BECAUSE THE LIFESTYLE DOESN’T END WHEN YOU LEAVE THE BOX... Photograhy by Jay Borden, alive to thrive photography
WHAT’S INSIDE... September/October 2017
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MASTERING THE SPORT Wise words from 2017’s 60+ Masters Division Champion Patty Failla
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AVOID A NO REP: AIR SQUATS Tips to keep you from getting “norepped” on the air squat
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COMFORT FOOD RECIPES Pad Thai Cauliflower Rice Bowl & Honey, Stay-in-Bed Bread Pudding
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STEM CELL THERAPY A look into one of the fastest growing areas in modern health
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SHOULDER MOBILITY Trigger point therapy methods for better range of motion in the shoulders
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GEAR GUIDE Three must-haves to improve recovery, boost nutrition, and keep you looking good
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ATHLETE PROFILE: BRENT FIKOWSKI The Canadian talks training, clean nutrition and why he’s not really into setting goals
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LEARN TO PACE YOUR WOD Maximize your performance with the right attack strategy
BRENT FIKOWSKI
“At different times different things take priority. It can be done. You just really need to prioritize your life to a pretty high degree.” 2017’s 2nd Fittest Man on Earth reached the Games podium at his second Games appearance, missing the podium by just one spot during his rookie year.
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PATTY FAILLA
Shares why proper nutrition is critical and how to avoid injury at any age. 2
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SHOULDER MOBILITY
Trigger point therapy exercises for tight lats, pecs and thoracic spine muscles.
36 THE ART OF PACING
Test your pacing skills with four heartracing workouts. FACEBOOK.COM/BOXLIFEMAGAZINE
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Mastering the Sport
PATTY FAILLA
Most of the CrossFit community trains not to compete, but to improve their fitness and overall well-being. Some would even say they train for longevity. Aside from focusing on good training habits and proper nutrition, those aiming for vitality as they age can learn a lesson or two from athletes such as Patty Failla, 60, who made her 5th CrossFit Games appearance this year and took 1st place in the Masters 60+ Division. This was Patty’s second time on the podium having placed 3rd in 2014 in the Masters 55-59 Division. With her 90-year-old mother cheering her on alongside other family and friends, Patty credits the love and support from her community as a game changer in her efforts this year. By Yeimilyn Lorenzo Photography by Holden Ogg and EVR Productions
“Every year in the 55-59 division, I was young age, Failla much like the rest of us, you kind of have to go out on that limb a hanging in there doing my best. As I got sat behind a desk for several hours each little bit and test those waters. You might older and the girls coming in got younger day at her day job at a communications fall on your ass a few times and that’s OK.” and strong and so skilled, I was not company. To keep up with her passion for willing to not try. I was not going On avoiding injury at any age… to disappoint the support team “I really believe mobility and behind me by saying, ‘I’m not going flexibility are so important, as is to compete this year because I’m strengthening the small muscles that 59 and probably the oldest one in surround our joints. For example, I that group. I’m not going to do it.’ I feel Crossover Symmetry is a vital wasn’t going to let everybody down tool for people, anybody really. Any and not compete. This year when I foundational work you can do to transferred into the 60+ age bracket I keep your mobility and build those thought this was my chance to get in small muscles that surround those there, place and try to come out on small joints, like in our shoulders, is that podium again,” says Failla. really important. I don’t think it can Born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, be underestimated whether you’re Patty Failla dominated the Women’s 60+ division at the 2017 Reebok CrossFit Games earning four event victories, each by an average of over 20 seconds. Over the course of the weekend her lowest finish was third. Failla was introduced to CrossFit a new athlete at a young age or at while she worked her second career an old age. To build foundational as a Personal Fitness Trainer. Together exercise she ran 10K races, half marathons strength, you have to invest the time. with friends and family opened, they and marathons. It was CrossFit, however, When new athletes want to let their ego opened CrossFit FitFarm in Omaha, NE. that revealed the spirit of a champion that get ahead of them, that’s where I think we “This was where I began my CrossFit lay within her. can get into some injuries. It’s those type journey and have not been disappointed In our interview, Patty shares her of things that give CrossFit a bad name. I yet. We prayed that our decision to start thoughts on the key aspects of staying fit want people to appreciate and understand this business would be built on strong through the years. that it’s not just as simple as coming in values of creating a healthy environment and start swinging around on these bars.” for people to grow their fitness and On pushing the competitive edge… wellness…I believe we must manage our “You have to listen to that inner voice. On the difference between older and own health and wellness and what better There’s a fine line because you want to younger athletes… way than to start by eating well, exercising be cautious, but there are times when “For those of us who are maybe a little daily and keeping our stress level at a you just have to trust that you’ll be fine older and wake up a little stiffer or a little minimum,” she says. because you were properly trained. If you more sore, it just takes us a little longer to Though she practiced gymnastics at a know you know all the right things to do, get our body moving the way that we want 4
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AVOIDING
A NO REP! AIR SQUATS
Air squats are one of the first movements you learn when you start CrossFit—and one of the simplest to perform. It’s a foundational part of the majority of movements performed in CrossFit including the thruster, back squat, overhead squat and pistol. Yet despite its simplicity, it’s a movement that’s often times performed incorrectly. Learn the right technique and perform 20-reps. Notice how quickly your heart rate spikes and your quads begin to burn. Here are a few tips to keep you from getting ‘no-repped’ on the air squat.
