October 11, 2024 • 31 mins
#118 - Are you looking to “spice things up” regarding your running? Alexander Golik, Underdog Fitness Coach and DEKA & HYROX champion, shares his perspective on why Hyrox is an excellent opportunity for runners and what to expect. AJ also shares his philosophy when coaching athletes.
AJ shares his inspiring journey, from earning victories in DEKA and HYROX to completing a master's degree in nutrition dietetics. As a coach at Underdog Fitness, he talks about his strategies for developing a supportive relationship between coach and athlete, emphasizing the importance of effective communication to prevent burnout. Take advantage of this opportunity to learn from one of the leading voices in the field!
Topics Covered:
- Hear about why Hyrox is an excellent opportunity for runners
- Listen to what to expect when running Hyrox and the different races
- Learn about AJ’s mindset and philosophy when coaching athletes
Today’s Guest
Alexander Golik
AJ is a hybrid/OCR athlete from Long Island, New York. He has his Masters of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics from Johnson & Wales University and is a Sales Manager at Under Armour. AJ grew up involved in and played team sports, which continued through college. He played Division III lacrosse at Purchase College (2x Captain) and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology.
AJ was introduced into racing through a Deka Strong in June 2022 and fell in love with the sport. Since then, he has competed in Spartan, Deka, and Hyrox. AJ has run both a marathon & half marathon as well. Highlights have been becoming a 3x Deka World Champion in the 18-24 age group (Strong & Mile) & ‘23 STRONG Teams World Champion and 2x Hyrox North American Championship in the U24 division.
Follow AJ:
- Instagram - @alexandergolikk
- Website - https://alexandergolikk.univer.se/
- Email - agolik.underdogfitness@gmail.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, my friend, are you looking to break out of the
monotony of running and spicethings up with your races?
Well, today we're talking toAlexander Golik, who shares with
us why you should considerrunning high rocks in hybrid
races, what it is and what toexpect.
We also talk about his new roleas an underdog fitness trainer
and even get into how mindsethas helped him accomplish big
(00:22):
things this past year.
Hope you enjoy.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Welcome to Inspired to Run podcast.
Here you will find inspiration,whether you are looking to take
control of your health andfitness or you are a seasoned
runner looking for community andsome extra motivation.
You will hear inspiring storiesfrom amazing runners, along
with helpful tips from fitnessexperts.
Now here's your host, richardConner.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Hi, my friend, Welcome to Inspire to Run
Podcast.
I'm really excited to besitting down again with
Alexander Golik, aka AJ.
We had him on the show about ayear ago, episode 74, unlock
your Running Potential forGrowth and Success running
potential for growth and success.
And speaking of growth andsuccess, aj had so much of that
just this past year.
(01:10):
So, if you remember, he's ahybrid OCR athlete from Long
Island, two-time Deco worldchampion in the 18 to 24 age
group for the strong and mile.
He won the high rocks NorthAmerican championship in the
under 24 division and he's justhad tremendous success since we
last spoke last year.
So first of all, aj, I want towelcome you to the show and I'd
(01:32):
love to hear kind of what's beengoing on this past year with
you.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Oh, thank you so much for having me on again.
I'm very excited to be here.
Last time was such a blast, sodefinitely grateful to be back
on the show.
So, as far as updates,everything's the same but a
little bit different.
So since we last spoke, decaWorlds came back around, so I
(01:57):
was fortunate enough to win theDECA Mile for the 18-24 age
group, which makes me athree-time age group Decker
World Champion.
The year continued and wecircled back to the High Rocks
North American Championshipagain, which was held in
Washington DC, and I was luckyenough to win the under-24
(02:17):
category again.
And then May came around and Ifinished my master's in
nutrition dietetics from Johnsonand Wales University and we
progressed and I just recentlycompleted my HIROX level one
training certification.
So it's been a whirlwind.
A lot of good things, but dayto day has been the same the
(02:41):
usual work, life, balance,balance and then racing and
traveling all over the place forthose.
So it's been the same, but somefun new things and some cool
accomplishments.
So definitely proud of the yearso far.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Well, we're proud of you, AJ, and yeah, you have
nothing going on here justday-to-day stuff.
No, the things you've beendoing have been absolutely
incredible and I love seeing thework that you're doing.
You know running with theunderdog team and all the things
that you've been involved in,and you continue kind of
learning and doing new thingsand that's kind of what we're
here to talk about, right, someof the new things that you're
doing to build on the successthat you have and to also help
(03:18):
others.
So you know, new news youbecome an underdog fitness
trainer.
So you know, really love tohear kind of how that came about
and what you're focusing onthere, and you know, what kind
of take it from there?
Speaker 3 (03:36):
Yeah, so underdog fitness obviously has been
growing pretty rapidly over thelast two years.
I mean, the gym was opened in2021, the podium chaser team
started in 2022.
And now we're in 2024.
And we're reaching new heightsas a team, obviously led by
Kevin and Jess.
We have a collective ofathletes all over the country
that just hold each otheraccountable and keep pushing
(03:59):
each other and, as a result,we're seeing each other succeed
but also kind of drawing in moreattention, which I personally
think is incredible.
I think Kevin and Jess are twoof the most deserving people for
the attention and obviouslythey then push that on to us, so
nobody really takes thespotlight.
(04:20):
We kind of all try to bounce itoff of each other and send it
elsewhere, which I think is alsoso incredible.
So, because of the growth andthe demand for underdog fitness,
the teams, the training and theunderdog training system in
order to keep, like to preservethe quality and the standard of
(04:52):
what Kevin has set.
So, for those who have workedwith Kevin or who have met Kevin
, he is extremely, extremelypassionate about helping people
succeed in life and fitness andall their endeavors and races,
all of it.
So that standard is somethingthat requires a lot of time and
(05:13):
effort.
So he's taken on a huge amountof clients.
I mean the podium chaser teamfor 2024, I think, had 27
athletes and that does notinclude some of the underdog
pack that we've picked up alongthe way.
So his plate is full and I meanhe's a big dude so he can eat,
but he is a little bit, a littlebit overextended.
(05:38):
And I know that his biggestconcern is to keep the standard
and keep the quality of whatunderdog has to offer.
