Downtown Core

DOWNTOWN CORE BANDZ A MAKE YOU BALANCE

Monkeying around from beam to beam with PARKOUR

CROSSFIT:

Meet Julie Martin as she trains one of our own p. 14

Who knew there was yoga for men?

TWERKOLOGY:

101

CAVEMEN WHO jOINED THE GYM P . 16

Wanna kick some ass? p . 22 has everything you need to know about Muay Thai

Letter from the Welcome to the first issue of Downtown Core! We collectively sat down and came up with an idea of a magazine. What do Torontonians need? What do they ache to be? After pitching stories and articles, something clicked. This magazine began forming into something tangible and credible. Downtown Core is a reflection of the many subcultures in Toronto, but it’s also a reflection of its editors-Kenya Bruce, Rajesh Sammy, Tichaon Tapambwa and Arooj Yaqub striving for excellence.

You can say we started at the bottom and now we’ve made it here.

We asked what do people do to escape the noise of the city? What communities do they get involved in when they want to relax? This magazine explores many personalities and gets their views on what they contribute to our physical society.

From the intensity of Crossfit (p.14) hip sashaying in belly dancing (p.28), to just wanting to balance on rubber bands at Trinity Bellwoods Park (p.8); we even covered twerking for you (p.10)! Each of these unique characters brings a piece of themselves to the GTA’s cultural mosaic of ordinary individuals doing extraordinary things.

Getting physical is about challenging your external limit, and our magazine is about challenging your minds. Toronto’s nooks and crannies are the hubs of these hidden gems.

This is our debut issue. Our blood, sweat and tears went into this issue. Sleep was lost, our Twitters and Instagrams suffered, but the outcome is a testament to you - our readers. We want to thank Leigh Cavanaugh for designing our logo. And of course nothing could have been accomplished without Jim Wilson for being a constructive editior-in-chief. This would be nothing without his critique and support.

One thing is for sure, it doesn’t end here. You, our loyal supporters have shown us you need us, and for that we are impassioned to give you the Core.

editors...

WRITERS/EDITORS

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Kenya Bruce (Right) Rajesh Sammy (Far right) Tichaon Tapambwa (Far left) Arooj Yaqub (Left)

Jim Wilson

TWITTER: @downtown_core INSTAGRAM: @downtowncore FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/downtowncoremag

December 2013 www.downtowncoremag.com

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CONTENTS OFF BEAT

30 JUMP DOWN

Featuring the lifestyle of parkour

21 ZOMBIES

Having fun while running

29 YOGA FOR MEN Changing the landscape of yoga

DANCE

6 DANCE TO BEAT Indian inspired fitness routine

16 The outdoor cave man

10 TWERK,TWERK

OUTDOOR FITNESS

How twerking keeps you fit.

28 EMPOWER!

Belly dancing empowering women

8 HANGING ON

New form of relaxation in the city

19 GO ON OUT Change your regular gym routine and go outside for more options

4 Bollywood dance routine

16 MOVNAT Caveman workout

HEALTH & FITNESS

EXTREME

13 CYCLING Going the distance 14 CROSS FIT

This intense workout will leave you wanting more of that good sore feeling

24 Running shoe

21 BITE THE PAIN Kick some ass!

5 INTENSE WORK

Too much exercise?

27 COUPLES

How to work out with your partner

12 COMING BACK Insanity gives this dancer hope

24 RUNNING SHOE Learn all about running shoe technology and what to look out for when finding the right shoe

December 2013 www.downtowncoremag.com

5

How much is too much?

The insight into excessive workouts

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No pain no gain.” It’s a motto commonly heard in

BY KENYA BRUCE the gym and in the exercising world means if it is not hurting you the exercise is not working. Being exercise could actually workout on a daily basis cause it’s able to see results after continuous exercising is a focusing on different muscle types.” feeling some can’t get enough of.

At his practice, Okamura receives patients with various But many experts say as many as 10 per cent of high-perinjuries through excessive exercising or sports. The most formance runners, body builders and “perfectionist athletes” common issues his patients have are lower back pains, hip have an exercise addiction. and knee strains, muscle strain problems and shoulder Maguid Nicholas, 25, from Newmarket a CrossFit athlete problems. He says he helps identify the pain with his for about seven years is one of them. He trains intensely and patients to find the right recovery method that can work has gotten injuries from intensive training. Pain and discomfor them. fort are outlined in the common affects of CrossFit but Nina Caruso, 21, a Seneca college graduate from ScarborNicholas does not think the pain resulted in gains. ough, trains six times a week at her local GoodLife Fitness “‘No pain no gain’ is a crude way of expressing the idea gym, but thinks three times a week is a healthy amount for that intensity in training is a requirement in order to get resomeone just starting to workout. She says she is the type sults,” Nicholas, the owner of Tidal CrossFit said. “Intensity of person who listens to her body properly and realizes is uncomfortable, and so if you want results, you have to if she is ever tired or sick she should stay home to accept that discomfort.” relax and rest.

Stephanie Vaughan, 20, is a student at Western University Caruso has injured herself from workand trains at GoodLife Fitness in London. She has placed ing out but always makes sure to take second out of two shows in Bikini Fitness competitions and rest days when needed. has placed top five at the Ontario Physique Association Natu“Exercising is a part of my ral Provincial Championships. lifestyle, it’s something that “I train five days a week with two rest days and I enjoy I go and do because I doing hot yoga during those [rest] days,” Vaughan said. “I enjoy doing it for have had training programs during my competitions that have myself,” Caruso required two work outs a day and others which only require said. “I wouldn’t one a day. I have learned that damage caused by overworking say it’s an addiction. or straining a muscle If I group can actually had lead to a decrease in to skip a day I wouldn’t say it’s an admuscle. I experienced at the gym or rest little to no benefit of diction. If I had to skip a day because my body training twice a day. I needed the rest I think a healthy amount at the gym or rest because would not be upset or of working out would my body needed the rest I feel deprived or feel as be no more than once if I’m loosing my hard a day, five times a week would not be upset or feel work because I haven’t been for an hour to an hour deprived...” to the gym. I just go because I and a half.” enjoy it and I enjoy the way I feel It can be hard to say what is considered a healthy or safe after a workout.” amount of exercise. According to the American Running Many competitive athletes know the amount Association, exercise addiction is not another word used for of exercise they are doing is intense and exovertraining syndrome. Athletes that train for peak perforcessive. The only time this amount of exercise mance or competition and have little rest and recovery can can become an issue is when serious injuries suffer from overtraining symptoms. come into play.

But Kevin Okamura, a physiotherapist at Adelaide West “If it’s more of a muscle fatigue kind of Physiotherapy, says it all depends on one’s functional goals thing, then that might be acceptable, but if and the type of exercise they are doing. it’s something that they’re experiencing that “Certain muscle groups can actually be worked on, on is sore after they workout and that bothers a daily basis and other muscle groups you want to have their normal daily basis routine, then you’re some more rest days to allow it to recover,” Okamura said. obviously pushing through something and “If somebody is doing some heavy bodybuilding types of doing too much and need to back of,” exercises, they might need a full recovery day between, while Okamura said. someone who is doing functional core activation types of

“

BOLLYFUZE

NEW CRAZE Bollywood routine gains popularity in Toronto

“

One, two, cross, cross, keep going,” Suzanna Sheetal Dutt cheers to her students at Tarana Dance Centre. The upbeat Bollywood tunes keep them moving.

Dutt is an instructor at Tarana Dance Centre, home of the BollyFuze fitness routine.

BollyFuze is dance-fitness program designed to help participants burn approximately 800 to 1000 calories through Indian-inspired dance.

The one-hour class taken at any of eight locations around Ontario is based on an interval system, which brings your heart rate up and down through dance.

This program is designed to increase your cardio intake and condition the muscles you already have.

It requires no equipment and can be done by anyone of all ages.

BollyFuze founder, Reshmi Chetram has been a dancer all her life. Upon returning from India she discovered there was a niche for this program.