At the top of an air squat your hips and legs must be fully extended when viewed from profile. Imagine a straight line connecting your shoulders to your hips to your ankles. At the bottom, your hips must break parallel. Tip: Don’t just try to break parallel on an air squat. Aim to take advantage of the stretch-shortening cycle and get your butt as low as possible to get a small controlled bounce out of the hole.
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For time: 40, 30, 20, 10 Assault Bike Calories Air Squats
At the bottom of an air squat a common ‘no rep’ is caused by not going below parallel. A good rep consists of your hip crease going below the top of your knee. Tip: Fight to keep you chest upright for the duration of the movement and your eyes looking straight ahead.
NO REP! As pictured above, common mistakes on a air squat include not fully extending the hips and knees.
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Shoulder Mobility
Improving it with trigger point therapy By Ashley Stewart
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n CrossFit, having limited range of motion in your shoulders makes a variety of movements difficult, painful or quite frankly, impossible even. Overhead squats, snatches, jerks, pull-ups, muscles ups, and more all involve healthy shoulder mobility. If you’ve ever tried to perform an overhead squat with tight shoulders, you know what I’m talking about. Before starting CrossFit, your shoulders might have been tight from mere lack of mobility. It’s not often that our day to day activities require much overhead movement. Assuming you’ve been doing CrossFit for a while without injury and have poor shoulder mobility, the muscles around your shoulders could be simply have been denied the opportunity to recover properly. Continued repetition, without proper mobilization and recovery, leads to tight muscles and restricted range of motion. When you work out, your muscles break down. Tiny little tears occur within your muscles that need to be repaired. This is a natural process and nothing to be worried about. However, your body needs a little help from you in order to heal these tears in the best possible way. Without this help, the repair process leaves your muscles feeling very stiff.
When your body tries to heal a muscle, it does so by pumping minerals to the site to build it back up. It does this as soon as the tear occurs. If you are immobile for too long after a workout, these minerals build leaving calcium deposits and scar tissue in certain parts of the muscle that don’t stretch very well. Therefore, the next time you want to use that muscle, it will feel very stiff and you will notice a significant decrease in your range of motion.
Fixing poor range of motion
Focusing on mobility practices is the best way to fight tightness. Trigger point therapy involves finding areas of tension and releasing the tension, allowing the muscle to move better. Doing this after a workout also gets your blood flowing, to prevent those mineral deposits and help your muscles recover. Here’s how to mobilize three main areas of your shoulders to keep them mobile and healthy. You’ll need a massage ball and a lacrosse ball.
Lats Lie on your side with a massage ball. There are two places where trigger point therapy works like magic. The first is towards the lower end of the muscle. (Ladies, a good indicator is right above your bra line.) As you find the area, be gentle. Once you’ve found it, settle in, and take your arm overhead with the palm facing up.
Keeping your arm straight, bring it across in front of your body. Reset and repeat for six repetitions. When you have completed this step, move the ball up until you are right below your shoulder and repeat for another six reps. Repeat on the other arm.
