Episode 25- Hawaii and Crossfit

Gabe recounts his surf adventure in Hawaii while Joe listens patiently. Joe discusses his 2014 return to Crossfit. With a hot soundtrack from Gabe's upcoming CD release.


Surfing Waimea


Joe's hand post-Crossfit




More Hawaii photos:

Pipeline

Pupukea

Poster for the Eddie


Trees up North


Beach Park


Sunset beach


Ka'eena Point


Sunset Beach


View from the hike


Makaha w/Rudolfo


Makaha w/Nino and Marco


Makaha


Makaha


The backhouse


Playing guitar w/Jessica


The hostel


Jacuzzi, Waikiki


Buying My Board w/ Thiago, Pepe, and Jorge, week 1


Sunset Beach w/Fabien, week 2


Surf Crew w/Fabien, Eric, Lexi, and Jeremy


Playing Surfer Bar


Waikiki at night


Skewers at the Farmer's Market


Ka'eena Point


This guy fell off a pickup truck while hitching w/ Alon and Amanda


More from the hike with Victor, Anne-Marie, Maggie, and Jesse


At the airport

Hawaii

So here are some pics from Hawaii....

I've been largely based at a youth hostel on Oahu's fabled North Shore- the seven mile mecca for surfers from around the world. I was inspired by seeing Shaun Thomson speak and reading his book, The Code, to come and try out the winter swell for myself. There are multiple spots along the North Shore and it isn't all huge.

So far I've surfed at some more basic spots, Chun's Reef and Freddieland, and some more advanced spots- Haleiwa, Vlazyland (did alright there), Sunset Beach, and actually went out at Pipeline and Rockpiles on a small day. It's been challenging and a learning curve as to where to go and with what board. I bought a 7'8" mini-gun off a guy and it's a cool board, but not right for me. I took out an 8'0 at Chun's Reef which worked well, but was crazy busy. That's the other issue- so many travelers here, surf pilgrims from all over the world, so the water is crowded. But I've met some cool folks from Brazil, Chile, New Zealand, Australia, Israel, France, Germany, and Switzerland.

Beyond surfing, I've been hiking, seeing some sights, chilling on some amazing beaches (saw a swimsuit photo shoot the other day), and taking a couple vacations from my vacation in Waikiki, which was much needed and awesome. Basically I've been getting around on foot, bike, or bus. Been eating a lot of caveman style meals from the local Foodland supermarket. Feeling lucky, overall. Just been important to take breaks and come back.

Aloha!
G

Episode 24: Special Holiday Edition

Gabe and Joe close out year one with their 24th podcast/ nutrtition confessional. Joe announces his engagement while Gabe endlessly discusses surfing and his upcoming Hawaii adventure.

Featuring Hold Her In My Heart, from Gabe's upcoming EP- The Moon Within. www.cdbaby.com/gaberosenn

Happy 2014!!!

Episode 23- Three Week Countdown

Gabe and Joe reunite to discuss new workout plans headed into the New Year, Hawaii surf plans, and a special look at diabetes and how the Paleo Diet can help. Then they go on a hike (not covered). Music by Option 3...available at www.cdbaby.com/option3.

Surf stories

Since the surfing competition I've been keeping a journal of my surfing outings. Journals are great for tracking progress and tracking data. At times, I've kept food journals tracking meals or workout logs tracking weights and exercises; typically for four or eight week periods. But this surf journal's been a bit different, as surfing is less quantifiable than diet or exercise. It's more experiential and each time you go out, you really don't know what you'll get. The variables are too many: weather, wave size, other surfers, your own ability. Even your mood can affect your performance. I think to the general public (in the US at least), surfing is more of an escape than a sport. To them, surfers are drop-outs and druggies, not serious athletes. Also, I've found that most people have never heard of guys like Kelly Slater, Laird Hamilton, or Mark Richards. So for me it was a surprise to wander into the Surf Walk of Fame at Huntington Beach last week. And the messages from these guys were inspirational. From Laird- "Live large." From Kelly- "Anything is possible". From Richards- "Surf for fun."



I went down to Huntington on a whim because it's been bigger than all the other beaches recently. Everywhere from Venice to County Line has been 0-2' with Poor or Flat conditions. Huntington's been consistently 3-4' and Fair according to my Surf Report app. But when I went down there last Thursday, it was windy and small, even at the pier. There were maybe three or four diehard guys competing for what there was. I ended up going to a nearby surf shop where I came across these placards in front. It started raining and it was just a cool thing, these placards shining in the rain, reflecting the greats of surfing- from Greg Noll to Gerry Lopez to "Rabbit" Bartholomew, guys I'd never heard of even back in June. I've really sort of fallen into surfing and it's become a passion.



