Street Parking Review: A Forager Review

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Hey all,

Extremely excited to get this review out to you all. Street Parking is changing the fitness landscape in regards to the fitness community and what we can do at home. No longer are people plagued with lame, corny home workout videos that are 1.) not motivating and 2.) just flat-out not sustainable. My goal for this is to empower dads looking to attain fitness goals of all forms. Let the Dadbod revolution begin!

I hope you enjoy this and get something out of it. DISCLAIMER: I was not paid or influenced by Street Parking in any way. Everything expressed in this review are my own opinions and doesn’t reflect any Street Parking agenda.

A Short Bit About our Fitness

Amanda and I have had a tumultuous journey in regards to fitness and health. Up front, we wasted a good portion of our lives searching for viable fitness options. With that said, it was ingrained in my head that the way you get fit is go to a globo-gym, lift weights and run on the treadmill. That encapsulated version of health and fitness was my fitness world. What a complete hell. I even dabbled in P90x. Hurl.

I grew up in the “low-fat” heyday of nutrition and ate up the “low-calorie” gospel of the packaged food industry. I think anyone who’s really prioritized their health and fitness will attest that nutrition is the biggest bitch. The whole cocktail of industrial complex lies, mixed with uneducated health gurus, and reduced whole food availability makes it a fucking journey. This made Amanda and I really dig in to find some truths and explain why we were continuing to gain weight despite of “healthy lifestyle” choices. Long story short, we found CrossFit and loved it.

We eventually started competing in CrossFit regularly. We took training very seriously and became the very people everyone hates. The motherfuckers that WILL NOT SHUT UP ABOUT CROSSFIT. First rule of CrossFit: Talk about CrossFit.

Anyways, we were having tons of success competing and winning competitions. We even had great showings in the world-wide CrossFit Open! At this point we were training like competitors, starting to follow elite level programming. At the height of it all, we felt ready to start our family! We knew in the back of our minds that having kids would drastically change how we prioritize fitness, or even fit it into our schedule. Shit, I was cool with transitioning to the full on Dadbod, no questions asked. Amanda not so much…

It seemed like almost immediately after Amanda became pregnant, I got the heads up that I would be deploying to the Middle East. Fast forward a few months and Bryn was born three weeks before I shipped out. Amanda had to now cover-down as a single parent and, I’ll tell you what, she knocked it out of the fucking park. I owe everything I have in this life to that woman, but that is another post for another time. SPOUSE FIRST.

When I returned, we struggled to find time to get to the gym and stay healthy. We were going weeks on end without training, and feeling exhausted working around Bryn’s routine. CrossFit and functional training was what we loved and how we sustained our health. We were desperate at this point and knew we needed to make a change. This is where Street Parking really came into our lives…and it couldn’t have come a second too soon. Though I was hesitant at first, the Street Parking movement showed us that we can attain our fitness goals despite the changes that happened in our life. It also exposed us to a community of athletes looking for the exact same thing! Check it out.

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What the Hell is it?

Not a scam, not a get fit quick shit show. It’s not a pyramid fitness scheme begging for “ambassadors” to rep their brand. It’s not a home workout video that flashes photoshoped pictures of “fit” actors. All of the above should tip off your bullshit meter. Bottom line up front: Its an all encompassing fitness, nutrition, and health community driven to assist those with fitness goals that have minimal equipment and minimal time. Its a service by and for the Men of Dadliness. ‘Nuff said.

Street Parking was started by CrossFit Games athletes Miranda and Julian Alcaraz. With about 25 years of fitness experience, much of which as elite level competitors, the Alcaraz’ have unrivaled credentials. And you know what? They’re parents that have full-time jobs. This means that their product is designed to help people with fitness goals on a tight schedule. It also shows that we have no excuses when it comes to prioritizing our fitness and health. This is what spurred Amanda and I’s interest.

The program costs $19/month and is prorated if you buy several months or a year in full. For military, firefighters, law enforcement officers, and their spouses the membership is $15/month; continuing the CrossFit tradition of honoring the great citizens that serve this nation. The bare-bones necessary equipment to start the daily WODs are a pair of Rx dumbbells (usually 35lb for females and 50lb for males). That is exactly what we started with and have since expanded to a fully functional garage gym. It was the best decision of our life!

Here we go!

Chiseling that Dadbod

Fresh off the plane from Iraq with a baby I haven’t seen in eight months…getting to the gym was damn near IMPOSSIBLE. And it fucking killed me. KILLED ME. Amanda and I stress about our fitness because it weighs heavy on our hearts. It’s paramount to us that we pass down healthy habits to our kids. …and we want a free trip to the Olympics some day.

