Talayna Fortunato Wins Wodapalooza!

Talayna Fortunato took first place at Wodapalooza! Ok, so it’s old news by now, but give us a break…we didn’t even have a blog until yesterday. If you don’t know who she is, Talayna is the woman who finished 3rd overall at the CrossFit Games last year and who has many in the community talking upset this year! Of course, dethroning the champ means doing things differently than last year, and to that end, she’s moved from her previous coach to working with Doug Katona,  3FU3L’s formulator and owner (obviously she moved to using 3FU3L also):

You recently announced that you were changing coaches from Rudy Nielsen to Doug Katona. What made you decide to do this?

I would like to say that Outlaw helped me get strong and took me from a good CrossFitter with a few glaring weaknesses, to the next level where I could be competitive at the Games. I felt like at this stage, I needed more individualized programming than a template if I was going to climb the last two steps on the podium or even stay competitive with the ever-increasing competitiveness of the sport.

Were there weaknesses you felt you had that weren’t being addressed under the Outlaw Way?

I felt there were areas I needed improvement on that the (Outlaw Way) blog wasn’t hitting enough, yes. I am very quad dominant and it shows in my deadlift, amongst other things. I’m now working on fixing that with a more multi-faceted approach, as well as building a greater aerobic base earlier. Last year, I felt pretty out of shape at the Regional, and it showed on workout number four. I actually felt like I peaked at the end of August to early September so we’re starting to increase my aerobic base sooner this year.

How did you make the decision to work with Katona?

When word got out that I was looking into other coaching options, my friend Guido Trinidad, owner of Peak 360 in Miami, contacted me. He had been working with Doug since last year’s Games, which he programmed all of his own training for. He has been seeing vast improvement in his performance and spoke very highly of Doug, and I speak very highly of Guido, so I was willing to listen.

How has your training changed since switching coaches?

It has been less predictable, less repetitive and more tailored to my specific needs. For the first time in my life, I’m writing down what I eat (all of it), and for the first time in CrossFit, cleaning up my diet to a new level. There is a greater focus on efficiency of movement and picking apart my technique on all of my lifts more definitively. I’ve never had someone critique my wall ball before, but that’s the level we’re fixing things at. I’m also hitting the track for more sprints, including more interval aerobic pieces and finding my posterior chain. I know it’s there. I just need to convince it to help my anterior chain. Finally, I’m taking my own advice as a physical therapist and spending time doing mobility work (something I did next to none of before).

Has your change in coaches affected you physically or mentally?

Physically, I can tell a difference since I’ve cleaned up my diet. Especially when I don’t eat clean. I almost feel hungover from it now. I’m more mentally alert and have more energy. I’ve also lost about three pounds already this month, and I’m getting through the awkward phase of adapting to a new program, seeing gains and matching PRs again.

Mentally, I feel more engaged in my program and more part of a team effort. Knowing someone is taking the time to personalize what I do makes me want to try harder on my end to make it effective. No one can know for sure what will come out of the hopper this year, but I feel confident I’m doing all I can to be prepared for it now.

How will you start ramping up your training for the Open?

I will be fitting in two-a-days this year, which I didn’t have the luxury of doing last year. Other than that, I’m not really sure. You’d have to ask Doug. We really aren’t concerned with training for the Open, so the goal is more to train through it while still trying to hit each workout fresh and one time only.

You can check out Talayna’s recap of WODapalooza on her blog.