EP 112: Favia Dubyk — Specializing in Lowball Roof Bouldering, Surviving Cancer, and Learning How to Dyno

Dr. Favia Dubyk is a pathologist, cancer survivor, Ninja Warrior, cat lover, and badass boulderer. We talked about the connective tissue disorder that led her to specialize in lowball roof climbing, what it was like to go through cancer and chemotherapy, how she became one of the strongest people in the world at pull-ups, learning how to dyno, and her current V13 lowball roof project.

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• Leo Franchi, Michael Roy, David Lahaie, Robert Freehill, Jeremiah Johnson, Scott Donahue, Eli Conlee, and Skyler Maxwell

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Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/favia-dubyk

Nuggets:

0:06:54 – Trying Matini Right, and recording beta on video

0:11:50 – Identifying as a “Lowball Roof Boulderer”, and Favia’s connective tissue disorder (Ehlers-Danlos)

0:15:55 – Discovering that she had Ehlers-Danlos

0:17:52 – Having hip dislocations as a track athlete, and “pain is temporary but success is forever”

0:19:36 – Physical Urticaria, getting hives from an ice bath as a runner, and why climbing is a better fit than running

0:22:50 – Being ridiculed for being a hyper-specialist, and embracing being weird (alien)

0:26:09 – Watching dance videos, and realizing that the most interesting adults were probably all “misfits” as kids

0:28:26 – Feeling like an outsider, finding her people in high school, making clubs, and laminating

0:31:58 – Mission Impossible and Chemo Brain

0:34:46 – Hanging up her spikes and discovering climbing

0:37:09 – Learning that sports come first, and using her time management skills as a climber

0:41:03 – Starting her own Pathology Education clinic, and what Favia does as a Pathologist

0:46:49 – Wanting to be a doctor as a kid, and being bribed by her mom to get worse grades

0:49:31 – Have a 13cm mass in her chest, and getting diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma

0:51:08 – Running the 100m dash and being the fastest woman in Harvard’s history for 7 years

0:52:23 – Getting sick with cancer, and having her “death day”

0:57:44 – Taking life second by second, and getting chemo every two weeks

1:01:27 – What made Favia feel better when she was sick

1:04:41 – Feeling the lowest after treatment, and needing distance from people

1:07:16 – Poor memory and carrying a camera around as a kid to remember things, her personality after cancer, and making the choice to recover

1:11:40 – Feeling anger, channeling that into getting back in shape, and wanting to climb ‘Helicopter’

1:13:44 – Learning how to be comfortable in the outdoors as an adult, and being kind to people who are new to the outdoors

1:16:36 – Doing gymnastics as a kid, and being risk-averse

1:18:12 – Favia’s climbing progression after cancer, and limitations from surgery and chemo

1:20:28 – Weighted pullups, and measuring her one-arm pullups in cats

1:25:28 – Natural upper body strength, lock-offs, and learning how to move dynamically

1:30:05 – Working with Lattice Training, and some of the progressions in learning to dyno

1:37:50 – Arnold Schwartzenager, Alex Johnson, and other climbing inspirations

1:41:29 – Dominique Dawes, and wanting to inspire other black climbers

1:47:41 – Hurting her back training for Ninja Warrior, the “power discs” (TENS Units), and why Favia uses them on her legs

1:58:43 – Soylent (meal in a bottle)

2:03:41 – A typical day of eating for Favia

2:07:32 – Favia’s philosophy on diet and protein, and recovering from anemia by eating steak “rare plus”

2:11:49 – Favia’s favorite foods

2:15:00 – Favorite shows

2:16:38 – Being married to a non-climber, and how to navigate vacations together

2:20:37 – Working for Kinesio Tape, and doing more motivational speaking

2:25:18 – Think about your jokes

2:28:12 – Assuming other people are going through hard things, and giving people the benefit of the doubt

2:33:00 – Living every day to the fullest, and what Favia’s dream life would look like if she turned out like Arnold Schwarzenegger

2:38:34 – Being decisive, and never asking “what if”

2:39:42 – What animal Favia would have in her house, and rescuing animals

2:41:50 – Kids and trying IVF

2:44:06 – Favia’s V13 project

2:49:17 – Weighted pull-ups on hangboard edges

2:50:03 – Favia’s current go-to strength and rehab exercises, and why front levers are “key”

2:54:02 – Tips for training front levers

2:55:52 – Wrap up, and parting advice for caretakers

2:58:21 – “Climbing days for everyone!”