But how are we going to squeeze in workouts, lifting, running, accessory work, and recovery in when we can barely leave our own home? At this point, Amanda had already been using Street Parking’s Postpartum Fitness Bundle after having Bryn. When I got back from my deployment, about 9 months after having baby she was ripped! A couple moms that had kids around the same time hated her and how she bounced back into shape so quickly and safely.

I’m not going to cover the Postpartum Bundle as I never used it. *My wife may write her review on it as it really cracked the code on how to approach fitness after child birth*

That’s great and all for her, but how is this going to help someone that had been following Misfit Athletics level programming for months? I deflected and kept missing weeks at the gym staying completely miserable. To proud to try an “at home fitness scam.” Eventually it came to a head and I signed up for Street Parking as a “temporary solution” until I could find another alternative. Damn I was dumb.

I signed up via their website; a well organized and aesthetic page. They utilize the Wodify app (pictured above) to deliver the actual exercise programming. For those of you unfamiliar with it, some gyms use Wodify to track, deliver, and manage their fitness programming. Pretty awesome app. So, I downloaded the app and eagerly looked at the day’s workout. Immediately I was taken aback by just how many programs Street Parking offered. Then I navigated to the specific workout of the day or “WOD” and said…what? Bent over rows in a workout? I investigated further. I saw that they utilized movements such as v-ups, wall-walks, and mountain climbers. Shit you don’t really see programmed in a typical CrossFit gym. I needed to get some fitness in for the day so I just pressed on and went with “Program A” for the day which was

• 5 rounds for time of:
  • 400 meter run
  • 15 dumbell bent over rows
  • 15 dumbell push press

Got Dayum. Heavens to Betsey. I was KILLED. Street Parking burned dude. Better yet, I achieved my fitness goals for the day without leaving my house while my baby was sleeping! After the workout I looked to see what accessory programs were offered. It was like a damn Steven King novel; SO MUCH CONTENT!

First off, they publish several variations of the daily WOD to accommodate varying levels of equipment customers might have.

• Daily Programming WOD
  • Program A – Usually the only equipment needed are dumbells and your Dadbod.
  • Program B – A barbell version.
  • Program C – Typically includes sandbag work and/or alternate equipment.
  • Team Version – This is only posted once a week on Saturday arranging the same workout for a partnered effort. My favorite part of the whole program!
  • SHIFT – When we’re new to this type of programming or even recovering from an injury, we can modify movements to attain our fitness goals. The SHIFT option is usually a close variation to the daily WOD with less complex movements and lighter weights.

Now, onto the accessory programs. These are all supplemental to the WOD’s throughout the week.

• Suns Out Guns Out – A body building accessory that targets the upper arms. Get swole son.
• Butts & Guts – Accessory work for the posterior chain, quads, and core. Probably the most important aspect of training that I personally always neglected. Super pumped that this is offered.
• Endurance – Focuses on cardiovascular fitness by incorporating running, rowing, biking, etc.
• Olympic Lifting or “Oly” – A nice little weekly program to supplement Olympic lifting proficiency and strength. This program incorporates the dynamic lifts and breaks them down to a myriad of presses and complexes. Pretty awesome!
• Power – Street Parking’s take on a power lifting program. Implementing the dead lift, bench press, strict press, back squat, etc. this program will build the necessary strength to PR your lifts.
• Gymnastics – This program is awesome for working on core stability and moving your body through space. It’s definitely a great supplement for achieving gymnastic goals!
• Also included through the website is a maintenance program for mobility and ROM, technique guides, and programs that address movements like the push up, pull up, and double under. The list goes on!

Starting to see just how encompassing of a fitness program this is? Nothing within the home workout world comes even close to this. Tony Horton and Shaun T are trembling in their boots. This program gives us the ability to do a daily workout as a part of a community and then plug and play accessory work to address weaknesses! Its fucking awesome.

The community aspect of the program is phenomenal as well. When you sign up for Street Parking, you’re granted access to the private Facebook and Instagram pages. Instantaneously you’re connected with all the other Street Parkers who are out there improving their lives just like you. Better yet, the private Instagram page has real-time demonstrations of EVERY piece of programming to include the daily WOD’s and all accessories. Go ahead and comment on anything you see as well; they’re response time is impeccable. As someone that’s been a member of around ten different gyms, I couldn’t believe how much they provide for such a small price!

Miranda and Julian take the SP community to another level with meet-ups! They invite all members to an off-site location to bring everyone together and party down my dude. They even met in Vegas for one of them and it looked like a rip roaring good time! Looks like they just wrapped up an awesome summer camp and are planning a big meet up in Hawaii during September! Amanda and I are still trying to make it to one of these!

BUT WAIT…THERE’S MORE (Billy Mays voice..)

