Teammates, with Memorial Day weekend coming up, I thought it would be a good time to re-introduce you to the Naval Special Warfare Foundation. 

Naval Special Warfare – NSW – is Navy speak for Navy SEALs and all those that support the SEAL teams and boat units. The NSW Foundation is the non-profit that supports the SEAL families in time of need…and lately, the SEAL families have unfortunately needed a lot.

I was first introduced to the foundation when a friend, SEAL classmate and teammate, Mark Frietag, was involved in a training accident. While he and his teammates were practicing Close Quarter Combat in a “kill house” (a structure designed with bullet proof walls so SEALs can practice live fire drills in confined areas to simulate hostage rescue or bad-guy hunting), Mark was struck by a bullet that somehow weaved its way through the bulletproof wall, Mark’s body armor, and his rib cage. The bullet came to rest in Mark’s spinal column and left him paralyzed from the waist down. Though there’s some financial assistance the military offers its vets, it’s not nearly enough to cover all the expenses of this kind of challenge (note, I don’t call it a disability – knowing Mark’s can-do attitude from training, he doesn’t think of it as a disability – it’s a challenge which can be overcome!). Enter NSW Foundation: they helped Mark and his family outfit his house with wheelchair access, get the best equipment for his challenge and assist with a transition to the civilian sector. 

This example is the just the tip of the iceberg on what the NSW Foundation has done and does for its family of NSW teammates that it serves. Lately, NSW Foundation has been busier than ever helping the NSW family cope with life altering injuries and loss. Most folks don’t know what SEALs do when on a mission – and that’s the way it should be – but everyone should know what the NSW Foundation does to help those after the mission. The Perfect Fitness team feels so strongly about the importance of the NSW Foundation that we donate a portion of the sale of each of our products to the NSW Foundation. 

So this Memorial Day, as you take a moment to thank our troops for all they have done and are doing, don’t forget about thanking — and contributing to — organizations like the NSW Foundation whose mission is helping those after their mission is over. 

CHARLIE MIKE – ALDEN

NB: The picture above is of The SEAL Heritage Community Center. According to the NSW Foundation website, “To honor and serve this community of heroes and their families, the SEAL Heritage Community Center (SHCC) is being constructed on land provided by the U.S. Navy on the Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek in Norfolk, VA.”

7. Adversity is your advantage.

Teammates, Earlier this year I wrote about the advantage of adversity. “For most, adversity is not a welcome word, and why should it be, after all we’re human and humans are wired to avoid pain and pursue pleasure … and adversity is directly associated with pain. So it’s no wonder when folks hear about adversity their first instinct is to avoid it. A totally natural and completely understandable reaction, but here’s the rub. There’s a silver lining to adversity that is critical to know – it’s the confidence you gain from overcoming it that can’t be earned any other way. This confidence is the cornerstone of your attitude, it’s the engine of your persistence and it stokes your ability to dream bigger dreams which in turn – and paradoxically – puts you on a path to encounter greater adversity.”

Andre Fredrick, one of our many Perfect Success stories, has some thoughts about the correlation between Principle #6, the only guarantee in life is change — how you handle it will determine your ability to persevere” and Perfect Principle #7, the advantage of adversity. “Point and parcel to point 6, I don’t think I ever examined those turning points in my life to see what I gained from them. It was always about what I lost. My divorce, while heart wrenching and painful, was the catalyst for the changes I have made in life, and while I mourn the death of my marriage, I celebrate my personal resurrection every day.”

Andre, you are living your dreams!

CHARLIE MIKE — ALDEN

CM Teammates – MT SHASTA Mission Accomplished! My teammates and I summited at 12:20pm PST on Sunday, 16May10.

The entire hike took approximately 36hrs: we started from the “Bunny Flats” parking lot (6700 ft) at 10:40am on Saturday, 15May10 with 2 guides from SWS (an excellent guide service company). We each carried about 40-45lbs backpacks and used Alpine skis called Randonee to ski up to 9200 ft where we made camp, practiced some ice climbing and skiing.

Our tents were pitched over 15 ft of snow in the center of what’s called Avalanche Gulch. (This time of year avalanches are not a concern.) We had a 2:45am wake-up call and started skiing to 10,500 ft by 3:45am. By 5:40am, we had packed our skis on the outside of our backpacks, attached crampons to our ski boots and started the long slog “up the gut” of Avalanche Gully.

By 10am, we had made it to Red Banks, a stone cliff plateau that is at 12,500 ft. A little more than two hours later we had humped up pass “little hill”, trudged up “Misery” and battled 80mph winds to reach the summit. We left our skis at 13000 ft (top of “little hill”), upon our descent (we only spent 10 mins at the summit) we put on our skis for a wild ride down to base camp.

Stay tuned: Part II of my wild ride is coming!

CHARLIE MIKE — ALDEN

Teammates, a few months ago former SEAL Don Shipley did a webcam interview with me. At the time, he was surrounded by boxes of Perfect Fitness products and getting ready for his Navy SEAL May Advanced Training Course BUD/S Prep Training.  Here are the results on YouTube – it’s a video of Don’s May course. 

According to former SEAL Chief Don Shipley, ”We tested the guys max pullups and pushups on day one… A week later we did it again and the improvement was significant… Before each meal, they must do pullups, pushups and dips before they eat…”. HOOYAH Don! Looking forward to seeing more pics.