So he brought on myself, kaylaand Ricardo as three additional
coaches for the underdogtraining system in preparation
for Deco World Championships,which is 10 weeks away as of
(05:59):
today.
So keep checking those emailinboxes if you haven't gotten
your qualification emailsalready.
So that training program isgoing to lead people from today
all the way through until raceday of Deco Worlds.
So we came on, the three of usgot like onboarded and brought
in for the underdog trainingsystem so that we can continue
(06:23):
to extend and bring more peopleonto the team while also keeping
the standard of the coachingand the services that Underdog
provides.
For me, my focus primarily isgoing to be Hyrox and DECA, like
I previously mentioned, I justcompleted my Hyrox level one
(06:44):
training certification, um, sothat's going to be my primary
area of focus would be likeone-on-one hyrox training and
programming for people leadinginto their bigger hyrox races
for the year.
For those who are a little bitmore unfamiliar, hyrox kind of
runs like a more traditionalsports season in the sense that
(07:05):
it doesn't start on January 1stand end on December 30th or 31st
, however many days there are.
It runs from June to May, soWorld Championships is usually
either the last week of May orthe first week of June and then
after Worlds kicks off the nextseason.
So it runs in opposition ofDECA kind of.
(07:28):
So even though DECA worlds isin December, those who are going
to be preparing for high rocksstill are in their season
because they're a race.
If they're able to get to,worlds would be June.
So that's going to be myprimary focus.
Um, obviously we'll um trainDECA as well, more
(07:50):
endurance-based training,running and also strength
training.
But in terms of my primaryfocus, the athletes that I would
love to help the most and feelthat I can be the most
beneficial to would be HIROX andDECA-specific athletes be the
most beneficial to would be highrocks and deck of specific
athletes, okay, okay, that'sexcellent.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
And you know I agree with everything that you said
about the standard that Kevinhas set and you can see that in
the success of all the underdogswho are showing up on the
podiums, right, and they'redoing, performing so well in the
races, and they're just goodhuman beings, right, and you
just see them promoting eachother and supporting each other.
So I totally agree witheverything that you said and you
know it's a privilege and apleasure for me to be part of
(08:29):
that.
So you know, to have trainedwith Kevin for some time and to
participate in these races withyou guys is just incredible for
me.
So I see all of what you saidthere and, and I love how
underdogs kind of takingeverything to the next step to
help, you know, this broadercommunity.
So so congrats, congrats on allthat and I have a lot of
questions for you.
So, but you know, really wouldlove to hear.
(08:51):
You know I want to talk abouthigh rock specifically.
I want to talk about you andand kind of your you know,
training philosophy.
So you know, maybe we'll startwith that, maybe we'll start a
little bit with your trainingphilosophy, like how do you
approach coaching and trainingothers, and you know more.
More specifically, you knowwhat are the types of athletes
that you're looking for yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
So wonderful question .
Um, from my point of view assomebody looking to coach others
, um, I feel like the three mostimportant things, or like my
training philosophy, would belike effective, efficient and
enjoyable.
It's, um, they all work hand inhand in some capacity to keep
(09:39):
progressing and moving theneedle, but at the end of the
day, you want to enjoy trainingso that you can enjoy racing and
keep the vibes high and alwayshave like a more excited mindset
going into races and throughoutyour year.
You don't want to fall intothose slumps or those lulls of
(10:00):
training where you wake up andyou're just not feeling it, so
then you might not do it.
So those are the three I guesslike pillars that I feel for are
important for my coachingphilosophy.
I really want to create anenvironment that is conducive
for learning.
So I'll coach people as long asthey want to work with me, of
(10:25):
course, but at some point intime I would like them to be
able to go kind of go off ontheir own and be able to feel
confident in training andknowing what they have to do and
understanding heart rate zonesand RPE and effort-based
training and things along thoselines.
(10:46):
So creating a positiveenvironment that allows the
athletes to learn and also growas an individual while they're
also trying to progress theirfitness.
I want the training to be thetraining that I offer in the
coaching that I offer to feelrelaxed, which kind of doesn't
(11:09):
sound the best, but I don't meanrelaxed in terms of lazy, I
mean relaxed in terms of, like,stress-free.
So as a coach, I'm going tocommunicate a ton, probably over
communicate, but I feel likethat's the most beneficial to
keep both of us on the same pageand also keep instructions
clear with training andprogramming and also give you an
(11:31):
outlet that you feel you canreach out to me with any
questions or comments orconcerns and express those
things to me without feelingapprehensive.
I do want the athletes that Icoach to be aware of the
standards that I'd like to meet,which circles back to the
(11:52):
previously mentioned underdogfitness standards, because as a
coach, it is also myresponsibility to meet those
standards as an athlete myself,but also then as I'm coaching
other people in the underdogtraining system.
So open or clear transparencythere in terms of like what we
expect from the athletes, whatyou should expect from the
(12:15):
coaches and how we can both worktogether to make sure that we
are meeting those standards.
I really want to give athletesthe opportunity to like, take
their skills that they havealready and build off of them
and progress those to the nextlevel, while also improving
(12:38):
their like foundational fitnessso your strength, your aerobic
base, your overall capacity,your muscular endurance but then
also work on, like, the finerdetails so that on race day you
feel super sharp and you feelsuper ready to get put out your
best effort.
Like you mentioned, our team,the underdog team, has had so
(13:01):
much success in races over thislast year and a lot of that is
due to how programming isstructured.
A lot of it is good blocks thatbuild specific areas and then
also lead you into a race,sharpen your skills and really
(13:22):
set you up for success on raceday.
Um, and then the other thingkind of doubles back to what I
was saying before about likecommunicating and over
communicating, like I want ourrelationship as athlete coach to
feel much more like afriendship where, if you are
(13:43):
highly motivated and you arecommitted to your goals that
we've talked about and thatyou've expressed, I want you to
also be able to provide me withfeedback, provide me with your
input, give me things that youmight feel like you want to work
on for the next training cycle.
Be super transparent with me interms of where you feel like you
(14:05):
don't have enough work or whereyou feel like you're maybe
doing too much of specific work,so that we can work together
and make the training planconducive for you and your goals
.
