suzie trains maui

     We spent a few weeks on Maui this past month, and were lucky enough to score epic conditions.  There was surfing on the south shore, windsurfing on the north shore, and beautiful sunsets like this one pretty much every night.

   
     I felt lucky to be in such a beautiful place spending time on the water every day, but I was really lucky to be invited to Suzie Cooney's studio for a training session.  Suzie is a paddler on the Naish team and a Certified Personal Trainer who works with some of the top athletes in stand up.  Over the past years, Suzie has applied her knowledge of fitness and training toward a SUP-specific training system that helps paddlers maximize their strength, endurance and power on the water.

   
     After an short interview, Suzie put me through the paces working on my flexibility, strength and balance.  It was a great workout, but more importantly I learned a bunch of new techniques that I'll be applying back in the gym at home.  You can get a taste of what Suzie offers at the Naish website under the SUP Fitness link, where many of her SUP-specific exercises are detailed.  Of course, it's no substitute for a face-to-face experience, so if you're planning to be on Maui any time in the future, I'd highly recommend booking a training session or two with Suzie.

     Unfortunately, I got home a bit late to take advantage of the massive system that just hit the Great Lakes.  This grainy shot is of a kiter on Lake Superior, but I know we had equally epic surf here on Lake Michigan.  If anybody has any photos or stories to share, please send them along and I'll be happy to post them.  Looks like the weather's going to calm down and warm up a bit after the weekend, so I'll be out paddling for sure... come and join me if you can.  See you on the water.