PDXStrength News

Blog 9 – Weekly Challenge Update/New Challenge, Equipment Ideas and Reminders

Week 5/Blog 9! Never thought that I’d have this opportunity to start and keep a blog running for this long, but here we are. It’s been an enjoyable experience for me cathartically pretending like I’m talking to each of you individually as I compose my 500 words oh so carefully. For those that didn’t think it could be done… YES, I am struggling at times to come up with things to say. Again, any feedback or topics you want to know or read about through my lens, please throw them at me. 

Last week’s challenge was mottos and hashtags. I’m happy to report that all teams have turned in submissions. Before I tell you what they are, this week’s team challenge is to:

• Post photos of PDX Strength swag while doing any of your weekly challenges using @pdxstrength, your team motto, and your team hashtags! (What’s that?! Don’t have PDX Strength gear/swag? Jocelyn and crew are making home deliveries for that too!)

Now for the mottos and hashtags to use:

• Apocolifters – “Sweating through the Apocalypse.”  #dystopianburpees
• CHOMA-19 – “Choming to get ya!” #chomingtogetya
• Quaranteam – “Be the gains you want to see in the world.” #LiveLoveLift
• QOTDs – “Questioning everything daily.” #wehavetheanswers #daybydaybyday #theanswerkey

Equipment Ideas and Reminders

As to balance my blogs with a lot of intention and feelings, it’s probably a good idea to supplement that with a little more humor or practical information. Since we are seemingly in this for the foreseeable future, we wanted to give some guiding principles while we work out at home, so here goes:

• It’s ok to slow down. Sometimes we can get a little ahead of ourselves, especially if we have a clock or are really trying to motivate ourselves, but at the same time we are at home. We might find ourselves taking breaks more during workouts since we are at home. Your dog peed in the house. Your kid needs his butt wiped. Your partner ran out toilet paper. You left the coffee pot on. 
• We need more space than we probably realize. There are valuables residing in your “gym” space now. Take inventory of breakables (I live by this creed at all times – I’m just not very good at remembering), sharp edges, and living beings. Just because that sharp object is “over there” does not mean that it’s out of the way. Think to yourself, “If I were in a pillow fight, could/would ‘object X’ be in the way?”
• Increasing weights should be down gently. See above, but also know that we may not have spotters and/or support that we have had otherwise. AND that we may or may not have warmed up to a weight that we may have previously lifted in optimal conditions. Also, consider whether or not if dropping said weight will cause your doomsday-prepping neighbor to bug out thinking that “the big one” has finally hit Portland, and of course it’s happening during a pandemic. 
• As we program more and more things, try to find:
  • Something to jump on (BEDS!? No, Dylan.), and step off. Ideally, this something firm without slick surfaces on top or bottom. It also doesn’t have to be that high, we can just jump maximally and land to a lower target. Stacked weights work great, as would something like bricks/pavers/landscaping or stairs/steps. 
  • Something to pull on. DO NOT try to do a pull-up on the door. Yes, it can work. Yes, people do it all over social media. No, we will not guarantee that the hinges you are hanging on will support anything more than the weight of the door. There are a few door jam options that would be ok to use, but I personally like an inverted row under a heavy desk or table. 
  • Somewhere to do handstands. Very similar to all the above. Take an inventory of the space. Have an exit strategy. Also, I have a really close friend (name rhymes with, Bylan) that has kicked through drywall in an effort to “work on (his) handstands.” Unless you have the heel control of a ninja doing a roundhouse kick, perhaps find a hard surface to kick up in to – exterior walls may be better than interior walls. 
• Have fun. All of this should be about you. Be safe, be careful but have a blast. Play loud music. Jump on beds. Build forts.  Kick through the drywall. Yes, you won’t have a nice wall any more, but you’ll have a hell of a story. 

Blog 8 – Weekly Challenge Update, Reframing Why We Train 

Hi! (Totally running out of unique ways to start these…)

WEEKLY CHALLENGE UPDATE

A few folks have asked, so I wanted to add a little clarity around the weekly challenge. The individual challenges will remain the same week-to-week. Our goal with these are to try and help maintain, or build, our routines in a longer term way. We don’t have any expectation that you’ll reach 10 points each week, but we do want to help you build more time for you in some uncertain times. 

The 5-point team challenge will change every week.  This challenge should be all fun, our intention is for folks to participate with their coach and team to build a little camaraderie. 

I’m excited to see the mottos and hashtags that folks come up with. 

REFRAMING WHY WE TRAIN

FAIR WARNING – This section is going to get a little more feelings-oriented as we revisit and build upon one of the previous conversations. This one a little more pointed towards why we train and reframing how we talk about PRs. 

