Steve's Club

St. Judah's Lions from Camden wins the NJ Nets Tournament!

10 rounds

10 DB Power Cleans

10 Burpee Box Jumps

 

 

 

Lion of Judah ( MAN UP) High School Team wins The 2010 BACK TO SCHOOL NEW JERSEY NETS CHAMPIONS!

"Well, it appears that for some, the fear of success, is their greatest fear and ignorance is the greatest contributor to that fear. That aside, it is not as much fear that keeps us from taking steps to improve ourselves but the lack of belief in the problem. If the building is on fire we find a way out to survive, if we cannot do a pullup but are trapped in a hole with only a bar above our head we find a way to get up. People must first believe that the problem exists, then they will seek the solution. And then some people are just destined to be average and some to be failures. Winners seek to measure themselves against other winners and not the losers.

- Pat Malleolo (Austin Malleolo's dad)

  

Dedication.

Back Squats, 5x5

 

John walked three miles to and from Steve's Club today in the rain. That is dedication. 

What is your excuse for not training today?

unselfish.

Skill:  Power Snatch 

Metcon: 3 Rds for time: (15Min Cap)

20 Wall Balls

20 DB Power Snatches (95/65)

Buy Out:  100 Double Unders for time (Scale to 75/50 or Single Unders as needed)

So excited about the opportunity to be training the Lion (Hearts) of Judah. Great group of kids. Ambitious. Hard working. These kids are going places. 

I was talking to their Coach Ray on the side before class and we were talking a little about working with the kids and how he believes that these kids have tremendous potential with the right resources and support around them to help them on their way. He mentioned the importance of education and the many opportunities that are at every kids disposal in every town and city in America.  We had a great conversation until it was time to start class.

In return for my services he also asked me if there was ever anything around the gym that needed fixed or moved or any projects for the kids to work please don't hesitate to ask. Not only would it be a small way to show thanks but more importantly it would be an opportunity to display a small act of kindness.

Younger kids these days are part of the ME Generation. Whats in it for ME?  The mentality is unless there is something in it for ME... there is no chance I'm interested in helping. Of course this is a very flawed way of thinking with a potential of negative consequences that follow. 

It was refreshing talking to Coach Ray today. We're definitely on the same page sharing the same passion for changing the minds of our youth. 

 

Program Director for Steve's Club National Program.

DB Quarter Gone Bad

Four rounds for total reps of:

DB Thrusters 50 lbs, 15 seconds
Rest 45 Seconds
50 pound Weighted pull-ups, 15 seconds
Rest 45 Seconds
Burpees, 15 seconds

Rest 45 Seconds

 

As you may know, we have been working very hard over the last several months building a Steve's Club National Program to help bring CrossFit to more at-risk kids to inner cities all across America. The idea started as a result of numerous emails from people all over the country looking to run a similar fitness club working with disadvantaged young teens in their local area. I have seen firsthand the powerful effects of the combination of offering these young boys and girls CrossFit training, sound nutrition, guidance, support, coaching and positive encouragement. Showing kids in need that someone cares about them goes a long way.

Taking the time to get to know them on a personal level and understanding their life and stresses and then providing a positive outlet for them to "get away from it all" is what keeps the kids coming back for more and one of the reasons we have found continued success.

So far we have Cowboy CrossFit in Oregon led by Troy Willis (who has graciously volunteered many hours to help building the SCNP), Guerilla Youth led by the great folks at Guerilla Fitness in Montclair, NJ and CrossFit King of Prussia led by Aimee Lyons who are part of the network as participants of the Steve's Club National Program. We have several others who have sent in their application for the Fall deadlined and equally as excited to start a youth program of their own.

Thanks to the wonderful support and patronage of our customers, fans and supporters throughout the community, Steve's Original continues to grow and help fund Steve's Club and the Steve's Club National Program. When we say your purchase changes lives, it truly does. With your help, we are proud to say that we are making the right moves to do the right things and making meaning happen one day and kid at a time.

We are in the process of launching a new website for the Steve's Club National Program and 'so close we can smell it' to receiving our National 501c3 charter! Recently, we have also partnered up with a big law firm in Washington, DC to help us with the legalities of establishing a National non-profit organization.

Of course a lot of work is involved to build the National Program initiative and assist with day to day operations to offer you our customer the best customer service and products on the planet. As a result, I am please to announce that Lee Knight is now Program Director of the Steve's Club National Program and one of the members of the Steve's Original team.

