S06E135 BISON 15 - How A Longtime CrossFit Athlete Trains Without Ego - Evan Pagliei
Botox and Burpees host Sam Rhee sits down with Evan Pagliei @evanpagliei, a longtime CrossFit Bison member, to talk about how his training mindset evolves from chasing performance to protecting longevity. He shares what community and coaching really change, plus the hard reality of managing injuries while still loving the CrossFit Open.
• finding CrossFit through high school strength training
• shifting from sport-focused intensity
• lessons from playing quarterback
• working in pharmaceutical marketing operations
• moving gyms during COVID and noticing big differences in coaching and community
• dealing with chronic pain and slow PT progress
• scaling workouts without ego and rebuilding better movement quality
• advice for beginners on pacing, listening, and having fun
#crossfitcoach #CrossFitCommunity @CrossFitAffiliates #supportyourlocalbox #crossfitaffiliate #gymowner #HealthyLiving #GymLife #CrossFit #FitnessJourney #BotoxAndBurpees #podcast @botoxandburpeespodcast @crossfitbison @crossfit
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TRANSCRIPT
Sam Rhee (00:01.384)
All right, welcome to another episode of Botox and Burpees. I have with me very special guest, Evan Pagley. He's been a member at CrossFed Bison for almost 10 years, nine, ten years at this point. He is a gifted athlete, I would say. I've seen him at the gym. I just checked his last year's open scores, and the people you are right around include Brian Miller, is one ahead of you last year, Adam Ramsen is one behind you.
That's pretty elite company I would say in terms of of guys.
Evan Pagliei (00:33.826)
Yeah. Yeah, me and Brian always have like a little I wouldn't say it's a true competition, but like we're always looking at each other's scores, making sure like who's bettering who in those open workouts.
Sam Rhee (00:43.164)
Wow. He is like a standard. A lot of people kinda look at his numbers and sort of use them as a benchmark. I wonder why that is. I I I
Evan Pagliei (00:49.58)
Yeah. I think I mean he's been around for so long, you kinda like look at those guys that have been there for years years. So
Sam Rhee (00:55.44)
Mm-hmm. That's awesome. He's very steady. Yeah, very, very steady. so yeah, he's he's a good benchmark. So and so welcome Evan. Thank you so much for joining.
Evan Pagliei (00:58.252)
Yeah, for sure.
Evan Pagliei (01:06.584)
Thank you.
Yeah, thanks. Appreciate it. Happy to be here.
Sam Rhee (01:11.864)
so let's start with you as an athlete and getting at getting to CrossFit, at CrossFit bison. I like I said, I saw your first open numbers in twenty eighteen. What got you into CrossFit and what was it that appealed to you?
Evan Pagliei (01:20.398)
Yeah.
Evan Pagliei (01:29.282)
Yeah. I was actually trying to think about this last night, just kind of like how far like I've come over the past ten years. And then I actually thought it it goes way back to like high school. So in ninth grade, that was like my first time like ever working out for high school football. Just so happened to be at that time that DiCarlo, Brian DiCarlo, was a str strength and conditioning coach. So he was like the first one that kind of like taught me just like, you know, your basics when it comes to like your normal.
Sam Rhee (01:50.593)
wow.
Evan Pagliei (01:58.488)
but then funny enough, I think I would have to like check with him. he had started to do CrossFit around that time. So I had joined, I guess my freshman year of high school was 2010. I want to say like 2012, 2013. He actually started like bringing in those kinds of types of workouts, like little Metcons. We still have like our normal like strength sessions, but like he had then brought in like plow metrics like metcons. So that's kind of like where I first got that first
That's where I guess I started to do CrossFit, quote unquote. then I went off to college, kind of like did the normal just bro lifting for first couple of years. I wanna say then my junior year, which is 2017, I'm actually really close family friends with the Morsies, so own Morrissey. I think he had mentioned it at one time, like, hey, you there's a CrossFit gym in town. I'm from Midland Park. you should definitely come by and check it out.
Sam Rhee (02:31.293)
Yeah. Yeah.
Sam Rhee (02:47.624)
Mm-hmm.
Evan Pagliei (02:56.301)
I think it was just like one of those summer days. I was bored. I was like, you know what? I need a change up from what I was normally doing. I was just going to like a crunch fitness. So tried it out, was hooked for that entire summer. I think that was going into my senior year. did it every single day. I was like, I was one of those guys that was watching every type of video, all the YouTube videos, all of the
like CrossFit open videos that they used to make too and like the CrossFit games. and then I went back to college for my senior year. Tried to implement it a little bit into my workouts there. Was n it was very difficult in the gym that was actually provided at school.