Your latissimus dorsi, or lats as they’re most commonly known, can be felt by raising one arm and feeling for the muscle right outside your arm pit. Though the muscle extends down the side of your body, we’ll focus on the upper part of the muscle. BOXLIFEMAGAZINE.COM
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e’s patient and methodical in his training; focusing on quality movement above anything. He’s in no rush and has nothing to prove. And he prefers it that way. “I’ve never had a specific result that I’ve wanted. It’s always just been, ‘Let’s see how good I can get at CrossFit, and enjoy that process and the experiences that come with that.’ I want to maximize this opportunity. I think I’ve been doing that and I’m going to continue to do that.” After several Regional attempts, Brent Fikowski, 26, made his CrossFit Games debut in 2016, where he placed 4th and earned four event wins—an impressive performance for any athlete, let alone a rookie. “I told myself, ‘Brent, you’re not doing anything wrong. You’re right there. There is no rush. Train like you’re in it for the long haul. Train for a year, or two, or three, or four. Train with that mindset. You’re uninjured. Let’s keep it that way. Let’s see if you can do another four. And if you do it right, you can do another four. But if you really try to push that envelope too far day in day out, you might strike it rich, you might see success because you timed it right, but the injuries will come. I haven’t really done anything with bad technique in a long time and I don’t intend to.” This year, Fikowski earned the second-place podium spot at the 2017 CrossFit Games in Madison, WI. “When I got to the Games in 2016 my squatting strength, deadlifting strength and handstand push-up strength held me back from getting on the podium. This year, I focused on the quality of my movements. When you’re talking objects like the kettlebell deadlift, there are guys out there that could probably barbell deadlift more than me, but I managed the kettlebell deadlifts better because I had really good form. In CrossFit, it’s important to be able to do what’s required under any state. That comes down to putting in a large volume of work over years, but also quality movement.” Fikowski sought CrossFit in May 2012, while attending the prestigious Griffith University in Australia where he was a collegiate volleyball player. Looking to improve his skills, he joined CrossFit Broad Beach to help him jump a little higher and hit a little harder. He admits he loved it from the start, going six days in a row his first week. “I just loved the style of training, loved the 12
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atmosphere, the no frills gym, lots of open space...I had already done a little bit of that style of training on my own, so it came really naturally to me. I went to my first local competition after training for two or three months and I surprised myself with how well I did. I came in top five, and I thought, ‘Wow, you know if I just keep working at this, I can get pretty good at this.” It was his performance at that competition that convinced him to switch his focus, playing less volleyball and doing more CrossFit. “I’ve been doing this for a while now, it’s been five years. I film every rep so if I see that my back is rounding at whatever weight that happens to be, I might try that weight one more time and if I feel it starting to bend, then that’s the end of my session even if I feel I can put another 40 pounds on the bar. It’s the same with something like a squat. I’m trying to strengthen the right muscles, my glutes, my hamstrings and not rely on my quads as much. A couple of years ago I had some knee pain and that was mostly from doing squats improperly. I know that if I allow my knees to cave in, then my quads are getting stronger. I’m trying to get my butt stronger. I want to be able to squat 500 pounds, and to do that I need to get my knees in a good position. As soon as they start to move in a bad position, I don’t go any heavier. As soon as you’re not moving perfectly, then you’re not moving anymore.” It’s this hyper-disciplined training style that has earned him the nickname Professor, not to mention his restrained lifestyle and the fact that he’s maintained his full-time job as a financial controller. “I first moved to Kelowna about four years ago with no responsibilities, no friends or family living here. I got a job and wanted to pursue advancement in my career as well to continue advancing as a CrossFit athlete. I also wanted to improve my relationship with Claire (Brent’s newly wed wife). I’ve been able to forge the life I wanted, which was one of discipline and commitment and dedication to those three things. It’s not easy. I say no to a lot of fun opportunities but it means my days are full and when I’m not sleeping, basically everything I’m doing is pushing me in the direction of those goals. There are certain times of year where I don’t get to spend much time with Claire, or I might have to take one or two days off work because 100% of my focus is on CrossFit. And then there are other times where basically all my focus is on my career and then there’s other times where all my focus is on Claire. In any given moment, I’m only thinking about one of those three things but when I’m focusing on one of FACEBOOK.COM/BOXLIFEMAGAZINE
“I’ve never had a specific result that I’ve wanted. It’s always just been, let’s see how good I can get at CrossFit, and enjoy that process and the experiences that come with that.”
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Photo Credit: Bruce Williams @baw3_photo
The Art of Pacing By Damect Dominguez Photography: Bruce Williams @baw3_photo
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ur performance, whether in training or in competition, is in great part based on two factors: our fitness level (overall and on any given day) and our strategy for attacking the workout. While focus is usually given to how we can improve our fitness, the ability to quickly devise an appropriate strategy for a WOD should be given attention as well. Like training our strength or endurance, with practice, the ability to do pace and strategize can be improved and consequently have a huge impact on our overall performance and experience. Strategizing isn’t unique to CrossFit. Ask any elite runner and they’ll tell you their intended 400-meter split times for their next mile race. Even more surprising (or not) is that if they veer off that split time by just a few seconds, their race can fall apart. There are many benefits to properly pacing a workout. For starters, pacing allows you to stay in the workout longer to reap more endurance benefits. If you’ve been doing CrossFit long enough, you’ve probably had your fair share of WODs where you underestimated the workout and burned out half way through it because you went out too hard. It’s very likely, you passed your anaerobic threshold too soon.
AEROBIC VERSUS ANAEROBIC TRAINING At the foundation of aerobic and anaerobic training is this science: your body needs to break down sugar and
convert it to glycogen so it can be used as energy or fuel during exercise. When your body gets the appropriate amount of oxygen for this process, you’re exercising in an aerobic state. When you begin to exercise harder, beyond your aerobic threshold, and there is not enough oxygen, you ultimately begin to exercise in anaerobic state. In an anaerobic state, your body produces lactate and hydrogen ions as a byproduct faster than your body can remove them. The byproducts produced in this state eventually cause the burn in your muscle and your body to fatigue. Crossing this aerobic threshold too early in a workout can cause your pace to significantly slow down. Simply put, your body cannot maintain an efficient pace and maximize performance in a workout if its muscles are feeling ‘the burn’ and your body is under extreme fatigue six minutes into a 20 minute workout.
PACING TIPS
Proper pacing allows you to maximize your performance in a workout—that’s clear. Of course, CrossFit workouts are very different from just running or biking. CrossFit workouts by their very nature are constantly varied. As such, it’s important to know yourself to make the most of each workout. Here are some tips to get you to master the art of pacing.
Practice Different Paces It should be obvious that a 10-minute workout requires a different pace than a 30-minute workout. But how do you pace them? A good place to begin gauging your intended pace is by asking yourself,
“If this were a 10-minute run, how hard would I go? How do I want my heartrate and breathing to feel? If this were a 30-minute run, how would that be different? What about a 3-minute run?” Because running is a steady-state activity, unlike a typical CrossFit workout that allows an athlete to stop and rest during transitions and scheduled breaks, it’s easier to visualize a pace.
Practice the Feel Monostructual workouts like running, rowing and biking are great for learning how certain paces feel. Once you’ve mastered the art of pacing you’ll know how hard you can go before your breathing rises exponentially or your legs begin to feel ‘the burn’. You’ll also be able to pace a workout so you can maintain an aerobic state for an extended period of time. Practicing the feel of different paces during monostructural workouts by paying attention to your breathing, heart rate and your body’s overall feel is a great way to develop the ability to pace during a WOD. Go Slower Than You Think Let’s be real, most people, especially beginners, tend to go out too hard at the beginning of a workout and burn out mid-WOD. A simple tip when learning how to pace is to just go out slower than you think. The concept of negative splits means that your later rounds are faster than your earlier ones. This strategy is used in almost all racing sports including running, swimming and biking.
PACING WORKOUTS 5 deadlifts (225/155) 10 kettlebell swings 5 box jumps 8 rounds Rest 1.5 minutes between rounds. If any round is 10 seconds or more slower than either of your first two, your workout is over.
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30 power cleans (135/95) 50 wall balls 2 rounds Rest no more than five seconds on any break including transition. If any rest period is greater than five seconds, the workout is over.
500m row 6 rounds Rest the amount of time it took you to row. The goal is to be consistent throughout these intervals. Your times shouldn’t vary by more than five seconds.
20 clean & jerks (135/95) Rest 2 minutes 30 push ups 30 ring dips Rest 2 minutes 200 dubs Rest 2 minutes 40/30c bike for time If you rest more than five seconds during your time to work, your workout is over. SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017
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