Sometimes we have new athletes question our “getting started” process. We understand that you want to get fit and are ready to take on the world… but we do have more than a few great reasons why we do things the way we do. Here is why we require our athletes to take PDX101 before entering our General Physical Preparedness Program:
Most people who are entering in the GPP (General Physical Preparedness) world, do not come from a background with a well developed foundation of strength and conditioning, weightlifting or gymnastics. We spend most of our lives behind a desk or in positions that are not optimal for progress in the GPP arena.
We look at at social media streams, and see top level GPP/Crossfiters doing butterfly chest to bar pull-ups , Olympic caliber weightlifters moving impressive weights, and gymnasts doing amazing feats. We grow to admire what they are capable of, and some of us begin to believe that this is exactly the practices that got them to perform at such a high level. We do not see the hours and years they spend doing the UN SEXY movements to build a proper foundation for these proficiencies. We don’t see the weightlifter who is going to the Olympics working on technique with an empty bar, or the gymnast spending 45-60 minutes a day working on flexibility, we don’t see the high level crosfitter working on the basics like air squats and pushups or the 100 meter sprinters doing leg swings. It takes the experienced athletes years to be able to do the SEXY part of their sport.
There is no way around it, you must work, work, and work on the minutia of the sport to be successful in the grander elements. Many people try to shortcut the UN SEXY because it is not fun, taxing on the body and does not look appealing. No one is on IG or Facebook posting their static midline work, mobility work, getups, air squats, bar hang holds, bent over rows…..You see the muscle ups, snatches, cleans and higher level exciting movements.
If you are a mere mortal, like the 98% percent of us, who spent most of their life not being athletic, moving poorly, suffering from past injuries, only doing cardio, lacking activation, and have developed imbalances and asymmetries, you need to work on it! Starting off in our 101 classes is your first step!
The more we are educated about our bodies and how to do movements correctly, the lower our injury rate will be. Throwing a new person into a class without knowing the exercises can cause problems for everyone. Classes will not run smoothly, new athletes will be too overwhelmed and regular members will not receive as much coaching. PDX101 will give new athletes an understanding of our culture, philosophy, vocabulary, warm up and cool down protocol, and gym ettiequte. In PDX101 you will learn about modifications and scaling. I can’t stress enough about scaling and modifications. Each body is different and PDX101 will help coaches get to know every new person coming in and their associated physical issues. Our intro programs help coaches learn about each person individually and how they can help their needs. Once you have completed your 16 hours of intro classes, you will be armed with the knowledge and awareness of how to scale and modify movements, and use that pertinent education in your Group Strength and Conditioning classes at PDXstrength.
Take some time and realize that PDX101 are just a small chunk of your future fitness journey of the years and years ahead of you. Take time to work on the little things like shoulder health, perfecting your air squat, doing a perfect pushup, hip and ankle mobility etc, that will lead to the amazing SEXY movements.
Keeping this in mind, we want to develop our skills in the following order:
1. Technique/Mechanics
2. Consistency
3. Intensity
4. Volume
Many beginners make the mistake of skipping the first two points and head straight to Intensity and Volume. Don’t be that person! We know how much you want to be in shape, but this is a no nonsense approach, and we must take the correct path by learning the progressions, addressing our individual movement issues and developing good habits.
The little things will pay dividends in the long run. Enjoy the process and be patient. Good things take time, so play the long game. Leave the short game for the people that don’t appreciate the journey.
Sign up for 101 with this link! Don’t wish a year from now you started today!
xoxo
Jossy and the PDXstrength crew!