But I knew like coming out, like once I was gonna move back home I was gonna like get right back into it. So I think ever since then, that was twenty eighteen, is when I graduated college, I've been doing CrossFit ever since.
Sam Rhee (03:49.64)
Yeah. And you've been someone who's been such a regular at the gym. You are I would say your demeanor at the gym is very you're friendly, but you don't like you're not like out there in terms of your personality. Like what is your approach when you get to the gym and you work out? like how do you approach it?
Evan Pagliei (04:05.409)
No.
Yeah. Yeah, I know. At at some at points I do find myself I I I'm pretty reserved at times. I can like if I'm close with an individual then definitely I can kind of like, you know, jab back and forth. But for the most part I do kind of stay to myself and quiet. But I think my mindset too has shifted. Obviously like when I first joined Crawford, I was like all in, I was balls to the walls trying to hit all my lifts, you know, learn every single movement.
obviously as I've aged now I'm 31. I've kind of like changed my mindset as I think I was more towards the sport aspect of it when I first started. that's just where I was coming from. Obviously playing sports in high school and I was still pretty athletic and into like intramurals and whatnot in college. but then coming out of that now I'm just kind of like viewing it as like that healthy lifestyle. So I guess when it comes to that when I'm at the actual like at Crossway Bison,
Sam Rhee (04:45.619)
Mm-hmm.
Evan Pagliei (05:05.067)
not too much of that rah rah guy anymore, but like I'm still kind of like like I said, I'm s I stay to myself. definitely cheer people people on when needed, but yeah.
Sam Rhee (05:14.493)
You know, I love you're such a hometown guy. Like you said, you grew up in Midland Park, Cross Advisors Midland Park, you had Brian DiCarlo as your strength and conditioning coach, you know the Morrises. And I I saw your, you know, doing a quick Google search, I saw your highlights as a QB for Waldwick High School, Warriors football. You were number eighteen, you were five ten and a hundred and sixty five pounds. At least that's what you were listed as. Is that true?
Evan Pagliei (05:42.539)
Yeah, I th I may have pumped those numbers up a little bit just for the highlight tape.
Sam Rhee (05:45.075)
it says you benched two hundred, you squatted three twenty five at the time back in twenty fourteen. Those are those are some pretty good numbers for a high school QB, don't you think?
Evan Pagliei (05:58.57)
Yeah, I mean DiCarlo was he was teaching us well. I think those summer programs we we would put we would put on a lot of weight. I was I think at that time too. I when I was younger I was very, very small. I was probably like when I got into high school was like one thirty five. So
Playing quarterback at 135, probably not the best mix. so I think I was having like I was eating these like crazy protein shakes that were thousand plus calories just to trying to put on as much weight as possible. It was insane. and then all the extra lifting on top of that too. So definitely by senior year I had kind of like come into my own. I've everybody goes through puberty and whatnot. So yeah, I think I've definitely
gotten stronger since then. But those numbers were yeah, pretty good for a senior in high school, I'd say.
Sam Rhee (06:47.537)
Yeah. I saw your highlights of six minutes of video and I would qu I thought you were pretty mobile. You had a good arm and you moved well. W how would you class your f like who would you compare yourself to as a qu as a QB?
Evan Pagliei (07:07.371)
I don't wanna like toot my own horn here. I don't know. I feel like when I was when I was like in high school, we ran a wing T. I don't know if you're like familiar with that type of offense. It's very similar to like a triple option something that like army runs or navy, like one of those academy schools. so the when we would throw sorry.
Sam Rhee (07:08.947)
Come on, it's all right.
Sam Rhee (07:22.611)
So you could run, you could hand off or throw. No, so a triple option means you could either take it yourself, you could hand off to someone else, or you could throw. So you had like three options. Is that how that works?
Evan Pagliei (07:33.161)
Yeah, we had a lot of those types of plays. mostly everything was like coming out of the running backs were like the main guys and then I was kinda like handing it off. But then when you run the ball like twenty, thirty times a game at some point like everybody's gonna crash the box so then these throws would get open. so I guess comparison wise, I don't know. I definitely w I was one of the faster kids on the team at the point.
Evan Pagliei (08:00.43)
I feel like I was too swallow. Maybe a Josh Allen. He runs like crazy. I mean, we just watched him on Thursday night. He was all over the place. so sorry.