Nutrition: The Devils Lettuce

Before I met Amanda, my body had been historically built by donuts and Pabst Blue Ribbon. When she saw me stuffing my face with toilet bowl sized bowls of cereal and sugar, a change needed to be made. Lucky for me, she showed me just how easy it was to adjust my diet. Street Parking does this for you as well in the form of diet templates, nutrition assessments, and one-on-one check-ins. They literally spell everything out for you removing the guesswork and saving time. For the sake of time, I’m only going to cover the diet templates as it’s what I currently use. The information for the assessments and one-on-one nutrition coaching can be found on the SP website.

I’ve used templates and dietary programs from both RP Strength and Working Against Gravity with great success, but SP’s templates were easily the most sustainable. They make it easy for people with packed schedules and limited nutrition knowledge. Each template is a one-time charge of $50 on top of the monthly membership compared to the $109 for RP and the $160/month for Working Against Gravity (WAG is a more comprehensive program that uses personalized coaches and one-on-one check-ins). SP offers templates for fat loss, performance/muscle gain, and postpartum with detailed instructions on how to execute the 4-meal-a-day program. Just like all Street Parking products, the nutrition templates are meant to be easy to follow but extremely effective. The template package comes with a large recommended food list making it EXTREMELY easy to go grocery shopping. If you have limited nutrition knowledge, this list really opens your eyes onto what you should be eating and how much. It’s definitely a learning experience! I’ve personally lost 10 lbs from my SP template and am still maintaining the diet today.

Aside from the templates, the SP website and community posts tons of template approved recipes! The SP team does all the leg work for you and designs recipes that fit within your particular template; all you have to do is adjust the serving sizes and enjoy! This has been a game changer as other diet programs get old and boring so fast. I can only eat fucking chicken, rice, and broccoli so many times dude…

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Deals and Discounts

Street Parking has teamed up with phenomenal partners that are geared to supplementing your fitness journey. Who doesn’t love free shit? …or cheaper shit…

Below are a few partners of Street Parking that Amanda and I currently use. I could singlehandedly write reviews on every product below, but I’m getting long winded as it is.

• Butcher Box – Much like a monthly subscription box, Butcher Box delivers responsibly raised meat to your front door. No antibiotics, no hormones, no bullshit. Amanda and I personally subscribe to this box and have found it to be LESS EXPENSIVE than buying our meat at the grocery store. Great product.
• Rep Fitness – Our garage gym is fully furnished with Rep Fitness gear and we couldn’t be happier. Quality made products constructed right in Denver, CO which is our home state. Their products rival the quality of Rogue fitness without the inflated prices. We will personally buy Rep Fitness products for life.
• Brute Force – Amanda and I both have Brute Force sand bags and couldn’t be happier. They’re strong as woodpecker lips and add some variety to our daily WODs if needed. Highly recommend.

Below are the rest of the partners. All quality stuff with great Street Parking member discounts.

• Progenex
• Assault Fitness
• RPM
• BUBS NATURALS
• Crossover Symmetry – Bad shoulders? These are a MUST.
• Ananda
• Lebert Equalizer
• Nova 3 Labs

Is Street Parking for you?

I’m of the opinion that no matter what happens in life, there are certain things that need to be pursued to remain harmonious. Fitness and health is one of those things. It centers us, keeps us physically and mentally tuned-up, and provides daily challenges that remind us of our unlimited potential.

Street Parking is a great option for everyone looking to be a better version of themselves. It was my intention to list off who Street Parking would be good for, but as I started writing the list just went on. I truly think ANYONE can benefit from this movement. For those that always wanted to try CrossFit, SP allows you to test it our in the comfort of your own home! For those that are coming out of CrossFit competition, this is a great option for sustaining what you love! For anyone looking to take ownership of their health and fitness, SP gives you a strong foundation to start your fitness journey.

This review just scraped the surface in regards to what SP offers. I feel like I hit the main points. Many of the other services require their own review and I can do that another time!

As Dadly dads, its our responsibility to teach our children the importance of pursuing health. The only way to effectively teach them is to internalize healthy habits and make it the lifestyle they see. Street Parking has allowed me to do this for my daughter Bryn. She glows watching Amanda and I get some in the garage. She’s even shown interest in fitness by grabbing onto the kettle bells and throwing around fitness bands (almost made me cry!).

With all of this said, Street Parking and any other program lacks just two things…you and your determination to be great. Those two things can not be manufactured and purchased. For you Men of Dadliness out there, Street Parking is a fancy looking grindstone. It’s up to you to apply the pressure and motivation necessary to sharpen your axe of dadliness and sexiness.

We have been given the greatest gift anyone could possibly receive in the form of our children. That’s a reason better than any to take ownership of our own health, make it a priority, and bestow that lifestyle on our children. Dadly super-powers are a great thing. Lets use them.

Thanks! I’d love to hear what you thought about this post. I’m all hears for any questions and suggestions you might have. The Street Parking staff has phenomenal customer service as well!

-Nik

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