Today's guest first dipped his toe into the swimming pool when he enlisted in the Marines and completed his swim test with survival backstroke. And if you can't tell by the name alone, survival backstroke isn't really what we would call a stroke...rewind a few years to when Dexter Braithwaite, today's guest, saw a triathlon on TV and thought it was so crazy and made it a goal to compete in one some day. Now Dexter trains for triathlons year round and he's definitely not swimming survival backstroke anymore. Sit back and take a listen as we get to know Dexter and his story a bit more and learn how he got to where is in his triathlon journey today.
#51 - If You Have a Pelvic Floor, Does That Mean You Have a Pelvic Ceiling Too?
Today we’re lucky enough to get to talk to Jamie Bennett, a local physical therapist & owner of PhysioCore LLC who specializes in internal work, specifically the pelvic floor. We chat all about what parts of the body make up your pelvic floor, what signs to look for in case you’re concerned your pelvic floor needs a tune up - hint hint, it most likely doessss - a simple way to strengthen the muscles of your pelvic floor, and more. I’m a little bit of third wheel on this one, I’m not gonna lie! But you know what, I did my best. Think I should say pelvic floor one more time? Pelvic floor?
You can find out more info about Jamie and PhysiCore through the links below!
https://www.physiocorellc.com
https://www.facebook.com/physiocorellc
IG handle: @physiocore_va
#50 - How Do I Swim Slowly?
No, we’re not trying to make your swim times slower - although wouldn’t it be funny if for some reason people get so fast over the next few years that the new challenge turns into seeing who can be the slowest swimmer to get across the pool? Then the first person to finish the race would get the pity clap while we waited for the real talent in the water to continue taking their time while we ate our nachos and hot dogs as they finished up. Sigh, to dream. BUT the real meat of today’s podcast is learning how to control your pace in the water! Differentiating between paces while you’re swimming, without the aid of a clock, can be a super difficult concept to grasp. So let’s chat about it!
#49 - Is Your Left Arm Acting Like a Sloth?
Slow and steady wins the race, but not when it comes to the connected movements of your freestyle! Dominic’s been noticing some sloth like movements on the left side of a lot of his clients, let’s see what he’s been having them work on to fix this!
#48 - Zygo, The Voice You WANT In Your Head
2021 calls for some fancy technology and a great new guest! Today we talk with Sheera Goren, co-owner and CEO of Zygo, a tool used to stream audio underwater using bone conduction technology. You can even use a walkie talkie (of sorts) to talk to your swimmer while they’re swimming, and they can hear you without stopping! Who am I kidding, I can’t explain this nearly as well as Sheera, so let’s take a listen!
https://shopzygo.com/
#47 - New Year, New You! New Vomit
COVID took the wind out of our sails in terms of competing, but that doesn't mean your training should be cast aside like that pair of shoes you hate but for some reason never get rid of! Your technique and problem areas take the most time to break down and rebuild properly, so no racing means it’s more important than ever to ramp up your training.
#46 - Mario's Ironman Cozumel Recap & Wrap Up
The time has come to put the cherry on top of the Mario sundae! Today we talk with Mario and Will of Hearts of Empowerment about how Ironman Cozumel went! We can’t be grateful enough to have been given the opportunity to work with these two, let alone become friends and a part of something so special. No more here, you’ll have to listen to get all the juicy tidbits and find out how the race/trip went!
#45 - Accordion to Us, Breaststroke Is Pretty Cool
Wait, you mean there's more to swimming than freestyle? Talking breaststroke drills, some history of breaststroke, and of course a tangent or five on today's episode of Swim Out of the Box! We take one of my favorite breaststroke drills, Accordion Drill, and break it down to go over the movements and benefits of focusing on this drill and how it has a huge positive impact on the timing of your stroke.
#44 - Be Fit for the Afterlife w/Ola Alghazzouli
Ola Alghazzouli joins us as the first SwimBox instructor to be featured on Swim Out of the Box! Ola’s journey is multi-faceted and comes from a deep passion to bring swimming & fitness to the women of the Muslim community. Also certified as a personal trainer Ola not only teaches lessons for us but also runs her own platform titled Befit4akhirah, which translates to Be Fit for the Afterlife. Listen as we get to know Ola a bit more and debate some swimming techniques at the same time!