“People love the music, and it draws in all kinds of cultures in the class,” Chetram said. “It’s 100 per cent the Bollywood industry and that’s made this whole thing take off.”

What makes BollyFuze different from other fitness programs is the way in which every lesson is taught. It combines different styles of dances, whether it is Bollywood or western. Each instructor has a different style of dance.

“The four-point system of warm up, cardio, muscle conditioning and cool down stays the same, it’s just the choreography that is subject to change because we change the songs every month,” Dutt

BY RAJESH SAMMY said.

While many fitness programs push to focus on physical activity, where BollyFuze also excels is how it is able to help students with their own mental fitness.

Natasha Ramoutar, pays attention to her instructor as she dances to the fast paced beat at Tarana Dance Centre Ramoutar has been a student of Tarana Dance Centre for more than eight years. As a University of Toronto student she expressed how much stress accompanies students.

“It helps me to clear my mind, and I’m able to study better, and because Bollyfuze classes are one hour in length I’m able to fit it into my schedule,” Ramoutar said.

She said that she has become more confident with herself, and in the future she plans on working as an instructor for BollyFuze.

Chetram recently launched her own television show called BollyFit. It is based on the BollyFuze routine but it is refined to a 30-minute class instead of the one-hour class. Chetram has increased the muscle conditioning and cardio portions, by reducing the cool down time.

Results through the BollyFuze and BollyFit classes vary like other fitness routines.

“It depends on how much you give. Honestly it is completely up to you, the instructor goes 110 per cent to ensure that you go 100 per cent.” Chetram said.

Bollyfuze students stretch before dancing at Tarana Dance Centre Rajesh Sammy/// DTC

IN TOWN How BOLLYFUZE keeps you fit

1

2

3

4

Warm Up • Leg stretches • Stretching core • Lasts 4-7 minutes

Cardiovascular • Improvised cheorography • Lasts 35-40 minutes

Muscle Conditioning • Interval training • Circuit training • Lasts 10-15 minutes

Cool Down • Slowing of music • Yoga movements • Lasts 5-10 minutes

LIVING ON THE EDGE A NEW SPORT IS MANIPULATING GRAVITY. IT’S SO UNIQUE, EVEN MADONNA IS DOING IT.

D

BY TICHAON TAPAMBWA

uring her 2012 Super Bowl tricklining, incorporates the flare aspect of the halftime show, the music icon sport as the participant includes a great number stunned viewers when she brought of tricks while on the line. Longline is when the up a professional slackliner, Andy participants try to go for the longest possible Lewis, up on stage with her. distance, while highlining tests the participants’ Now a group of Torontonians are taking up fear of height as they bring the line to new this peculiar activity at Trinity Bellwood’s Park heights. on Queen Street.

The sport is still new so other variations are Slacklining is when a primitive rig, about being added.

2.5 cm in width is set up between two anchor Within the next year, Culpepper hopes to points. The rope starts at four feet above the expand slacklining and participate in the Scotiaground and could reach as high as Toronto banks’ BuskerFest. skylines. The participant either tries to reach the A secret to slacklining’s success is its similarother end or put on a show with tricks and flare ity to yoga. for an audience.

“In yoga you have to be total, you have to “I was meeting with people in the park with bring balance between your body, mind and slacklines so I tired theirs. The first time I could soul, it’s the soul that guides the other two get from one end to the other, I was hooked,” … when you are in a posture, its your bodies said Joe Culpepper, who manages the Facebook way of talking to you while trying to maintain group, Toronto Slapliners. harmony and balance,” said Brigitte Kortright, The breeze of Sunday’s air is in Trinity a certified teacher at the Yoga Pranayam Centre Bellwoods. Culpepper is currently teaching a in East York. young boy how to slackline.

Yoga is made up The boy is eager to learn of different physical balancing on the rope after postures that enhance observing him. strength and stamina.

The main objective is to basiStarting only five years Culpepper also sees ago, Culpepper is proud of cally concentrate in a medita- the similarities. The sport the progression he’s made tive way to get really calm and is not something one especially in nailing the in control of a precarious situ- picks up in a day. There difficult tricks. needs to be dedication ation and you push the limits and a willingness to test “The backflip was a big of that in a way you like.” deal because it’s hard work yourself mentally. … every difficult trick that “You have to pick you see on a slackline cost that person more a visual anchor point and focus only on that than two bad bails,” said Culpepper. “You’re point, you have to really stack your weight learning how fast you can get better at a skill; vertically, it’s like yoga you have to have a when you can get a little higher off the ground specific body position and it’s a very intense or when to do a chest bounce as opposed to core workout so you are doing a very physically just a butt bounce.” demanding activity,” said Culpepper.

Besides getting a workout, slacklining can Yoga can also relax its participants. also test the participant’s will.

“When you go to a yoga class, you close your “The main objective is to basically conceneyes and cut the outer world out and you look trate in a meditative way to get really calm and inside and say again what does my body need? in control of a precarious situation and you … push the limits of that in a way you like,” said [students] come for relaxation, it’s like an Culpepper. “Some people like to go for the oasis,” said Kortright. longest distance, some like to go for the highest Many of Culpepper’s peers all say the initial highline.” allure of slacklining is not the practice itself, but There are three categories that differentiate the effects of being one with nature. the fitness practice. The most competitive, “I find that [slacklining] really empties my

“

mind, it’s very relaxing but also sometimes very challenging. For me slacklining is not necessarily

the challenge ... I do it for the fun and also at the end of a days work it’s just really good for focus,” said Martin Ham, who agrees with Culpepper that the initial allure of slacklining is not the practice itself.

Besides slacklining, Ham is also involved with rock climbing.

Culpepper will be teaching indoor slacklining classes at the Zero Gravity Circus in Gerrard.

There will be two eight week sessions; one in January, the other in March.

“It’s not something you learn in a second, you need quite a but of hours just to get balance on the line, so it’s only going to appeal to a small margin of the public,” said Ham. “If its too marginal, [however] then people wont understand it, it’s a fine balance.”

Photo Gallery: www. downtowncoremag.com

Tichaon Tapambwa // DTC

Above: Joe Culpepper wants to also bring slacklining to ScotiaBank’s Busker Fest. He will be also teaching slacklining classes in early 2014.

Side: Martin Ham, primarily a rock climber, showing off for the camera in the line.

Tichaon Tapambwa // DTC

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December 2013 www.downtowncoremag.com

Arooj Yaqub // DTC

Below: Students stretch with chairs after an intense twerking workout.

Above: Twerk enthusiasts practice the art at Shani Hayne’s twerking class at Brass Vixens at 721 Queen Street West.

Right: Twerkers practice provocative performance stances

Arooj Yaqub // DTC

Arooj Yaqub // DTC

Twerkology 101 Lesson of the day: There’s more to twerking than being provocative

T

werking is the “rhythmic gyrating of lower fleshy extremities in a lascivious manner with the intent to elicit sexual arousal or laughter in ones intended audience…but for us it’s just fitness” As defined by twerkologist Torwa Joe also known by her stage name Fiya Starta said.

Toronto’s only twerk instructor Shani Haynes is a full time fitness and pole dancing instructor who teaches twerk fitness at downtown’s Brass Vixens and various other locations in the GTA. “They’re coming to twerk but noticing the fitness aspect of it, it’s a calorie burner. Most of us are dripping of sweat by the end,” she said. “It’s really good for cardio the heart rate is up most of the time; it’s a great for lower body and core conditioning. For girls who want to work that midsection, you can get abs from twerking.”

However, the roots of twerking go way back for Kori Gulotta. She takes part in Haynes’ class twice a week. Having studied African dance in Montreal at Danse Nyata Nyata under her instructor Zab Naboungou, the stylistic aspects of twerking are familiar. “ Some of the movements in twerking are directly inspired by the foundations of west African dance,” she said. “I sweat up a storm, I’m feeling and seeing results...I wasn’t as strong as I am now. My lower body is trimmer the excercises are not arbitrary movements…they also give you a good workout – hamstrings, quads and calves,

BY AROOJ YAQUB

to make it more of a fitness oriented class.It’s better than squatting because the twerk position is a low pliet in second position also known as a squat. It’s not only that you spend a big chunk of time in that position but you’re doing other movements while you’re there.”

