#sup training

Ireland I reckon is the best place in the world to live if you love to surf! FACT! However saying that every Halloween we head south in search of clean waves, warmer water and sunshine.

Paul Byrne

Last year Taghazout in Morocco was our destination. Exotic experiences and fantastic surf we got, a surf trip that I will remember for a long time to come. So why didn’t we go back this year? Well there are many reasons but the main one was that I had seen a SUP Surf Camp offering daily coaching, video analysis, and quite beaches… something I knew we would all value, and personally something I knew I badly needed!

Morning Surf Check… Photo : Tiago Silva

Mauka Lodge in Portugal was this years destination. Mauka Lodge is located in the famous surfing city of Ericeira, Europe’s first World Surfing Reserve! Ericeira’s coastline stretches for 4km and has 7 separate surf spots. Well known breaks such as Ribeira d’Ilhas, Coxos and Foz do Lizandro are only 5-7 minutes away by car. However if you don’t mind travelling a little further you can have uncrowded spots and often empty line ups all to yourself!!!

Our host for the 8 days was Tiago Silva. Tiago has a passion for SUP Surfing and with his degree in Exercise and Wellness and 2 International Certification Courses from both the ASI and IOSUP he has developed his own method of training athletes based on their individual characteristics and biomechanics. As the founder of Functional Paddling, he has coached world-class paddle boarders like Sean Poynter, Connor Baxter and Izzy Gomez. Now he can add a few Irish and Scottish surfers to that celeb list!

Taigo’s relaxed attitude, attention to detail, and incredible knowledge of this area was most certainly the difference between this Surf Camp and others!!

Our base for the week, Mauka Lodge sits on more than an acre of natural forest, where the scent of the pine trees and the songs of the local birds allow an effortless connection to nature. The stylish surf-inspired decoration is influenced by Taiga’s lifestyle as well as Portuguese culture.

Empty Lineup

The lodge has 4 bedroom rooms that can accommodate up to 8 guests. All the rooms are cosy & comfortable. The rest of the lodge is homely and a perfect place to chill and relax after a great day on the water. Comfortable beanbags and puffs let you read a book, play some music, or just relax with that cold beer or glass of Portuguese wine. Complementary Wi-Fi allows contact with the outside world if that’s your thing, and a smart TV allows the opportunity to view endless SUP Surf movies that help provide inspiration for the following days surfing!! The outdoor area has a BBQ zone, tranquil terrace, seating areas and a fire pit for evening music nights & gatherings.

Normally we like to bring our own boards and paddles on SUPari but with Tiago you don’t need to go to the hassle if you choose not to. He has a huge selection of high performance surf SUPs from Sunova, and paddles from Quickblade and KeNalu. What an opportunity to try out a few of the Sunovas that seem to be taking the world by storm!!!!

The Celtic surf gods were looking over us for the week with great conditions for the whole week. There was only one day that we didn’t surf and that was more a case of resting “broken bodies” than no surf available.

Each day started with a healthy breakfast, followed by an in depth Video Analysis session using clips that Tiago recorded of us the previous day. Post trip feedback from the lads pointed to this as being the best part of our trip!!

Video Analysis

Chris Sanders

Once analysis was finished it was off to the most suitable location for that day’s conditions, and get working on whatever it was that the analysis session highlighted for each individual. It was fantastic to see everybody improve and make great progress over the week!

Each evening we had time to chill at the lodge and watch some SUP movies before heading to Ericeira for dinner après surf drinks. Ericeira itself is still a laid-back place of cobbled streets, grilled sardines, narrow lanes and whitewashed houses. Ericeira’s surprisingly good night life is well-served by weekend visitors. The main square, Praca da Republica, is lined with pavement cafes and cake shops, while the Rua Dr Eduardo Burnay, which leads from the main square to Praia do Sul, is full of bars and excellent seafood restaurants.

Chris Sanders

All up this was a very successful trip. We would highly recommend a visit to Tiago and Mauka Lodge, especially if you want some surf/paddle coaching. We look forward to returning again next year.

Words : Paul Byrne / IrishSUP Photos : Tiago Silva

For more info about paddle retreats at Mauka Lodge, Portugal check out http://www.maukalodge.com/

Stepping it up in Portugal – Paul Byrne

Even when there’s waves to be had at home, you can’t beat a quick surf trip away somewhere a bit warmer during the winter months!