Also your lifestyle, and justkeep it fun.
I mean that's a huge aspect ismaking sure that the athletes
(14:27):
that I'm coaching wake up everyday and are like excited for
training and like want to train,because, obviously, like we're
going to talk about and we'regoing to set these goals at the
beginning of the year or whenyou initially do your like intro
consultation call.
We're going to talk aboutwhat's important for you and
your why and what you want toachieve within the next coming
(14:48):
weeks, months, a year, and Iwant you to wake up in the
morning or leave work to head tothe gym and be excited to put
the work in to work towardsthese goals and achieve these
things.
So that's for me that I thinkthose are like the biggest
aspects of what I would like toprovide others as a coach and
(15:12):
the biggest areas that I feellike I can help others is
through those kind of threepillars, effective, efficient
and enjoyable.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
I love it and I really appreciate you have such
a holistic approach to this andI'm excited to see kind of where
you take this and I can'temphasize enough kind of the
enjoyable part.
Just recently I dropped anepisode where I talked about my
own personal experience and howI kind of feel like I'm burning
out, like I feel like I've had alot of races, a lot of training
and a lot of things kind ofgoing on in my life in general,
(15:45):
not just specific to fitness.
And if you're not enjoying it,you know that's really hard to
kind of get up in the morningand do your workout or show up
to a race and perform your best.
Um, if it's a little, you know,monotonous or you're just not
kind of not into it.
So I can't emphasize enough howimportant that is.
To have that holistic view isnot only the mechanics of the
training but also kind of theyou know the kind of the
(16:06):
emotional side of it, right, andenjoying what you do.
So I appreciate you sharingthat and appreciate that's part
of your philosophy there.
So you know really would love totalk about, you know, high rock
.
So let's just spend a fewminutes, you know, for the, for
the folks who don't know whathigh rocks is.
We can spend like 30 seconds onwhat it is but also love to
know, kind of.
You know, if, if I'm a roadrunner, right, I'm doing five Ks
(16:28):
and half marathons and maybeI'm looking to do something a
little different, or somethingto compliment that like, why
would I choose high rocks?
And then if I'm a hybridathlete and I don't do high
rocks today, why should I choosehigh rocks again?
Or why should I run it?
So if you could give me alittle bit of your perspective
on that, yeah, absolutely Okay.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
So quick spark notes on high rocks.
High rocks is a functionalfitness race.
It is eight stations and eightone kilometer runs.
So you start with a run andthen you go into a station and
you repeat that so on and soforth for eight runs and eight
stations, similar in style tolike a DECA fit.
If you are a hybrid athleteyou'll understand kind of more
(17:10):
of the flow of that of run,station run, so on and so forth.
If you're coming from more of arunning background, I would say
(17:33):
it's probably more comparable toa half marathon length or
distance at like a 10k effort.
The elite men and women.
The elite men right now aresitting between 54 and 57
minutes and the elite women aresitting between 59 minutes and
an hour and two minutes.
And that's like the top of theshorter stuff, deca.
(17:54):
Or if you're coming from asolely running background, your
time will obviously be a littlebit longer than that.
So you have to think you'regoing to fall between that hour
and 90 minute range if you havelike a pre-established fitness
(18:17):
base, or you'll kind of bebetween that hour and a half and
two hour range if you'rejumping in brand new.
So for the road runningcommunity, the ones who are
looking to kind of spice thingsup, do something a little bit
more different.
I would encourage High Rocks asa opportunity to try something
(18:39):
new because it is primarilyrunning.
Like I said, it's going to beeight kilometers in total of
running.
So if you have a really strongrunning background and you
really enjoy running, the raceis going to be 50% running in
terms of time but also in termsof total distance.
So very running focused forathletes.
(19:01):
More on the running backgroundside, I would encourage and
recommend starting to build morestrength, functional strength,
so that you're able to completethe station work.
High Rocks also does offerdivisions based on what you're
looking for or where you feellike your fitness levels are, or
(19:23):
your strengths and weaknesses.
So you can do open or pro.
The only difference with thosecategories is the weight
standards.
So the race format staysexactly the same.
Pro category is just a littlebit heavier.
They also offer doubles.
You can do male, female ormixed doubles.
So same exact race, same exactformat, but you are working in a
(19:44):
team of two.
You both have to run the full8K, so that's not like an out on
the running, but you can splitthe stations up however you want
to.
And then, lastly, they alsooffer a team relay, so it's a
four person team relay thatworks a little bit differently.
So you take the eight runs andthe eight zones and you divide
them amongst your teammates, soeach teammate is responsible for
(20:07):
two runs and two zones.
So, for example, I would start,I would run, I would do the ski
erg and then I would tag mypartner.
They would go out, they wouldrun, they would do the sled push
, they'd tag the next teammate.
So you kind of work in more ofa relay style.
So there's many opportunitiesand many different divisions
that you can tackle if you don'twant to take it head on by
(20:28):
yourself for your first one.
And then the people who arecoming from more of like a
hybrid background or a CrossFitbackground, where the events
that they're doing or theirstyle of training is a little
bit more shorter, more anaerobicpower output.
High rocks is definitely moreof an endurance sport.
(20:49):
Like I said, you're going tofall between that hour and two
hour time domain and the effortis going to be high zone three,
zone four pretty much the entireentire time.
So if you're coming from acrossfit or functional fitness
background, where you areworking with shorter time
domains, the biggest thing wouldbe working on your aerobic base
(21:11):
and increasing your aerobiccapacity.
That can be done throughrunning, through rowing, skiing,
biking, things that will helpadvance your aerobic capacity
and build up your both both yourendurance and your muscular
endurance will help you in alike in a high rocks race.
But if you're coming from thehybrid side of things, you
(21:34):
already kind of like thatstructure, that flow, the demand
of running but also functionalfitness movements.
So if you haven't given Hyrox atry yet, here's your invitation.
Hyrox is still rolling outdates for the 2024-2025 season.
They have events posted all theway through May of next year
(21:58):
and they'll probably release afew more.
Some dates or some venues thatdon't have dates yet are Atlanta
, new York and um LA.