CHARLIE MIKE — ALDEN

Teammates, a hot wash is something I did as a Navy SEAL — think of it as a ”performance review, particularly after a training exercise or combat operation”.

Before I deliver it, here’s how it was going on Saturday. “We’re at 9500ft – took about 5 hrs with skis on (and skins) to go from 6500ft to our base camp. Wake up is at 2:30 am – attempting to ski for as long as we can – getting ready for a cold night – Tom P. is my roomie (Brett, Chip and Jeff are next door). 

Looking to summit at noon… we’ll see we’re supposed to have thunder/snow showers tonight.”

CHARLIE MIKE!

AMM

Today’s the day! My buddies and I are summiting Mt. Shasta this weekend. I’ve had some questions about training tips — here ya go:

If you are ever interested in hiking a mountain – the training is pretty simple – run 3-5 days week at high intensity (80-90% of max heart rate) and use a stair master or a big-ass hill to bag a few thousand vertical feet. As you get stronger add a weight vest to your stairmaster/hill walks.

It’s worth it – the view from 14000 ft is something everyone should experience at least once in their lives!

CHARLIE MIKE — ALDEN

Thomas “Tom” Hoff is a professional volleyball player and three-time Olympian (2000, 2004, 2008). Staying in shape is a professional necessity for Tom — and he has it down to a science. Read how he incorporates the Perfect Pushup Mobile into his on-the-road routine. 

“Being a professional volleyball player for the last twelve years now, I have found myself constantly trying to get a work out while traveling.  Keeping your fitness level up while traveling helps you maintain the performance edge that I am always  in search of on the volleyball court.  The travel set of the Perfect Pushups have helped me and my team mates remain active while traveling to competitions and trainings away from home.

I really like the small profile of the handles to pack in my bags.  Even with this smaller size, the handles are very sturdy while performing exercises and fit all the different sizes of guys on our team. 

The Travel Perfect Pushups always make my travel roster, no matter how short or long of a trip I take.” 

Tom Hoff

Send us your workout.

If you have a cool unique workout that involves a Perfect product, share it with us and you could be featured on the Daily Workout.

Perfect Fitness fan Joe Saliga shared his  Blitzkrieg 15-Minute Workout with us and got his 15-minutes of Perfect Fitness fame. 

Send us your fitness story.

We want to hear about your fitness success!  If you’ve accomplished a fitness goal, let us know!  Email getfit@perfectpushup.com and inspire others to do the same. We would like to feature you on our company blog, CHARLIE MIKE. 

CHARLIE MIKE is all about inspiring others to set goals and achieve them and a great way to do this is through personal stories. To see what we mean, check out Andre Fredrick’s story.  Andre lost 130 pounds—thanks to his Perfect Fitness products—and reached out to tell us of his amazing transformation.  Change some lives with your personal story of fitness success!

Team Perfect

6. The only guarantee in life is change — how you handle it will determine your ability to persevere.

Teammates, Guy Clark, a famous singer/songwriter, sums up well the dilemma posed by change: ”Ain’t no chance if you don’t take it.” Moving, graduating, losing a parent or a partner, getting a divorce — it’s pretty much guaranteed that none of us will get through life without confronting some of these life-changing events. Here’s 130-pound Perfect “loser” Andre Fredrick with his reflections on my 6th principle.

CHARLIE MIKE — ALDEN

“Going through my divorce was probably the biggest wake-up call in my life, and it was in the days following that I began to reflect on my life and realize that many of the most difficult stages in my life centered around some life-changing events, be it graduating from high school, becoming a father, or bidding farewell to a seven-year marriage.

I saw all of the frustration that I took away from those moments, and realized there was a lot of fear in me that prevented me from facing them head on. I lived accidentally, forfeiting control over my life to time and fate. Since then I have devoted myself to wrestling control from those unseen forces and living my life intentionally and deliberately.”

Teammates, check out our first fan-created workout– first, but not last! There’s a Bench Press workout in the works that is going to push everyone to their limits. A few months ago, we received a letter from Joe Saliga:

“Dear Team Perfect,

My name is Joe Saliga and I work 60 hours a week and do not have a lot of spare time in my day. Last year I injured my shoulder and the doctor’s diagnosis was a shoulder impingement. Their therapy consisted of a limited rubber band workout which only went so far. I still had problems with the shoulder and knew I needed something more.

One day a couple of months ago I was visiting a friend and he had the Perfect Pullup. He showed me how it worked and I was hooked. I purchased the Perfect Pullup for my home the next day and started your program. I love the two minutes drills because I can accomplish this workout in 15 minutes or less. Since then, I have purchased the Perfect Pushup and the Ab-Straps and I have ordered my Perfect Counter. I love your products, they are well built and easy to use. I am going on 12 weeks and my shoulder is pain free, my posture has improved and my strength has increased. My wife also loves the results.

Because my time is restricted I have combined all three workouts into one daily plan that I call the “Blitzkrieg“. This plan works great for me and I hope some one else will find that it will work for them as well and find that it is easy to follow.

Thank you for the opportunity to share my workout with Team Perfect and others.”

Thank YOU Joe! Keep the feedback coming teammates.

Team Perfect