Ireland I reckon is the best place in the world to live if you love to surf! FACT! However saying that every Halloween we head south in search of clean waves, warmer water and sunshine.

Paul Byrne

Last year Taghazout in Morocco was our destination. Exotic experiences and fantastic surf we got, a surf trip that I will remember for a long time to come. So why didn’t we go back this year? Well there are many reasons but the main one was that I had seen a SUP Surf Camp offering daily coaching, video analysis, and quite beaches… something I knew we would all value, and personally something I knew I badly needed!

Morning Surf Check… Photo : Tiago Silva

Mauka Lodge in Portugal was this years destination. Mauka Lodge is located in the famous surfing city of Ericeira, Europe’s first World Surfing Reserve! Ericeira’s coastline stretches for 4km and has 7 separate surf spots. Well known breaks such as Ribeira d’Ilhas, Coxos and Foz do Lizandro are only 5-7 minutes away by car. However if you don’t mind travelling a little further you can have uncrowded spots and often empty line ups all to yourself!!!

Our host for the 8 days was Tiago Silva. Tiago has a passion for SUP Surfing and with his degree in Exercise and Wellness and 2 International Certification Courses from both the ASI and IOSUP he has developed his own method of training athletes based on their individual characteristics and biomechanics. As the founder of Functional Paddling, he has coached world-class paddle boarders like Sean Poynter, Connor Baxter and Izzy Gomez. Now he can add a few Irish and Scottish surfers to that celeb list!

Taigo’s relaxed attitude, attention to detail, and incredible knowledge of this area was most certainly the difference between this Surf Camp and others!!

Our base for the week, Mauka Lodge sits on more than an acre of natural forest, where the scent of the pine trees and the songs of the local birds allow an effortless connection to nature. The stylish surf-inspired decoration is influenced by Taiga’s lifestyle as well as Portuguese culture.

Empty Lineup

The lodge has 4 bedroom rooms that can accommodate up to 8 guests. All the rooms are cosy & comfortable. The rest of the lodge is homely and a perfect place to chill and relax after a great day on the water. Comfortable beanbags and puffs let you read a book, play some music, or just relax with that cold beer or glass of Portuguese wine. Complementary Wi-Fi allows contact with the outside world if that’s your thing, and a smart TV allows the opportunity to view endless SUP Surf movies that help provide inspiration for the following days surfing!! The outdoor area has a BBQ zone, tranquil terrace, seating areas and a fire pit for evening music nights & gatherings.

Normally we like to bring our own boards and paddles on SUPari but with Tiago you don’t need to go to the hassle if you choose not to. He has a huge selection of high performance surf SUPs from Sunova, and paddles from Quickblade and KeNalu. What an opportunity to try out a few of the Sunovas that seem to be taking the world by storm!!!!

The Celtic surf gods were looking over us for the week with great conditions for the whole week. There was only one day that we didn’t surf and that was more a case of resting “broken bodies” than no surf available.

Each day started with a healthy breakfast, followed by an in depth Video Analysis session using clips that Tiago recorded of us the previous day. Post trip feedback from the lads pointed to this as being the best part of our trip!!

Video Analysis

Chris Sanders

Once analysis was finished it was off to the most suitable location for that day’s conditions, and get working on whatever it was that the analysis session highlighted for each individual. It was fantastic to see everybody improve and make great progress over the week!

Each evening we had time to chill at the lodge and watch some SUP movies before heading to Ericeira for dinner après surf drinks. Ericeira itself is still a laid-back place of cobbled streets, grilled sardines, narrow lanes and whitewashed houses. Ericeira’s surprisingly good night life is well-served by weekend visitors. The main square, Praca da Republica, is lined with pavement cafes and cake shops, while the Rua Dr Eduardo Burnay, which leads from the main square to Praia do Sul, is full of bars and excellent seafood restaurants.

Chris Sanders

All up this was a very successful trip. We would highly recommend a visit to Tiago and Mauka Lodge, especially if you want some surf/paddle coaching. We look forward to returning again next year.