The events that have beenannounced cover all parts of the
country.
There's Vegas, dc, houston, um.
(22:19):
I'm in Toronto right now.
I'm racing High Rocks tomorrowno-transcript.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
Oh, that's excellent, and we were just talking about
how I'm trying to slim down theraces.
Speaker 3 (22:36):
I it feels like a throwback to when you would run
(23:01):
track in high school or even inmiddle school, and you're
tagging a partner, you're seeingthem go off, you're waiting in
anticipation the whole time,you're on the edge of your seat.
So it's fast, it's fun and it'salso a little bit less
demanding in terms of overallwork.
So as one person on the fourperson relay, you're doing the
(23:22):
two runs in the two stations.
So you're doing one fourth ofthe high rocks race.
So if you're intimidated alittle bit by the distance or
the total demand of a full highrocks or doing doubles, which
essentially requires you to dothe full race as well, relay is
a good option to like dip yourtoe in and see if it's going to
(23:43):
be something that you want totry to do with a partner, with a
doubles partner or as anindividual, without the demand
of the full race.
Okay.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
Okay, well, you know, I know coach Kevin's listening,
so I'm not making anycommitments right now.
So you know, don't hold me tothis, but it does sound like a
lot of fun, right?
Speaker 2 (24:04):
He's like yeah he's going to write this down but uh,
but that's, that's cool.
Speaker 1 (24:07):
Well, you know, AJ, I really enjoyed this
conversation and I know the lastconversation we had, you know
we talked a lot about mindsetand you shared kind of your you
know how you view, you know yourraces and your training and I
think you just have a lot ofwisdom to share and you and you
have shared.
So I appreciate that and I loveyou know kind of.
As we wind down here, some ofthe questions I usually ask on
the shows is you know what isthe you know kind of the biggest
(24:31):
challenge that you've had andhow'd you overcome it?
But maybe we'll just kind oflimit it to this past year,
right, since we last spokewhat's the biggest challenge you
ran into and how'd you overcome?
Speaker 3 (24:40):
that the biggest challenge that I ran into this
year, I think, was finishing upmy master's.
I mean, for those who have gonethrough school of any level,
senioritis is real and as youstart getting closer to the
(25:01):
finish line, your motivationslowly but surely works its way
out of your body.
With that, obviously, like wespoke about last time, like I
was full-time with school but Iwas also working full time and
trying to travel and race, sothat last two months of my
(25:22):
master's was incrediblychallenging.
I was working on, like mysenior thesis and my nutrition
capstone and the workload washeavy.
And then you start to get alittle bit too tied up into it
where you want it to be super,kind of all hit me at once.
So, like March and April wassuper, super tough for me.
(26:00):
Um, I feel like it took a tooka toll on my training.
Um, some races that I had inMarch and April did not go as
well as I would have hoped.
I think just from fatiguephysically, but also mentally,
the stress not getting a lot ofsleep.
(26:22):
So I think that the March Aprilchunk of the year so far has
been my biggest obstacle.
I think what helped me overcomeit the most was my mindset,
because on the days that it wastough to open up the computer
and read through my thesis or mycapstone again and try to get
(26:44):
like finalized things, mythought was on the finish line
Um, I am the first person in myfamily to graduate with a
master's.
My sister has a bachelor's andshe was the first member of our
family to graduate college.
So I got my bachelor's and thendecided I want to continue to
(27:06):
get my master's, so I'm thefirst one in my family to do
that.
So I think that that sense ofpride, but also knowing how
close I was to being done afterwhat seems like more school,
more years of school than I'veactually been alive outside of
school, if you're thinking likeall the way through high school,
(27:28):
directly into a bachelor's andthen directly into a master's,
it was like 21 years of schoolmasters.
It was like 21 years of school.
So it was like so nice to bedone and I think that that's
what helped me get to the finishline and then just keeping a
positive mindset in terms of thedust will settle, like the
chaos is now and we have tofigure out how to work through
(27:49):
it right now in order tocontinue moving forward.
But once you do get over thathump or cross that finish line,
the dust will settle and you'llfeel so good about sticking to
it and finishing whatever youwere doing and really just kind
of like putting the pedal to themetal and grinding through
because the reward of, for me,graduating was awesome.
(28:13):
So I think that, just like apositive mindset and keeping the
determination like and the firealive to like really just get
this done, helped me overcomethose two difficult months.
Speaker 1 (28:26):
Okay, okay, I love that.
I love the positive mindsetpart and you know I've been
thinking about this a lot latelywhere it's, you know, I've been
thinking to myself focus on themile that you're in, right,
whether I'm running, you know, along run, a race, or just if
it's something else I'm.
I've been saying that to myselfa lot like just focus on the
mile that you're in and then youjust get to the next mile and
(28:47):
the next one and then just kindof stay focused on that goal,
but really kind of focus whereyou are in the moment.
So I love the mindset.
Congratulations on your degree,congratulations on your races,
becoming a coach for underdogfitness.
I'm excited to see where allthis takes you.
But again, I really appreciateyou coming on the show.
So, aj, for our listeners, howcan they get in touch with you?
(29:08):
How can they sign up to haveyou coach them?
Where can they reach you?
Speaker 3 (29:14):
So you can find me primarily on Instagram at
Alexander Golick, with two Ks Interms of training.
If you're looking forone-on-one training for Decker
or Hyrox, you can reach out tome directly through Instagram or
you can shoot me an email.
It's at agolickunderdogfitnessat gmailcom.
(29:35):
I'll send you a link.
We can book a call, we'll hopon, we'll talk about what your
goals are, what you're lookingfor in a coach, what's upcoming
for you, and we can kind ofhammer out those details and see
if it's something that you wantto pursue.
If you're looking for trainingin general or more information
about the underdog trainingsystem, you can visit the
(29:58):
underdog fitness Instagram,which is at underdogfitnessgym.
In the bio of that Instagramthere are links for everything.
There's links to book aconsultation call, there's links
for inquiries, there's linksfor training programs and you
(30:22):
could also just shoot a DM overthere.
So any questions you have can,if you're looking to work with
me specifically, you can sendthem right to me.
