[ I hope the mods don't censor [it / me] , though ?? ]
got back problems ?
yes ?
.... then , maybe ....
don't go at sex for hours on end , like you 'may' have been able to do in your late twenties / early thirties [come on , you know in your earlier years it was always over quickly , if you think back , and be honest with yourself ?!]
and now , just because we have the 'blue pill' available for ....er .... "performance enhancing "...
...maybe we still need to 'pace ourselves'
[as has been previously suggested here in regards to waveriding ]...
not going at it for hours on end , then not being able to move the next day [sad]
I always remember a talk on surfing that Jodie Cooper [remember HER ??] gave to a bunch of frothing grom Christian Surfers [?!] , in the mid-1980s ...
She [ maybe in her twenties, at the time?] talked about paddling out for a 'heat-length' surf , catching plenty , and paddling in , satisfied
....works for me ! *
[others may disagree ...that's okay ! ... it's a free world [well, it IS in Oz , at least ...so far !]
cheers
ben
* ....I still , to this day , call it a 'Jodie Cooper session' , when I have a 30 minute to 1 hour [maximum] surf ....
Longboards at 50 years: 21-3/4" width, 60 years: 23" width. “Shortboard”: 6’-8" quad and only shorebreaks where there’s hardly a paddle involved. The declining years, oh yeah. It’s the quality of life and how many hours you may have left. Adjust now and don’t waste the time remaining trying to be who you once were.
Old story about an ailing emporer who gets in a physician who prescribes a lark’s egg every day washed down with fresh dew. After a few weeks the emporer has the doctor back in, “It’s not working”. Physician says, “It’s important that you collect the egg and dew yourself.”
I’m a similar weight to 30 years ago - probably less muscle and more flab, though. But the genes are good. I do 10 mins of yoga each day (it’s a warmup routine, but enough to get chi flowing - yes I am mixing my philosophies), about 3 minutes of shoulder rehab using weights, ride to work and eat fruit for breakfast. Oh yes, my wife is 21 years younger than me and my 2 year old son is motivation for sticking around (healthy) for a few more years.
But I don’t surf enough because I live an hour away from the ocean and so I am unfit. Hold downs on bigger days are scarey. Looking forward to a long holiday on the coast and a sea change within a couple of years.
A buddy of mine turned 40 a little while back and he was telling me “I am going to try to surf into my 60s”…
My other friend that was standing there listening to him is 62… I looked at his expression and looked at my other friend and said “perhaps you should raise your bar?”…
…The 62 year old guy is a better surfer than the 40 year old guy…
All these tips have been very helpful. Hope everyone has gained some new insight and a little stoke to keep on going. surfed some ankle slappers yesterday.
I'm 47 and surf every chance I get. Many of the guys who surf at my spot are in their 60's and 70's and I can only dream of catching as many waves as they do. One of them has the craziest paddle you can imagine (looks like a huge caterpillar) but he catches every wave and rides way more and better than I ever have. I've asked some of them about their fitness and most follow what's been posted here already - eat right, exercise, keep off any excess weight and go surfing. There are quite a few folks in their 80's and even 90's who are still surfing. If Fauja Singh can run marathons at 103, we can surf into our 90s.
yep my advice is you should all give up you old barst$rds. old guys are too grumpy in the surf cuz they cant get waves unless they on a mal . and then if they on a mal they are grumpy cuz everyone hates them cuz they get more waves . so yeah . give it up and get your dads lawn bowls out of the attic
Aloha crew,…Well, I’m 60,…work on the farm, raise’n cattle, rock fish, and oysters with an additional 70 acres of tilled land on the Chesapeake Bay,…the ocean is an hour and half away-----cruise control on the truck 3 days a week to Assateague Island–I also, outrigger canoe my OC1 every other day…
My two buddy’s who are over 60, just paddled the Molokai to Oahu, on SUP’s
–advise–
paddle whatever you have,…eat and drink in moderation,…be sun wise(we’ve all had rounds with skin cancer),…HAVE FUN!!!,…life is way too short to be grumpy.
I second the notion (maybe third?) that many people today drive by and think there aren't any waves so they don't enter the water. When I was a young(er) man, I did the same, but now I find that 2-3' is FUN and if it gets bigger, so much the better.
Here is what i am now doing. I swim on a masters team so i get a lot of base yards in. My surf specific adaptation is once a week i swim a 1000 or so warm up then swim continuous 100 yds and 10 pushups 100 yds and 10 pushups and so on for a 1000 yds. No rest. This mimics paddling out and duck diving.
You could ease into this by starting with less yds. Maybe do 50’s and 5 pushups. Whatever. But do it for a long continuous set with no rest.
Also, to work your fast twitch fibers, swim a 25 by going very slow the first couple of strokes, then all out for about 12 strokes then a few strokes to the wall and rest for a full 2 minutes. No cheating on the rest. Like in weight lifting, your body needs that rest to reset. You will get little out of it without the rest. Properly done you will develop and keep explosive paddle power.