There is no question that the four walls and all of the equipment at PDX Strength provide us tools that physically challenge us. Some of us may have used those tools to find your first pull-up or push-up, or run a mile faster than you thought possible, or lift more weight than Atlas. All of these things are fantastic, and they provide us an easy connection to rationalizing why we go to the gym. They are tangible things – gold stars of achievement, if you will. Infinitely motivating as long as the tools are available… But now, most of us don’t have the same tools and our physical setting is not train-dodging through a park or finding a level spot to deadlift.  The PRs aren’t coming, the faster times aren’t there, and cathartically throwing heavy shit might be manifesting in a differing form of anger or stress. All of that is ok. Emotions are as normal as they are hard. 

But the coaches at PDX Strength know that all of you are capable of making it through a very odd and hard time. “How?!” you might be asking. Well because every time you set a new PR, we see you change and grow as a person. We see you fight. We see your resilience. And we see that in you now. You see when we are in the gym, we’re not growing bigger butts; we’re growing bigger brains. The butt stuff is just a nice side effect (For those of you wondering my “No touching in the gym unless you consensually touch outside of the gym” is still strongly in effect… Perhaps now more than ever.). When we recreate, we slow things down, remove the clutter of stress, recharge our batteries, and come out the other side a better version of ourselves. It makes us better people, better friends, better partners, better professionals, better handlers of adversity – like a global pandemic. 

So I’ll give you that your PRs aren’t coming and you might even lose a little strength and conditioning along the way; hell, our bodies might even change too. But Strength Tribe, we’re prepared for this. We’re slowly adjusting and learning that the four walls of PDX Strength down by the tracks exist in you and your home or park or garage as much as it does down around a stop sign on N Bradford. 

This is hard. No one will deny that. But you are more capable and stronger than you know.  

Blog 7 – Team Updates, Odd Object 2.0, Team Weekly Challenge

Greetings from isolation, Apocolifters, CHOMA-19, QOTDs, and Quaranteam!

WEEKLY UPDATE

I hope you all had a great first week of the challenge – especially with some of the things maybe not so directly related to time spent working out. The coaches are all proud to report that members have been focused on some of the finer points of the challenge – walks, cooking, taking time to engage with others, NAPS! I for one, have recently moved (closer to the gym) and took my 15 min walks on the beach in Cathedral Park, Fritz has been carrying the load for me when it comes to napping (he should probably get credit for being awake at this point), and we cooked a new recipe I’ve been wanting to try called chankonabe, or sumo soup – for those who don’t know, I have a weird infatuation with niche strength or regional sports, Sumo perhaps being towards the top of my list. Keep up the great work!

A QUICK REMINDER: you have until the end of the day Monday (that’s probably today) to get your scores reported to your coach. We will be releasing the scores during my Thursday blog post. 

COACHING TIDBIT

We still want to give you a little extra content that may help you during your time away from the gym, and would love any suggestions you have for blogs. Let your coach know what you’d like to hear about. 

For this week, I wanted to circle back to the Odd Object blog I wrote a few weeks ago. No, not to really drive home the idea of lever arms or center of mass or force production, but maybe more of a practical list of things you may have around your house for things to use:

• Backpack/Duffel Bag/Suitcase – Coach Courtney and Steve made a video a few weeks back using a backpack, but really any fillable bag would suffice. We’ve all stuffed a suitcase full of (insert random belongings here) only to be told that it weighs too much at the ticket counter. A note here: Be careful about dropping your things. Duffels are probably the best bet if you are looking to throw/drop something. Backpacks and suitcase can hold/haul a lot of stuff but really aren’t sewn or constructed to be all that dynamically durable. I know this from years of destroying backpacks growing up – Sorry, Mom. We all have our own unique talents. 
• Boxes/Bins – Another options to load and hold lots of weird stuff – books, clothes, keepsakes from god-knows-when. Frankly we might even have a bin in the closet or garage that is already full. Same rule applies above. Be nice to your things, we aren’t capacity testing the things in our house here.
• Jugs – I’m generally referring to a gallon jug here. Cheap. Easy to find. A gallon of water weighs just under 9 pounds (you can fill them with anything – laundry detergent, dirt, hand sanitizer). Since it has a handle, you could find it useful as an alternative to any dumbbell or kettlebell work. If you want to get wild, you can find a bigger jug. Remember, about 9#s/gallon. Depending on said jug, you might find these suitable for throwing not because they any sort of durable, but if dropped – and subsequently broken – you haven’t lost all that much (Unless the water gets on you. Then it’s just a little pride. Wall ball, anyone?).
• Bench/Chair/Table – This category isn’t exactly loadable, but we’ve all experienced a little annoyance at the awkwardness of moving and hauling furniture. Again, be careful how you set these down. 
• Pots/Pails – It’s April, and showers bring May flowers. Fill your pot up with whatever you’d like. Don’t forget that pots don’t have tops. 
• Rocks – Find a rock that you find to be manageable. Careful with these. They are not ergonomically designed and are not as forgiving as water. 
• Food – This goes for cans of food or bags of food. We might have a large bag of rice, a sack of potatoes, or dog food that we can fling around. 
• Living beings – Lions, tigers, and bears… Children, dogs, cats… Yeah, maybe not cats. 