If you want to just be a partof the underdog team, we have
three other amazing coaches,including myself with Kevin,
kayla and Ricardo, that wouldlove to help you as well.
So if you're looking to justjoin the underdog team and don't
necessarily have a coach inmind.
Reach out to the underdogfitness gym or shoot them a DM
(30:45):
or an email and we will help youfigure out who's the best fit
for you and get you started withunderdog fitness.
Speaker 1 (30:53):
Love it, love it.
So I'm going to put all theinformation in the show notes,
as usual, and if you reach outto AJ or underdog fitness, let
them know.
You heard them here on inspiredto run podcast.
So with that, thanks again, aj.
So much, good luck tomorrow andhave a great day.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
Thank you so much for having me again.
I'll talk to you soon.
Speaker 2 (31:14):
That's it for this episode of inspired to you soon.
Hi, my friend, are you looking to break out of the
monotony of running and spicethings up with your races?
Well, today we're talking toAlexander Golik, who shares with
us why you should considerrunning high rocks in hybrid
races, what it is and what toexpect.
We also talk about his new roleas an underdog fitness trainer
and even get into how mindsethas helped him accomplish big
(00:22):
things this past year.
Hope you enjoy.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Welcome to Inspired to Run podcast.
Here you will find inspiration,whether you are looking to take
control of your health andfitness or you are a seasoned
runner looking for community andsome extra motivation.
You will hear inspiring storiesfrom amazing runners, along
with helpful tips from fitnessexperts.
Now here's your host, richardConner.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Hi, my friend, Welcome to Inspire to Run
Podcast.
I'm really excited to besitting down again with
Alexander Golik, aka AJ.
We had him on the show about ayear ago, episode 74, unlock
your Running Potential forGrowth and Success running
potential for growth and success.
And speaking of growth andsuccess, aj had so much of that
just this past year.
(01:10):
So, if you remember, he's ahybrid OCR athlete from Long
Island, two-time Deco worldchampion in the 18 to 24 age
group for the strong and mile.
He won the high rocks NorthAmerican championship in the
under 24 division and he's justhad tremendous success since we
last spoke last year.
So first of all, aj, I want towelcome you to the show and I'd
(01:32):
love to hear kind of what's beengoing on this past year with
you.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Oh, thank you so much for having me on again.
I'm very excited to be here.
Last time was such a blast, sodefinitely grateful to be back
on the show.
So, as far as updates,everything's the same but a
little bit different.
So since we last spoke, decaWorlds came back around, so I
(01:57):
was fortunate enough to win theDECA Mile for the 18-24 age
group, which makes me athree-time age group Decker
World Champion.
The year continued and wecircled back to the High Rocks
North American Championshipagain, which was held in
Washington DC, and I was luckyenough to win the under-24
(02:17):
category again.
And then May came around and Ifinished my master's in
nutrition dietetics from Johnsonand Wales University and we
progressed and I just recentlycompleted my HIROX level one
training certification.
So it's been a whirlwind.
A lot of good things, but dayto day has been the same the
(02:41):
usual work, life, balance,balance and then racing and
traveling all over the place forthose.
So it's been the same, but somefun new things and some cool
accomplishments.
So definitely proud of the yearso far.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Well, we're proud of you, AJ, and yeah, you have
nothing going on here justday-to-day stuff.
No, the things you've beendoing have been absolutely
incredible and I love seeing thework that you're doing.
You know running with theunderdog team and all the things
that you've been involved in,and you continue kind of
learning and doing new thingsand that's kind of what we're
here to talk about, right, someof the new things that you're
doing to build on the successthat you have and to also help
(03:18):
others.
So you know, new news youbecome an underdog fitness
trainer.
So you know, really love tohear kind of how that came about
and what you're focusing onthere, and you know, what kind
of take it from there?
Speaker 3 (03:36):
Yeah, so underdog fitness obviously has been
growing pretty rapidly over thelast two years.
I mean, the gym was opened in2021, the podium chaser team
started in 2022.
And now we're in 2024.
And we're reaching new heightsas a team, obviously led by
Kevin and Jess.
We have a collective ofathletes all over the country
that just hold each otheraccountable and keep pushing
(03:59):
each other and, as a result,we're seeing each other succeed
but also kind of drawing in moreattention, which I personally
think is incredible.
I think Kevin and Jess are twoof the most deserving people for
the attention and obviouslythey then push that on to us, so
nobody really takes thespotlight.
(04:20):
We kind of all try to bounce itoff of each other and send it
elsewhere, which I think is alsoso incredible.
So, because of the growth andthe demand for underdog fitness,
the teams, the training and theunderdog training system in
order to keep, like to preservethe quality and the standard of
(04:52):
what Kevin has set.
So, for those who have workedwith Kevin or who have met Kevin
, he is extremely, extremelypassionate about helping people
succeed in life and fitness andall their endeavors and races,
all of it.
So that standard is somethingthat requires a lot of time and
(05:13):
effort.
So he's taken on a huge amountof clients.
I mean the podium chaser teamfor 2024, I think, had 27
athletes and that does notinclude some of the underdog
pack that we've picked up alongthe way.
So his plate is full and I meanhe's a big dude so he can eat,
but he is a little bit, a littlebit overextended.
(05:38):
And I know that his biggestconcern is to keep the standard
and keep the quality of whatunderdog has to offer.
So he brought on myself, kaylaand Ricardo as three additional
coaches for the underdogtraining system in preparation
for Deco World Championships,which is 10 weeks away as of
(05:59):
today.
So keep checking those emailinboxes if you haven't gotten
your qualification emailsalready.
So that training program isgoing to lead people from today
all the way through until raceday of Deco Worlds.
So we came on, the three of usgot like onboarded and brought
in for the underdog trainingsystem so that we can continue
(06:23):
to extend and bring more peopleonto the team while also keeping
the standard of the coachingand the services that Underdog
provides.
For me, my focus primarily isgoing to be Hyrox and DECA, like
I previously mentioned, I justcompleted my Hyrox level one
(06:44):
training certification, um, sothat's going to be my primary
area of focus would be likeone-on-one hyrox training and
programming for people leadinginto their bigger hyrox races
for the year.
