USE YOUR BRAIN
“Almost all your physical
success comes from your
thought process”, Graff says.
Mental focus is also key
when it comes to completing
new challenges. “Analyse the
situation and approach the
best way to get the job done”,
she adds. “I have to take time
to analyze an obstacle so I
can jump at the correct angle.
It helps to step back and
consider what you are doing
and how to do it.”BEST YOURSELF
“I’m obsessed with beating
records”, Graff says. “My
goal is to find a baseline of
something I want to do
and then surpass it.” The key,
she adds, is consistency.
Recently, Graff decided to
take on fingertip push-ups. “I
couldn’t do a single one, not
even on my knees”, she says.
“I broke it down to the most
basic part — a crawling
position — and did as many
reps as I could. Then I’d take
a couple of days off and try
again.” After three months,
she can now crank out more
than 20 fingertip push-ups.GET A GREAT
TRAINING PARTNER
Graff finds amazing camara-
derie in the stunt community.
“Almost everyone in the field
is exceptional at something,
whether it’s gymnastics,
martial arts, or free running,
and it’s inspiring to see
what they can do and
discover new things from
them.” But perhaps her
favourite training partner is
Sammo Hog, her 50kg
Juliana pig. (Follow her on
Instagram @SammoHog.)
Although Graff incorporates
Sammo Hog into moves like
pull-ups and backflips, she
says her pet is best for her
rest days. “She’s such a
cuddler — you can’t help just
wanting to take a break and
hang out with her.”The obstacles on American
Ninja Warrior are as
mentally straining as they
are physically taxing. For
this reason, Graff
approaches every obstacle
with a strategy.what you’re capable of”.
One of Graff’s strategies
is to set small attainable
goals leading up to the big
goal. After completing the
smaller, more reasonable
tasks, true belief will
eventually set in.SET NEW GOALS
Graff is all about taking on
new challenges, even if
they take her in a totally
unexpected direction. “I
blew out my knee and
couldn’t do any lower-
body training, so
I had to come up with
something new to work
on.” Graff’s pull-up game
was weak, so she started
doing six pullups at a
time. Within a few
months, she was doing
more than 20 at a time.
(Today she can do 40.)TURN YOUR DIET
INTO A GAME
“I’m always trying to get
more vegetables into my
diet, but I also have a
sweet tooth, so I give
myself a challenge: I get
one point for every
serving of vegetables that
I eat”, says Graff, who
rewards herself with
something sweet when
she reaches 10 points. “If I
only have four points in
the day and I find myself
reaching for a bowl of
dark chocolate chips, I’ll
switch to something like a
smoothie with kale and
spinach, which will give
me another six points in
one glass! Then, if I still
want it, I have the
chocolate.”to pay attention to that
little twinge and not just
push through it”, she says.
Regular stretching,
massage therapy, and
foam rolling help, she
notes, as does incorporat-
ing off days.BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
— EVENTUALLY
When it comes to
achieving big goals, like
running a marathon,
Graff stresses that it’s OK
to not believe in yourself
— at least at first.
“I find many people are
discouraged by the
concept that you have to
believe”, she says. “My
message is that even if you
don’t believe, all you need
is the courage to try. More
often than not, you’ll
surprise yourself withGETTY IMAGES
(^) 2019 JUL/AUG | M&F HERS | 11