Biarritz, Rusheen, Tenerife and Plyometrics

18th Jul 2008 @ 09:39:21 AM

sSs Team Rider, Simon Gormley is making sure that he gets the maximum out of his windsurfing this summer now that his exams are over, but what does that really mean... Simon takes up the story:

''After a wet and rainy holiday in Biarritz it was great to get back to a nice sunny Ireland … wait that can’t be right. Unfortunately my 3 week holiday in the sun was timed exactly when SW France and home decided to swap climates. Sulking aside I did get brief spells of sun and lots of warm water surfing in so shouldn’t complain too much.

I was lucky enough to get a few excellent freestyling days in before jetting off to Tenerife. I know it’s a hard life, but I’m trying to cram as much in as possible before my exam results get back and undoubtedly ruin my summer.

In Rusheen there is almost always beautifully flat water which is excellent for freestyle and beginners. Unfortunately it means that when we need to do the same thing in chop it takes a whole lot more effort and thought and is definitely something I’m going to work on when we finally get a bit of a low hitting our shores.

While waiting for the inevitable wind, the gym is my new best buddy. I’ve started a customised programme in something called plyometrics which is a type of exercise designed to produce fast, powerful movements, and improve reaction times and muscle memory it’s supposed to ‘bridge the gap’ between speed and strength. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to improve their windsurfing fitness.''

Freestyle