Lee Knight is a former trainer at CrossFit Fairfax in Virginia run by outstanding coaches Jeff Tincher and Maggie Dabe (who are also generous monthly supporters of Steve's Club). As an alumni of MIT and former player on the USA Women's National Rugby team, she is not only a super sharp business women and talented athlete, but an all around great and caring person, dedicated to making a real difference.

Let's give a warm welcome to Lee as we are committed to continuing to do our best to serve you and spread the Steve's Club concept to other cities across America.

Earning a Steve's Club t-shirt.

Strength: 

Power Cleans 1 RM

Metcon: 

3 Rounds

10 Powercleans (50% of 1RM)

10 Ring Pushups

200 feet Sprint

 

Fitness is earned. So is everything else in life. If you set a fitness goal...you must work hard to obtain it. That is the only way and we should never expect anything in the gym (or in life) to come easy, as it rarely does. 

Through hard work, a solid plan, and the right support, our goals are reached. 

No shortcuts permitted as the saying goes and when the going gets tough, its time to get going. 

Cliches aside, I offered NyAngel and Pete an opportunity to earn a Steve's Club t-shirt if they attended club at least 3 days a week for a month straight. Keep in mind, this is no easy task as they both ride their bike about 6 miles both ways to get here. 

A serious commitment would be required. 

And as seen in the picture above NY and Pete both earned their t-shirt. 

Perhaps we can argue that they had an ulterior motive to attend Steve's Club (to win a t-shirt), but the fact of the matter is they had a goal in front of them and they achieved it. 

The earned their t-shirt and now walk around and sport it with pride.  

Lion (hearts) of Judah

Skill work:

Single leg Romanian Deadlift, work up to a heavy single

Metcon:

12 Min AMRAP

5 Strict Deadhang Pullups

10 Jumping Squats

15 Planks to pushups

   

The Lion of Judah basketball team has recently started training at Steve's Club. The team was founded by Ramon Roman Sr. who helped start the Lion of Judah Church Man Up! Boys Mentoring Program. Lion of Judah Man Up! was formed to assist and cultivate young men ages 12-18 on how to become respectable men in today's society while keeping them off the streets.  In August of 2009, Ramon Roman Jr. 16 was fatally shot in the front of his home in the City of Camden. Since his tragic loss, Ray Sr. has become a passionate advocate in the City of Camden to stop violence and mentor young men. 

I will do as much as I can to help these young boys get the training they need to reach the next level and offer the necessary guidance and support to reach success in academia, life and sport. 

Expect many more updates on the Lion(hearts) of Judah as they blaze new trails...   

P90X and The Perfect Pushup.

Strength – Turkish Get-up 1RM

Metcon – For time:

Run 400m

50 squats

Run 200m

40 sit-ups

Run 200m

30 pushups

Run 400m

20 burpees

 

The Not-So-Perfect Pushup.

A Perfect Pushup.

New kids to the club routinely ask what I think about P90X and The Perfect Pushup (fitness gizmo sold on television info-commercials for $39.99). I tell them P90x is a good fitness program and great way to work up a good sweat. But to be fit and healthy, and a better athlete you will need to lift weights heavier than your body weight and get strong. Stength training will allow you to challenge the body in ways that bodyweight exercises simply cannot match.

The Perfect Pushup is simply a waste of money. A machine or piece of equipment does not produce a perfect pushups, instead a body mechanics and core and full body strength produce a perfect pushup. Most important thing I look for is a straight line from shoulder to hip to ankle moving vertically from arms completely locked out to chest touching the floor and back up. A good pushup requires a tight core (bracing of the abs) and ballistic push off the ground. The head must remain in a neutral position (not up or down) and elbows should be close to the body on a 45 angle so chest is out front of the shoulders when lowering to the ground.

Keeping it simple and focusing on these key coaching points allows most of our members to achieve a "Perfect Pushup."

My last piece of advice is to save the $39.99 and use the money to buy high quality real and whole food.

Again Faster Scholarship for Steve's Club National Program

5 rounds for time of:

3 Deadlifts 185 lbs
5 Clapping Push Ups
Sprint 40 yards

Again Faster Scholarship for Steve's Club National Program

 

Recipient of the AF Scholarship will be given $500 a year, for up to 4 years or the culmination of their higher education, to be used for books and other necessary supplies.

1) Requirements for Application:

In order to be eligible for the AF Scholarship, the applicant must be in their final year of high school, with the intent of attending an institution of continued learning the following year.

That institution can be a 4 or 2-year college, trade school, or any other legitimate program, but must be specified at the time of application.  In other words, the applicant must be declared to attend their chosen, specific program.

