August Updates

August 5, 2021 / By j0ssy
Howdy Folks and welcome to August!
It’s been a busy (and warm) summer at PDX Strength with many new faces to get to know and welcome into our community. Speaking of “busy” our little friend COVID is trying really hard to live in the past and take us back to 2020. At this point there are no “new”requirements from the State, but we will start being a little more diligent with some of the safety protocols, which we have been using in the past. First, coaches are going back to wearing masks and we’d kindly invite any members to join us pre-pending mandate – think of it as our opportunity to remake the travesty that was The Mask 2: The Son of The Mask… We’ll call it The Mask 2: Return of The Mask for now as a working title. Second, we’ll be a little more diligent with wiping down our equipment. We’ve done a really great job of keeping this going as protocols have changed, but will be asking, and giving subtle reminders, throughout class to wipe down your own equipment. And last, for now, we may be popping that overhead door up (even just slightly) to help airflow as possible – Yes, it’s hot out. Yes, hot air is looking for more space to occupy. No, we aren’t trying to create some false environment to test your mental fortitude.
In happier times, I hope folks who were eligible were able to get to the Nike Employee Store. For those that weren’t on the eligible list (which was determined by a “member as of date”), don’t worry. We get passes regularly to both Nike and Adidas. Keep your eyes open for the next announcement there, and for more details around our upcoming Beer Olympics (October 8th 630 pm). For those wondering what that’s like, think about the Beer Mile, now think about it without all that damn running. Or think about the first high school/college house party you went to, now think about it without all the tears and drama.
Hopefully these are going to be the only changes we see, but as always, thank you for choosing and supporting PDX Strength!
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June Updates

June 2, 2021 / By j0ssy
Welcome to June, All.
 And happy Pride Month to all of our members who identify with the LGBTQ+ communities! We are so thankful that you trust us to be part of our community at PDX Strength.
June also means that we’ve survived Memorial Day, or in the fitness industry means that you’ve survived “Murph” after spending a longer weekend … doing longer weekend things. If you’re feeling especially beat up after, don’t fret. That type of workout is mostly ceremonial and NOT AT ALL representative of standard level of fitness or a type of workout that will often be repeated at PDX Strength. If you slogged through it for 35 to 55 minutes and at some point asked yourself something in the vain of “what the fuck?,” then you’ve found the true intent of the work, regardless of format, variation, modification, excuse, etc. Since “Murph” is especially high volume, you may also be finding that you are more sore than normal or sore in a new/different way than you may be used to. I, personally, feel much more soreness from volume, bodyweight exercise than I do with something like weightlifting. This includes more joint soreness, a more intense tired feeling/fog, and general distaste for all things exercise. If you’re in a similar boat, hydrate, give yourself permission to eat an extra meal (or 7), and keep moving. Nigel has designed this week’s programming to be a great compliment to Monday (a little slower paced, a lot less volume). And, if you just don’t feel like doing the workouts posted, then we’d still love to have you come in at your normal times to do some stretching, rolling, biking, rowing, hangin’, fort building, etc. For those that didn’t come in, and spent the longer weekend doing longer weekend things the whole time, fear not, the programming can still be a challenge for you too.
We are hosting our community fundraiser this Friday (June 4) at 6:30 in conjunction with our Beer Mile. The event is BYOBeverage – you can pick your poison, including non-alcoholic drinks. (And, no, you don’t have to participate in the Beer Mile to come kick it with a beer/cocktail/fizzy lifting drink.) To our newer folks, the community fundraisers are something that we try to  do on a regular basis (usually on a Saturday. This one just happens to coincide with our Beer Mile and is better suited for the evening time.). We’re always looking for organizations to run little fundraisers for, so reach out to your coaches or Jocelyn directly with organizations doing cool shit in our community.
The first week in June seems to be heavy with announcements, but I’m sure more will pop up as we make our way through. See you at the gym…

Until next time,
Josh, Coach Dylan and PDXstrength Staff
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April Updates

May 3, 2021 / By j0ssy

What a wild time, huh? (This phrase seems to be the new “what’s up?”) We’re back to a few state-wide restrictions, and feel so fortunate to call you our community and friends. For all wondering about the current capacity limitations and how that affects our classes/schedule, it really doesn’t. We’ve taken a more conservative stance on class size since re-opening in order to prioritize the safety of our space, so our current capacity still meets the shut down protocol (We are technically occupying two spaces.). With that said, though, we’re still going to try to be outside as much as possible with considerations towards weather, equipment, etc. Please reach out to Jocelyn or your coach with any questions. Your safety remains our priority. 

