In my previous job, I had the opportunity to meet CrossFit Games athlete, Brent Fikowski. He was in town for a photo shoot and we were going through his gym bag and he whipped out a silver piece of metal that I presumed was a knife. I knew the streets of Kelowna could be rough, but eesh.
Turns out it was a Sidekick scraper! So that was my introduction to Sidekick, I thought Brent Fikowski, one of the fittest men in the world, carried a shank in his gym bag.
Fast forward a couple of years and it feels like Sidekick has taken the fitness community by storm. We share a sponsored athlete in Amanda Barnhart, and they’ve continued to expand their reach beyond the walls of the CrossFit box.
Given our shared focus on muscle recovery and continued partnerships for 2020, I was eager to sit down with Sidekick’s Jason Harlton and learn more about the birth of Sidekick, the benefits of scraping, and their plans for 2020.
What is a Sidekick Muscle Scraper?
The Sidekick muscle scrapers are a total body muscle scraping tool designed specifically to address the needs of athletes in all sports. muscle scrapers work by releasing adhesions under the skin that cause muscle pain and impingement, freeing up your muscles and unlocking your movement. Sidekick total body scrapers feature 6 unique curves making them ideal for targeting your shoulders, calves, quads, and back, and every muscle in between.
How did you personally come to find out about the benefits of scraping? - Our founder and CEO Hin suffered a particularly bad shoulder injury while training for a CrossFit Regionals competition. Not having a lot of money, he tried using the methods available to him at the time (foam rolling, lacrosse balls) to relieve his pain, but ultimately ended up seeking treatment from a chiropractor who introduced him to muscle scraping. After experiencing the benefits for himself, Hin decided to leverage his experience as an entrepreneur and set out to bring muscle scraping to athletes everywhere.
Where should Sidekick fall into someone's recovery protocol? How often? How can I maximize its benefits? Great question, the largest application of our tools is post-training and competition to relieve pain & tightness, and to bring increased blood flow to your muscles. Sidekick tools can also be used pre-workout for muscle activation as well, however for this we recommend less pressure and for a shorter time interval. As long as you follow our general guidelines for use, it's safe to use Sidekick tools every day as part of your recovery protocol. To maximize their benefits, muscle scraping or muscle vibration really work best when part of a comprehensive recovery strategy that includes proper hydration, good nutrition, adequate rest, and other modalities like foam rolling and stretching. In order to help our customers get the most benefit from their tools we give everyone access to Sidekick University, where we have quite a few how-to videos as well as classes designed to improve mobility.
Sidekick's seemed to really grow up within the CrossFit community, was that intentional? - The history of the company is steeped in CrossFit, our CEO Hin was a Regional’s athlete when he first discovered the benefits of scraping and most of the team are avid CrossFitters. Being involved in the sport allows us to have a unique understanding of the recovery needs of these athletes since they are our needs as well, so in a way it was intentional but also very natural.
What are you most excited about in 2020 for Sidekick? There is so much to talk about here, 2020 is going to be a huge year for us. Our growth has been exponential over the last year and shows no signs of slowing down. Although I can't say too much about it at this time, we have many exciting new recovery tools and accessories coming out, some of which have been in development for over 2 years. We're also going to be attending events this year, a first for us and a long time coming, we are really looking forward to getting the chance to meet people.
Is traveling with a Sidekick muscle scraper challenging? Getting through security with a large metal object shaped like a blade? Got any stories or tips? Generally speaking, we advise customers to pack their sidekick muscle scraper tools in their checked luggage. I know that Jacob Heppner had his Bow confiscated once during a flight. Let's be honest, to some people the Sidekick Eclipse looks like a weapon. Better safe than sorry.
Huge thanks to Jason for taking the time to give us some great insight and knowledge on Sidekick. If we’ve peaked your interest and want to learn more, check out Sidekick’s website.