Sam Rhee (08:00.711)
Ha ha.
Yes. Yes.
It's all right. So you moved well. I mean, I could see you. You were very mobile. So nice. How was your record, your senior year? Did you do go did you guys do well?
Evan Pagliei (08:12.108)
Yeah. Yeah.
We were we were pretty good. We I think we went nine and two in the regular season. We ended up going two states. that was like the one year. Usually like in New Jersey, you get to play your high school state final at MetLife Stadium for whatever reason though.
We got there and we only got to play at Kane University, which is I'm not don't mean to throw shade at Kane University, but it's definitely not the same when like the whole year everybody's like getting so hyped up. We're on this like crazy winning streak. We're like, my god, we're gonna play at MetLife Stadium and then like all the schedules come out and it's like, you're playing at Kane. It's like, So we ended up losing that game, unfortunately, to Westwood.
Sam Rhee (08:50.067)
Ha ha
Sam Rhee (08:57.115)
Mm-hmm.
Evan Pagliei (08:58.582)
Still think about that game every now and then. That was that was a tough loss for me, you know. Football was like my main sport, so like I went all in on it. and then coming out of that with a state final loss definitely sucked my senior year.
Sam Rhee (09:02.44)
Mm.
Sam Rhee (09:05.821)
Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (09:10.215)
Yeah, that's tough to arrival like that. But yeah, good memories there. So so now you are out into the real world, you've been there for a while. I looked at your LinkedIn and it says you are an associate group manager for MLR. So maybe you can tell me w like what that is.
Evan Pagliei (09:15.639)
Yeah.
Evan Pagliei (09:33.615)
Sure. So I work for a pharmaceutical marketing agency. the agency like people may know Havas, that's like a bigger company that's been around for a while. so I'm I work from home. I work as like a it's slightly like a project manager.
Obviously, everything when it comes to pharmaceuticals needs to get approved by the FDA. So these brands hire my agency to create all the materials. And then there's this software that needs to facilitate all of those materials to a review team. So you get like your legal, your medical, and your
Reviewers to kind of like sign off on everything that we're doing, making sure that it will get approved by the FDA. so I'm kind of like that middleman between the client side and the agency side, just making sure all the materials are good to go to get approved.
Sam Rhee (10:28.285)
How how do you get into this business? Like did you say, Yeah, I wanna get into the business of getting sure making sure these approvals happen? Like what how does that work?
Evan Pagliei (10:34.871)
Yeah.
Evan Pagliei (10:38.878)
No, definitely not. so I graduated with a business degree. my mom was a nurse at Valley, she still is, so I kind of got like a job there through it was like in Mawai. It was more of like a actually I worked at a gym for Valley for about three years coming out of college. Yeah, it's called the Valley Center for Well Health and Wellness, and then there's lifestyles is the actual name of the gym.
Sam Rhee (10:56.234)
it's that big facility up there, right? The really nice one? Yeah.
Sam Rhee (11:02.609)
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Evan Pagliei (11:05.522)
I'm sure some people in in the gym have actually gone like they have a nice a really nice pool there. I know Dave has actually gone there in the past to use the facility. So it's a really great spot. once again, like coming out of college, that was something I I didn't think I really wanted to do for the rest of my life. my cousin actually worked for one of these marketing agencies and it was right around COVID time, I think
This was we had COVID had just hit, so like everything had kinda shut down for a little bit. I was still working for Valley. And then talking to my cousin, I was like, is there anything that you're like your agency is got open? so I ended up joining this place called McCann. Similar type of business that I'm at right now. as a regulatory operations person. Simil like same deal. They just give everybody different position titles. I don't know. They're all over the place.
Sam Rhee (11:52.784)
Mm-hmm.
Evan Pagliei (11:54.904)
but that's yeah, so I've been doing this now for four or five years. It pays well, it's just one of those things that you know it's it's work from home, it's it's nice, it's it's easy for the most part, so it's it's relatively low stress. So it's been good.
Sam Rhee (12:09.095)
You know, the funny thing is when I looked at your history on the open, I noticed that you hadn't been at CrossFit Bison the entire time you've been doing CrossFit. There was a year in twenty twenty two where so you were thirty sixth at men's twenty twenty one CrossFit Bison in the open. And then twenty twenty two you were fifth at CrossFit Cedar Grove. But then twenty twenty three you're eighteenth back at CrossFit Bison. So what
What happened with the switch to Cedar Grove and then why the switch back?