Something Haynes can vouch for.

“It doesn’t have anything to do with attracting their partners. [For my students] it’s about self empowerment. A lot of these girls have been coming in and they’re not necessarily looking to do it in public but they just want to be able to move that way,” she says.

Starta, from Atlanta, has worked with the likes of Lil Wayne, Drake, Ludacris, Ne-yo, the Braxton’s and Ciara. She’s made a cameo on The Real Housewives of Atlanta as well and owns a studio with the financial aid of Lil Wayne, called Vertical Joe’s that opened in 2009.

“People’s twerk-history is different. It really depends on when you were exposed to it.” She said. “I think for most it’s something they saw in a strip club that they wanted to imitate. My family is African and the fertility style dances have the same movement we just went from dancing to drums to dancing to 2 Chains,” she explained. “The music makes you dance a certain way. There’s no need to break a stereotype … they just are now paying attention and seeing

how fun it is.”

Starta sees twerking as a great way to get fit.

“It’s pure ignorance to think because someone can twerk they are promiscuous. Women should accept what I have to say over what feminists might view as sexually degrading to women because I’m a twerkologist and feminists are wack.”

“Plus deep down inside everyone wants to shake it! It’s fun,” she said. “Strangely enoughthe sexier the dance, the more liberating it is to successfully do it. Especially when it’s for you and you can say, wow, I’m sexy, I did that!”

As for Miley Cyrus, well Starta is hardly a fan.

“Miley needs me to teach her, then she will be a beast and people can’t hate on her. She did ok though- the tongue out gets my vote. Her twerk game is kind of bad. But just wait until she gets it right!”

How to twerk by Fiya Starta: 1- Open your legs and sit into squat position 2- Put hands on thighs and lean forward to a 45 degree angle 3- Arch your back (at this point you should be in a mean squat, hands on thighs, body at 45, back arched) 4- Now shake your bottom down and return to start position while maintaining the squat. Repeat

Having trouble finding the right running shoe? p.24 for the latest on running shoe tech

NEARLY

DOWN AND

OUT

Haran Ratnakumar takes a short break before restarting his workout regime.

Rajesh Sammy/// DTC

Former dancer, turns to the Insanity workout for redemption

S

BY RAJESH SAMMY

ports was never Haran Ratnakumar’s forte. He was the last person picked in school and on top of this one of his legs is two and a half inches shorter than the other.

Five years ago, Ratnakumar, 21, would never have thought he would be working as a fitness instructor for Beach Body.

Beach Body is an organization that provides various methods of working out including to DVD workout programs suited for people who prefer working out at home.

Ratnakumar is responsible for monitoring the progress of his various clients around the world.

Before university, Ratnakumar worked as a dance instructor at Algonquin Park. Upon returning home his parents noticed how he walked different. Ratnakumar soon found out from his doctor that he had a medical condition which affects his dancing. This setback almost crippled his career. Almost.

“When he told me my body is not in good shape. I thought, OK let me get in good shape,” Ratnakumar said.

Today, Ratnakumar is a certified Beach Body coach and he credits Insanity, the 60 day in-home program as his life-changer.

This DVD workout program focuses on something called max interval training. The idea is to work out in three to five minute blocks and take breaks only to gather back air.

It aims to keep your body working at its maximum.

“I was so committed to doing it because, if I didn’t complete Insanity I would never dance again. That was the image I put in my head. So for me, Insanity was my outlet, my positive outlet. As hard as its going to be, I knew it would make me a better athlete, a better per-

son, to continue dancing again,” Ratnakumar said.

One of his first clients Karthiga Kalaichelvan, remembers when she met Ratnakumar. He recommended Insanity based on its focus on cardiovascular health and influenced her to complete the program.

“Insanity is tough, it is not easy. It is a commitment. You can’t just say you will work out and not out the effort into it. I remember the first week, my whole body was sore,” Kalaichelvan, 21, said.

Upon completion of the program, she says her body is much leaner, and her endurance has been improved.

Ilyas Ghani, 22, a former Extreme Fitness personal trainer, also completed the program on his spare time, but he doesn’t generally recommend the program to everyone.

“Everyone has their own pace,” Ghani said.

Ghani believes working out at a gym with a personal trainer grants a client more benefits as the particular program will be more suited to the person. Not everyone according to Ghani can work out at the level set out by Beach Body.

“You’re going to have to go at one level. Everyone has to follow that pace,” Ghani said.

People who aren’t particularly healthy cannot fully get into this program.

Both Ratnakumar and Ghani believe that no one can workout and expect to get results at the gym without paying much needed attention to nutrition.

“Nutrition is just as important, you can’t do one without the other,” Ghani said.

Ratnakumar believes in the 80/20 rule, where 80 per cent of anyone’s fitness regime would compromise in nutrition and 20 per cent would be workout. He describes that his main focus as a personal trainer is to match the program to the right person.

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December 2013 www.downtowncoremag.com

WITH THE

EXPERT

NO

REQUIRES EQUIPMENT

DOES NOT TAKE MUCH SPACE AT HOME

USE YOUR OWN BODY

IN

. . n o ITY N A S

80/20 RULE

80% Nutrition 20% Exercise

“

Don’t look back at your mistakes as failures, use it as a tool to stride forward and create new goals

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December 2013 www.downtowncoremag.com

Tichaon Tapambwa // DTC

Push it to the limit with

CrossFit

M

y face was burning. My heart was pounding. My hands felt like they were about to fall apart.

The amount of breaths I took just wasn’t enough. I was seriously not expecting this when I signed up for CrossFit. Growing up, I was always an athlete and would exercise frequently. I never thought I was ever seriously out of shape. CrossFit made me reevaluate that thought.

Created in 2000 by Greg Glassman, CrossFit is a strength and conditioning program. With different exercises every class it helps improve one’s muscular strength, cardio-respiratory endurance and flexibility. It uses a mix of aerobic exercises, body weight exercises and weight lifting. Olympic weight lifting is amongst the many workouts as well.

By the end of the workout my body is ready to collapse. I’m drenched in sweat and I feel like my body is radiating heat. It’s painful at first but it’s a good pain. It means you’re doing something right and your body is actually working.

The barely walking feeling and the never-ending soreness was brutal on me but not once did I think of stopping.

Julie Martin has been training CrossFit for a

BY KENYA BRUCE year and a half at CrossFit Toronto. She says that CrossFit Toronto was the first CrossFit box in the city. She dedicates two or two and half-hours a day to training at CrossFit Toronto as well as doing her own CrossFit programming.

“I'm not sure when the gym itself became popular but CrossFit in general has gained recognition since the CrossFit Games and has gotten a lot more press recently,” Martin said.

Martin also participates in CrossFit challenges and competitions. Usually there are a certain number of "events” or WODs (workouts of the day) throughout the day. These can either be individual competitions or team ones. She said some WODs are based on times, others on reps to determine the fastest and strongest winner(s). “…I don't just want to participate in competitions, I want to win them,” Martin said.

William Lam of Toronto, has been practising CrossFit for almost three years now, it has become part of his lifestyle. Before hearing about CrossFit, Lam used to practice P90X and Insanity. After being tired of doing the same routines and workouts, Lam discovered CrossFit and has been hooked on it since. He has been training at

CrossFit Toronto consistently.

“I got my ass kicked let’s just put it that way!”

Lam said. “I thought I was fit already when I was doing P90X and Insanity but this is a whole other level of crazy simply because not only going for time but going for many rounds as possible…The concept of expanding your capacity over time was really fascinating to me and I wouldn’t have it any other way to be honest.”

When first starting out with CrossFit, Lam said he had pretty lofty goals like staying fit and just being active. Now his goals have switched and are more metric driven (based on a number/ counting system).

“It affords me a good amount of energy, I feel great, I love the community aspect of Cross Fit and it’s evolved to actually digging down to the data that I produce through my workout.

