Catalyzt
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
Now that the weather is hot, I'm switching my primary sport to body-boarding, probably through November. I did swim a few half-miles in the pool to train, but due to cool weather-- and obsession with e-biking!-- I started swimming much later in the summer than usual this year. And I was really worried that I would be totally out of shape for riding waves because, one would think, both sports use totally different muscle groups.
Imagine my surprise that this turned out not be true at all. Yeah, I was sore my first two days in the water, but both sessions were a full half hour, and in easy to moderate conditions-- most seasons, I wait for a really small day to start, and I can barely stay in the water 20 minutes.
I was most sore in my lower back and triceps, but my stamina was much better than expected. What shouldn't have surprised me is that my legs are in better shape than any other season I can remember. I use big fins-- they are called "duck" fins, if anyone knows what those are-- because conditions are so erratic at my home break, which is a beach break. I had much less trouble getting out, and less trouble catching waves-- I missed a few for sure, but a lower percentage.
What I don't think I could have anticipated was that shifting weight, maintaining my balance on the board exactly where I want it, and reading the waves were all skills that came back very, very quickly this season. I remember reading a book in the '70s that said pro skiers cycled in the off season, and that it helped their balance and weight distribution, but I kind of dismissed it-- 'oh, come on, it's just riding a bicycle.'
But the skills seem to transfer! It turns out that reading a sandy, rocky grade on an eMTB is not that different from reading a sloppy, half-closed-out swell. I guess a hill is a hill, and a slope is a slope, whether it's made of dirt or water or snow. The first day, I thought maybe I'd just gotten lucky. But today, I was really doing some subtle, tricky stuff-- the waves are so bad, it's kind of like reading a complex fall line that's breaking in two different directions. Of course, it means something different on a body board than it does on skis or a bike, but the point was, I could see it when a second break formed over my left shoulder for my last wave today, I got on my right rail, and really got a blast of tremendous speed right when I wanted it.
Body boarding is hard on the body; I'm in my mid '60s and have health issues, so I'm down to about 15 days a year, though I did 25 or 30 in my 50s, and I'm avoiding the big days. I figured I'd have to pack it in in a season or two... now I'm wondering if I can keep doing this another five years or so if I'm careful... and keep riding hard! Part of the issue, I think, is that other years it was just too hard to stay in shape during the late fall, winter, and early spring. The elliptical is just boring, and the acoustic bike was too debilitating on the hills near here. Also, now I'm less worried about getting out of shape if conditions, tide, or traffic are not favorable for two or three weeks. I can ride in the hills and be ready when the conditions are good!
Anyway, just curious whether anyone else had a similar experience.
Imagine my surprise that this turned out not be true at all. Yeah, I was sore my first two days in the water, but both sessions were a full half hour, and in easy to moderate conditions-- most seasons, I wait for a really small day to start, and I can barely stay in the water 20 minutes.
I was most sore in my lower back and triceps, but my stamina was much better than expected. What shouldn't have surprised me is that my legs are in better shape than any other season I can remember. I use big fins-- they are called "duck" fins, if anyone knows what those are-- because conditions are so erratic at my home break, which is a beach break. I had much less trouble getting out, and less trouble catching waves-- I missed a few for sure, but a lower percentage.
What I don't think I could have anticipated was that shifting weight, maintaining my balance on the board exactly where I want it, and reading the waves were all skills that came back very, very quickly this season. I remember reading a book in the '70s that said pro skiers cycled in the off season, and that it helped their balance and weight distribution, but I kind of dismissed it-- 'oh, come on, it's just riding a bicycle.'
But the skills seem to transfer! It turns out that reading a sandy, rocky grade on an eMTB is not that different from reading a sloppy, half-closed-out swell. I guess a hill is a hill, and a slope is a slope, whether it's made of dirt or water or snow. The first day, I thought maybe I'd just gotten lucky. But today, I was really doing some subtle, tricky stuff-- the waves are so bad, it's kind of like reading a complex fall line that's breaking in two different directions. Of course, it means something different on a body board than it does on skis or a bike, but the point was, I could see it when a second break formed over my left shoulder for my last wave today, I got on my right rail, and really got a blast of tremendous speed right when I wanted it.
Body boarding is hard on the body; I'm in my mid '60s and have health issues, so I'm down to about 15 days a year, though I did 25 or 30 in my 50s, and I'm avoiding the big days. I figured I'd have to pack it in in a season or two... now I'm wondering if I can keep doing this another five years or so if I'm careful... and keep riding hard! Part of the issue, I think, is that other years it was just too hard to stay in shape during the late fall, winter, and early spring. The elliptical is just boring, and the acoustic bike was too debilitating on the hills near here. Also, now I'm less worried about getting out of shape if conditions, tide, or traffic are not favorable for two or three weeks. I can ride in the hills and be ready when the conditions are good!
Anyway, just curious whether anyone else had a similar experience.
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