wish you could do something, get out and equip your mind and body to make it happen. Get busy living...

IT'S HERE! GAUNTLET III

It's here baby! We are in a final preparation to support 70 athletes and a couple hundred spectators. From Michigan to North Carolina we have a massive amount of awesomeness we're gonna pack into Saturday.

A couple of final notes/reminders for Saturday.

RULES:
1) Be awesome
2) Have fun
3) Don't be a dick

One thing we will not tolerate is being disrespectful. If you get no repped or a mistake is made, be the better person. The worst thing on Earth is to watch an an athlete bitch to a judge. These guys are volunteering their time to support the athletes and put on a great event. If there's any issues about judging and/or scorekeeping see me (Dale). If you make any drama about it, you'll be asked to leave. Now onto the cool stuff...

DIRECTIONS:
Use this link to get to the compound:
http://portsmouthspartankettlebellclub.blogspot.com/2010/08/pskc-location.html

PARKING:
Park off of 10th St., no parking will be made available inside the gym. We'll be using our parking lot to support the event.

FOOD:
No food will be made available inside the gym, however our great friends at the Garage Cafe are hooking us up! Each competitor will receive a $1 off coupon for any menu item, including the awesome PSKC PALEO BOWL! Plus the Garage Cafe is only 1/2 mile from the gym.
http://garagecafeoh.com/menu.html

TENTS/CHAIRS:
Feel free to bring a canopy/tent to set up in the front parking lot for you and your crew. Go tailgate style and have some fun.

REGISTRATION:
0800-0830 - Registration/Judges Briefing
0830-0900 - Athlete Briefing and Warmup
0900 - We're going live!

Make sure you're there with enough time to register, get your spot set up, warmup and get ready to go.

HEATS:
We've had a couple last minutes drops and switches. We'll make the heat schedule available on Saturday morning. Plus we could have a few late minutes spots open up the morning of the Gauntlet. Let us know if you're interested.

AFTER-PARTY:
We will meet up for tasty food and more importantly great brew at the Portsmouth Brewery at 5pm. If you're staying in town we'd love to have you for a great time.
http://www.portsmouthohbrewing.com/

We are gonna have an awesome time this Saturday!