Reviewing Battle Bunker with Ariana Scalfo and Alec Blenis #056

Ariana and Trevor sit down and chat about the V3 template changes, what's next for CHP templates, and why they chose to push hard in this direction (app development aside). Plus, it's a general introduction into who Trevor is and how he ended up a military yoga teacher who also did CrossFit (it's true).  New to CHP: Strength + 5k Strength + 10k Trail + Distance Strength + Half Marathon Follow Trevor at @trevor.tartaglia 

Susan Lopez MS, RDN, CSSD, LD, TSAC*F is a Registered Dietitian working for a Special Operations unit, and boy does she have some fascinating insight for hybrid and tactical athletes. Susan outlines the different strategies she uses for the two most common athlete archetypes she encounters in Special Operations, including approaching protein intake, total calories, supplementation, and working around their difficult and unpredictable lifestyles. Learn how she provides for her team by protecting their health and performance in the now, and designing their intake and supplement protocols to support their health and longevity in the military. Follow Susan on In1stagram at @tactical.dietitian

Meet Jack Driscoll, self-proclaimed "overall fitness enjoyer," firefighter, coach, and phenomenal hybrid athlete. A guy who enjoys launching himself at a wide variety of fitness events, Jack burst into the competitive scene by winning Rally in the Valley, around the same time that he was tackling Hybricon Regionals, followed by a bodybuilding competition, and then an Ironman. Back to back to back. There may have been a powerlifting meet in there, too. Jack discusses how he trained for a sub-3 hour marathon in 18 months, as a dude who "runs like a refrigerator" and doesn't even particularly like distance running. How did he trick himself into doing the long runs? How slowly, carefully, and sustainably did he start out?  Fitness shouldn't be a punishment, and Jack finds joy in trying new things and developing his fitness in new ways. Jack of all trades, Master of none - with the unbeatable mindset that treats failure as a lesson and a challenge, not an end. "Send it" with Jack as he trains for his 100-miler on Instagram at @jack.d_fitness

Vera Stepina is a lifestyle and nutrition coach, a hybrid athlete who was doing hybrid stuff before it was hybrid, a client of Alex Viada's, and a woman with 3 children who is rediscovering her potential after at least a year of considering it "dead in the water." Listen to Vera and Ariana discuss the mindset required for massive lifestyle overhauls and shifts, the common roadblocks people experience (including themselves), the trials and tribulations of Kettlebell Long Cycles, and how Vera surprised the shit out of herself for at least the 3rd time this year. The good, the bad, the ugly, and some insights from long-time nutrition coaches who both came into their athleticism much later in life (after spending a lot of their lives considering athleticism entirely off the table). See also: Why it's incredibly important to volunteer at events, why it's important to try new things, and be totally okay with being really, really bad at them.  Follow Vera on Instagram at @vera_stepina Follow Complete Human Performance @completehumanperformance  

Kaleb is a tenured Spartan pro athlete, HYROX racer, DEKA athlete, and hybrid competitor - listen to him discuss how he arrived at this competitive level, what appeals to him about hybrid sport, and the pros and cons of being a "larger" competitor (6'3, 210+ lbs). On top of that, Kaleb is an upstanding gent and brilliant sportsman, bringing a ferocity and amicability to the start line that few people balance just right. Kaleb discusses how he gets into the right mindset for competition, how that's evolved during his time as a competitor and after his time in the military, and how his network of fellow competitors keep him focused. Hybricon 2024 sounds like it's going to be lit, and he's already signed up for Rally in the Valley 2024. Coming right off of crewing Kris Rugloski at the World's Toughest Mudder 2023, Kaleb discusses the planning and challenges that come with a 24 hour race (plan A needs a plan B, C, D, E, F, and Z), and the ways he's prepping for this DEKA and Hyrox Season alongside Hunter McIntyre. Follow Kaleb on Instagram at @kaleb.yates.fitness Follow BLDR at @bldrsports Follow CHP at @completehumanperformance  

Sit down (although I'm pretty sure he stood the whole time) with Phillip Muscarella, the champion of the 2023 Hybricon Games.  Dealing with competition anxiety, and operating from a place of gratitude and joy Coming into "hybrid" from a CrossFit background Differences and improvements from last year at the Hybricon Games Creating a balanced hybrid competition ("you can't call this a strength event if there's running in it") and seeing "creator bias" in event selection Bettering yourself and finding your fullest potential using sport The way a competition plays out doesn't represent you, or your total value, as a person.  "How big and strong can you be, but how fast can you still move?" Pushing the boundaries on both sides of the coin to find true human capability. The value of competition for development and growth Listen in and leave your thoughts!  Follow Phillip on IG at @pmuscky55 @officialsportacademy @hybricongames @thebattlebunker @completehumanperformance    

