Rating: 
Summary: Great stuff
Review: A great book! Really helpful. I also bought 'fit to surf' which was really terrible. If you're gonna buy one book about getting in shape for surfing. Buy this one!
Rating:
Summary: It Rips
Review: As a 28 year old women surfer I'm glad to see someone has finally addressed women surfers as athletes. The yoga stretches are direct and to the point. Surfers don't want to spend a lot of time warming up so the 10 minute yoga routine is great! The Wahine Workout is challenging with lots of good tips. The Surf Flex Workout done on a swissball is without question the best workout a surfer can do outside of the water. "if your going to play on an unstable enviroment doesn't it make sense to train on one?" Makes sense to me. This workout brings all your surfing muscles to the party! See you in the water!
Rating:
Summary: Who let the dogs out?
Review: As a 35 year old surfer I pride myself in my ability to rip! I keep right up with the younger puppies in the water. Lots of them ask me how I do it? I just smile and say 'surf alot'. Fact is I've been doing yoga for 8 years 4-5 times a week. A couple of years ago I was introduced to working out with a swissball. These two elements changed my conditioning radicaly. I never shared it with anyone, because when I'm 45, I plan to still be ripping while most of the young'un have stopped surfing because of bad backs,and shoulders. It may have been a bit selfish, but I thought it would keep the surf population down. So I could have just as easily given Surf Flex a 0 star rating, more healthy surfers more people in the water, bummer dude! But that would have been bad karma! Seeing that I haven't shared my conditioning secrets with my fellow surfers, I must say this is an excellent book. Its not a book that was published by the big surfing guns, Surfer Mag, or Surfing, so it not slick,thats what great about it. What it lacks in slick, it compensates with heart and passion. Ain't that something! Great swissball workouts, good foundations for yoga, dry land training and comments from world class surfers. I applaud the author, but, if I see him out in the water, he owns me a couple of waves :)
Rating:
Summary: Saved my life!
Review: First of all,I'll review the book, then I'll tell you how it saved my life...As a 31 year old surfer, I knew that I wasn't getting any younger, I also wasn't getting any better at surfing. I needed a lift, one that could help on days I couldn't get to, or it wasn't worth going in the water.This is it. Paul Frediani has written quite possibly the most important single book for surfers, ever published. The book is a comprehensive training guide on flexibilty, strength, suppleness and balance, written exclusively with surfers in mind. With contributions from top surfers and watersports experts, it is also full of inspiring titbits. The book is broken into four main training disciplines
, Flex time, the Surf Flex workout, Cardio Conditioning and the Wahine(womens)Workout. The Flex time ection is a basic yoga guide and a guide to stretching and flexibility exercises. The exercises are accompanied by clear photos, and are a good starting point. (I would heartilty recommend "Yoga-Learn Yoga_Beginners Class 1" video, available from amazon as an excellent beginning companion.) Cardio conditioning is a section of beach, pool and dry land workouts to get your heart pumping and your body working. I heartily agree with Frediani that all surfers need to swim at least a mile. This will help you het there. The Wahine workout,(wahine is Hawaiian for women) is specifically designed to help women build their upper body strength and to avoid knee injuries specific to women. Highly commendable, and yes, some of the exercises are good for blokes too. The piece de resistance is the superb Surf Flex section. This is a section designed exclusively to meet the needs of surfers. You need a Swiss ball to make the most of this section,(imagine a space hopper with no ears.)You can get them from any good sports shop, or Argos, for about $25. Money well spent! You carry out different moves, whilst balanced on the ball, such as sit-ups, knee tucks, and even pratice balancing on the ball, sitting, kneeling and then standing. This all works on the core muscles and improves your neuromuscular system, (your balance in other words.) It is superb. This will improve your surfing, no question, but it may be more important than that... Feb 2003 I was surfing with friends in North Devon, and after a good day of surfing, we were coming in to the end of our second session. It was a pretty big day, easily overhead, and with strong offshores. Tired but happy I decided to get out back for one last blast when I was caught in a rip and dragged into the impact zone. Try as I might I couldn't escape. To make matters worse my leash ripped off and I was left stranded with 6 footers dumping on my head and no board. I am convinced that it is only the fact that I had been following this training regime that I am alive to talk about it. The strength, determination, and cardiovascular power I needed that day came as a result of this book. The doctors actually said that if it were not for the fact that I was extremely fit I WOULD have died. Now that is an endorsement!
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Book for Surfers
Review: For anyone who wants to improve their surfing, Surf Flex is a must have book. I incorporated many of the flexibility and dry land workouts into my exercise routine, and my surfing has taken off! Not only did my riding and balance get better, but I felt so much better condiditoned to stay out there as long as I wanted. In rough conditions, I immdediately notice the added strength I've developed through the exercises from Surf Flex. If you want things to do outside the water to optimize your time in the water, BUY THIS BOOK. -- DAS, avid longboarder
Rating:
Summary: The perfect combination of training methods
Review: I am a 47 year old PE teacher, personal trainer, and track coach. I have been teaching people how to train their bodies for over twenty years. I have a BS, MS, and a CSCS. I am considered an expert in the feild. I started surfing again after many years away and inspite of being in good condition I found that I was tight and out of balance. I came across Surf Flex and started to follow the program becase it was unique and I thought the sequencing made sense. I am a firm believer now. I am bringing my self back into balance and becoming more flexible. This allows me to enjoy more activity with less restriction or after pain. I wholeheartedly endorse Paul's book and his philosophy!
Steve Mckanna CSCS
Rating:
Summary: Great stuff
Review: I am already obsessed with surfing. This book got me obsessed with fitness, because I realized that if I stay in good shape, chances are I will still be out in the water when I'm 70, and everyone else my age is burned out and bed-ridden.
I have never been terribly athletic or interested in fitness, but this book helped motivate me, because it links fitness to my passion--surfing. It is written from a surfer's perspective and addresses issues specific to surfing. Excellent.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: I am already obsessed with surfing. This book got me obsessed with fitness, because I realized that if I stay in good shape, chances are I will still be out in the water when I'm 70, and everyone else my age is burned out and bed-ridden.
I have never been terribly athletic or interested in fitness, but this book helped motivate me, because it links fitness to my passion--surfing. It is written from a surfer's perspective and addresses issues specific to surfing. Excellent.
Rating: 
Summary: Flexibility & Balance
Review: I am hoping to learn to surf since my past attempts were not huge successes. It seemed that my balance was a problem so I bought this book and have been following some of the exercises. It is great! I have even trimmed down a few inches so I can look good when I eventually manage to stay atop my board. I found some exercises difficult because I have limited space and hard-wood flooring is less giving than the sand on which the book recommends. I have enjoyed the book so much though and it encourages me to continue my pursuit because even though it is snowing outside, I am at least doing something to prepare myself for this summer's waves.
Rating:
Summary: surfing longer and stronger!
Review: I bought Surf Flex for flexibility training. It delivered an excellent and concise pre and post stretching routine for surfing. The Surf Flex Workout was about the best dry land training I have ever done to complement my surfing. Not the same old iron head workout! I'm very pleased with the results, and I can get a great workout at home in about 30 to 45 minutes. Highly recomended.
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