Steve's Club

Discipline

Snatch skill work

(6) 400 meter run with 2 minute rest in between.

Vern Gambetta poses a very good question on his blog.

Discipline – Outdated Concept or Necessary?

“For the young athlete to learn discipline demands guidance. We as coaches must provide that guidance. We must set the standards by fair rules that carefully lay out the behavioral expectations involved in being part of the team. These must be written. They must be clear so that there is no room for debate. Essentially as the coach you are providing a structure to begin to improve their abilities and their enjoyment of track and field.

Remember as coaches we have a responsibility to teach our athletes. Very few will compete past the high school level, but they all can have the great growing-up experiences of testing their limits and being part of a team.

Discipline will help insure a positive experience. It is not outdated, and it never will be.”

Strength of Will.

Squat, 3x5

Press, 3x5

 

10,9,8,7,6…2,1

Sprint indoors (door to wall is 1)

KB Swings (Go Heavy!)

Your determination can give you the strength of will and the courage necessary to pursue challenging endeavors. Often, the way in which we approach a problem is as important as the practical steps we take to address it. A positive mind-set (we call it the IRON MIND) and a belief in your capability can help one face difficult situations or get around obstacles that block our paths.

Strength of will is a required skill for the course of Life. The weight room has much to teach our youth.

Pay it forward

Elavated Snatch Grip Deadlifts, 2x5

Chin-ups, 3x15

Then…

3 sets:
8 Squat jumps;
8 Ring Dips;

Notes: Squat jumps are unweighted: jump vertical to maximum height, absorb into a full squat, catch the bounce as you would with a clean, and immediately jump again until all reps are complete; speed and change of direction at the bottom are key.

"You can't pay anyone back for what has happened to you, so you try to find someone you can pay forward."

This past friday night I took 5 kids from Steve's Club to Zach Even-Esh's gym in Edison, NJ. Zach is well known in the fitness community and has a proven track record for getting his clients (works with mainly high school athletes) great results. Zach is an interesting guy and has a special zest and creative talent for what he does and working with younger kids. Although it was the first time we met in person, it felt like we knew each other for years. Not much of a surprise as we both share the same interest and love what we do. We both pride ourselves on instilling good work ethics and pushing the young teens we work with beyond their own physical and mental capablities. After we both coached the whole group of kids through a tough workout we spent some time talking together with the kids.

Several times in the conversation Zach brought up the idea of "Paying it Forward." This resonated very well with me as it was one of the driving forces behind starting Steve's Club and one of the things that I passionately stand for today. The idea is simple. When someone does a good deed for you, instead of paying them back financially, you simply pay it forward to someone else. I consider myself very lucky to be raised in a very loving and supportive family and try my hardest to carry on the tradition with my own family. Family means a great deal to me as it should for everyone. Unforunately, everyone doesn't have the same opportuntes growing up in a healthy and supportive home with positive adult role models in their lives and caring people to encourage them to do the right thing, be a good person and lead a productive live.

I quickly noticed while visiting many of the homes of the young kids while doing extermination for my father's pest control company in the public housing projects of Camden, NJ a few yrs back that very few of them had a father figure or positive male role model while growing up that I was very fortunute to have myself.

For some reason, my heart when out to these kids as many of them lacked the guidance, structure and support only a father can provide. While I never planned to be a dad and save the world, it occured to me that through coaching and CrossFit I could impact many of these kids lives for the better. This was my chance to "pay it forward" for everything my parents did for me.

I constantly remind the kids that I coach everyday to go out there and make sure they take their younger brother, cousin, family member or friend under their wing and not only be there for them, but teach and inspire them to become a better person and achieve greatness in all that they do.

We all have opportunities to pay it forward everyday, whether you recognize it or not.

If everyone took this advice to heart and applied it, the world would certainly be a better place.

Deadlifts, 2x5

Chin-ups, 3x15

 

4 sets; no rest:
5 DB power snatch
5 DB power jerk
5 DB split clean (per leg)

 

In the struggle for survival, the fittest win out at the expense of their rivals because they succeed in adapting themselves best to their environment.
-Charles Darwin

The Bridge

"Fight Gone Bad!"