The applicant must be a CrossFitter, with preference given to those currently involved with a Steve’s Club participating member.  They need to have been involved in that program for at least six months prior to application, and must maintain a consistent presence at the affiliate. 

2) Application Process

In order to apply, the applicant must submit to us a 3-6 minute video application.  In addition, they need one letter of recommendation from a trainer or the affiliate owner of their gym.  

The video must answer the following questions, though applicants will be encouraged to go beyond these, in order to provide a bigger picture of their lives.

 

a) Full Name

b) Age

c) Location

d) CrossFit Affiliate and CrossFit story (ie, how long they’ve been there, why they keep coming back)

e) Footage of them doing their “Goat Workout” (see below)

 

Trainer Letter of Recommendation: The trainer will be asked to simply let us know of his experience with the applicant: How long have they been involved at the affiliate?  What kind of transformation they’ve seen.  Why does he or she deserve the scholarship?

Finally, the trainer will be asked to design the applicants “Goat Workout”—a workout that the applicant would never design for themselves, because it contains all those things they’re not very good at.  Whatever it is, simple as chest-to-deck pushups or complex as 135# squat snatches.  The intent is not to see the quality of athleticism, but the determination and perseverance of the applicant.

About the Video:

The video will not be judged on its technical prowess, though creativity and originality will be taken into consideration. 

There needs not be much, or any, editing.  A handful of clips is fine, so long as the clips as a whole answer to all the above requirements.

3) Timing 

Applications will be accepted anywhere between January 2011 – May 2011. 

The recipient of the scholarship will be notified on August 1, 2011.

4) Making the Decision

Patrick Cummings will review all application videos and letters of recommendation. 

He will narrow the field down to the best five candidates, at which point a select few people (Steve Liberati, Jon Gilson, among others) will make the final decision. 

Again Faster and Steve’s Club will make the joint announcement at a time and in a manner to be decided upon later.

5) Disbursement

The award will be given in the form of a reimbursement (with a receipt) at the beginning of each semester.  The recipient can decide to spend the allotted funds all at once or they can split the $500 between semesters.  Assuming the recipient’s education is coming from a standard-calendar institution, reimbursement can come be requested no later than October 1^st and February 15^th.     

The recipient does not have to reapply for the scholarship each year, though they will need to supply Steve’s Club with proof of enrollment each semester prior to receiving the award. 

 

 

 

Make sure kids eat real food.

Strength:

Back Squats, 5x5

Metcon:

Death by KB Swing (1.5/1) & DB Thrusters (45/25)

On the first minute, do 1 KB swing…

On the second minute, do 2 DB thrusters….

On the 3rd minute, do 3 KB swing…..

On the 4th minute, do 4 DB thrusters

Continue increasing the reps until you cannot complete the prescribed reps within one minute.

Buyout – 4 rounds of tabata sprints

Western Diet linked to ADHD

Early puberty for girls is raising health concerns

The above article mentions a few things like obesity as being the cause.  The real cause is nutrition via foods that disrupt the hormonal axis. 

Cordain wrote about this probably ten years ago.  You can also look at modern hunter-gatherer tribes and find that their children do not enter puberty early.  The bigger problem is that hitting puberty early also predisposes a person to various cancers.

Luckily, there is a simple solution to all this: Make sure kids eat real food!

Plan to Work and work to plan.

For time:

21-15-9

DB Thrusters

Burpees

A warm-up is not complete without Broad Jumps!

John and Magge burn through today's WOD!

Here are two important nuggets of advice that I routinely share with the young teens that come to Steve' Club. 1.) Don't knock up a girl and 2.) Plan to work and work to plan.

Fairly straight forward right?  The first one needs little explanation other than getting a girl pregnant at a young age is a bad idea. The personal and financial circumstances surrounding many of the young boys and girls from Camden, NJ are difficult and particularly stressful. Having a baby at such a young age and expecting to raise the baby right becomes nearly impossible and is not fair to the baby or to society for that matter.

The second piece of advice I share is related to working and earning a living to support oneself and one's family. Once school is over there is know one that pays a visit to your house to make sure you get a job and make money. Plan to work. That is what you do. Sounds simple in theory but many quickly succumb to hustling on the corner or making the quick buck. No short cuts in life. Work like the rest of us and and plan your future accordingly. Figure out what you want to do with your career and go after it.

Don't fall victim to the environment around you. Instead rise up and lead the cause.

The world needs more young leaders and less followers. The youth is our future!