For instance, if I’m doing something like FRAN (couplet of barbell thrusters and pull-ups) for time I actually can measure that. The next time that comes around like two months, I am able to see how far I’ve come along. A lot of that has to do with front squat work…It’s very metrics driven and I like the fact that I can measure my progress over time.”

Laura Morra, 21 from Toronto is new to

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December 2013 www.downtowncoremag.com

the CrossFit scene and has only been practising CrossFit for five months but has lost 20 pounds.

CrossFit was a rude awakening to her. She said she wasn’t expecting the intensity and challenges she would face but still enjoys it. Like Lam, Morra loves the community aspect CrossFit has to offer.

“My favourite things about CrossFit are the people and how they are on the same journey as you and they motivate you each time. It’s almost a second family. [CrossFit] pushes you beyond your limits and you see yourself reach points you never thought you would reach which keeps you coming back for more and being consistent,” she said.

According to Eric Robertson, an assistant professor of physical therapy at Regis University in Denver, Colorado, CrossFit can lead to a serious injury called Rhabdomyolysis which is a serious and sometimes fatal condition caused from the “catastrophic breakdown of muscle cells.”

“Under extreme conditions your muscles cells explode…Your kidneys take up the job of clearing these dangerous proteins from the blood,” Robertson wrote. “…This can produce injury or death to all or part of the kidney in a short amount of time, and is potentially lethal. Locally, the muscles are left damaged and dying. Swelling ensues and weakness occurs as pressure builds around the remaining muscle cells…If you get to this stage, you're in serious trouble.”

With CrossFit training, Martin has been injured but nothing serious like Rhabdomyolysis. She was injured doing CrossFit/Olympic weightlifting and had to get surgery on her right hand. But she blames improper form and technique, not exercise.

“You get injured, you heal up, you carry on…I wouldn't recommend you CrossFit during your injury, however CrossFit has helped countless people recoup, recover and get stronger after they've experienced an injury,” Martin added.

Now I may be unable to move or even lift my hands over my head in my regular daily activities, but when I step foot in CrossFit Toronto I easily forget about that constant soreness. CrossFit has taught me not only to push my limits, it has taught me how to be strong mentally and physically and to never give up and to keep fighting.

Rajesh Sammy // DTC

Julie Martin demonstrates how to do a power clean

Tichaon Tapambwa // DTC

Kenya Bruce practising on the shoulder press

“

I got my ass kicked let’s just put it that way!”

Rajesh Sammy // DTC

Julie Martin shows off her skills on the Olympic rings

“

[CrossFit] pushes you beyond your limits...”

Kenya Bruce catching her breath after a hard WOD

“

…I don’t just want to participate in competitions, I want to win them!”

Kenya Bruce doing a power clean with a 45lb barbell Rajesh Sammy // DTC

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December 2013 www.downtowncoremag.com

MOVNA TRAIN

CAVEM IN THE

photos by Aro

David Salmon breathes in nature

AT

LIKEA MAN – GYM

“

It’s necessary to challenge yourself outside the environment you live in simply because no one lives in only one place.

C

ars, trains and iPhones are devices all made to make our lives easier. But where do we draw the line of making things easier for ourselves?

Are we losing more by trying to save time?

MovNat or natural movement fitness is a physical education and fitness system based on the full range of natural human movement abilities such as the locomotive skills of walking, running, jumping, balancing, crawling, climbing and swimming. In addition practitioners try and master the manipulative skills of lifting, carrying, throwing and catching.

Vic Verdier’s role as a master instructor of MovNat is teaching and organizing retreats, certification events and specialty workshops worldwide. He argues that anyone can practise MovNat anywhere and at anytime.

“There is always a place to balance, jump or squat. There is always something to lift or throw. Most of the problem is the willingness to train in a different way, to do things that aren’t part of conventional fitness,” Verider said.

Regardless of the rise of indoor jobs and technology, Verdier said, preparation for any circumstance is essential for the art of survival.

“It’s necessary to challenge yourself outside the environment you live in simply because no one lives in only

BY AROOJ YAQUB one place,” he said. “If you have no control on the circumstances and the environment, that’s when you need to have perfect control of your body and skills. Dealing with the snow and the cold is like dealing with any adverse condition. Progressive adaptation and mental toughness are key.”

Edward Wilson disagrees. Wilson, a personal trainer and primal fitness blogger, strives to educate and debunk the myths that surround Palaeolithic fitness that influences MovNat. He said that while we should train like our ancestors – hunter-gatherer style – our bodies are not fit to do so as they once were.

“They say anything newer than 10 000 years ago isn’t Palaeolithic but I disagree with that because we have evolved,” Wilson said. “When you lift a dead lift in the gym the bar starts eight to 10 inches off the ground.

When you pick something up in the forest you have to pick it up off the ground. Our bodies aren’t trained with a range of motion.”

Wilson utilizes a variety of equipment different from the kind typically found in the gym. Bulgarian bags are a weight reminiscent of a medium-sized animal that can be carried and lifted. The bag helps Wilson create an entire range of motion similar in the way a hunter would carry and lift an animal after a kill.

“MovNat is very good for you – but how do you train for it? You can run around outside but it’s challenging for most people. So I try to train in the gym or home with those movement patterns,” he said. “Your body is used to change and not repetitive motion like the reps we do in gyms.

Repetitive motion doesn’t let you use and strengthen all your other muscles so you end up hurting yourself. I’m constantly putting things at a slightly different angle than the last time and always change the height. That way you can train in the gym and you’re getting the same benefit as training outside.”

For Torontonians however, the problem doesn’t just end at a reluctance to go outside. David Salmon is a MovNat certified trainer in Toronto that struggles with sharing the method of getting fit.

“I have no problem with putting on natural movement workshops but its challenging because, one; as a trainer, I was hoping to make this my income and, second; how do I get it out to the public? I can’t bring it to the gym because I can’t bring the forest to the gym but if I were to ask for a permit for the park I can only use a portion of the park. You can’t lift a rock or climb trees due to some laws in Toronto,” he said.

Salmon says if a liability issue were to occur if he injured himself on public property the city of Toronto would be responsible – a risk he said he fears every day because he should know the rules and abide by them.

“It’s a bit sad to see laws designed to stop people to move the way they are designed to move. When will it be forbidden to run or walk, carry their kids, climb a stairway?” Verdier says.

But however the challenges MovNat passion remain paramount to its execution.

“There was never a time where I felt the challenge wasn’t worth it.

The challenge can take many forms: mental, physical, emotional but that’s the challenge that makes us grow,” Verdier says.

ooj Yaqub

Edward Wilson lifts a BULGARIAN BAG reminiscent of a medium-sized animal

Edward Wilson swings INDIAN CLUBS for a full range back workout

Edward Wilson grabs and lifts a STEELBELLin order to get full use of his fingers and hands

CAN YOU DO THIS?

p. 28

Photo Courtesy // Michael DeCorte

19

December 2013 www.downtowncoremag.com

Take it outside Connect with nature by making it your own gym

Photo courtesy: Adam Sawyer

F

or Jacky Chhai and his workout group Body By Chosen, being outdoors is ideal. Body By Chosen is predominately boxing and kickboxing but is now focusing on weights and calisthenics, exercises that require limited or no use of equipment.

This includes pushups, sit-ups, pull-ups, dips, jumping jacks.

The team of young professional trainers meets with clients on the spot for workouts. Sometimes this means going to the local park and using monkey bars or benches for simple but engaging workouts.

“Working out outdoors was just a good way to bring everyone together,” Chhai, 20, said. “Some people that didn’t have gym memberships were able to come out and workout, and it just gives you a better vibe than being in closed doors. You feel more free in your workout.”

Many fitness instructors across Toronto are also taking their classes outdoors.

Daniel Baker, a personal trainer and founder of Nature Fitness, got tired of going to the gym and doing and seeing the same things and started training at High Park. Baker researched equipment that he could use outside and things that were portable to start his new outdoor classes.

