Steve's Club Camden

Change starts here….

Strength: Front Squat 5-5-5-5-5

Metcon - For Time:

1000m Row
50 Wallballs (20/14)
30 Toes to Bar

Extra Credit – Strict Pull-ups 3-3-3-3-3 (Weight if Possible)

Nutrition and health is scarce in Camden, but death and destruction is abundant…..change starts here. 

 

"What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the

striving and struggling for some goal worthy of him. What he needs is
not the discharge of tension at any cost, but the call of a potential
meaning waiting to be fulfilled by him."

- Viktor Frankl

Skill vs. Talent

Strength: Push Press 3-3-3-3-3

Metcon – Triple AMRAP:

AMRAP 4 Minutes:

30 Double Unders
9 Power Snatch (95/65)

*Rest 1 Minute (Change Load)

AMRAP 3 Minutes:

20 Double Unders
6 Power Snatch (115/75)

*Rest 1 Minute (Change Load)

AMRAP 2 Minutes:

10 Double Unders
3 Power Snatch (135/95)

*If not using prescribed weights, choose 3 seperate weights and increase at the end of each AMRAP…

"What many people in football—and in business—fail to understand is that there’s a major difference between skill and talent. Skills are basic tools, and we all know they’re important; in football, for instance, you can’t play if you can’t run. But skills alone can’t carry you if you lack the talent to apply them in performance. And talent—and certainly greatness—is more than the sun of a person’s skills. Larry Bird was a great basketball player, but not because he could run or jump or even shoot."

From "Finding A Way To Win" by Bill Parcells

Showing up is not enough.

Strength: Every 30 Seconds For 5 Minutes Complete 2 Deadlifts (Hand Release) @ 65% of 1 Rep Max

Metcon – “Rowing With Helen”

3 Rounds For Time:

400m Row
21 KB Swings (53/35)
12 Pull-ups

*12 Minute Cap

As the saying goes, showing up is half the battle or as Woody Allen once said, eighty percent of success is showing up. While this is partly true, Seth Godin contends that "Showing up is overrated." Seth reminds us that showing up is not enough, that we need to go beyond showing up and be remarkable. 

Handling discomfort.

Strength: Weighted Pull-up 5-5-5-5-5

Metcon – For Time:

75 Double Unders
21 Power Cleans (135/95)
9 Toes to Bar

50 Double Unders
15 Power Cleans (135/95)
15 Toes to Bar

25 Double Unders
9 Power Cleans (135/95)
21 Toes to Bar

This past friday was freezing. The temperature was about 30 degrees and windy. Not to mention we recieved about an inch and a half of snow. I really didn't think anyone would show for class. It was that cold and who would really walk all the way up to our gym from Camden (about a 2-3 mile commute) in freezing cold weather on a friday afternoon.

To my surprise, 12 kids showed up to workout that day. All of them walked a few miles to get there in the freezing cold. No one complained about how cold it was when they showed up and in fact, one kid was making fun of another kid for running to the gym in shorts and a t-shirt, despite the numbing cold weather. 

Following the workout, I gave the kids a little challenge before they went on there way. Farmer carry's with a 70lb KB walking up and down the parking outside. When I announced the challange, mostly everyone smirked and thought, "okay this is going to suck but let's do it."

On my way home that night, I couldn't help but think about all the adults I talked to earlier that day who bitched and complained about the cold weather and snow fall.....while the kids didn't have one complaint it and just walked around it as if it never happened.

The lesson of the story:  Your mindset determines how well you handle an uncomfortable situation. 

Steve’s Club Featured Athlete: Jacob

Jacob is one of the outstanding young adults of Steve's Club Camden. He not only receives mentorship and personal guidance from the program, but he serves as a mentor and leader as well. He leads by example, and is dedicated to keeping his friends and loved ones on the right path. One of the first things Jacob told me about himself was representative of everything he's about: "I'm a hard worker. I don't give up easy."

