Westbound Boarder

With the Olympics quickly approaching (less than one month to go!) the pros are kicking it into high gear in efforts to prep their minds and bodies for the event.  But have you ever wondered what, exactly, their workouts entail? (Hint: it does not only take place on the hill).  Pro skier Lindsey Vonn, this year’s rising female star, shows us all.

This video below takes you through one of Lindsey’s workout routines.  Hm, I wonder if her trainer is taking new applicants?

I went surfing for the first time since Thanksgiving last week… and man did it KILL!  Seriously, I didn’t last more than 30 minutes, and I was sore for days after (not to mention I only caught a couple waves because my arms couldn’t paddle hard enough to endure much more). Well, as we all know, the first few times out on a board (any board) each season, we feel it.  For days.  This is why it is so important to maintain a balanced workout schedule throughout the off season, so that your first day back on a board feels just as easy as your last day from the season before.  

A couple weeks ago, I caught up with John Velez, the creator of AmpedSurf, and the entire purpose of this Web site is to help people “Ride More Waves.”  John lived in Venice for several years and was surfing 3 to 5 days a week; however, when he moved to Oregon he lived 2+ hours from the beach and really couldn’t get out much.  This site was born out of his feeling that people needed a quick and easy workout to get them going throughout the year.

With personal training videos and a complete, customized workout routine, AmpedSurf helps surfers maintain the workout they need in order to stay in shape for the upcoming surf season.  The site features a personal training room where members receive a new workout routine each week, with videos demonstrating each move.  Workouts can be performed at a gym, or at home with a stability ball and elastic band, and they typically take about 35 minutes to complete.     

After talking to John and trying out the site for 2 weeks myself, I have to say that it’s pretty freakin’ cool.  It is easy to sign up and you get a two week free trial so you can try before you buy.  After that, it’s only $4.99 per month (sure beats a personal trainer!)    

If you already work out on a pretty regular basis, though, this site might be a bit too easy for you.  It does start from the very basics, and it takes some time to get to a hard point.  I work out pretty regularly, and did find the workouts were a bit easy; however, they did get tougher as the weeks progressed.   On a more positive note, too, John did mention he has a few follow up versions and levels of the work out regime in the works, so definitely don’t write AmpedSurf off completely, even if you’re a workout-a-holic.  It’s a neat concept, and I’m totally excited to see what’s next!