“What I do outside is I have equipment that fills up with water so I can make my clients do weight training.” Baker said, “I have equipment that’s like a pulley system or a lot of resistant Photo courtesy: Daniel Baker

Daniel Baker takes a stretch before starting his outdoor workout routine

BY KENYA BRUCE

bands, or weighted vests. I have a lot of different alternative equipment that if you use it right it’s still going to be challenging and people are still going to feel like they got a good workout…it starts to change the way they view fitness.”

Being outside also saves money. The average gym membership in Toronto costs around $40 to $50 a month at a well-known gym. Something more serious like Crossfit can cost $150 to $200 a month.

“I think the best thing about training outside is mentally it’s a lot easier for people to relax because you don’t have a lot of reference. You don’t have a mirror; you’re not staring at yourself like you would be in the gym…being at the gym can be very self-conscious,” Baker said.

Greg Wells, assistant professor of kinesiology and physical education at the University of Toronto says working out outside has many physiological benefits, however research is still new on this.

“Exercising outside seems to help lower stress hormone levels and that is a huge benefit in our world,” he said. “It also appears that exercising outside is easier than exercising inside for the same intensity of work. So you can probably exercise harder and longer outside than you could if you were training inside.”

Research has also shown that exercise at the Photo courtesy: Daniel Baker

Daniel Baker uses a TRX Fitness strap attached to a tree for suspension training

same intensity done outdoors can cause one to push harder and perform longer, Wells said. For example, running at 8 km/h, heart rates are lower than when on a treadmill.

For yoga instructor and owner of Prana Fitness Donna Poulidis, having yoga classes outdoors is the best way to have self-control over mind and your body. She started her outdoor yoga program three years ago and says it has gained great popularity.

When practising yoga outside, there are many distractions to deal with such as kids, noise from cars, people walking by, cyclists but that can be beneficial. “…The reason we take our practice outside is to learn how to contain…and how to develop a more meditated and concentrated practice,” Poulidis said. “You train your mind how to release any unnecessary thoughts…you actually start to train how to breathe and how to bring your awareness more single focused…with greater ability to breathe we actually regulate our hormones and we actually think more clearly and our moods start to actually enhance.”

Baker says time goes by much faster when working out in nature. It’s a like a little adventure in the park that one cannot usually experience in a gym. “…you feel better because you known you’ve exercised and done something good for your body,” he said.

Baker offers one on one sessions with clients in High Park

Photo courtesy: Daniel Baker

December 2013 www.downtowncoremag.com

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FUN RUN TREND

BY TICHAON TAPAMBWA 5K races are getting exciting again. Theme races are getting a touch of homegrown talent.

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alk, run, or crawl. Whatever you do, don’t let the zombies catch you.

Riverdale Park felt like a scene out of a zombie apocalypse. The echoes of running footprints were just as abundant as the zombies ready to tear off flesh. But this event in October had a unique quirk to it.

They were all smiling in the name of fitness and charity.

Events such the inaugural Running Dead are all part of the new theme races trend. Instead of the traditional 5K run, these races or sometimes obstacle courses focus on special themes to bring in the fun aspect of running. Popular races include the Color Run, the Spartan Race, and Tough Mudder.

“There was an oversaturation of charity 5K and 10K races, there was not much appeal to it. The trend really started in the U.S. and from there its been massive, exploding in Canada,” said Marissa Schroder, publisher of Get Out There magazine, one of Canada’s leading resources for outdoor recreation.

During the summer, there were numerous races across Canada including the Color Run. Dressed in white, participants run the 5K race while being doused with an array of colourful powders. By the end, runners look like human popsicle sticks.

The theme races welcome participants of all shapes and sizes with no specific fitness level needed. As a result, most participants come to races with the intent of enjoying themselves instead of trying to get a workout.

The Color Run is U.S. based and like many other runs, it is crossing the border due to the potential in the Toronto market.

“This is a phenomenon that has never happened before, to have this number of huge U.S. events come to Canada is just unheard of,” said Schroder. We haven’t been a market that they are interested in but now with the availability of people for these races, it’s just gone crazy.

This has led Canadian organizers competing for the spotlight.

With Drake playing in the background, the Running Dead looked like an apocalypse had just hit Toronto. Throughout the park, zombies were helping each other spray that last bit of blood to make themselves as realistic as possible.

“Let’s do it in the heart of the city, right on the subway line, so that its accessible to everyone. We didn’t want to be like Tough Mudder or the Spartan Race which go outside the city,” said JP Richards, organizer of the Running Dead explaining why he chose Riverdale Park to hold his inaugural zombie run.

An obstacle course, the run has two types of people; the humans and the zombies. The task of the humans is to get through many obstacles while they have zombies gunning for their lives.

The obstacles include going through trails with hidden zombies, being attacked by a zombie dodge ball group, and also getting past a female troupe of zombie skaters in an ice rink.

Organizers hope to expand across Canada. Part proceeds are in support of the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Richards said.

He also stresses the core reason for why theme races are becoming more prevalent.

“People don’t have time to sign up for a 12 week softball

Tichaon Tapambwa // DTC league, so this is a time for friends to get together and have a good time without going for a longer period,” said Richards. “People are looking for a humble brag, they are looking for something to say on Monday.”

The theme races run on originality, something Diane ­­­Chesla believes Canada has a lot of.

“In Ontario, we’ll never get the same numbers that the states has and we’ll never franchise, so we’ll never lose our quirkiness,” said Chesla, creator and director of the Chocolate Race, currently in it’s sixth year in St. Catherines, Canada.

Though her event may sound contradictory to the core of fitness, that’s the point. Runners enjoy a variety of sinfully good chocolate such as truffles and fudge, while being rewarded with more chocolate for reaching the finish line.

Her event spawns from the Wine Run in France.

She notes that the fun run trend will see a change soon.

“The growth in races has been driven by women that are beginner to intermediate runners and I think it will stay there … it might also go more towards the obstacle themed courses,” said Chesla. ­­­­ Don’t expect to see the trend slow down any time soon. Because many races come from the U.S., they come and go. As a result, Canadians are finding ways to keep the fun run community thriving.

“Most of these theme races from the U.S. have huge marketing budgets … a lot of the Canadian race directors have had to respond, and compete with their counterparts and step up especially on their marketing efforts,” said Schroder.

For now lets just wait for events such as the Ugly Sweater Run.

Clockwise:

1. Participants in the program help each other with the last bits of blood before the Zombie Run.

Tichaon Tapambwa // DTC

Tichaon Tapambwa // DTC

2.. With the logo behind her, the undead becomes alive as she plants a smile on her face.

3. Reminiscent of ‘American Gothic’, this Toronto pair share their last moments together before the race.

4. Along the running track, a zombie sherriff hold the participants red flags (their lives) .

Tichaon Tapambwa // DTC

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December 2013 www.downtowncoremag.com

Arooj Yaqub // DTC

T

MUAY

hey thought they had seen it all.

It was Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon(1973), Jackie Chan in Rumble in the Bronx (1995), and Jet Li in Kiss of the Dragon (2001). However, for the first time in North American history it was Belgian actor and director Jean-Claude van Damme’s Kickboxer (1989) that had people salivating at the savage artistry of this martial art.

Muay Thai is the national sport and martial art of Thailand. Practitioners of Thai boxing define it as the art and science of the eight limbs or — eight weapons: two fists, two elbows, two knees and two feet come together in a brutal battle of battering attrition.

Warren Lee, founder and president of Toronto’s first Kickboxing and Muay Thai (TKMT) in 2006, says his life changed when he made the switch of teaching high school students to opening his chain of gyms in Toronto.

“The smarter and stronger person will win,” he explains. “That’s why practitioners need to focus heavily on cardio and conditioning. Without those elements you’re not going to last at the battle of attrition. People who are regularly competitive don’t really have long careers because it’s very hard

BY AROOJ YAQUB

on the body.”

It’s a truth Preston Baptiste, a trainer and competitive fighter of TKMT knows all too well.