Jacob, like many Steve's Club youth, lives in one of the most dangerous cities in the nation, with a per-square-mile crime rate over 16 times the national average. This is not the only challenge Jacob has overcome in his life. At five years old, Jacob - who is a triplet - was diagnosed with leukemia. At seven, his cancer went into remission.

These challenges are what makes Jacob's story so powerful: he has thrived, set goals, made plans, and served his family and friends as an example of what hard work, honesty and integrity make possible. No excuses - just dedication to making progress and moving forward.

At one time, school was rough for Jacob. "I wasn't the smartest kid ever and my grades weren't perfect," he told me, but "Crossfit [gave me] a new beginning...my grades improved. I made honor roll, and as of now I have straight A's."

"I started just trying to SUCCEED. I actually started studying more. I used to fail my history quizzes, and now I haven't got less than 95 on any test or quiz."

Jacob's family has been a point of strength for him. The most important thing in Jacob's life right now, he says, is his mother. "She's the one that was there for me when I was sick. She had to be a single parent raising 3 kids, so she's definitely a big influence in my life."

Much like Jacob, her strength is "not giving up."

Jacob remembers starting with CrossFit at Steve's Club - his first workout was a 10-minute AMRAP of 10 push-ups,10 overhead lunges, and 20 lateral hops. Remembering what he was able to do then compared to what he's able to do now serves as proof of the power of hard work: he now counts his favorite workout as one much more challenging than his first - a 500m row followed by 3 rounds for time of 10 front squats and 10 box jumps, followed by another 500m row.

"I remember the first time I did a workout here, I was so tired," Jacob told me. "Ever since that first day, I never felt better. Doing that workout made me feel so good, I just wanted to keep coming. I ended up accomplishing a goal - I lost about 15 lbs in 1 month."

Jacob is constantly working to improve his performance in CrossFit, a large focus at Steve's Club. He has taken advantage of the academic mentoring program at Steve's Club as well - yet another way he continues to move forward and create new opportunities for himself.

Jacob is also an avid reader, focusing mostly on British Literature. His favorite book is 1984 by George Orwell.

His one piece of advice for everyone: "life's not easy, so don't be afraid to get back up and keep on trying."

It was truly an honor to sit down with Jacob and learn more about his life and future goals. Jacob has plans to go to college, become a physical therapist, and "give back" to others who have given to him - people like his mother, who survived hard times to keep a roof over Jacob's and his brothers' heads; people like Steve Liberati, founder of Steve's Club; and people like the doctors who were there for him through his battle with leukemia.

"My main priority," Jacob says, "is to help people."

MLK Day.

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, 'Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”  -Martin Luther King Jr.

 

 

Steve's Club athletes compete at the 2013 Winter Warmer Competition in Philadelphia.

 

Steve's Club Athletes Danny, Joe and Karem competed this past weekend at a local competition in Philly called The Winter Warmer. It is was a big event, drawing over 100 athletes from the local region. Our SC athletes have been working very hard in the gym and this was a great opportunity for them to put their hard work to the test and to see how well they stacked up to other CF athletes. 

Here is what Joe had to say about the day, "Participating in the Philadelphia Winter Warmer was a great experience. I was glad to be selected to compete and represent Steve's Club, along with two of my fellow members. We had a chance to test our skills and compare ourselves against other athletes in the area. This was my first individual competition and I did not know what to expect, after participating and watching the athletes perform. I was overwhelmed by the skill of all the competitiors. The event as given me even more motivation to work harder and keep pursuing my goals to better myself. Thanks Steve's Club." 

Karim said, "The Winter Warmer was a great opportunity to see how far I've come since I sarted CrossFit and how far I can go. The athletes were highly skilled and well prepared and the competition was tough. Competing with these experienced athltes, of the best in the region, gave me the drive to push myself during the competition and even in the months after. Thanks to this experience, I now know what I need to work on in order to be one of the best in my the region and to further my physical fitness and life. 

