U S Open of Surfing fitness: Kelly Slater and yoga, Mick Fanning and CHEK

Surfers like Dillon Perillo, shown here at U.S. Open of
Surfing 2009, have increased their fitness and
cross-training in recent years. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

Watching the incredible beauty of Hurley U S Open of Surfing it's evident that the best surfers are working out in ways that go beyond going out to the water each day.

• Read more about what it takes - DogMan talks about surfer fitness

Surfing, like every sport, has taken a turn in recent years from people who love and train primarily in one sport, to cross-trained athletes who are stronger, faster and better than ever. (See video below on the "New Surf Fitness.")

Here's a quick view of the cross-training of a few of these star athletes:

37-year old American, Kelly Slater has been crowned ASP World Champion a record 9 times, including 5 consecutive titles from 1994–9.  According to Wikipedia, Slater has been romantically linked to Pamela Anderson, Gisele Bundchen and Cameron Diaz. 

So if you're Kelly Slater, how do you keep fit? 

One way is through yoga.  The stretching, balancing and flexibility gained through yoga helps with all the motions used in surfing, and yoga's emphasis on focus and concentration develop a refined sense of body/mind that is an important part of Slater's success.

Slater is also a believer in cross-training. He worked with Outside.com on a wellness issue that appeared in January 2009, and told the magazine: "I've learned a lot about technique and biomechanics from golf, and it's improved my power and efficiency in surfing. It helped me envision what I'm doing in a turn: standing in a neutral spot, then directing weight and gravity downward toward a plane. Competitively, golf has taught me that I can always turn things around. You can have the worst round ever, then suddenly make a hole in one."

Another insight comes from Slater's interview with U.K. magazine, Men's Health, where he answered a question about the body/mind connection by saying, 

"My best performances happened because my mind was in the right place. The mind is definitely stronger than the body."

28-year-old Australian Mick Fanning is another surfing super star who focuses on overall fitness and strength training.   In 2008, he credited his athletic growth to Corrective Holistic Exercise Kinesiology (CHEK).  Developed by San Diego–based holistic-health practitioner Paul Chek, CHEK takes a total mind/body approach, and  focused on balance, core strength, and mental wellness. 

"My workouts reflect the movements in surfing," Fanning told Outside, "a  lot of paddling, with short periods of exertion that range from crouching to twisting."

The Outside article includes a few key exercises, so check out the article. And for a fuller understanding of the changing fitness needs in surfing, watch the video below.