For those who are a little bitmore unfamiliar, hyrox kind of
runs like a more traditionalsports season in the sense that
(07:05):
it doesn't start on January 1stand end on December 30th or 31st
, however many days there are.
It runs from June to May, soWorld Championships is usually
either the last week of May orthe first week of June and then
after Worlds kicks off the nextseason.
So it runs in opposition ofDECA kind of.
(07:28):
So even though DECA worlds isin December, those who are going
to be preparing for high rocksstill are in their season
because they're a race.
If they're able to get to,worlds would be June.
So that's going to be myprimary focus.
Um, obviously we'll um trainDECA as well, more
(07:50):
endurance-based training,running and also strength
training.
But in terms of my primaryfocus, the athletes that I would
love to help the most and feelthat I can be the most
beneficial to would be HIROX andDECA-specific athletes be the
most beneficial to would be highrocks and deck of specific
athletes, okay, okay, that'sexcellent.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
And you know I agree with everything that you said
about the standard that Kevinhas set and you can see that in
the success of all the underdogswho are showing up on the
podiums, right, and they'redoing, performing so well in the
races, and they're just goodhuman beings, right, and you
just see them promoting eachother and supporting each other.
So I totally agree witheverything that you said and you
know it's a privilege and apleasure for me to be part of
(08:29):
that.
So you know, to have trainedwith Kevin for some time and to
participate in these races withyou guys is just incredible for
me.
So I see all of what you saidthere and, and I love how
underdogs kind of takingeverything to the next step to
help, you know, this broadercommunity.
So so congrats, congrats on allthat and I have a lot of
questions for you.
So, but you know, really wouldlove to hear.
(08:51):
You know I want to talk abouthigh rock specifically.
I want to talk about you andand kind of your you know,
training philosophy.
So you know, maybe we'll startwith that, maybe we'll start a
little bit with your trainingphilosophy, like how do you
approach coaching and trainingothers, and you know more.
More specifically, you knowwhat are the types of athletes
that you're looking for yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
So wonderful question .
Um, from my point of view assomebody looking to coach others
, um, I feel like the three mostimportant things, or like my
training philosophy, would belike effective, efficient and
enjoyable.
It's, um, they all work hand inhand in some capacity to keep
(09:39):
progressing and moving theneedle, but at the end of the
day, you want to enjoy trainingso that you can enjoy racing and
keep the vibes high and alwayshave like a more excited mindset
going into races and throughoutyour year.
You don't want to fall intothose slumps or those lulls of
(10:00):
training where you wake up andyou're just not feeling it, so
then you might not do it.
So those are the three I guesslike pillars that I feel for are
important for my coachingphilosophy.
I really want to create anenvironment that is conducive
for learning.
So I'll coach people as long asthey want to work with me, of
(10:25):
course, but at some point intime I would like them to be
able to go kind of go off ontheir own and be able to feel
confident in training andknowing what they have to do and
understanding heart rate zonesand RPE and effort-based
training and things along thoselines.
(10:46):
So creating a positiveenvironment that allows the
athletes to learn and also growas an individual while they're
also trying to progress theirfitness.
I want the training to be thetraining that I offer in the
coaching that I offer to feelrelaxed, which kind of doesn't
(11:09):
sound the best, but I don't meanrelaxed in terms of lazy, I
mean relaxed in terms of, like,stress-free.
So as a coach, I'm going tocommunicate a ton, probably over
communicate, but I feel likethat's the most beneficial to
keep both of us on the same pageand also keep instructions
clear with training andprogramming and also give you an
(11:31):
outlet that you feel you canreach out to me with any
questions or comments orconcerns and express those
things to me without feelingapprehensive.
I do want the athletes that Icoach to be aware of the
standards that I'd like to meet,which circles back to the
(11:52):
previously mentioned underdogfitness standards, because as a
coach, it is also myresponsibility to meet those
standards as an athlete myself,but also then as I'm coaching
other people in the underdogtraining system.
So open or clear transparencythere in terms of like what we
expect from the athletes, whatyou should expect from the
(12:15):
coaches and how we can both worktogether to make sure that we
are meeting those standards.
I really want to give athletesthe opportunity to like, take
their skills that they havealready and build off of them
and progress those to the nextlevel, while also improving
(12:38):
their like foundational fitnessso your strength, your aerobic
base, your overall capacity,your muscular endurance but then
also work on, like, the finerdetails so that on race day you
feel super sharp and you feelsuper ready to get put out your
best effort.
Like you mentioned, our team,the underdog team, has had so
(13:01):
much success in races over thislast year and a lot of that is
due to how programming isstructured.
A lot of it is good blocks thatbuild specific areas and then
also lead you into a race,sharpen your skills and really
(13:22):
set you up for success on raceday.
Um, and then the other thingkind of doubles back to what I
was saying before about likecommunicating and over
communicating, like I want ourrelationship as athlete coach to
feel much more like afriendship where, if you are
(13:43):
highly motivated and you arecommitted to your goals that
we've talked about and thatyou've expressed, I want you to
also be able to provide me withfeedback, provide me with your
input, give me things that youmight feel like you want to work
on for the next training cycle.
Be super transparent with me interms of where you feel like you
(14:05):
don't have enough work or whereyou feel like you're maybe
doing too much of specific work,so that we can work together
and make the training planconducive for you and your goals
.
Also your lifestyle, and justkeep it fun.
I mean that's a huge aspect ismaking sure that the athletes
(14:27):
that I'm coaching wake up everyday and are like excited for
training and like want to train,because, obviously, like we're
going to talk about and we'regoing to set these goals at the
beginning of the year or whenyou initially do your like intro
consultation call.
We're going to talk aboutwhat's important for you and
your why and what you want toachieve within the next coming
(14:48):
weeks, months, a year, and Iwant you to wake up in the
morning or leave work to head tothe gym and be excited to put
the work in to work towardsthese goals and achieve these
things.