Coach Diva and I were very proud of their performances, especially the bravery they showed in competing against older and more seasoned athletes. These kids are great examples of hard work and have become leaders for our club....showing the other kids that in order to get better at something, you have to work really hard it. Good work, boys!

Karim (pic below) doing KB Snatches.

Danny (pic below) on the lateral burpee jumps. 

10 Ways to be an Awesome Teenager.

Strength: Alternate between strict HSPU and strict pull-ups – 5-5-5-5-5 (Rest 1 minute between efforts)

*Add plates to increase ROM for HSPU/add weight for pull-ups
*After all sets are completed, make 1 attempt at max kipping HSPU and 1 attempt at max kipping pull-ups…

Metcon - For Total Working Time:

4×500m Row (Rest 2 Minutes Between Efforts)

10 Ways to be an Awesome Teenager

1.) Ask questions - Be inquisitive. Be hungry for knowledge and constantly look for new things to learn. 

2.) Respect your parents - Your parents love and care for you (I hope). Show them the same love and respect back, even when you disagree with them or don't get your way.

3.) Show interest in others - Ask others how they are doing. Take the time to get to know people and discover the true person they are behind the scenes. 

4.) Be yourself - Don't try to impress others and be someone you are not. Be yourself and act around others how you act around close family and friends. 

5.) Make friends with everyone - Regardless of whether you share the same common interests, come from the same race, town, school, or sports team - introduce yourself and be friends with everyone. 

6.) Make others feel important - Don't be afraid to give compliments to others. More importantly, listen carefully to what others have to say and show them by your body language, words and actions that you value what they have to say.

7.)  Be unselfish - Always think of others before serving yourself. Don't always do what is best for you, but think how your decision will affect those around you.

8.) Don't stay up all night - Get a good night's sleep.  That means go to bad early and get at least 7 hours or more of sleep each night. 

9.) Take on new challenges - From time to time, do things you are not comfortable doing, yet will help you become a better, more well-rounded person. If speaking in front a large group is not your thing, sign up for a public speaking course or practice speaking to a large crowd. 

10.) Lead by making good decisions - Actions speak louder than words and the decisions you make will not only affect your own life and future, but will affect those around you as well. Decisions can be very difficult to make at times, but always look to do the right thing.

Bonus Track:

Be awesome by sharing this post with a friend and encourage and inspire others to be awesome as well. Awesomeness can be contagious!

 

Overcome yourself

Strength: 20 Minutes to Establish a 1 Rep Max Deadlift

Metcon – For Time:

800m RUN
25 Wallballs (20/14)

400m RUN
25 Wallballs (20/14)

100m RUN
25 Wallballs (20/14)

*12 Minute Cap
*Single, Single, Double = 1/2
*Singles = 2:1

“The blood of your fathers has turned to water in your veins. Not your lot is it to be strong as they were. Having tasted neither life’s sorrows nor it’s joy, like a sickling you look at life through a glass. Your skin will shrivel, your muscles grow weak, tedium will devour your flesh destroying desire. Thought will congeal in your skull and horror will stare at you from the mirror. Overcome yourself, overcome yourself. I tremble, I seethe, I clench, I seize the haul.”  -Yuri Vlasov

Check out our NEW Video!

Strength: 15 Minutes to Establish a 1 Rep Max Strict Press

*During press warm-up sets complete 5-5-5-5-5 Ring Rows at highest difficulty (Elevate feet on box and weight if necessary)

Metcon – 10 Minute AMRAP:

1 Clean and Jerk (135/95)
2 Burpees

2 Clean and Jerks (135/95)
4 Burpees

3 Clean and Jerks (135/95)
6 Burpees

*Continue to add 1 Clean and Jerk and 2 Burpees after each completed set until 10 minutes expires…
*If “Grace” time is sub 5 Minutes use 155# for men and 105# for women