Evan Pagliei (12:40.672)
Yeah. So in this was also during COVID time, my girlfriend at the time, my now wife, we moved to Montclair. So it was try I was thinking about it the heart like I was like, how can I make this work? Like living in Montclair and then still commuting all the way back to Middlem Park to go to the gym and it was
It was just gonna be like way too much. So I was like, you know what, let me just kinda cut ties with bison at the time. I think I still had maybe like a ten pack, so every now and then I would come back just to visit. Like my parents still live in town, so I s we still able to come by every now and then. found the closest gym to me at that point, so that was CrossFit Cedar Grove.
I was there for a little yeah, I think it was like a little over a year. I I think for the longest time though, I was still itching to get back to bison because like once you're at bison and then you hit go to another box or another CrossFit gym, the difference is it's it's kind of stark when you look at it. it the d yeah. So
Sam Rhee (13:40.817)
What what are some of the differences? What did you really like about either either or
Evan Pagliei (13:45.527)
Yeah, I I truly I think the the coaching was like one of the biggest things that I saw, like going from one to the next. they truly I I think at Bison, ev like all the coaches truly care about like what you want or like what's going on with like your life at the time. So
Obviously everybody has a different type of mentality when they go to the gym. There's people that love it for the sport. There's people that are just going there for just, you know, trying to stay healthy, just trying to get by. So when it came to and everybody th everybody like they get to know you. That was like a very big thing. When I was at CrossFit, Cedar Grove, I don't mean to like throw shade at them either with any of this, but
It was kind of just like any or normal guy just came in, kinda like taught the class, didn't really get to really know anybody too well. and I was there for a year. Never really grew any like longstanding relationships at the time. so nothing re like I still enjoyed doing it 'cause obviously like I've said I've CrossFit's been with me now for ten years. So I was gonna go regardless. but it just I I feel like the community aspect of it was never really there.
And also I think truly the biggest, biggest thing was the open. So obviously you could see that my score at CrossFit Cedar Grove hopped up quite high there. the attendance wise around the open at Cedar Grove was nowhere near as great as at Bison. they really don't
market it to the whole community at all. It's kind of just like, hey, this thing's coming by in the next month. We're gonna do these workouts on Fridays. We'd love to have you do it. If not, like, who cares? So there's no like writing down your scores at that gym either. So there was no kind of like tracking with that kind of stuff.
Evan Pagliei (15:34.21)
So I think that also kind of like held back from the community standpoint of it too. Obviously there were friendships within the gym, but that overall like, hey, we're all in this together to try to like bison goes about it. Like, hey, we're we're going for like as many people can sign up as possible, like all the amount of reps that we're gonna put in together. definitely just was not the same at Cedar Grove when I was there.
Sam Rhee (15:39.987)
Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (15:55.784)
Yeah, I've seen different approaches with different affiliates. That's not actually uncommon and it's that's I do really like I've always liked Dave's approach in terms of making it an event and and something that actually even programming focuses around for the entire year, which which I think is important. so you've been married for like a year now, is that right? Two two years. All right. And so how did you meet your now wife and how did
Evan Pagliei (16:07.672)
Yeah, for sure.
Evan Pagliei (16:18.241)
Two years has passed, Mary. Yeah.
Sam Rhee (16:25.427)
How did how's that been?
Evan Pagliei (16:27.213)
Yeah. so we're actually high school sweethearts. We met when we obviously I think we knew each other like freshman, sophomore years. We started dating going into my junior year, lasted all throughout college, moved in after college and yeah, married now two years, been together 14 years. Trying to think of those numbers without getting them wrong.
Sam Rhee (16:48.007)
Wow.
Yeah, I saw a picture of you so you must have taken her to prom 'cause I saw a picture of you in at prom. You're looking very dapper. Seth Zudema was with you and then these two other guys, I don't know, Joe Messner and Jake Thomas. So you must have she must have been your date at prom, huh?
Evan Pagliei (16:57.229)
Yep. Yes. Yep.
Evan Pagliei (17:08.621)
Yep, yeah. Middle park you get to go your junior and senior year. so yeah, both dates. Both junior and senior year.
Sam Rhee (17:14.685)
So advice for those who are either single or, you know, starting, you know, dating, like what would your advice be to them now that you're fourteen years in?