Meet Dr Sam Spinelli. Doctor of Physical Therapy, gym owner, powerlifter, strongman, Olympic weightlifter, ultrarunner, Spartan obstacle course racer, father, and 2022's Crucible Pro Champ, Sam goes all-in on everything he does with the same kind of self-awareness, mild craziness, and uninhibited zeal found in high-level Hybrids. Listen in as Sam discusses how he found the idea of "hybrid," and what compelled him to take the leap into lifting and running. Sam discusses with Ariana how he had to adjust his mindset, approach, and expectations in the shift from exclusively lifting, to training for endurance, and how he assists his clients and patients in approaching similar hurdles (doing things you don't like doing, or find unfamiliar or uncomfortable; the "broccoli"). And finally, Sam chats all things Crucible, goals for 2024, and how his training evolved from 2022 to 2023. If you want to follow Sam on Instagram, go to @dr.samspinelli  If you want to work with Sam, follow @citizenathletics1 If you want to learn about Physical Therapy and associated resources, follow him on YouTube @CitizenAthletics The Crucible runs from October 1st to October 31st, and you can register HERE until October 26th, submissions open until Nov 1: https://competitioncorner.net/events/10913/details  

Ariana chats with her friend Matt B Davis, who created and runs Obstacle Racing Media and Hybrid Fitness Media, two of the only forms of media purely covering Obstacle Course Racing and Hybrid Fitness Events. They discuss how they've seen hybrid events develop and grow, the industry and community, and the events that have popped up with increasing regularity year after year. The two "big events" are Hyrox and Deka, but with Hybricon Games, Rally in the Valley, Go Ruck Games, 3KO, Grit Games, etc flooding the field - what kinds of athletes will we see drawn to these events? If you don't compete in any competition, can you call yourself a competitive "hybrid athlete?" How has CHP aimed to solve that with the yearly virtual competition, The Crucible? Why are most hybrid events "mostly endurance, with some strength" and what kind of athletes could we see drawn to hybrid events if they were more strength-focused? Or would that just be CrossFit? Follow Matt on Instagram and YouTube at @MattBDavis @Obstacleracingmedia for your obstacle racing needs @HybridFitnessMedia for your hybrid racing needs and buy the man a coffee! Follow CHP on Instagram @completehumanperformance

Join Director of Coaching Ariana Scalfo as she chats with her friend (and hero) Lauren Weeks. Lauren is a 3x Hyrox World Champion, CrossFit competitor, DekaFit solid, 2x GoRuck Games competitor, Spartan Games Champion, Spartan Race winner, and Battle Bunker finalist 2022/contender 2023. After her explosion into hybrid athletics thanks to Deka's unstoppable Yancy Culp, Lauren has dominated every sport she touches. She's also a mother of a 1 year old daughter, and has competed in nearly all of these competitions within the last year. What brought Lauren to hybrid training from CrossFit? How did she adjust her training initially, and how has her approach to training for these events evolved as she has spent more time training and competing? How does she choose which competitions to prioritize, when she's got so many to choose from? What were the challenges in pregnancy and postpartum, and how does she feel it's affected her priorities and fitness a year later? Advice for new moms (Ariana's 20 weeks into her own pregnancy, upon recording) What is her new training program, The Hybrid Engine, and how do they approach programming? What are the benefits of setting 'intentions' for individual weekly workouts, as well as strategies for races? How to approach your first race or event of a new kind And more.     You can find Lauren on Instagram at @lauren_e_weeks , and her training company The Hybrid Engine at @thehybridengine . You can find Ariana at @running_peaches and @completehumanperformance If you have any business or coaching inquiries for Lauren, you can email her at [email protected]

CHP Director of Coaching Ariana Scalfo sits down with Laura Gordon, who is both a PhD candidate in Clinical Psychology and an extraordinarily talented hybrid athlete. Recently at Battle Bunker Regionals in Texas, Laura uses her career to educate her fitness and coaching practice, while simultaneously using her fitness and coaching practice to assist her in her career. Areas of interest for Laura include: trauma informed weight lifting, ocean therapy, recreational therapy, and breath work. Laura's sports include: surfing, weightlifting, running, big mountain adventures, and Deep End Fitness. Listen in as Laura and Ariana discuss:  Laura's work in detox and addiction rehabilitation facilities What maladaptive coping mechanisms can look like at their most extreme, and their most "normalized" The benefits of graded exposure to noxious/uncomfortable stimuli for athletes, especially athletes with PTSD/CPTSD, substance abuse, or chronic pain or disease Replicating stress-scenarios that could be found in sport practice in training, safely (breath-holding under extreme stress to replicate stressful and dangerous surfing conditions, or grappling in MMA, etc) The differences between being competitively driven, and challenge-driven, and how they intersect and educate goal selection The importance of visualization and pre-activity mental preparedness and processes How these tools can be implemented by coaches and by athletes for themselves TBH, a lot more To find Laura on Instagram, search @lauragordon__ To contact Laura for coaching, email her at [email protected] Find Ariana on Instagram @running_peaches @completehumanperformance