Published April 9, 2004 12:00AM
Surfing's Iron Man
World Champion surfer Andy Irons—our May coverboy—has a pre-season workout that proves pro-surfing's not for slackers. See if you can keep up.
Some of the strangest sports demand endurance. Surfer Andy Irons, for example, needs strong legs and stamina to make the cut at the first contest of the ASP season, The Quicksilver Pro near Brisbane in Australia. “That’s a real endurance race,” says Irons. “You can tell who’s in shape and who’s not pretty quickly. Since it’s on a point, the waves break to the left so it’s kind of like a salmon run the whole time to just stay in place. Then you get to the beach and have to sprint 150 yards back up to the point with your board in hand to get back out.”
THE SURFER’S WORKOUT: To insure that he doesn’t get left behind, Irons hits the gym up to four times a week, clocking an hour on an elliptical trainer while trying to keep his heart rate between 160 to 170 beats per minute.