 

Enough of that conversation though, and on to the fun stuff. May is bringing out a couple of events at the gym. On Memorial Day this year, we are going to host a WOD called “Murph” in tribute to military members that have lost their lives in service. This is a general happening across the fitness industry and you might see it posted throughout the month on any fitness or fitness-adjacent social media accounts. The WOD, as written, is especially grueling and designed to really push your physical and mental limits. With that said, there are roughly a million accessible variations of the workout for folks to choose from and we’re always happy to help you select the best one for you. 

 

The other event is our annual beer mile with date TBD. For those that don’t know, a beer mile is where participants chug a beer (you absolutely do not have to drink alcohol to participate… milk mile, anyone?) and do a 400m run four times. Void your liquid, and you’re either out or start your round over – your choice. Fastest time wins. It’s totally for fun, and just an excuse to hang out with all of you. (As an aside, this will be our community fundraiser this month too and we’re always accepting nominations for organizations that we can support.)

 

If you’re newer to the gym, these events are great opportunities to connect with other members outside of a traditional class environment, so we’d love to see you there whether you’re planning to participate or not. We always welcome spectators, friends, and anyone in between. 

 

Thanks again for all your support! Please don’t hesitate to reach out to the coaches with any feedback.

 

Dylan and Jossy

 

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Well it’s March. Holy shit it’s March.

March 4, 2021 / By j0ssy

Hello all (old, new, in between, online, in person, etc)

 

Well it’s March. Holy shit it’s March. Lots have changed since the last time we wrote to you. Most notably… February. Like the entire month. Granted it’s the shortest month of the year (by a marginal amount), but so much has happened… other than COVID restrictions changing every week. For example, we’ve introduced a new class with our very own Nicole Mascorro (check out Ballet Body on Thursday nights at the gym/live on zoom OR the regular weekly drops on the Facebook page). I, personally, haven’t tried the class (yet) but more so because I’ve heard horror stories from members about how hard it is… Yes, I am cherry-picking the shit out of my fitness in classic “do as I say, not as I do” style. We’re also starting to get into our spring weather down by the River. Cathedral Park is GORGEOUS, but we’re in this weird state of limbo where we kind of still want to be inside lifting heavy shit, but also looking out the overhead door longingly at the sunshine… and the train… at least this is my interpretation. What’s likely happening is that you’re actually clamoring to the overhead door to rip off your mask and give your sweaty upper lip a break from the acute mugginess that is bike sprints with a mask. Seriously though, who knew that it could get more swampy between your cheeks on a bike sprint… See what I did there?

 

Anyway, this is also a little update on your favorite, intermittently “scheduled” blog (Let’s be honest… there’s no schedule). We’re going to switch to 2x a month rather than weekly moving forward. The ones at the beginning of the month will be included with Joss’s newsletter. It’ll be short, fun, and to the point. The mid-month blog will be a little meatier and contain all the answers to recurring member questions and themes, and all things PDX Strength… most notably how we find the Golden Tickets aboard the GAINZ Train.

 

Until next time, 

 

D

 

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Blog 49 – Ooops, I Did It Again. 

February 4, 2021 / By j0ssy

Blog 49 – Ooops, I Did It Again. 

 

So after lambasting my own creativity in Blog 48. I’m back with Blog 49 starting out the same way. I’m about to write an entire blog with a huge announcement… in Blog 49. Again, a real creative would have found away to make all your hopes and dreams come true and served it on the silver platter that is BLOG 50, but instead you get forty-fucking-nine. Don’t get me wrong 49 holds a special place in my heart as a person from the 49th state in the nation, but the trouble here becomes this blog, deserving of all the pomp and circumstance of Blog 50, gets labeled 49, while some other blog with a decidedly less exciting topic gets 50. I just can’t…

 

Anyway, back to this blog. Yes, the rumors are true. We get to return to having our daily playdates down by the train tracks. The protocols are going to be pretty similar to our previous opening, though you’ll notice a little tweaks – like a room divider since our space is technically 2 units and we have a 6 person/unit restriction. But hey, everything else is going to be pretty similar. Safety is our #1 priority. The doors will be open. Temperatures will be checked. Distances will be socialed. The train is going to run by at the WORST possible times. Our programming will be equipped. (Nigel is going to be programming like it’s the holiday gifting season – all the equipment, all of the time.)

 

All that said, what’s most important is that we acknowledge and thank you all for being part of this process with us. We literally could not have gotten here without you. Whether you’ve been with us throughout the process, joined at some point during the fray, participated intermittently, or couldn’t participate but still sent positive vibes, you’ve been an integral part of our journey here. Thank you doesn’t do it justice (just like labeling this Blog 49) but THANK YOU for everything you’ve done for this little community down by the train tracks. 

 

See you all soon,

 

D

 

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