“It’s a thinking man’s game,” he said “you have to be ahead of your opponent at least two-three steps of the way just to even really be on a level playing field. If you don’t know what you’re doing they can capitalize on that. I ended up fighting a guy heavier than me, we were both going for a right low kick and ended up meeting in the middle, I ended up cracking my kneecap… It did heal, it doesn’t hurt anymore but regardless of what doctors told me, I didn’t really know whether to trust my knee 100% or not.”

Despite the physical consequences of competitive Muay Thai, trainers and competitors believe it is worth every ounce of pain.

“It’s given me a new life. It’s given me hope, respect, confidence, skill that I never thought I would have,” said Baptiste. “I was able to travel the world, convert to Buddhism and meet new people, able to teach, and see

Arooj Yaqub // DTC

Arooj Yaqub // DTC

Arooj Yaqub // DTC

THAI

people pick up on techniques that I’ve used and have learned from other people over the years. It’s given me everything. I don’t look at anything really negatively anymore, everything is positive.”

While kickboxing is reminiscent of sweaty men in silk shorts, the inner strength is something women have also keenly taken to. “..Not only are they doing something very physically demanding to help them lean out and get strong but they’re also learning a martial art and how to defend themselves. Statistically speaking women are very susceptible to danger. A woman should not have to feel scared the way men don’t when they are walking down the street is what I believe.” Lee said.

Levi Cristobal, the 2011 Canadian National Women’s 50kg champion, says Muay Thai is not just a physical battle but a battle of the mind.

“Before a fight I step aside and bow. I recite “no ego,” to myself a few times before entering the ring because I get pretty into it and I can lose sight of how hard I’m going at it. Sometimes I refuse to train people because they are simply doing Muay Thai for superficial reasons. Muay Thai is not about how many calories you burn; it is an honourable sport and

Right: Preston Baptiste (right) trains Levi Cristobel (left) for an upcoming fight in New York this December.

Left: Baptiste blocks Levi Cristobel’s punch.

Bottom: Cristobel stretches before her training session

deserves respect. It has given me confidence and strength.”

Without doubt Muay Thai helps trainers channel their inner confidence but comes at the price of potential injury. “… I did my job. A good entrepreneur is not just thinking about how to stuff money in his pocket but how to create a service that will benefit a lot of people. Money will come that’s not the main focus. It’s about trying to help people.” Lee says.

Arooj Yaqub // DTC

December 2013 www.downtowncoremag.com

24

Running shoe

H

technology

umans were born to run. During the times of evolution our feet were the only way we could travel. We should do everything in our power to not only protect our feet but also have the right equipment when it comes to using them for

running.

With advancements and technology being incorporated into running shoes, it becomes vital for a person to know their own foot and what kind of shoe is best for them.

Brands like Nike and Vibram have new running shoes with barefoot—technology shoes that have minimal to no support, basically your foot is doing everything for you when running. Vibram is popular for its FiveFingers shoe—which can’t get any more barefoot than that—while Nike is coming out with Nike Free shoes with minimal support.

But according to Tim Chan, a sales associate at the Running Room on Wellington St. and Yonge St., these new barefoot technology shoes are not the way to go. According to the Running Room, all sales associates are runners who’s philosophy is that “if you’re out there running on the same roads as the customers, you can better relate to them”.

“Pretty much you’ve got the minimal craze like people walking around with the five-toed shoes or the Nike Frees that are on TV all the time, that follows this whole trend that humans were born to not have material under their foot, to be more free,” Chan said. “...n the other side of the spectrum we have shoes that for the most part have not changed, having a lot of support...But technology wise you’re looking at the most advanced runners in the world, Olympic athletes for instance. None of them are using barefoot technology. All of them are using the tried and true technology from the past 40 years.”

Chan added that the research being done with these minimal shoes is too new and hasn’t been proven if it is any better for a person.

“We don’t know how the [shoes] will affect our bodies yet,” he said. “And you have to think about that everybody’s body is different...So what happens if you take a really heavy person with a heavy step and you give them a very light minimalistic shoe with very little support or cushioning? That leads to injury.”

But runner Emmy Fraenk disagrees. Originally from the Caribbean island St. Maarten, Fraenk, 21, currently runs 200m and 400m for the Hampton University track team in Hampton, Virginia.

Looking for the right running shoe, she looks for style, comfort and price. She also prefers lightweight running shoes.

“I enjoy running barefoot, especially in the sand and grass. It strengthens your foot muscles and eliminates many aches I have from running,” Fraenk said. “I’m flat footed so I look for a comfortable shoe which also provides stability. I also look for shoes that force me to break my bad flat-footed running habit and also provides enough comfort.”

Alicia Caripuna, assistant manager at Kids Foot Locker in Scarborough Town Centre, also embraces this new barefoot technology. However, when it comes to dealing with clients who

BY KENYA BRUCE

are strong runners or run over long distances, she recommends shoes such as Asics or Mizuno that have a lot of support and memory foam. For people who do a lot of weights, she recommends minimalist shoes such as the Nimbus minimalist or Nike Free Fit. “Before it used to always be about thicker heel. People thought that it was better support, but in actuality what the minimalist shoe is doing is giving you a stronger foot,” Caripuna said. “It’s giving you a stronger foot with your calves, thighs even your buttocks.

I noticed with the companies now they’re introducing it at really young ages. They would sell a minimalist shoe for a kid that’s considered preschool sizes.”

According to a study by researchers at Brigham Young University, regular runners who make the switch from normal running shoes to barefoot shoes too quickly, can suffer from an increased risk of injuries to the bones in the foot. The findings are alarming due to the fact minimalist running shoes with barefoot technology make up 15 per cent of the running shoe market.

Sheldon Nadal, podiatrist at Sheldon H. Nadal D.P.M. on Eglington Ave. E., also believes that these new minimal shoes do not have enough support and therefore can lead to injuries.

“The shoes that have the helpful [technology] are like the air type shoes that have a lot of cushioning under the heel and arch,” Nadal said. “I think people need more shock absorption if they are running on hard surfaces. I don’t believe these minimal shoes give people enough support or shock absorption especially since when they run they put multiple of their weight through their feet.”

Nadal suggests the shoe should have a firm counter, the part that wraps around the heel. It should be firm enough to hold the heel in place and there should be a hard outer layer on the sole where the foot or shoe meets the ground. There should also have a soft inner layer for shock absorption.

At the Running Room, Chan and other sales associates also help guide customers into finding the perfect running shoe that suits their feet with a specific chart that fits the needs of the customer.

“We do a gate check for you, see how your alignment is, see if your arch is folding, if your ankles come in, or if you knees move at all and then base you off a categorical system which goes a neutral stability or a motion control shoe which pretty much high arches, low medium flexible arches or flat feet and we give you a shoe based off that.”

Chan also likes to address any history of issues such as knee pain or problems with his customers. He will also ask the person who is running how do they feel when they go for a run or what is the normal distance they will be running. Every shoe is slightly different based off distance and a person’s foot is going to change over a certain distance.

At his practice, Nadal receives a lot of patients with various foot injuries, most common plantar fasciitis, which is pain at the

Kenya Bruce // DTC

Nike Free Fit Price: $100-$115

About: “Nike Frees are different than traditional ath-

letic shoes. They’re designed to let your feet move more freely and naturally, which means your muscles will be doing a bit more work than demanded of them in some other athletic shoes. Nike encourages you to get used to them gradually for a safer, more effective and more enjoyable experience.”

Materials: “The durable ripstop upper and transpar-

ent monomesh provide lightweight coverage, while allowing sweat vapors to escape. To help regulate temperature and reduce sweat, outlast lining warms or cools your feet as needed.”

“The low-profile design lets you feel closer to the ground, with a Phylite midsole that provides lightweight cushioning and durability to double as an outsole, dramatically reducing the overall weight of the shoe.”

Would you buy them?

Source: store.nike.com

Alicia Caripuna sports her Nike Free Fit shoes. She believes these shoes are great for regular training and helps strengthen the foot while running.

Kenya Bruce // DTC

December 2013 www.downtowncoremag.com

26

riders ride, 100 km races in Ontario’s backyard

racers race

N

ew cycling races are giving Tour de France realness.

