10 Questions with Dale King

Dale King is a family man, entrepreneur, veteran, coach, and a proud son of Portsmouth, Ohio. Born and raised in Portsmouth, he moved away to attend college at Capital University and later serve in the US Army. Dale served as an Intelligence Officer supporting 10th Special Forces Group with multiple deployments to Iraq. Upon leaving the military, he returned home to open PSKC CrossFit in 2010 to build a stronger community that had been ravaged by a depressed economy and opioid addiction. His certifications include: Crossfit Level 1, USAW Olympic Lifting Certified Coach, Training Room Bodyweight/Kettlebell Certified Trainer, Crossfit Kettlebell/Tactical Athlete Certified, Unbeatable Mind Graduate, Gym Jones Fundamentals, and CrossFit Gymnastics.

When did you first hear the name Concept2 or try one of our products?
I first heard about Concept2 circa 2007 when I started doing CrossFit on active duty. The first time I hopped on an indoor rower was in 2008. I believe that machine still had the old-school wooden handle on it.

Do you remember your first workout on a Concept2 machine?
The first workout I did was a 500m row for time. Looking back, I don't know which was more disgusting—my form or how I felt when I was done.

Which Concept2 products do you use?
At the affiliate I own—PSKC CrossFit—we have multiple RowErgs, BikeErgs and SkiErgs. We went to Concept2 for all our monostructural equipment because of the reliability, customer service, and common screen readings for the members. It's way easier to use a common language for pacing, goal setting, and units of measurement.

How do you incorporate Concept2 equipment into your programming?
We love using Concept2 RowErgs, BikeErgs and SkiErgs in as many ways as possible in our programming. I'm a big fan of 3-4 person team workouts with them.

What types of athletes do you primarily work with?
At PSKC we work with the general population. I also work with adaptive athletes through Team SAR, and we are contracted to a substance abuse recovery center—The Counseling Center—where we work with people in recovery. 

What’s your favorite/go-to workout?
My personal favorite workouts involve using the SkiErg and D-ball (medicine ball) over the shoulder. Something like:

• 20:00 AMRAP (As Many Reps As Possible)
• 3-6-9-12-15 etc. Ski for Calories
• Heavy D-ball over the shoulder

There's also a nasty one from the crew at Non-Prophet called Dante's Triathlon:

• 10-20-30-40-50-40-30-20-10 Calories on the SkiErg/BikeErg/RowErg

We’d love to hear a quick story that involves Concept2 equipment.
When we built the gym for the Counseling Center we knew we needed to have RowErgs and SkiErgs. They take minimal instruction to use and you can receive maximum effect in a short time. It's incredibly inspiring watching people in recovery pour themselves into these workouts and these machines.

What one piece of advice would you give to someone hopping on Concept2 equipment for the first time?
When using the equipment really focus on matching your breath to the movement. This really teaches you to stay focused on the moment and the stroke. Once your mind starts to wonder and creeps into the negative mindset, bring it back to the breath and regain your focus to the task at hand. 

What trainers or athletes do you look up to?
I really appreciate what Non-Prophet is doing in Utah. These guys (Mark Twight, Michael Blevins, and Kegan Dillon) are working to explore and understand the psychological aspect of fitness.

What or who inspires you to keep going?
My kids, my gym, and my neighborhood are what inspire me. In a town devastated by weakness, it's such a powerful thing to watch people choose strength. It's such a blessing to be able to work with my friends at the gym, at Doc Spartan, and Team SAR and be able to make an impact through fitness and small business in my hometown.