Evan Pagliei (17:24.961)
It's so hard to like it's so funny. So her she has two siblings that are both single right now. They're twins younger than her. We grew up, obviously myself and my wife grew up before all of like the dating apps things became a thing. and I always ask them, like, do you think
Sam Rhee (17:39.665)
Mm-hmm.
Evan Pagliei (17:43.907)
It would be easier to date now if you did not have dating apps at this point because I feel like they're everybody's so inclined to like hop on the apps rather than get out there. I mean, obviously I was in a different standpoint. I was coming out of high like in high school. So obviously like everybody's kind of
Evan Pagliei (18:02.531)
phrase it but you know p p in in high school y everybody's kinda like mingling with each other. So that's kinda like how we met. We had two different grades. she was a year younger than me, but every small school in Midland Park, so everybody knows everybody. I I I it I don't think I could give you good advice.
Sam Rhee (18:07.207)
Right. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (18:14.748)
Mm-hmm.
Evan Pagliei (18:20.193)
about dating just because it's been so long now. I even grew up like my parents were high school sweethearts, my older sister as well, so it's just kinda like one of those things that like it's been ingrained in my family, I guess.
Sam Rhee (18:25.541)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (18:31.715)
Mm. How about sustaining a relationship for fourteen years? That's pretty solid too. Like what did you learn f
Evan Pagliei (18:37.101)
Yeah, I mean just, you know I every relationship is gonna fight and bicker. It's it's b it's gonna happen at some point. It's just never getting like too angry at each other, you know. Trying to make each other happy as much as possible. I'm just not
Don't don't letting don't let things fester. I hate like holding on to like little things here and there. So if you have something to say, just kinda like get it off your chest. Like get put it all out there so you can work together or work through it together. That's always been a big thing with us.
Sam Rhee (19:07.549)
That is like every other piece of good advice I've heard. It's very simple, but really hard i in real life sometimes to execute. Yeah.
Evan Pagliei (19:14.509)
No, it is. I know. I say it myself, but then there are times where like, I don't know, some little thing and I like I'm talking mine or like some I don't know, dishes left in the sink and I'm like, this is like the second day in a row or whatever. And I'll hold on to it. And then you know, the longer and longer you hold on to it, ev it just kinda grows and then it turns into like this bigger argument, bigger fight. So like there's just no reason. Just gotta like sometimes just gotta let things go too.
Sam Rhee (19:39.569)
That is very sage. I I do appreciate that. And that resonates with me. So what do you do in your life for nutrition? You are a pretty fit guy, as we talked about. How do you focus on your the non gym health aspects for yourself?
Evan Pagliei (19:55.415)
Yeah, this is definitely something that I've it's it's shifted over the years. when I was younger, I was kind of like one of those kids where the metabolism was crazy high. So I could eat whatever and I felt like I would never gain a pound. slowly shifted to like, hey, all right, my stomach's growing a little bit here, getting a little bit of a pouch or whatever it may be. So I try my hardest.
to eat very healthy like Monday through Thursday, Friday morning. 'Cause I know like on the weekends I like to I don't like to tr really track my stuff as much.
I have tried tracking every now and then with like the macros and whatnot. I think the challenge that we've done at Bison I participated a few years. My attention span is not great with that though. So I'll I'll definitely be like writing down all my numbers on really good for like two, three weeks, but then to actually like carry it on for like the six, eight weeks or however long we end up having it.
It's difficult. I will say though, having done those for a few years, I've learned enough now just through like weighing my food and tracking what I'm eating that I'm able to like visually look at like, all right, hey, I'm eating I don't know, peanut butter and jelly, whatever it may be. When I was younger, I used to like layer that thing on with peanut butter and jelly and all this. So I now can realize, hey, that's actually more than like two and a half servings of peanut butter that you're looking at like close to six hundred calories. So I
like take it back a little bit. I still do drink casually too on the weekends with friends. So like I kind of have to like work that into like hey let's not go crazy during the week. I've actually tried my hardest to like not eat bread and like gluten during the week as well, just knowing that that could eat some of that on the weekends. I thought that was going to be extremely hard. It's actually got it's relatively easy.
Sam Rhee (21:37.287)
Evan Pagliei (21:46.795)
once you get into it. And I think that's always a thing with like kind of like create this a habit into it. First couple of weeks are gonna be extremely difficult, but like once you get into it and like you're you've done it, you create the habit, it's like second nature.
Sam Rhee (22:03.027)
Do you meal prep or how do you guys you and your wife like set up your week's meals and stuff like that?