100 kilometer races might sound like a crazy idea, but there’s a subcultures of riders gaining a presence in Toronto.

Cycling is not new, its been a staple in the Olympics but recreational racing has seen a resurgence. In Toronto, bike shops have increased in presence.

‘Riders ride, racers race’.

That is Graham Fraser’s motto for Centurion Cycling. As founder, he started the sport three years ago, bringing in new cyclists that want to feel like they are riding with the professionals. The races occur just north of Toronto, in cities near Blue Mountain resort and Collingwood, Ontario The races also range in length, from 50 km to 160 km.

“Fraser saw that there was a demand for citizens to take part in the 100km rides, but a lot of riders who started going to the races are also competitive,” said Mark Berger, a former Pan Am Olympian athlete, who now coaches riders at WattsUp Cycling in East York. “The people who want to race are in front quarrel while those who want to do it more leisurely are in the back.”

The inclusion of both racers and riders is a result of cycling’s popularity. With Ontario’s scenery being the backdrop, racers can focus on their times, while riders can create a camaraderie.

Ed Veal, 37, tied for first place at the 2013 Blue Mountain Centurion race this year. Along with Jeff Schiller, they finished with a time of 4:25:03.53 in the C100, a 161 km race with 623 other riders.

BY TICHAON TAPAMBWA

“It’s not fitness for me, its not looking good in a t-shirt, I love racing,” he said. “If I just met someone and they want to race me in a soccer field, I will do it. I like figuring out the strategy, the tactics, and learning how your opponents are unpredictable.”

Veal started cycling 10 years ago but his impressive numbers have riders asking him for coaching advice.

He is the founder of Real Deal Racing, a cycling studio with many locations in and around the GTA. They coach people how to race in centurions and other cycling races.

“I want to be a 40-year-old Olympian,” he said.

“It just opened my eyes and I asked myself, why am I being just the local fast guy? why don’t I get on a bigger stage and see where I’m ranked in the world.”

Riding in a race similar to the professional is tasking. Riders learn the ins and outs of being in a race.

“The type of day you have depends on the

determination you have at the beginning ... the harder you work at the beginning, the more have a chance to ride with other people without getting dropped by the group,” said Mike Mendel, co-owner of Real Deal Racing.

“Its sort of casual at the beginning and then once you get to the first set of hills it gets serious. Then as the races progresses you get to the point when your body starts to make those little complaints. At that point you start making deals with yourself.”

“From then it is all downhill and flat for the finish. The racers are usually happier because they know its about to be over,” he said.

“We are in the midst of a social movement being driven by the white collar executive community. Cycling is becoming the number one lifestyle choice for lawyers and doctors over the age of 40,” said Michael Merrall, organizer of the Epic Tour Halton, GTA’s Gran Fondo.

“I think all these events are about the same thing, which is an emotional reward,” said Merrall.

“It’s a combination of excitement and a sense of accomplishment.”

December 2013 www.downtowncoremag.com

27

Labour of l ve Is love the answer to all workouts?

Vina Vo trains for her body building competition by doing a deadlift at Central Technical School.

F

or anyone in a relationship, the thought of sticking to an exercise routine seems impossible. Not for Peter and Edna Pereira.

The Pereiras didn’t expect their professional relationship to become personal and even further, to become a business.

The personal trainers and life coaches are the creators of “Fit2Touch” a DVD soon to go mobile, that promises a total body workout for couples.

Initially pitched on CBC’s TV series Dragon’s Den, it was created while the couple was watching a movie one evening. They started play fighting and discovered a brand new workout regime.

“She placed her leg on my leg,” Peter said. ““We resisted against one another and I was like, ‘Wow I felt that on my inner thigh!’ It sparked a whole slew of exercises.”

“One person is the gym equipment and the other person uses them for the exercise,” Edna added.

The result of Fit2Touch can be seen as improving a couple’s physicality, but also how it translates into their emotional connection.

“I have a couple that I train in the morning, and as soon as they walked in you could feel they weren’t happy.” Peter said. “We got them to do couples exercises and within 10 to 15 minutes they were laughing.”

One of the most interesting things about their regimen is how it can be incorporated into any person’s lifestyle.

“When [my son] was three weeks old I started bringing him with me to clients and we would use our babies as weight…” Edna said. “It’s fun and they love it. They’re on your legs and playing aeroplane and you’re lifting them.”

Through this endeavour the Pereira’s say their bond has become stronger than ever.

“You’re doing something together, you’re having fun…you’re helping each other reach your fitness goals and it translates into every other aspect of life,” Edna said However, life doesn’t always work the way we imagine it.

Vina Vo, a television and broadcast student at Centennial College fell hard for her buff assistant instructor at TKMT, (Toronto’s kickboxing and Muay Thai). Two and a half years later, the rela-

Peter and Edna Pereira creators of Fit2Touch, do a couple’s squat.

Photo courtesy: Peter Pereira

BY AROOJ YAQUB

tionship was over.

“He lacked the motivation I saw at the beginning. I thought, he’s a man, holy crap! Seeing him teach me with that body – a body I yearned to have turned me on. Most of all though, I saw his determination and now I realize that is what I was attracted to,” Vo said.

After teaching at TKMT, her ex-boyfriend started to take classes again at university but struggled, he was soon jobless Vo explained.

Vo decided to let go of the past and start fresh. She is currently training for her first bodybuilding competition. She has one coach, two personal trainers, modeling classes and a meal plan in place.

“It doesn’t matter unless I put in the work. I was sick of seeing other people accomplishing what I wanted. I was feeling like the fat girl- the old Vina. I kept saying I can’t, I’m just gonna eat this and I’ll be fine and now I realize I can change my mind,” she said.

“I don’t care if I win, I just want to show people that I freaking did it! It feels amazing to be gaining strength and to conquer the weight because you’re in control…the sky is the limit but I feel past that limit,” she said.

Though Vo makes it seem easy, the struggle is a constant battle. One that has led her to achieving 25% body fat from an initial start of 44% “The struggle for me was getting rid of the limits and excuses I put in my head. I’ve realized what you think of yourself is perceived by others,” she said. “I trained my mind to know not everything is an overnight process and it SUCKS. My struggles became my biggest motivation. Wherever the mind goes, the body will follow.”

However, Vo doesn’t want to stay independent forever.

“I would love to share my experiences with someone but right now I want to focus on myself so that I can bring my best self to that future relationship so that we can grow together,” she said.

B

BY RAJESH SAMMY

elly dancing empowers the feminist movement and women’s sexuality while maintaining a workout. It requires careful attention to the art of hip isolation, using the muscle groups found within the stomach, arms and legs.

Marina Demian, 22, is an Egyptian woman who has belly danced all her life. As an Egyptian, it is common to find girls belly dancing at birthday parties, weddings and family reunions. Demian said belly dancing is a workout but it is also an art form. She said you can often find families sitting together watching people perform belly dancing routines at home.

Falesha Raquel, owner of Diva Diverse has more than 10 years of experience in belly dancing. She holds the title of Miss Caribbean and Miss Jamaica on top of the numerous dance awards she won.

Diva Diverse is a performing arts company founded back in 2003, which provides dance ensembles to special events like weddings, parties and social events.

According to Raquel, belly dancing can help on average for her students to lose 300-500 calories per hour.

Belly dancing is also a great way for mothers to keep fit while pregnant. Raquel said women can use belly dancing as a way to remain calm and relaxed during pregnancy.

The music and costumes vary depending on the style of belly dance. Some styles of the belly dance are slow like yoga, while others are faster similarly to Raquel’s Moroccan style. Each style provides a different experience, which is what belly dancing is unique, as a fitness routine.

Belly dancing can also be a challenge for experienced dancers.

Raina Resplandor a dancer with Diva Diverse, is familiar with many styles but is still a beginner to belly dancing.

“It’s harder than it looks,” Resplandor said. “Belly dancing is more than just being sexy and moving your hips in a certain way.”

