Steve's Club Camden

Teen Crossfitters Invade the Art Museum in Philadelphia!

What an awesome day!  Although today was brutally hot and humid (about 95 degrees at 9am in the morning) 6 teen athletes from Steve's Club joined 6 teen athletes from The Movement Program, lead by Brian Terpak for an EPIC workout at the Philadelphia Art Museum (yes, the same famous steps that Sylvester Stallone ran to the top of in Rocky!). The workout went as follows:

On the sound of GO, athletes must first carry all the equipment (including a plyo box) to the very top of the steps. Then run down to the bottom of the steps to perform:

50 Hand release pushups at ground level

100 Air squats at second level of steps

50 Push Presses (#95/65) at third level

50 Box Jumps at fourth level

30 Thrusters (#95/65) at fifth level 

Then run to the bottom across the finish line. 15 minute CAP (*only one person finished within the CAP). 

Check out the pictures below. ALL the kids that showed up today put 100% effort into this workout and really dug deep to reveal the strong heart, mental toughness and perseverance that every teen is capable of exericising when they decide to. 

I told myself I was unstoppable.

Strength: 18 Minutes to build to a 3 rep max squat clean

*No touch and go reps, reset before each pull but complete all 3 reps in under 30 seconds
*If no squat clean, complete 3 reps of 1 power clean and 1 front squat

Metcon – For Time:

21-15-9

Deadlift (275/155)
50 Double Unders

-10 Minute Cap-

*Level 2: 225/135
*Level 1: 185/115

 A sold-out crowd of more than 17,000 watched from the risers of the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on March 19, 2011 at Arizona State University senior Anthony Robles emerged from the locker room on crutches. After handing them to ASU assistant coach Brian Stith, he hopped to the corner of the mat, crouched down on one knee, and waited for the whistle that would signal the start of his final wrestling match.

"I told myself I was unstoppable," says Robles of that moment. "I had put way too much into it to go in there and not come out with a national title."

That day, Robles, who was born without a right leg and permanently traded in a prosthetic one for crutches at the age of 3, defeated defending national champ Matt McConough 7-1 to become the first disabled wrestler in history to win a national college title.

Special thanks to RX Jump Ropes

Strength: EMOM For 7 Minutes complete 2 Barbell Rows (Choose Load)

Metcon - EMOM For 12 Minutes:

Odd Minutes: 10 Shoulder to Overhead (135/95)
Even Minutes: Max Box Jumps (24/20)

*Level 2: 115/75
*Level 1: 95/65

*For each odd minute you do not complete all 10 shoulder to overhead, complete 5 bar facing burpee penalty post-WOD…

Thanks to the good people at Rx Jump Ropes for donating jump ropes to several of our hard working athletes. 

Leo Babauta has a good post today on his Zen habits blog:

The Zen of the Barbell

The barbell sits there, inert, not wanting anything, not expecting anything of me. It becomes a simple tool, one that must only be lifted up, against the forces created by a massive Earth, and put back down. A simple tool that is practice for a way of living — a bell of mindfulness.

 

For the harder I work the more I live.

Strength: Back Squat 5-5-5-5-5 (Increasing load each set – aim for 65, 70, 75, 80 and 85 % of 1rm)

Metcon - AMRAP 8 Minutes:

5 Burpees
10 KB Swings (53/35)
100m Run

“This is the true joy in life…being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one…being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy…I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die. For the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It’s a sort of splendid torch which I’ve got to hold up for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possibly before handing it on to future generation.”

-George Bernard Shaw

 

Steve's Club congratulates Kevin on his BIG accomplishment!

Strength: Power Snatch – 7×1 (warmup, then build up to a heavy single completing 7 total reps)

Metcon - 12 Minute AMRAP:

5 Deadlifts (75% of 1RM)
10 Pistols (Alternating)
100m Run

30 seconds rest after each completed round

All of us at Steve's Club National Program want to congratulate one of our athletes, Kevin, on a major life accomplishment: He's graduating from High School!

Kevin moved to the United States in 2005 from Puerto Rico, and has been working out with Steve’s Club Camden since 2011. His neighborhood reflects some of the challenges we see many Steve’s Club athletes facing. Kevin says:

“My neighborhood is kinda violent.  Every now and then there is a robbery and drug related problem ... Steve’s Club has been a positive thing in my life by keeping me off the streets.”

Our National Program Director, Lee Knight, sees the mission of Steve’s Club in Kevin:

“Kevin is a good example of why Steve’s Club is important.  He was getting into trouble at school, got into a few fights, and it seemed possible that he’d let the attitude of his neighborhood prevail.

“Now he comes to Steve’s Club and is excited to share things that happen in school, as well as new PRs in the gym.  His successes in CrossFit carry over to a feeling of pride in himself and his accomplishments.“

Kevin, mid-workout

Steve's Club isn't just about the Sport of Fitness; it's about bringing the values of hard work, dedication, and perseverance to everyday life. What we see in the gym is often a reflection of what happens in the outside world.

Kevin is no exception.

Steve Liberati, who started the first Steve’s Club in Camden, NJ, believes Kevin has achieved so much in the gym based on dedication, follow-through, and one of our Steve's Club Values: Discipline.