Evan Pagliei (22:09.687)
No real meal prepping. My wife does all the cooking. She does all the sho or like food shopping. she'll ask me every now and then like, Hey, what do you want to eat? And I'm always just like lost. I I can never think of that stuff like off the top of my head. She's always the one that's got like the Instagram recipes going. So she's sending me stuff and I'll be like, Yeah, this looks good, this doesn't look good, whatever it may be. she's good at she's a very good cook. So I anything she makes, I'm I'm down for it. we usually do like all the shopping on Sundays or Mondays, get all the food for the week.
Breakfast is usually just like protein shakes, eggs, that kind of stuff. and then usually my lunch and her lunch as well is the sund or the day before dinner. So I'm not really like wasting food at that point either.
Sam Rhee (22:49.19)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Evan Pagliei (22:52.995)
Every now and then I'll think like, do I want to go back to like the chicken rice and broccoli every day? And like I'll do it. And then by like Wednesday of eating chicken, rice and broccoli again for lunch, you're like, I cannot do this. Like you can only spice it up with so many different sauces that it's like, this is just not good anymore.
Sam Rhee (23:09.619)
That's so true. injuries. So h what kind of injuries have you sustained throughout your all the way, you know, as far back as you can think of, or or or have you dealt with stuff?
Evan Pagliei (23:25.719)
Yeah. Yeah, injuries unfortunately are at this point kind of they've taken a hold of my life, I feel like, as I've gotten older. when I was younger, never really broke a bone ever. Never had like any injuries, then got into football in high school, broke my collarbone, broke four fingers, and had like three concussions all in a matter of like three years. Yeah. So that was also one of like the driving factors. I
Sam Rhee (23:33.458)
Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (23:36.947)
Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (23:45.766)
Really? Wow.
Evan Pagliei (23:51.049)
thought about playing college football, but then I was like, you know what? Let's save the noggin here a little bit. Like, as much as I do love football, I'd like to watch it and remember like everything in my life and not have to like you know. So I was decided not to do that. CrossFit, obviously injuries do happen every now and then. hurt my back like my low back is definitely sensitive at times. so every now and then I definitely have tweaked that. Shoulder
Sam Rhee (24:06.013)
Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (24:14.375)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Evan Pagliei (24:18.211)
wrists here and there, but I think the biggest thing which actually happened this past May, which I'm still trying to like get a true diagnosis, I went to an orthopedic and they thought I had a sport hernia. so for anybody that doesn't know, the sport hernia is not necessarily like when somebody hears hernia, they kind of think like the bulging intestine out of like your abdominal wall.
Sam Rhee (24:30.44)
Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (24:37.864)
Mm-hmm.
Evan Pagliei (24:40.971)
That's not necessarily what a sports hernia is. it's more of like a lower abdomen, like groin, either tear, tweak, whatever it may be. So that has been an ongoing thing now for close to six months. probably one of the most frustrating things I've ever been ever had to like deal with. Just the it's constant like nagging pain that just never seems to go away. And every type of
Sam Rhee (24:41.031)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (24:48.069)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (24:56.445)
Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (25:07.004)
Mm-hmm.
Evan Pagliei (25:09.239)
little inju or movement just kind of like reaggravates it. I have been doing PT now for the past five weeks and it it's it's been getting better, but it's just like a slow grind and it's been it's been tough.
Sam Rhee (25:11.101)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (25:19.003)
Mm hmm. Mm. So it was a diagnosis of exclusion where they just kinda like ruled everything else out and then then they said it's probably a sports journey, is that what happened?
Evan Pagliei (25:31.041)
Yeah, I think they did their best to diagnose without doing any imaging. I didn't really feel they didn't feel the need for the imaging. Obviously, when you get into that lower half area, exposing yourself to that kind of radiation is unless you truly like I think if I were to ever go the route of like a surgery, if it ever got to that point I would get the imaging, but at this stage I'm kind of okay with just the hey, we'll treat it as such and then move forward from there.
Sam Rhee (25:50.235)
Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (25:57.074)
Mm-hmm.
Is it a pain so what what fur do you know what might have kicked it off to begin with and like
Evan Pagliei (26:06.285)
So the first thing that I do remember, this was back in May, I was on a rowing machine actually, and it was one of those full extension as I pulled back on it. I felt it in my lower ab area. obviously being in CrossFit now for so long, like every now and then you'll you'll catch yourself like, that kinda like that stung a little bit here there. Didn't really think much of it. I think the next day was a running workout came in and I was it was maybe like a half mile of running.
Sam Rhee (26:10.792)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (26:19.475)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (26:30.759)
Mm-hmm.
Evan Pagliei (26:32.597)
Every step I took was just like a shooting pain. And I was like, all right, this is it's not the same as like any old injury that I've had in the past. so that kind of was like the start of it. And then being my stubborn self, I didn't really go to the doctor. I'm just kind of thought, hey, I could work through this slow. I'll kind of like take a coup few days off, I'll scale some workouts, this and that. but it really just was not going away.
Sam Rhee (26:38.493)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (26:50.749)
Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (26:55.185)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Evan Pagliei (27:00.203)
So I kinda needed to take that next step, go to the doctor, and get it figured out.
Sam Rhee (27:00.411)
Mm.
Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (27:07.141)
So what kind of PT are you doing to help rehab that condition now?
Evan Pagliei (27:12.355)
So right they're focusing a lot on my hips and kind of like strengthening everything down there. and a lot of ab work as well. So they've also noticed that I guess working from home, I think everybody who does work from home is pretty pretty common that like we're sitting 90% of the day. I try my best to like stand up as much as possible, just walk around. But like being in this like sitting position is obviously not great for your low back, your hips and everything like that. So I think
Sam Rhee (27:18.727)
Okay.
Sam Rhee (27:29.853)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Evan Pagliei (27:41.197)
When I mentioned that obviously on the rower, that's where I initially felt it. I think this injury was probably coming for a long time. It just so happened that I may have been favoring one side over the other. And that's kind of like it just one day just my low abs kinda like gave out on me. so right now focusing a lot on like my lower abs, my hips,
Sam Rhee (27:56.509)
Mm-hmm.
Evan Pagliei (28:02.435)
And just kind of like getting back into just normal workouts, 'cause there was a time there where I couldn't even do like a step up, a lunge, squatting was out of the picture too. So
Slowly working my way back, but I've actually as much as it has been extremely frustrating to kind of like go through this where I look at a workout, like we'll get the whole week's workouts, and I'm kind of as much as I don't like to cherry pick, I have to cherry pick very like 'cause I'm looking at these workouts I I'm like, I can't can't do this, can't do that. So and I'll try to scale as much as possible, but it's been difficult. But I will say
Sam Rhee (28:22.515)
Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (28:31.046)
Uh-huh.
Sam Rhee (28:35.314)
Mm-hmm.
Evan Pagliei (28:41.013)
As I'm like coming out of now, this is I'm five weeks or so into the PT, I have been able to get back to bison a lot more now. Scaling as much as possible. it's kind of gotten me back to a point like in my early days when you're first being taught all the movements and just being as deliberate as possible, like with those movements. I think I was it like when I was three, four years ago when I was probably I would say at my peak.
Sam Rhee (28:47.251)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (28:57.223)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (29:05.189)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Evan Pagliei (29:07.959)
I was like going crazy with some of these movements like with the muscle ups and this and that. not to say that I still don't want to get back to doing that, but it's I've kind of shifted my focus and like health focus now. Just like I want to be able to walk around without any pain and do a normal workout and not be in pain at the end of it. So just focusing on like proper movements has been like refreshing for me to kind of like get back to basics with a lot of the stuff that we do.
Sam Rhee (29:10.671)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (29:15.89)
Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (29:25.448)
Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (29:29.715)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (29:37.288)
Yeah, I I would say having gotten bit multiple times with different things over the years, I agree. Now when I'm in a workout, I really wanna focus on my movement quality. Like I think about like am I pushing down with my heels in this or my you know, am I really balanced on my feet? Am I really making sure that like my
Whatever barbell position is correct. I'm not leaning too far forward. And even if like you're right, like it is so I remember the days where you could just like cut loose and just rip it and you just it was a very satisfying feeling. But at this point, like I f very rarely will step on the gas during a workout, like fully, because I just I agree with you. Like there are a lot of things that you're like, wait, is this
Evan Pagliei (30:12.751)
Mm-hmm.
Evan Pagliei (30:19.113)
yeah.
Evan Pagliei (30:27.257)
Yeah.
Sam Rhee (30:32.999)
Like gonna be worth it, like to get those f five extra reps or whatever it is. So
Evan Pagliei (30:37.965)
Yeah. It's true. Like even this past open, I think I had like a little bit of a nagging injury, but then I think it's when the open does roll around. Like that's usually like the time of year where I'm like, all right, this is where I can try to push it. and it I th I think it was the second workout with all of like the pull-ups and the ring muscle ups and all that involved.