Three rounds of:
Wall-ball, 20 pound ball, 10 ft target (Reps)
Sumo deadlift high-pull, 75 pounds (Reps)
Box Jump, 20" box (Reps)
Push-press, 75 pounds (Reps)
Row (Calories)

 

In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute.The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. On call of "rotate", the athletes must move to next station immediately for best score. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point.

After hearing nothing but positive things about The Bridge, located on Haddon Ave in Camden, NJ, Charlie and I dropped in last night to introduce ourselves and learn more about their program. Several of our members have been raving about how much they enjoy going there and how its such an important part of their life. So curious me, I just had to check it out and see for myself what it was all about. When we first arrived we were immediately greeted by everyone in the room and told several times to make ourselves feel at home. And it definately felt at home. After getting to know everyone (mixes ages although mostly young people in their teens),we broke out into teams of two and completed an exercise together in which we shared some past and present adversities in our lives and how we have dealt with them. From there, we rearranged ourselves into small groups and talked out our issues further while exchanging thoughts and feelings with one another.

Anyone who knows me well, knows I'm not a very religious person. However, I thought the exercises and group support was considerably refreshing and offered a sense of relief especially for the young people there whom are regularly dealing with issues that are very stressful in one's life and frankly, no young person should have to worry about it.

The Bridge is really a great program and I won't hesitate to recommend The Bridge to all the members of Steve's Club. While I can get someone in the best physical shape of your life, everything falters if the mind is not in the same tip top shape. The mind and body must always work in unison.

What is The Bridge?

The Bridge is a unique program of support and positive lifestyle enrichment for the adolescent population. The overall goal of The Bridge is to aid in the healthy development of adolescents. The Bridge differs from other programs in that it is not crisis-oriented; rather, it addresses the challenges of adolescence, in general. The years between 13 and 19 present a whole new set of problems, questions, and issues that need to be dealt with by professionally trained, dedicated, and caring people. This is where The Bridge comes in - it recognizes the special medical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs of this growing population. 

Camden County:
WHEN: Every TUESDAY - 7:30pm Sharp to 9:00pm
WHERE: 1492 Haddon Avenue - 2nd Floor
            2 doors West of Our Lady Of Lourdes Medical Center
            Google Maps ~ bing Maps
AGES: 13 through 19 years
           (we welcome guests over 19, as well!)
COST: None
Info: shana@bridge1980.com

Play, Then Eat.

Power Cleans, 5x3

Pull-ups, 2x15

 

Complete 6 rounds:

Sprint 200 meters (to dumpster and back)

*Rest 3:1 (3:1 means however long it took you to sprint 100 meters times your rest by 3)
*Example 15 seconds: 45 seconds

Play, Then Eat: Shift May Bring Gains at School

"If animals play, this is because play is useful in the struggle for survival; because play practices and so perfects the skills needed in adult life."

--Susanne Millar

Pumped for Camden Teens - Philadelphia Inquirer - 1/24/2010

"I was born and raised on the streets, and most of the kids who come here are from the streets," said Rick Gonzalez, 19, who lost 70 pounds with Steve's Club.

"I didn't care about life. I just took it as it came. I learned morals here . . . how to deal with people."

Jose "Charlie" Henriquez, also 19, was among the first in Steve's Club. He has never met his father, and his stepfather works two jobs. He called Liberati a "father figure."

"This is, by far, the most positive place I've been around," Henriquez said.

Read the full article HERE.

Great people.

from left to right: Troy Willis, owner of Cowboy CrossFit, Mikki and Jeff Martin of Crossfit Kids HQ and BrandX, myself and Lee Knight, trainer at CrossFit Fairfax.

This past weekend I had the good fortune to attend the CrossFit Kids certification in Fairfax, VA with my good friends Lee Knight and Troy Willis pictured above. The certification was led by Mikki and Jeff Martin who run a very successful CF affiliate and CF Kids affiliate in San Diego, California.  

Such great people. Troy and Lee have been working with me over the last few months building the national program to bring CrossFit to more disadvantaged youth in cities across America. I can't begin to tell you how excited I am about this project and how much potential it has to make a huge impact. Stay tuned! Much more to come.