So that's for me that I thinkthose are like the biggest
aspects of what I would like toprovide others as a coach and
(15:12):
the biggest areas that I feellike I can help others is
through those kind of threepillars, effective, efficient
and enjoyable.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
I love it and I really appreciate you have such
a holistic approach to this andI'm excited to see kind of where
you take this and I can'temphasize enough kind of the
enjoyable part.
Just recently I dropped anepisode where I talked about my
own personal experience and howI kind of feel like I'm burning
out, like I feel like I've had alot of races, a lot of training
and a lot of things kind ofgoing on in my life in general,
(15:45):
not just specific to fitness.
And if you're not enjoying it,you know that's really hard to
kind of get up in the morningand do your workout or show up
to a race and perform your best.
Um, if it's a little, you know,monotonous or you're just not
kind of not into it.
So I can't emphasize enough howimportant that is.
To have that holistic view isnot only the mechanics of the
training but also kind of theyou know the kind of the
(16:06):
emotional side of it, right, andenjoying what you do.
So I appreciate you sharingthat and appreciate that's part
of your philosophy there.
So you know really would love totalk about, you know, high rock
.
So let's just spend a fewminutes, you know, for the, for
the folks who don't know whathigh rocks is.
We can spend like 30 seconds onwhat it is but also love to
know, kind of.
You know, if, if I'm a roadrunner, right, I'm doing five Ks
(16:28):
and half marathons and maybeI'm looking to do something a
little different, or somethingto compliment that like, why
would I choose high rocks?
And then if I'm a hybridathlete and I don't do high
rocks today, why should I choosehigh rocks again?
Or why should I run it?
So if you could give me alittle bit of your perspective
on that, yeah, absolutely Okay.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
So quick spark notes on high rocks.
High rocks is a functionalfitness race.
It is eight stations and eightone kilometer runs.
So you start with a run andthen you go into a station and
you repeat that so on and soforth for eight runs and eight
stations, similar in style tolike a DECA fit.
If you are a hybrid athleteyou'll understand kind of more
(17:10):
of the flow of that of run,station run, so on and so forth.
If you're coming from more of arunning background, I would say
(17:33):
it's probably more comparable toa half marathon length or
distance at like a 10k effort.
The elite men and women.
The elite men right now aresitting between 54 and 57
minutes and the elite women aresitting between 59 minutes and
an hour and two minutes.
And that's like the top of theshorter stuff, deca.
(17:54):
Or if you're coming from asolely running background, your
time will obviously be a littlebit longer than that.
So you have to think you'regoing to fall between that hour
and 90 minute range if you havelike a pre-established fitness
(18:17):
base, or you'll kind of bebetween that hour and a half and
two hour range if you'rejumping in brand new.
So for the road runningcommunity, the ones who are
looking to kind of spice thingsup, do something a little bit
more different.
I would encourage High Rocks asa opportunity to try something
(18:39):
new because it is primarilyrunning.
Like I said, it's going to beeight kilometers in total of
running.
So if you have a really strongrunning background and you
really enjoy running, the raceis going to be 50% running in
terms of time but also in termsof total distance.
So very running focused forathletes.
(19:01):
More on the running backgroundside, I would encourage and
recommend starting to build morestrength, functional strength,
so that you're able to completethe station work.
High Rocks also does offerdivisions based on what you're
looking for or where you feellike your fitness levels are, or
(19:23):
your strengths and weaknesses.
So you can do open or pro.
The only difference with thosecategories is the weight
standards.
So the race format staysexactly the same.
Pro category is just a littlebit heavier.
They also offer doubles.
You can do male, female ormixed doubles.
So same exact race, same exactformat, but you are working in a
(19:44):
team of two.
You both have to run the full8K, so that's not like an out on
the running, but you can splitthe stations up however you want
to.
And then, lastly, they alsooffer a team relay, so it's a
four person team relay thatworks a little bit differently.
So you take the eight runs andthe eight zones and you divide
them amongst your teammates, soeach teammate is responsible for
(20:07):
two runs and two zones.
So, for example, I would start,I would run, I would do the ski
erg and then I would tag mypartner.
They would go out, they wouldrun, they would do the sled push
, they'd tag the next teammate.
So you kind of work in more ofa relay style.
So there's many opportunitiesand many different divisions
that you can tackle if you don'twant to take it head on by
(20:28):
yourself for your first one.
And then the people who arecoming from more of like a
hybrid background or a CrossFitbackground, where the events
that they're doing or theirstyle of training is a little
bit more shorter, more anaerobicpower output.
High rocks is definitely moreof an endurance sport.
(20:49):
Like I said, you're going tofall between that hour and two
hour time domain and the effortis going to be high zone three,
zone four pretty much the entireentire time.
So if you're coming from acrossfit or functional fitness
background, where you areworking with shorter time
domains, the biggest thing wouldbe working on your aerobic base
(21:11):
and increasing your aerobiccapacity.
That can be done throughrunning, through rowing, skiing,
biking, things that will helpadvance your aerobic capacity
and build up your both both yourendurance and your muscular
endurance will help you in alike in a high rocks race.
But if you're coming from thehybrid side of things, you
(21:34):
already kind of like thatstructure, that flow, the demand
of running but also functionalfitness movements.
So if you haven't given Hyrox atry yet, here's your invitation.
Hyrox is still rolling outdates for the 2024-2025 season.
They have events posted all theway through May of next year
(21:58):
and they'll probably release afew more.
Some dates or some venues thatdon't have dates yet are Atlanta
, new York and um LA.
The events that have beenannounced cover all parts of the
country.
There's Vegas, dc, houston, um.
(22:19):
I'm in Toronto right now.
I'm racing High Rocks tomorrowno-transcript.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
Oh, that's excellent, and we were just talking about
how I'm trying to slim down theraces.
Speaker 3 (22:36):
I it feels like a throwback to when you would run
(23:01):
track in high school or even inmiddle school, and you're
tagging a partner, you're seeingthem go off, you're waiting in
anticipation the whole time,you're on the edge of your seat.
So it's fast, it's fun and it'salso a little bit less
demanding in terms of overallwork.
So as one person on the fourperson relay, you're doing the
(23:22):
two runs in the two stations.
So you're doing one fourth ofthe high rocks race.
