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Outside Magazine, May 2005

Bodywork: The Play's the Thing
Gurus of Play

By Ted Spiker

"Mix It Up"
When the waves are down, 31-year-old pro surfer KEITH MALLOY, who splits his time between California and Hawaii, gets his kicks—and his fitness—with a self-styled cross-training plan involving a few of his other favorite sports. Three days a week, he mountain-bikes 15 to 50 miles to strengthen his quads and give his back a break from its usual arched, surfboard-paddling position. For upper-body and core strength, he climbs regularly, bodysurfs competitively, and—in the summer, when the Pacific is flat—logs up to 15 hours a week training for the annual 32-mile paddleboard race between Molokai and Oahu. "The biking and paddling make a great combination," says Malloy. "I feel like I'm at my all-around fittest in the summer."

"Build the Right Kind of Strength"
In high school, former U.S. Freestyle Kayak Team member MARLOW LONG stayed fit with ultimate Frisbee and mini-triathlons. Now, when he's not paddling international waters or training three hours a day on Canada's Ottawa River, 20-year-old Long cross-trains by running 30 minutes every other day and snowboarding in the winter. For core strength and upper-body conditioning, he throws in some ab work, stretching, and push-ups—and limits lifting to twice a week. "With kayaking, you don't need a ton of bulk strength; you're trying to be smooth," he says. "I like to stay away from the gym and strengthen my body for what I need."

"Go Head to Head"
JEREMY BLOOM has a simple recipe for fun: competition. As a receiver on the University of Colorado football squad, he'd take part in locker-room push-up contests with his teammates. Now a World Cup–winning bumps skier, Bloom serves as his own best rival, setting preseason training goals, like how much weight he can lift or how many reps he can do in a set, to keep himself on his toes—and on his game.

"Turn Training into Recess"
When she's not competing, adventure racer ROBYN BENINCASA, 38, coleads a three-hour boot-camp class on Saturdays at Frog's gym, in Solana Beach, California. The workout includes games like ocean rugby in waist-high water, wheelbarrow races, and Simon Says. By the end of a class, participants have covered the equivalent of ten miles, working all the major muscle groups to happy exhaustion. "Somehow, when you laugh and get much less serious," says Benincasa, "the athletic part feels a little bit easier and a little less painful."

"Go for Speed"
UCLA golf head coach O. D. VINCENT, 36, always had a solid game. Then he got into speed golf—an 18-hole sprint-and-tee in which the player with the best combination of score and time wins. Vincent won a handful of local tourneys, scoring between 71 and 75 while running five- to six-mile courses in 35 to 45 minutes. Not only did playing fast boost his endurance; it improved his swing and accuracy, too. "The faster pace forced me to react and hit, and I hit better than I would if I went slower," says Vincent, who now includes speed work as part of his team's conditioning. "When you just let yourself feel, it's amazing how well you play."

TED SPIKER is a fitness writer and an associate professor of journalism at the University of Florida in Gainesville.

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