Discipline: Work hard, be dedicated, commit to excellence.

“On most days Kevin walks to Steve's Club which is about a 45 minute walk from his house,” Steve says. “This really says a lot about the person Kevin is and shows his commitment, drive and dedication to Steve's Club.”

“As a result of his hard work and determination, he can now do advanced exercises such as rope climbs, handstand pushups, ring dips, pullups and muscle-ups. I have seen Kevin make a major transformation both physically and interpersonally.”

Kevin’s accomplishments didn't come easy: according to Lee, he came to Steve’s Club early, stayed late, and did the work necessary to reach his goal. In the span of one month, Kevin went from being unable to do a single pull-up to doing thirty chest-to-bar pullups during the 2012 CrossFit Open thanks to his self-starting attitude and willingness to put in the daily work.

Other Steve’s Club kids look to Kevin as a role model. His great attitude, Steve says, can turn negatives into positives; and he inspires others to work hard in school, at work, and in life.

Kevin and Steve's Club Teammate CJ

One of Kevin’s mentors, John Costa, is a member of CrossFit Tribe (which shares space with Steve’s Club) and sees Kevin as “the hope other at-risk teens need.  Other teens need to see kids like Kevin and understand there is more than just the streets.  He has shown many athletes who are now part of Steve’s Club  a different way of life; one full of determination – which is followed by success.”

“Kevin's progress spans past a set of rings and a barbell.”

We are so proud of Kevin's work both inside and outside the gym. Check out his athlete profile below, along with the video of his first Muscle Up!

Steve's Club Athlete Profile

Name: Kevin A.
Local Steve's Club: Steve’s Club Camden/CrossFit Tribe
Date started CrossFit: May 2011
Favorite WOD or exercise: Muscle Ups, Deadlifts, Clean and Jerk
Grace Time: 4:48 rx’d
What are the proudest CF moments you’ve had so far?
The proudest CrossFit moments I’ve had so far are my first muscle up, getting a PR on my deadlift (365 lbs) and doing “Grace” in 4:48.
Which one of the Steve's Club Values is most important to you?
Teamwork is the most important Steve’s Club value to me.
Tell us about your school goals and your CrossFit goals. Did you achieve them?
My goal was to graduate high school, and my CrossFit goal was a muscle up. I’m proud to say I achieved both in the same week.
What are your new goals?
My personal goal is to go to college and get a major in computer engineering. My new goal in CrossFit is to get butterfly pullups.

 

Camaraderie

Strength: EMOM for 10 minutes complete 3 HSPU’s (choose difficulty)

*with remainder of each minute complete 10 anchored sit-ups

Metcon - 5 Rounds For Time:

6 Front Squats (185/115)
12 Pushups
40 Double Unders

Camaraderie is sharing hardship. It is shouts and commands, bruises and cuts. -James Gromley

 

Kevin's first muscle-up!!!

Today was the first day we had a certified Parkour instructor come over to teach the SC athletes Parkour.  We hope to bring him back soon as everyone had tons of fun!

 

Impossible is nothing.

Strength: Deadlifts #135 (1 minute AMRAP x 3)

Metcon – For Time:

21-15-9

Wallballs (20/14)
Toes to Bar

Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing. – Muhammad Ali

 

"Do You Really Need That Band-Aid?" from CrossFit Medina (OH).

"Walk the Talk!" from 321Go Project. 

"There will never be anyone who will outwork me." MJ

Strength: Front Squat 5-5-5-5 (aim for 70/75/80 and 85% on sets)

Metcon - AMRAP 12 Minutes:

200m Run
15 SDHP (75/55)
10 Pushups (5w)

The following is conversation between Coach Roy Williams, then an assistant at the University of North Carolina and a young freshman named Michael Jordan:

When Michael Jordan first got to UNC, we were sitting at the track one day after conditioning. It was just the two of us. “Coach,” he said. “I want to be the best player to every play here.”

“You’ll have to work much harder than you did in high school,” Williams said.

“But, Coach. I worked as hard as everybody else.”

“Oh, excuse me. I thought you just said you wanted to be the best player to ever play here. Working as hard as everybody else is not even going to come close, son.”

That was the end of the conversation.

Two days later, after the next conditioning session, Michael comes up to me and we were sitting there alone again. He said, “Coach, I’ve been thinking about what you said. I’m going to show you. There will never be anyone who will outwork me.”

He did that. From that day on, Michael tried to kick everybody’s rear end in every drill.

From "Hard Work: A Life On and Off the Court" by Roy Williams 

Adversity comes to us all.

Strength: Jerk 7×1 @ 90% of 1RM

Metcon – For Time:

1000m Row

immediately followed by:

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

V-Ups
Box Jumps (24/20)

Calm before the storm as athletes get briefed on the workout of the day. 

 

Adversity comes to us all—it’s only a matter of when. The real question is not whether we’ll face adversity but how we will respond to it when it comes. If our attitude is one that embraces learning and growing, we’ll treat adversity as a stepping-stone to the success we desire, rather then see it as an insurmountable obstacle. But if we have a negative attitude and become defensive at the first hint of criticism or begin to blame others for our mistakes, we’ll miss the opportunity to develop into the types of people we want to be.

From "The Winners Manual" by Jim Tressel