Sam Rhee (30:58.856)
Mm-hmm.
Evan Pagliei (30:59.415)
My shoulder after that workout, like following for the next couple months was just like killing me. So it's just one of those things that I kinda I love it in the moment, 'cause I still love doing the open. I love doing all those workouts. but I have to like then take a step back post open, be like, all right, now let's try to cool it a little bit, let's rehab here and try to get back to basics and not kill ourselves every single day.
Sam Rhee (31:09.405)
Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (31:25.011)
That is that is right. Wha what so if someone was starting CrossFit now, like at CrossFit Bison, what would your advice be in terms of like sticking with it at this point?
Evan Pagliei (31:42.051)
I think taking it taking it slow and n not necessarily trying to g I not going every single day. I think I was so addicted to it in the beginning that I was getting in there five, six days a week. if you are so brand new to CrossFit, like some of these movements are gonna be some of the craziest things you've ever done. Like I remember trying to do a clean
Sam Rhee (32:01.597)
Mm-hmm.
Evan Pagliei (32:02.209)
for the first time and my elbows were like so inflexible to the point that like they couldn't even get them hot. My wrists were killing me. But I wanted to drill drill it like all the time so I would come in the next day and try cleans again. And it would just like it was more of a detriment at that point rather than like actually aiding. definitely listen to the coaches. They know the most. Even to this day, ten years later, like I'm still listening to everything that they're saying. They come in with like new movements, new exercises, new types
of like warm-up so I try to like stay engaged as much as much as possible in the in that first whatever fifteen twenty minutes of the of the class. and definitely have fun. I mean it's it is very enjoyable. It's so much better
Sam Rhee (32:40.445)
Mm-hmm.
Evan Pagliei (32:47.363)
having somebody teach or like tell you what to do in a workout rather than you go into a a crunch fitness and just kind of like walking around trying to figure out what to do next. still do it every now and then. So my wife does have a membership to crunch, so I'll go with her. But I'll like walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes and I get off. I'm like, all right, now what do I do? And I'll to like the bench, I guess, and kind of like do that for a little bit. but yeah it's that's what that's probably my normal
thing to with cross is just having somebody like tell me what to do rather than be having to figure it out is like the best thing. That's that's definitely the best.
Sam Rhee (33:23.921)
Evan, I really appreciate it. I knew I've known you for such a long time at the gym, but like I s you know, you are one of the quieter guys, but I have seen you rip it up. I've seen you move crazy. I've also seen you, like you said, chill. I am so glad that, you know, the advice you give in terms of because you've just had so many years of experience with this. I also commiserate with you in terms of the frustrating part of like recovering from something.
Like there's so much of what we do, like from an injury perspective, especially if it's not like clear cut. Like I've I've also been in that situation. But like you said, y it sounds like you're doing all the right things with it. And I know I saw you move this week at the gym. it looked really solid actually for for yeah.
Evan Pagliei (34:13.315)
Yeah. Getting back to it. I think that's another thing too, is not being afraid to scale a workout. I was one of those guys, I think early on, which I think a lot of people are too, you want to hit those Rx weights, Rx movements. Sure it it looks great on the board, but I I don't care anymore. Like I I don't even and there are times who are like I'm not even logging my work.
Sam Rhee (34:22.482)
Yeah.
Evan Pagliei (34:33.235)
'Cause I'm just happy that I'm in the gym, I'm able to complete a workout and like I'm able to leave with a really good sweat. So scaling is a lot of fun too.
Sam Rhee (34:35.439)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Sam Rhee (34:42.203)
And it's it's great because you were an athlete, extremely competitive in the past. And I think there's some people who have a really hard time like transitioning from the competitive aspect to the longevity and health aspect of, you know, exercise. And they just can't hack it. Like they just find it really difficult to sort of if you're not doing like you said, the Rx, if you're not like way up there on the board, if you're not being able to compete with others, they just sort of
drift away. but you've basically taken that focus and refocused it into making yourself a better person without the ego part of it. And I think that that's not always so easy. So so I definitely appreciate that that attitude. So anyway, thank you so much, Evan. I look forward to seeing you more at the gym. And have a great weekend. Thanks for spending the time with me on this.
Evan Pagliei (35:36.941)
Yeah, no problem. You too. Glad to be here.
Sam Rhee (35:41.284)
Alright.