Words : Paul Byrne / IrishSUP Photos : Tiago Silva

For more info about paddle retreats at Mauka Lodge, Portugal check out http://www.maukalodge.com/

SUP Race Training with Pete Holliday

Race training isn’t just for the elite men and women at the front of the pack. Sorting out structured training will benefit paddlers who have got a couple of seasons under their belt and are looking to step up their race performance for the 2016 season. SUPboarder caught up with one of the top racers and paddle trainers in the UK, Pete Holliday, to get his thoughts on how best to take your…

SUP Race Training with Pete Holliday

Race training isn’t just for the elite men and women at the front of the pack. Sorting out structured training will benefit paddlers who have got a couple of seasons under their belt and are looking to step up their race performance for the 2016 season. SUPboarder caught up with one of the top racers and paddle trainers in the UK, Pete Holliday, to get his thoughts on how best to take your…

Yesterday it started. Training Day 1.

I threw together a decent breakfast of quaker oatmeal with a handful of blueberries and a banana, and summarily choked it down. I don't know what it is about quaker oatmeal lately, just seems to not want to go down as smoothly as it used to... strange really.

Anywho, met my Suplove teammate and now coach, Chris Stephan at a local park to take to the water for my first training session. Ah-some.

As we carried our boards to the water, he started a dialogue that would continue through our 4 mile paddle, him talking to me about the ins and outs of racing, training, stroke, keeping your head on straight, philosophy in general and me trying my hardest not to pass out as we paddled, steady, fast, steady, fast, steady, fast.

"Envision your arm coming over your head, open your shoulders... if you slide your hand down lower and bend your knees you can paddle like Danny (IF ONLY!), if it's windy, stand more upright... there are three strokes, and arm stroke, a core stroke, and a combination weight, core stroke.... the third is the most powerful and efficient... lead with your hips... really concentrate on leading with your hips... come out and paddle your butt off for 4 miles, everyday... find out everyone else's race times so you have a goal... intervals are the best way to get faster... paddle until you are out of breath.... then slow down.. then paddle until you are out of breath... don't stop... alright, let's turn around..."

On the fourth pass I got that good feeling that comes from pushing your body harder than it is used to... Runner's high, which I'm going to call Paddler's Euphoria... Its that time when all of the sudden paddling four miles doesnt seem like such a bad idea, why was I not wanting to do this, why would I not want to do this daily, why would I ever want to stop? This is Great! This is the Best! I love to sweat! Breathing?! Who needs Breathing?... the type of euphoria that lasts about an hour after the competition, race, practice is over and then leaves you tired and sore... and grumpy. Why euphoria, why did you leave?

After our flat water session we hit the now cooled off waters of South Florida for a little surf session and some more liquid therapy. I finally got a sunburn. THANK THE LORD!

So far, this morning (the morning after), I'm a little sore. I went for a 2 mile run at a pretty good clip on Wednesday so my legs are a little tired... what I have found, however, is when I'm sore from running, paddling helps ease the soreness in my calves. I think its a correlation between using the stabilizers in my feet with less impact and my calves... not really sure what though. Sore from running? Go paddling.

My diet has been really good the last couple of days and I've already noticed some awesome changes. 1st I poop regularly. Ah-some. If you're like me and you don't poop all the regularly, you would understand what an amazing change this is. TMI? Welp, sorry it's MY blog... maybe in the future I'll make a *I'm going to talk about poop* warning.. so you can skip it, might add some humor to your day. After all who can read or hear the word poop and not want to giggle? Anyway, my diet. Oh, ya, it's been extremely health... I recently saw a talk on health from a family dietician that helped me make some excellent educated decisions on what I'm putting into my body. I'll disclose much of what I learned in a future blog post. I've been keeping a food journal and trying to keep to the "Eat like a King at breakfast, a Prince at lunch, and a Pauper at dinner," adage. So far its been amazing! Life changing really... I have energy all day and sleep well at night. Who woulda thought? Curious what I've been eating to feel so amazing?? Well here goes: 

Training DAY 1: 

Breakfast: 

Mcdonald's fruit and nut oatmeal (Gimme a break, I sleep until the last minute)

Unsweet Ice Tea

Lunch: 

Fried egg

Banana

1/2 cup Blue berries

1/2 avocado

1 slice of bread

couple o' clementines 

Snack:

Dried pineapple slices

1/4 cup cashews

2 clementines

1/2 cup carrots

Dinner: 

1 slice bread

1/2 tomato

1/2 avocado

banana 

So I got my Kings, Princes, and Paupers a little mixed up... but lunch is my favorite part of the day... so I'll try a little harder next week. Ok? Sheesh.