In building anything worth doing right, you must surround yourself with the right people and learn from the best. Mikki and Jeff Martin (parents of 3 wonderful sons - Connor, Kegan, and Duncan) are two of the best coaches when it comes to teaching kids and teenagers. Their own trial and error they developed a highly successful fitness program for kids and teens alike. They now travel the country sharing their system and best practices with school and pt teachers, physical trainers, athletic teams, martial arts schools and many parents that want their kids to grow up healthy, strong and have a life long love of working out thus avoiding the common problems associated with childhood inactivity and obesity. 

I am completely indebted to the wonderful people above and very grateful for the resources they share to help us build the Steve's Club National Program.

To show my thanks to everyone in this community, all I can do is continue to pay it forward, in my quest to strengthen our country, one kid at a time!

Hope you are ready to join us for the ride. 

Education and Mentoring should be the foundation...

Strength Workout:

Press

3 x 5

 

Conditioning Workout:

"Jackie"

1000m Row

50 Thrusters 45 lbs

30 Pull-ups

Bishop using DB's for the Press while fully extending his arms overhead. Nice work today, Bishop!

From the great blog of CrossFit Chronicles: The Smith Family. Be sure to check it out.

 In 1908, Thomas Edison predicted the future of real healthcare. His vision of the movement wasn't led by prescription-peddling M.D.'s but rather, a sub-class of healthcare professionals concerned with the fortification of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease . The direction of healthcare reform, in its current proposition, is a caustic discussion and I have a unique reason for its opposition. I don't believe that you should enable people to die by preventable diseases caused by an increasingly poor diet and general nutritional ignorance. The money shouldn't be spent on "unlimited" insulin, beta blockers, vasodilators or any other band-aid on a bleeding artery. Education and mentoring should be the foundation upon which the necessary reform is proposed. 

As athletes/coaches/enthusiasts, we can have great influence and if we show enough educated-passion, people will be compelled to listen.  My mother, the classical southern black woman, is a hard-working, saavy, grounded and faithful woman. She is also very stubborn. But she loved dinner and she left our home singing the praises of authors that compel many of us in the CrossFit community. Within it, there are so many influential people that can help reverse the effects of waves of poor nutrition and miseducation, Steve's Club is proving that.  Imagine if every CrossFit affiliate maintained a Steve's Club-type program. Don't think of his initiative as charity, think of it as an investment in our collective future. My mom thought that she was just coming over for some good food. She left with an education.

The CrossFit community has the drive, influence, charisma and appeal to influence the fitness of a struggling America.I only have one question for those that envision Thomas Edison's doctor of the future. Why not us?

PRactice and Hard Work

Strength Workout:

Front Squat

3 x 3

 

Conditioning Workout:

3 Rounds

400m Run

10 Front Squats (50% of 3RM)

20 KB Swings

Written by Lee Knight at Overachiever Coach.com. Lee is a Steve's Club Ambassador working to help build the Steve's Club National Program, to bring CrossFit to disadvantaged youth in cities across America.

This quote was originally said by Ed Macauley, basketball player from the St. Louis Hawks (now the Atlanta Hawks) and it was what inspired Bill Bradley to practice more than almost anyone else in the league at the time.

"When you're not practicing, someone somewhere is. And when the two of you meet, given roughly equal ability, he will win."

The idea of practicing/working hard is important not just in sports, but in any endeavor in which you want to excel. In the context of work, your career, or your hobby, if you want to succeed you have to be willing to put in the extra effort to beat out your opposition.

Maybe it's skipping happy hour to stay late and catch up on a project, maybe it's going the extra mile for a client or boss, or maybe it's going to a coffeeshop every night to study instead of watching TV. You're putting yourself in the best position to succeed when it counts.

I know that personally, the thought that someone else might win ("And when the two of you meet, given roughly equal ability, he will win") makes me even more determined to do the work needed. I don't want to lose because of lack of effort.

This hard work adds up and pays off down the road when you're the one picked to lead the project, when you get a promotion, when your piece was chosen, when your business takes off, or when you land the coveted job or position everyone else was hoping for. Remember if you don't want to be great, someone else does and is making it happen everyday - edging you out.

When you feel yourself getting lazy, think again about the quote. Now, get out there and put in the hard work.