Since it’s a lay day for the Brazil comp, here are my picks for the contest…

#1-Jadson Andre-He’s the obvious favorite winning the event last year but something tells me he’s going to need more than stock airs this event. Sure, there is that progressive element but show some variety and well roundedness. Judges always look to push the local guys through.

#2-Owen Wright-Finally Owen has the chance to go left. He finished third here last year in small, gutless conditions and he looked in rhythm. With some good boards under his feet, he could still put together a good result and maybe his maiden win.

#3-Mick Fanning-Whereas long drawn out point breaks don’t favor Mick against certain guys on tour, his speed and quickness definitely make him a tough draw in unpredictable beach breaks. He’s won this event before in conditions on both ends of the spectrum and he won’t be satisfied with a second for long.

#4-Taj Burrow-Brazil could be the spot where Taj snatches back momentum. He’s scratched good results almost everywhere but beach breaks are where he shines the most. Many forget this is where he won his first WCT event.

#5-Joel Parkinson-There’s a lot of variables surrounding this pick for me. It’s either going to be big, good, open faced Brazil and he’ll shine or he will finally figure out small wave flare against the fly weights. Quarters or better for Joel.

AND NOW YOUR MOMENT OF MEDITATION…

“Don’t be afraid to be lose but be pissed when you do because accepting failure is not something you should be swallowing.”-Brian Wilson

Matt Griggs once said that the explosive part of surfing comes from the actual surfing of the wave. Once you stand up, your speed generation, your quick reaction times, and your power through maneuvers all revolve around your ability to turn on your fast twitch muscles. Obviously, if you’re surfing a long wave then you need a little bit of endurance in the core and leg muscles so you can stay springy the whole way through. However, the paddling portion is supposed to be when you’re recovering or when you’re catching your breath. I don’t entirely agree with that BUT for the sake of argument we’re going to talk about ways to strengthen the upper body without compromising muscle length or flexibility.

Paddling alone makes you pretty darn strong but if that’s all you’re doing then you run the risk of acquiring imbalances in the upper body. It’s important to work everything but not with heavy weight. Most of these you can do with your own body weight or very light dumb bells. When doing these exercises, don’t concern yourself with how much much volume. Just get through as many reps as it takes to feel the burn in the target areas. So without further delay…

*Push-Ups-It sounds rudimentary but it’s shocking to think how many times you do this a session. The great part is you can start with the normal version on flat ground or an incline and then you can move on to clap push ups, plyo push ups on to a medicine ball, or even push ups with straps. The chest is a big muscle and this is very important for strengthening that part of the shoulder girdle.

*Pull-Ups-That burning feeling in your back when you’re pulling through a paddle…that’s your lats and they get worked hard through pull ups. Think these three grips: palms away, palms facing you, and palms facing each other. All work the back but throw in other muscles like the rhomboids, low back, and biceps.

*Raises-Try this. Grab a pair of five pound weights. Lift them in front of you up to shoulder height 20 times. Then lift them out to the side 20 times. Then holding a band in front of you pull it backwards. BAM! You’ve hit the entire deltoid. That’s the potato looking muscle that connects your shoulder blades to your arms. It should burn a lot through this three part circuit because you’re hitting the front, lateral, and rear parts of it.

*Rows-With one knee on a bench, let the dumb bell drop and pull it back up towards your body. These are for your traps and rhomboids. These are muscles in your back that bring your arms back to the body or PULL. If you’re looking to challenge yourself, get in push up position and hold on to the dumb bells and row them up that way one at a time. Try to keep your hips level.

*Back Extensions-When you’re paddling and constantly keep your head up to see what the waves are doing, this takes strength in your low back’s erector muscles. These are what allow the back to extend up. Place your heels behind the pads and lay your torso over the front. Lower yourself down and then come back up to starting position.

Key thing…make your reps high around 15-20 and make sure you’re feeling the burn. The important part is not to throw around a lot of weight. It’s to use good form and increase the endurance in those muscles.

AND NOW YOUR MOMENT OF MEDITATION…

“Experience is the teacher of all things.”-Caesar

-Trav