So if you're intimidated alittle bit by the distance or
the total demand of a full highrocks or doing doubles, which
essentially requires you to dothe full race as well, relay is
a good option to like dip yourtoe in and see if it's going to
(23:43):
be something that you want totry to do with a partner, with a
doubles partner or as anindividual, without the demand
of the full race.
Okay.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
Okay, well, you know, I know coach Kevin's listening,
so I'm not making anycommitments right now.
So you know, don't hold me tothis, but it does sound like a
lot of fun, right?
Speaker 2 (24:04):
He's like yeah he's going to write this down but uh,
but that's, that's cool.
Speaker 1 (24:07):
Well, you know, AJ, I really enjoyed this
conversation and I know the lastconversation we had, you know
we talked a lot about mindsetand you shared kind of your you
know how you view, you know yourraces and your training and I
think you just have a lot ofwisdom to share and you and you
have shared.
So I appreciate that and I loveyou know kind of.
As we wind down here, some ofthe questions I usually ask on
the shows is you know what isthe you know kind of the biggest
(24:31):
challenge that you've had andhow'd you overcome it?
But maybe we'll just kind oflimit it to this past year,
right, since we last spokewhat's the biggest challenge you
ran into and how'd you overcome?
Speaker 3 (24:40):
that the biggest challenge that I ran into this
year, I think, was finishing upmy master's.
I mean, for those who have gonethrough school of any level,
senioritis is real and as youstart getting closer to the
(25:01):
finish line, your motivationslowly but surely works its way
out of your body.
With that, obviously, like wespoke about last time, like I
was full-time with school but Iwas also working full time and
trying to travel and race, sothat last two months of my
(25:22):
master's was incrediblychallenging.
I was working on, like mysenior thesis and my nutrition
capstone and the workload washeavy.
And then you start to get alittle bit too tied up into it
where you want it to be super,kind of all hit me at once.
So, like March and April wassuper, super tough for me.
(26:00):
Um, I feel like it took a tooka toll on my training.
Um, some races that I had inMarch and April did not go as
well as I would have hoped.
I think just from fatiguephysically, but also mentally,
the stress not getting a lot ofsleep.
(26:22):
So I think that the March Aprilchunk of the year so far has
been my biggest obstacle.
I think what helped me overcomeit the most was my mindset,
because on the days that it wastough to open up the computer
and read through my thesis or mycapstone again and try to get
(26:44):
like finalized things, mythought was on the finish line
Um, I am the first person in myfamily to graduate with a
master's.
My sister has a bachelor's andshe was the first member of our
family to graduate college.
So I got my bachelor's and thendecided I want to continue to
(27:06):
get my master's, so I'm thefirst one in my family to do
that.
So I think that that sense ofpride, but also knowing how
close I was to being done afterwhat seems like more school,
more years of school than I'veactually been alive outside of
school, if you're thinking likeall the way through high school,
(27:28):
directly into a bachelor's andthen directly into a master's,
it was like 21 years of schoolmasters.
It was like 21 years of school.
So it was like so nice to bedone and I think that that's
what helped me get to the finishline and then just keeping a
positive mindset in terms of thedust will settle, like the
chaos is now and we have tofigure out how to work through
(27:49):
it right now in order tocontinue moving forward.
But once you do get over thathump or cross that finish line,
the dust will settle and you'llfeel so good about sticking to
it and finishing whatever youwere doing and really just kind
of like putting the pedal to themetal and grinding through
because the reward of, for me,graduating was awesome.
(28:13):
So I think that, just like apositive mindset and keeping the
determination like and the firealive to like really just get
this done, helped me overcomethose two difficult months.
Speaker 1 (28:26):
Okay, okay, I love that.
I love the positive mindsetpart and you know I've been
thinking about this a lot latelywhere it's, you know, I've been
thinking to myself focus on themile that you're in, right,
whether I'm running, you know, along run, a race, or just if
it's something else I'm.
I've been saying that to myselfa lot like just focus on the
mile that you're in and then youjust get to the next mile and
(28:47):
the next one and then just kindof stay focused on that goal,
but really kind of focus whereyou are in the moment.
So I love the mindset.
Congratulations on your degree,congratulations on your races,
becoming a coach for underdogfitness.
I'm excited to see where allthis takes you.
But again, I really appreciateyou coming on the show.
So, aj, for our listeners, howcan they get in touch with you?
(29:08):
How can they sign up to haveyou coach them?
Where can they reach you?
Speaker 3 (29:14):
So you can find me primarily on Instagram at
Alexander Golick, with two Ks Interms of training.
If you're looking forone-on-one training for Decker
or Hyrox, you can reach out tome directly through Instagram or
you can shoot me an email.
It's at agolickunderdogfitnessat gmailcom.
(29:35):
I'll send you a link.
We can book a call, we'll hopon, we'll talk about what your
goals are, what you're lookingfor in a coach, what's upcoming
for you, and we can kind ofhammer out those details and see
if it's something that you wantto pursue.
If you're looking for trainingin general or more information
about the underdog trainingsystem, you can visit the
(29:58):
underdog fitness Instagram,which is at underdogfitnessgym.
In the bio of that Instagramthere are links for everything.
There's links to book aconsultation call, there's links
for inquiries, there's linksfor training programs and you
(30:22):
could also just shoot a DM overthere.
So any questions you have can,if you're looking to work with
me specifically, you can sendthem right to me.
If you want to just be a partof the underdog team, we have
three other amazing coaches,including myself with Kevin,
kayla and Ricardo, that wouldlove to help you as well.
So if you're looking to justjoin the underdog team and don't
necessarily have a coach inmind.
Reach out to the underdogfitness gym or shoot them a DM
(30:45):
or an email and we will help youfigure out who's the best fit
for you and get you started withunderdog fitness.
Speaker 1 (30:53):
Love it, love it.
So I'm going to put all theinformation in the show notes,
as usual, and if you reach outto AJ or underdog fitness, let
them know.
You heard them here on inspiredto run podcast.
So with that, thanks again, aj.
So much, good luck tomorrow andhave a great day.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
Thank you so much for having me again.
I'll talk to you soon.
Speaker 2 (31:14):
That's it for this episode of inspired to you soon.
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