So I went stand-up paddleboarding on Sunday and rented a board down in Hermosa from Tarsan SUP. I'd done SUP in New York in September on a windy day in Rockaway Beach. This was different. The conditions were flat and not that windy, and I went out by the pier. Gulls passed by in v formations, and the only other people in sight were on the pier looking at me and into the horizon. It was meditative and different, though maybe a little slow. It's interesting standing on water and balancing can be tricky depending on the waves. I ended up asking the dude who rented me the board and paddle if he gave performance lessons on waves, and he said yeah, he did. We'll see. Maybe I'll tackle that with Joe.



Apparently, the surf gets big in LA in December, but for now it's just not there which, I have to say, has been a drag. I miss it. My friend said he might give me his 6'0 thruster which would be awesome. As of now, though, I know no one who wants to go out- another drag. I was talking to a drummer friend the other day who was like, "Yeah, man I used to surf. I used to be one of those idiots who went to Hawaii for the winter surf sesh." I was like, "Man, I want to be one of those idiots!"


So there's your update, gentle reader. Hope you guys are doing swell out there. Beyond the surfing, I've been back to strength training 3x a week, sprints, and core training with a new 6 week program. With the colder weather, I've been more attracted to carbs and starches like potatoes, rice, and bananas. According to Robb Wolf, there's nothing wrong really if you're training hard, but I'm not so sure. Check out www.robbwolf.com for more. Here's an interesting article from an Australian newspaper about Shaun Thomson's book, The Code, which I mentioned in a previous post. It seems he's sort of an outlier in the surf industry and his positive life lessons learned from surfing don't jibe with a lot of folks' bad boy, surfer image. Aussies are one of the few cultures that really appreciate surfing as a sport.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/executive-living/getting-on-board/story-e6frg9zo-1226767225444

Episode 22- Haunted Heats

Joe and Gabe recount their October exploits including Joe's bodyweight regime and Gabe's surf stories. Also- exclusive coverage on which alcohols are best and worst according to Primal Blueprint author, Mark Sisson.

October Surfing sessions

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/video/2013/oct/27/surfers-haunted-heats-halloween-video

It's been an interesting month for me. Besides the above, Haunted Heats Surf Competition, I've been surfing regularly- going to Malibu, County Line, and Venice mostly. The surf has been smaller and smaller- but supposedly it gets bigger in the winter. I've also been traveling a lot which presents challenges to anyone looking to stay in shape. The traveling was predominantly wedding related too- and there's been a week-long celebration of Halloween in LA. All of this adds up to major derailing from any conditioning program.

About a month ago, I set out to shed weight and tone up with Rachel Cosgrove's Spartacus circuit. That is a great program for boosting your metabolism. It consists of three circuits of ten exercises done in 1min intervals. There's two minutes rest between circuits. Very difficult. I watched 300 once while doing it- which I'm pretty sure fueled my Poseidon character for the Haunted Heats competition. But I digress....The Spartacus workout or any Fat-Loss circuit done without rest is tough, but tougher without a partner or a coach, or an external motivating source, like a role to get in shape for. The actors from the Starz series did the workout together three days a week. So- definitely very different from doing it solo in the cardio room at 24 Hr Fitness. I probably completed it 5-6 times, and also Spartacus 2 which is a circuit of 9 exercises broken up into supersets of two. It's also very difficult- and reminds me of the workouts I've read Statham does- timed and circuit based. Occasionally, I interspersed these with A Men's Health poster workout with 4 exercises- more standard, though still focused on leg work to strengthen core. When I couldn't get to the beach, I swam at 24 Hr Fitness Altadena and used the jacuzzi, steam room, sauna as a circuit to loosen muscles. I started making a Laird Hamilton inspired shake using Catie's Greens in the morning with fish oil, Muscle Milk, and egg. It's actually good.



Also- read Shaun Tomson's Surfer's Code yesterday...Very cool book by a South African legend. The book itself (at lest the 2006 version) is not super-preachy but a very authentic voice talking about his experience in and out of the water. I'm so new to surfing I'd never even heard of him. But the book was cool for me as he describes very vividly places like Pipeline, Waimea Bay, and Sunset Beach in Hawaii. I also found his experience interesting as he's a Jewish dude from South Africa.



He details his 12 point code as:

I will never turn my back on the ocean: Passion
I will paddle around the impact zone: No short cuts
I will take the drop with commitment: Courage, focus and determination
I will never fight a rip tide: The danger of pride and egotism
I will always paddle back out: Perseverance in the face of challenges
I will watch out for other surfers after a big set: Responsibility
I will know that there will always be another wave: Optimism
I will ride and not paddle into shore: Self-esteem
I will pass on my stoke to a non-surfer: Sharing knowledge and giving back
I will catch a wave every day, even in my mind: Imagination
I will realize that all surfers are joined by one ocean: Empathy
I will honor the sport of kings: Honor and integrity

Surfing continues to expand my horizons, both athletically and in offering life lessons. I really dig it and am stoked that it can be a lifelong pursuit.

"The natural world establishes a physical bond between all surfers through the bands of energy we ride. I try to strengthen this bond by focusing on common experiences and the things all surfers share." - Shaun Thomson
http://shauntomson.com