Resplandor finds that belly dancing can gather mixed feelings towards the form. She normally performs the belly dance at restaurants but not everyone appreciates the belly dance as well as the middle eastern culture does.

“I performed at a shisha bar to a younger audience. They say ‘wooo, give me a lap dance’,” Resplandor said.

This reaction is evident of the lack of knowledge on the culture of the belly dance. The belly dance is a form of dance which empowers and embraces a women’s sexuality.

“In my belly dance class they come in because they get to be apart of this group where they can wear costumes and dance together and be feminine,” Raquel said.

Belly dancing also teaches women how to relax their muscles. Since some styles of the belly dance are slow, the dance moves imitate yoga techniques. For women who prefer working out among other women, this can be a great alternative since belly dancing is a women orientated routine.

Belly dancing is not just a way of dancing but it is a great way for women socialize and gain a fitter, leaner body through dance. Dressing up in various costumes also encourages women to embrace the culture and their body.

“It’s all about having fun,” Raquel said.

December 2013 www.downtowncoremag.com

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Motivate women through

BELLY DANCING “You use every limb in your body. Your legs for bending, and your arms for sexuality. The focus is on your hips, but you keep your upper body stable.”

Photo Courtesty// Falesha Raquel

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December 2013 www.downtowncoremag.com

JOCK YOGA a new incarnation of yoga attempts to set itself apart from the rest Many of his students call Jock Yoga their secret weapon. Instead of using just unisex postures, DeCorte hones in on the male body, strengthening its weaknesses while highlighting its strengths.

I couldn’t wrap my legs around my head and I couldn’t do splits, so I “There are certain poses that we avoid because they are not accessible to told myself I wouldn’t teach something I didn’t know,” said Michael the general athletic body … i.e men that have tighter hips, tighter shoulders.

DeCorte, the brains behind Jock Yoga, a new athletic incarnation of There are specific movements that we do that open up facial lines that are yoga. more specific to an athletic body,” said DeCorte. “The point is to feed the The female to male ratio in yoga classes tends to lean one way. Michael strengths, give them the satisfaction in being able to do the things that they DeCorte realized this and in 2009 created Jock Yoga, a new practice that can do and feel good doing yoga.” satisfies expert yogis but also brings in male skeptics who think yoga is In addition, men have greater upper body strength, which he highlights not for them. in his classes.

“Jock Yoga is a combination of everything that I am, that I do, Men weren’t always shy of joining yoga classes. Yoga is originally from and that I teach,” said an enthusiastic DeCorte. “I talk in direct India and in the early days, practitioners were mostly males from the terms, I’m not going to say grow a flower out of your chest, I will upper class, upper caste in India. It wasn’t till its introduction to western say lift the centre of your chest, so that an athletic person that civilization that it became commercial. has no Sanskrit background, no yoga background, could come “When yoga became more popular, it just became something in and do the class.” branded more for women then from that it started getting marketed Sitting at a coffee shop, DeCorte has just finished teachtowards women,” said Chrys Muszka, a certified instructor speing a class at System Fitness in the Beaches – East York cializing in Hatha and Restorative Yoga. “Athletic companies like area. Taking a sip of his black tea, he reveals the history Lululemon focus more on yoga clothing for women, and it sudof Jock Yoga. denly links women and yoga rather than men practising yoga.”

Following a successful stint in a recovery program, Muszka and DeCorte both say their classes have a 60 – 40 DeCorte went to Los Angeles to pursue his yoratio of female to males. DeCorte blames Jock Yoga’s media ga-teaching certification. There he met renowned portrayal and male skepticism. yogis such as Vinnie Marino, Seane Corn, and Once Jock Yoga stood on it’s legs, it flourished. Media Bryan Kest, each contributing a unique element flocked to the new yoga practice that was bringing in to the blueprint of Jock Yoga. men. In the process, however, the yoga style’s initial “The reason why [Marino’s] class is hard is goal of broadening the demographic began to dwinbecause he is making you hold poses for a dle. long time, through him I realized that you “The media got hold of it and positioned it as can have an advance class without bending such an intense workout, beginners couldn’t come up like a pretzel,” said DeCorte. “Seane to a class anymore,” said DeCorte. “How are Corn taught me the science behind the they going to pick up postures when they don’t way they set up the series of postures even know the basics? So that kinda pushed in a class.” away guys from coming.”

Marino’s understanding of That’s why he recently held his 40 hour strength and endurance, Corn’s sciJock Yoga University – a yoga teaching ence of yoga, and Kest using of school that certified other teachers to direct language are all elements Michael DeCorte illustrating one of his signature teach Jock Yoga. There will be another alive in DeCorte’s classes five poses. coming up in February. years later.

Photo Courtesy // Michael DeCorte

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BY TICHAON TAPAMBWA

December 2013 www.downtowncoremag.com

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The Monkey Vault Movement Centre currently in construction set to open in December Rajesh Sammy/// DTC

RUNNING AROUND THE CITY Parkour athletes in Toronto find themselves practicising at a gym dedicated to teaching young and old the parkour way of life

T

BY RAJESH SAMMY o get from one place to another, is the best way in describing parkour. By using interested in learning the technique of the sport, existing structures in any environment, and for experts to refine their skills. practitioners of the sport maneuvers through the “This sport is very progressive. You don’t just space using the human body. get out there and jump off the highest thing and “[Parkour] involves running, jumping, climbing, land on the ground.” Iaboni said. “We follow a crawling, and sort of propelling yourself and re- logical process to get people from one place to directing momentum,” Dan Iaboni said. another.”

Iaboni, 30, is the owner of The Monkey Vault Matt Salewski is a former parkour athlete who Movement Training Centre in Toronto. His newly started his own group at the University of Torenovated 10 000-square-foot facility is set to re- ronto. Salewski who has five years experience in open in a few weeks. It offers a gymnastic floor, parkour started the group with a friend, to unfoam pits, wall derstand the parkour climbers and bars community within the “It is really fun, it’s and beams for University. something we all did as swinging.

Salewski says parkWith more than our is a sport that kids.” Iaboni said. “We 12 years of exanyone can learn. In all jumped and played perience, Iaboni the many meet ups and all of our parents started this gym he participated in, he yelled at us at one point for parkour enfound people of all or another.” thusiasts to come ages and sizes particand work out in ipating.

Dan Iaboni a controlled enviParkour pushes evronment. ery part of your body. Depending on the enviBecause parkour does not require equipment, it ronment, athletes may have to run more, pull their makes for a great sport for anyone on a budget. body across obstacles and or jump off ledges as All you need is a shirt and a pair of running shoes efficiently as possible. to get started.

“It’s a lot of core, a lot of leg, your quads It is known to be an outdoor sport, but the gym will also get a big hit. If you are doing a lot of is used as an all-year training ground for students bar work, your arms are going to get worked.”

Salewski said.

Piers Fountain, 21, was in competitive gymnastics for four years before getting into parkour. While browsing YouTube back in 2008, he came across videos of people jumping from roof to roof. He went to a lake near by, jumped off the cliff and said, “This is what parkour is!” Of course at the time he did not understand what parkour was about. Fountain is what most would like to call a self-taught parkour enthusiast.

Fountain has been practising parkour for about five years now. He said the most important part to parkour is being able to spread out the impact throughout the body. You spread the weight across the arms, shoulders and legs. Learning to perfect the roll used after jumps is crucial to every parkour athlete.

Fountain in particular likes the philosophy and the way of life parkour brings to its athletes.

“You can tailor it to your own level.“ Fountain said. “Just because someone can jump over that bar so much faster than you can doesn’t mean you can’t still get over that bar. You can take your time.

It’s still about getting from point a to point b.”

Salewski believes that moving towards indoor spaces and safe structured environments is the way of the future for parkour. It will allow more students to be safe, learn and properly attempt jumps.

It’s about creating well-rounded athletes that want to get from one place to another.

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Kenya Bruce @kenyashirabruce

• Rajesh Sammy @rajtafarian • Tichaon Tapambwa @tichaon • Arooj Yaqub @aroojaqub