#43 - Sam Ray, Renaissance Woman (Well, Sort of)
Video chatting in allllll the way from North Carolina is swimmer, physical therapist, and triathlon coach Sam Ray! Currently working as a physical therapist for Upright Athlete in North Carolina, Sam also just launched Volt, an online coaching platform for performance and biomechanic analysis. Think she has enough on her plate?
#42 - Time for a Little Recap!
Idk about you but I’m not so sure how it got to be the middle of November, but somehow here we are! But what have we been up to at SwimBox? Let’s find out!
#41 - Bring it Home, Mario!
Mario Moises Mejia and Will Reyes are back again for some pre Ironman race talks! We talk with Mario about his training journey, getting ready for Cozumel and preparing for race day and the aftermath, and what he plans to do next when it comes to being the light. We can’t thank Hearts of Empowerment enough for the opportunity to be a part of something so special and we’re so excited to continue our work with both them and Mario in the coming months.
#40 - Let's Talk Different Coaching Philosophies
Long time friend and triathlon coach Morgan Latimore, come on down! Morgan loves coaching his triathlon and ultra-marathon clients to help them reach those PR’s and achieve their goals. He works to mentor his athletes in both time and stress management in addition to his physical training workouts in order to help create a strong athlete-coach relationship that benefits long term achievements and goals. Listen in as Dominic chats about his own coaching styles in comparison and how each philosophy is beneficial for their athletes.
#39 - Who Ever Thought of Using Breathing for PT?
Owner of Volition Performance in Vienna, VA Vik Somal joins us to discuss how he came to start his company and what drives him to get up every day and help others with their physical limitations. His goal? To improve your quality of life in every movement that you make.
Take a look at Volition Performance below!
https://www.volitionperformance.com/about
#38 - Keep on Swimming
Mario Mejia’s BACK for more! This time around we touch base on how his training with us is going and how it compares to what he thought he was getting into in terms of “swim lessons.” Think it’s weird to have swim lessons on land where you only work on breathing for 20 minutes? We don’t.
#37 - Mario Mejia & How He Embodies "Be The Light"
Training for an Ironman is a big commitment. Now take that commitment and add in getting sober and getting your life on track to the table, sound a bit more difficult? Not if you’re Mario Mejia it’s not. Listen while we continue our discussion with Will from Hearts of Empowerment and turn the focus to Mario’s story and his training for his upcoming race in November.
#36 - Hearts of Empowerment & Their Mission (w/a Side of Banana Bread)
Co-Founder Will Reyes joins us to discuss his local charity Hearts of Empowerment, an nonprofit organization that supports other nonprofits with their missions, bringing funding and awareness to their causes. We also have Mario Mejia with us, Hearts of Empowerment’s current Ironman athlete whom we’re also working with on his swimming. Ohh, did we mention banana bread? It’s not important, we just talk about it a lot for no apparent reason…
#35 - Decompression Techniques, Foam Rolling, and Sandwiches?
Kim Fischer Key is back to settle the sandwich debate! We also go more deeply into decompression techniques, foam rolling, most commonly seen injuries and how to work through them, and the occasional soon-to-be-beaten-into-the-ground food joke…
#34 - The Extended Pre-Season
Justine Trolle’s back to talk with us about the current state of Triathlon Pre-Season and how it’s affecting his athlete’s training approaches. Justin is a USAT Level 3 Certified Triathlon Coach and Mentor to beginning triathlon coaches. Dominic and Justin discuss the current state of training, how athletes are currently working out/training, and how it’s affecting their and their upcoming races.
#33 - Frozen Shoulder, Trigger Point Releases, & The Best Kind of Toast
Kim Fischer Key is back to answer your burning question: what’s her favorite thing on toast?! We also discuss common swimmer issues, frozen shoulder, more myofascial decompression, and (everyone’s favorite phrase) much more!
