ABOUT THE PSC
PSC = Progressive Strength & Conditioning
The PSC program at Performance360 is unlike any form of functional fitness you have ever done. Guaranteed.
Here is what you need to know.
6-Week Programming
The PSC follows 6-week training cycles called BLOCKS. In each BLOCK, there are:
(2) Main Barbell Lifts – Performed every week designed to make you progressively stronger week over week.
(1) Personal Progress Benchmark (PPB) – A signature conditioning workout that contains a week one and week six re-test, and a short list of secondary skills we will develop.
(2) Areas of Muscle Focus – where you will focus on aesthetic development, i.e. glutes and shoulders.
(30) Varied Conditioning Workouts – Designed to challenge you across multiple levels of intensity.
This is key differentiation between us and other functional fitness gyms. We don’t want you to randomly work on something every now and then, we want you to focus on it for six weeks, learn it if you’re new, and see tangible week one to week six improvement that you will not be able to deny.
Daily Breakdown
In a given week, there are typically (2) STRENGTH focused PSCs, (2) ALL PURPOSE focused PSCs, and (1) MUSCLE focused day.
Here is an example.
- MON: Strength (Cleans)
- TUES: All Purpose
- WED: Strength (Deadlifts)
- THURS: All Purpose
- FRI: Muscle (Bench Press)
To conclude every BLOCK, all members will be assessed in a different strength benchmark (ie, a 3R deadlift, 5R hang clean, and 2R bench press), as well as have their conditioning PPB re-tested to show improvement.
This gives you something to work towards and develop in every cycle, rather than chase the idea of randomized fitness somehow serving your goals.
While every class serves to enhance your General Physical Preparedness and overall ability, we provide a bias for each day in order to elicit an intended, specific daily benefit.
Very few training elements here are random. We’d rather not leave your progress to chance.
Register for a FREE trial class.
THE WORKOUTS
Movement
We blend the very best of free weights, Olympic weightlifting, kettlebells, powerlifting, plyometrics, sandbags and sleds, running, calisthenics, and traditional bodybuilding in a balanced format to keep you constantly advancing forward.
In addition to learning and refining your technique in the major barbell lifts (squat, deadlift, clean, press, row, lunge, and snatch), you will also be challenged across different movement planes (side-to-side) and varied kinetic chains (open chain vs. closed chain).
The result is truly well-rounded human fitness, not fitness that is intended to mirror competitive sport.
Progression
There are (3) different progressions operating off of a single class workout. We call these “sides of the board” and they are PHASE 1, ALL LEVEL, and ADVANCED.
Regardless of where you start, rest assured you will follow the exact dose needed in order to get you better while also keeping you healthy and injury-free.
This allows us to build the only authentically inclusive environment of any gym in San Diego, where all levels are training with one another, all the time.
Intensity
We believe in the benefits of high intensity, but we do not believe it is the only level of output you should train. The key to continuously advancing and driving adaptation is expose you to varied levels of output, ranging from high, medium, and low intensities.
If you only give your body one level of challenge, you will quickly adapt and stop progressing.
STAFF PREP
As a member, you can expect a diligently prepared staff for whatever lies ahead for you.
Our team gathers prior to the start of every new BLOCK cycle to review points of performance, the “why” behind the training, and performs a number of drills and exercises meant to encourage the advancement of our coaching.
It is commonplace at many other gyms for a coach to be glancing at the workout as they head into their “shift.” At Performance360, we are all informed and have collaborated on your class execution well ahead of time.
FAQ
Are the PSC blocks more strength-focused in general, because strength is not my number one goal?
Understand that we encourage all of our members to focus on their strength. It is the gateway to every other achievement that you want, from body composition to endurance. While there may be two days per week where the focus is strength, it is not the overall singular objective of the PSC program.
The PSC program is designed to increase your overall level of fitness, re-shape your body composition, improve your athleticism, and give you the gift of more physical ability that you can take with you and apply in your life wherever you please.
What I join in the middle of a BLOCK?
Perfect. Most new members do. You will still see excellent progress in your first few weeks and nothing about your experience will be different or less than.
Does this mean I won’t do any other movements than the two strength movements?
Absolutely not. The (3o) varied conditioning workouts you perform every BLOCK will contain our full library of movement. Aside from our signature PPBs, there is not a workout or movement pairing that you will repeat in a given training BLOCK.
What if my progress goes backwards in other lifts because I don’t train them for six weeks?
We get this a lot. The question being, “if we focus on the deadlift for six weeks, won’t my squat suffer?” The answer is definitively no, both from a physiological perspective and from careful population observation over the years.
For example, the deadlift trains your posterior chain and your nervous system by having to create movement from a dead stop. Both of those strength skills are considered “global”, meaning they will apply to other lifts, as well.
Applied skill focus for six weeks has much higher transference than task randomization.
How will this work for me if I am a beginner?
You will first complete your PHASE 1 program in class like any other member. Once you complete your (2) PHASE 1 tests that are offered multiple times per week in class, you move over to ALL LEVEL side of the board and begin learning everything else.
How will this work for me if I am advanced?
Proven athletes will have access to different rep percentages in the strength lifts, higher intensities in the conditioning, and heavier loads in general where it is appropriate. We do this for you because we know through basic exercise physiology that highly trained bodies need more thoughtful stimulus, less often, in order to continue to see results.
For example, if the ALL LEVEL side of the board is performing 5×5 back squats @ 75%, you on the ADVANCED side of the board will have the option to perform 5×2 @ 87%. You will also have more access to timed challenges and competitively oriented workouts.