This is by no means an extensive list. Let us know if you’ve come up with something else. We’d love to share it with everyone else. 

TEAM CHALLENGE

*checks mic* “AND NOW, THE MOMENT YOU’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR…”

The 5-point Team Challenge for week 2 is:

• Create a Team Motto.

… and as a little extra credit:

• Teams will earn 3 additional points for a “#” (read: hashtag) variation of the motto for a maximum score of 8 points. 

How Do I Know if I’m doing Enough?

Hi PDX Strength Tribe, 

Coaches have been reaching out to our members for the past few weeks now. We are introducing a variety of things in our virtual programming, but some folks are asking for different ways to use the equipment they’ve checked out from the gym. Probably the most common question we are getting is some variation of “how do I know if I’m doing enough?” 

Let me first start off with a quote from Dr. Brene Brown – “You are enough.” Every coach at PDX Strength believes that you, as you exist today, are enough. Every member of the PDX Strength Community deserves our respect, attention, and love without having to earn it through the bastardized norms of fitness culture. 

Now. Let me answer the question on the surface level with the 350 words or so I have left in the blog and understanding that we all have different equipment and goals. 

Before we begin to add to or design our own workouts, we should first assess how stressed our physical- AND mental-selves are (I know. You’re all thinking, “Seriously?! Just get to the sets and reps!” – 300 words left.) But, taking account of your current stress level informs how much additional stress you have the ability to introduce. It will also inform how much rest we need between workouts. We need to be careful here. Our lives and routines have changed, so our recovery needs have as well.

Second, we look at how much intensity we want to apply, or what energy system we want to use. (“JUST TELL ME WHAT TO DO!” – 200 words left.) In general, there are three energy systems – Phosphagen (fast/short/high impact – less than 1:00 – think sprints, max effort, or strength/rep/skill work), Glocolytic (hard but sustainable/medium impact – between 1:00 and 20:00 – think kettlebell swings, wall balls, or burpees), and Oxadative/Aerobic (long effort/generally less impact on the body – more than 20:00 – think longer runs or rowing). 

Then we take into account the general movement patterns in strength and conditioning – divide the body in half (upper or lower) and consider we move towards the body or away from the body (push/press/squat or pull/curl/hinge) – 100 words left still no sets and reps prescription. 

Lastly, know that energy systems and movement patterns need about 24-36 hours of rest to fully recover (the greater the impact to your body, the more rest you need). No, this doesn’t mean that we can’t workout two days in a row, it means we need to rotate the energy systems and movement patterns we use. But depending on your goals you can add in a training bias. If you want to be a better runner, do more aerobic work. If you want to be stronger, do more strength work (5x5s). 

Please note that this isn’t about finding the systems’ (and your) breaking point. It’s about finding a sustainable level of effort over time. 

Now you have yourself the greatest little puzzle since that 5000-piecer you finished this week. 

More questions? Ask your coach. 

0 words left. 

Hello PDX Strength Tribe, 

Welcome to Week #3! By now, one of the coaches at PDX Strength should have contacted each of you. This coach will serve as your contact and a little accountability to help you stay connected throughout our time away from the gym. To extend the fun, and maybe a little more accountability we are developing a little competition between teams. While certainly optional, we wanted to “gameify” your fitness in the hopes that it can help you stay engaged, committed, and frankly a little sane. 

The teams and names are as follows (hashtags/team cheers/secret -socially distant- handshakes encouraged):

• Christie – CHOMA-19
• Courtney – The Quaranteam
• Laura – The Apocolifters (many of you may have seen the logo already!)
• Dylan – The Questions of the Day/ QOTDs

The competition will function similarly to the challenge that we did at the beginning of the year, except that you will have one week to complete your challenges and report back to your coach how you did. The goal here is to have fun, socialize, and stay engaged with your teams to support each other. 

The each of the following earns you 1 point:

• Complete 3 workouts/week. – a workout will be considered anything that is an deliberate and dedicated time for movement
• Complete 1 yoga session/week. – while someone is going to jump down my throat about how yoga is a workout, all I’m going to say here is, “Deal with it. I’m writing the blog.”
• Cook 2 meals from scratch. – If you live with a teammate and cook together, then your target is 3. Also, anything FROM SCRATCH counts – cakes, cookies… All fair game. 
• Have 3 virtual calls with folks that you are close with – teammates count!
• Take a 15-minute walk daily – It rains here people. Plan accordingly.
• Journal for 5 minutes 3x/week. 
• Go “screenless” for one evening.
• Invite a non-member friend to do a virtual bootcamp with PDX Strength.
• Take a nap. 
• Try something new.

There will be a 5-point team challenge, this week’s is:

• Create a team logo. (Congrats to you, Apocolifters!)

We are still working out the overall details here with more to come. Thanks for being a part of our team at PDX Strength!

D