This is what consistency looks like

This week, we’re celebrating one of our favorite kinds of wins: a Power Monkey athlete who met his ambitious goal of consistency, resulting in huge gains in strength, mobility, and longevity milestones.

Last year, James M. set a goal of doing the Power Monkey Core 365 workout for every day of 2025 - and he did exactly that. On top of that, James was kind enough to share his reflections on the experience:

James only had one rule - it had to get done:

“I’ve done prone arch swivels at 4am before long days, standing side bends next to my car in a parking lot before road trips, and tuck-ups at 11pm on a hotel bed, and everything in between to make sure the work got done. I kept a journal with notes and scaling tracked in a spreadsheet. It’s cool to look back at last Jan/Feb and see so much progress.”

James made Core 365 the anchor of his workout plan - other things had to work around it:

“Along with walking 7k+ steps daily to help me rebuild my fitness, Core 365 was my main workout program. If a random CrossFit WOD included a bunch of sit-ups and Core 365 called for 100 Hollow Rocks, it just meant I was getting extra core work that day.”

“The only expectation was that I complete the workout every single day. Early on, modifying most extended positions to tucked variations helped a lot. About three months in, holding full hollows became much more manageable. To handle the intensity and avoid total muscle fatigue or failure, I built in rest periods. For example, Durante Core 1 is always brutal. I’d push hard for a round, then rest 1–2 minutes to make sure I could hit that intensity again. As I’ve improved, I’ve worked on gradually reducing that rest time between sets.”

It wasn’t long before James saw the work translate directly to how his shapes felt:

“The biggest meaningful gymnastics difference showed up in my arch position. Whether it was holds, raises, or rocks, after a few months I felt a huge improvement in my ability to fully engage my legs and lengthen them through the knees. Practicing these so consistently helped me figure out how to truly brace my entire hips and thighs in the position, something I’d never felt before, or only experienced in the hollow.”

All of this leads to one of the most important achievements: the ability to move well through everyday life for years to come:

“Beyond improved strength and endurance in the hollow, another major improvement was simply my ability to get down to and back up off the floor. In recent years, I’ve dealt with some tough joint issues in my feet, knees, hips, spine, and arms. Getting down to the floor was tricky, and getting up was often strenuous and very painful. Core 365 required me to get down and up almost daily, unless we were doing standing or hanging exercises. This past fall, I found myself able to get off the floor quickly by using a hollow rocking motion into a fast lunge to stand, almost like a deck squat. No pain. I can get up and down pretty easily and quickly now. It wouldn’t have been possible a year earlier, and it’s most definitely a benefit from the program.”

Core work is a foundational part of the Power Monkey Method. Come to Camp to see how it fits into the bigger picture and carries over into gymnastics, strength, and conditioning. Join us at Spring Camp.

Your waist might get smaller as a result of doing what James did. But more importantly, you’ll build a stronger midline that improves your positions, protects your spine, and carries over to everything from heavy lifts to getting up off the floor.

Core 365 is available inside the Power Monkey Training App for both free and paid users, along with weekly coaching videos from Dave and the team.

James said the hardest workouts were any Durante-named WOD… give one a try and tell us if you agree.

- Team Power Monkey