For this month’s new activity I tried stand up paddle boarding. Also known as SUP, this is a very easy and relaxing form of exercise. Nikau Kai Waterman Shop was kind enough to give Ashley and me a 90 minute lesson.  The name Nikau and Kai, which mean Palm and Ocean in many Polynesian languages, are actually the names of the owner’s sons. While we were out on the water the owner shared that he hopes that his sons take over the business one day. I decided to go with this activity because I wanted to do something that was on the water. After researching online for a bit, I wanted to get lessons from this particular shop because they offered the most out of a lesson for the best price. For 90 minutes on the water it cost $75 per person. If we had brought two more people to make it a group of 4 the price would have dropped down to $60 per. Other places around this area were about $10 higher overall and did not offer the same deals. Although the shop is located in Manhattan they do their lessons in Redondo Beach near Seaside Lagoon. It was very easy to find seeing that they send you a confirmation email with a map and all other details. As soon as we walked to the location we were greeted by the instructor, James. James took us through a detailed tutorial of how to get on the board, how to stand, and how to paddle.  Within 10 minutes we were ready to get onto the water.  We carefully balanced ourselves onto the board and started the first few strokes from our knees. By the time we reached the buoys, which were about 50 feet from the dock, we were given the “ok” to try and stand. From the knee position we went to being on all four’s then putting our weight onto our heels like a squat then standing up. The water was pretty clam so it made standing on the board rather easy.  When it came to paddling we had to hold the paddle in an “A” shaped fashion. On hand was directly on top of the paddle while the other was about 2 feet lower. In order to go straight in the water it required a wider grip. The stroke method to go straight was completely vertical. To turn right or left the stroke had to be wider like a “C” shape. James told us the best way to go forward was to stroke twice on our right side and twice on our left side. The entire lesson we stayed inside the rock cove because the water was calm. I imagine that being in open water would make balancing way more difficult. By the time we reached our turn around point our arms and legs were a little tired. Stand up paddle boarding required the entire body. Not only did we hold a partial squat, but the actual paddling required the upper body to twist like a kayak with a kettlebell. As soon as we arrived back to the dock we were exhausted. Ashley and I both enjoyed this activity and we already had a couple of talks about purchasing a paddle and a board. This would be an excellent activity to do especially for an active rest day.

WOD 07.20.2013

In teams of 2 complete:

Buy In- 3 rounds each of 10 squats and 10 burpees (working at same time)

then complete as a team (one person working at a time)

• 50 Deadlifts (225/185)
• 60 Pull-Ups
• 70 Cleans (135/95)
• 80 Push-Ups
• 90 Snatches (95/65)
• 100 Double Unders