Triple Overheads: Preparation - 100/200/500

Aloha Tribe,

We have some great Triple Overheads coming, in the 20 to 21 foot range at the end of this weekend and early next week. In preparation, yesterday and today as well as for the rest of the week, I've been doing a fun exercise for kicking endurance for medium waves.

1. You do 25 Pull Ups, then, 25 Jumping Jacks, then run a quarter mile (or paddle your surfboard this distance), then do 25 Jumping Jacks.

You do this 4 times for a total of 100 Pull Ups, 200 Jumping Jacks, and 1 mile run or 1 mile paddle.

Immediately next...

2. You do 25 Wide Armed Push Ups, instantly followed by 25 Jumping Jacks, run a quarter mile or paddle your surfboard, then 25 Jumping Jacks.

You do this 8 times for a total for this phase of 200 Push Ups, 400 Jumping Jacks,  and 2 miles run.

Then...

3. You do 25 Sit Ups or stomach exercises of any type, followed by 25 Jumping Jacks, run a quarter mile, then 25 more Jumping Jacks.

You do this for a total of 500 Sit Ups or stomach exercises, 600 Jumping Jacks, and run 3 miles.

The grand total for all of the above...

100 Pull Ups

200 Wide Armed Push Ups

500 Sit Ups

1200 Jumping Jacks

6 miles of Running or 6 miles of lay down paddling on your surfboard if you want to stay sports specific.

Try to truly push yourself and do all of the above somewhere  between 1 and 2 hours if you can. If you really want to make it fun, add an additional 5 hours of swimming (mostly in sprint intervals) in the roughest seas possible with fins (personally, I prefer Aqua Lung Rocket Fins - they're often favored by Rescue Swimmers - be sure to get some Fin Savers if you're swimming in gnarly seas so you don't lose them, they don't float).

I've found that exercises like these help me to get the grit to push through challenging surf. If you happen to be at the beach, instead of running, simply get on your board and paddle the required miles as quickly as you can for each section.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Leandro's Brazil Butt Lift DVD Exercises for a perfectly shaped butt and maximum Surfing Skill

Aloha Tribe,

As many of you know, I love working small muscles in my body to enhance my surfing. Because of my Chi Gung Training, my body is extremely sensitive to the subtlest of movements and balance shifts, thus, honing and developing even tiny muscles, I have found, has a major impact with what I can do with a surfboard on the waves. Along this idea, a few days ago I got an absolutely incredibly fun and useful set of dvds of Leandro Carvalo's Deluxe Package for his Brazilian Butt Lift dvds. With it, I also just ordered today an extra dvd of his called Brazil Butt Lift Secret Weapon. I love all of the dvds and saw their immediate direct application to surfing.

I must say, having a tight butt  or buns or bum bum as Leandro calls them in Brazil, rocks when surfing. And, the fun thing is, both guys and girls can not only greatly benefit from honing and sculpting a perfectly shaped set of buns but also in the process, you can gain  perfect control over those muscles too and that's where the direct application to surfing comes in. And with that, comes the fun on your board. If you want to truly shred on your shortboard with greater power, or, to glide with a soft kind of subtle smoothness and beauty you've never had on your longboard, I so highly recommend working your buns until you truly master them. Besides, an extra benefit is that they'll fill out the backside of your boardies or string bikini bottoms pretty hotly too and what's wrong with that!!!

The reason that sculpting these generally unused or unnoticed surfing muscles is that for  most of us, we typically use large, dynamic movements when we surf that involve our entire bodies, and, while such movements can truly be beautiful, such as the graceful  Drop Knee Cutback to name but one,  there's something about being able to control your board with utterly minimal movement that fascinates me. Thnk Gerry Lopez and you have the image of cool calm, relaxed style with little body movement in even the gnarliest of situations.

What gave me the idea to work my buns was my devotion to slacklining, tightwire walking, tightrope walking, and loose rope walking. In those, with a moving rope or wire, one tends to use the knees and hips to control balance. And, if the wire or rope is extremely taut under high tension, then, the balance is more upper body. So, for surfing, a slackline and a soft rope offer the greatest body awareness of the proper muscles if you want to really feel connected to your board and not separate from it. So, I had been working the three primary muscles of the buns, the gluteus maximus, the gluteus medius, and the gluteus minimus with my own sets of exercises. Then one day, I happened upon Leandro's Brazilian Butt Lift dvds and they looked so fun and colorful and alive with energy, I just had to try them. After all, I could see how beautifully he moved and the image sprang to my mind of my surfboard. The thought came to me that as a specific form of exercise, to sculpt t not only a perfect butt but also one with incredible muscular control and power,  it would be possible to shift balance based on butt muscular tension. And so, the experiment and quest began.

So, since I am so dedicated to surfing, I decided I'd really work Leandro's dvds hard, thus, I'm doing all three of the dvds that came with the regular program, and, his  two additional  dvds from his Deluxe program, as well as the additonal Secret Weapon dvd for a total of 6 dvds. I do all of this disks of each program every day, and sure, that's probably more than most of us would do, after all, just one of the dvds is a great workout let alone doing all of them throughout the day, but, going to the extremes is the only way I ever train in any sport. Push until you drop, then get up and push again and on and on and on. If you truly want to do the best you can, in whatever you do, you have to truly try your hardest.

I'm so totally stoked to see what my intense training in this program of Leandro's Brazilian Butt Lift will do for my buns and my surfing. In fact,  I've already noticed the dramatic effects almost instantly in my butt awareness.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Dawn Patrol Now, First Light in 2 1/2 Hours, Perfect Swell

Aloha Tribe,

In another 2 hours 47 minutes, first light will arrive. So that gives most locals time to head out now for a night drive to greet the Pre-Dawn on the Water. Sunrise 30 minutes later at 6:47.

It'll be a morning surf on some 6 Footers with a small 6 second Swell and a slight Cross-Breeze. We'll surf a bit, then gather for Fish Tacos fresh of the grill and bananas for anybody who wants either.

As the day progresses for our after Breakfast surf, the waves will rise about a foot more. Basically, it'll be a mild day with low winds, easy relaxed surf under warm overcast skies.

If you have an Alaia, bring it, the day will be fun for them.

Anybody up for a night jaunt, let's form a caravan. See you on the road in two minutes or out on the water before First Light.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley