Messages

1

Training, Diet, and Fitness / Re: Sugar is sneaky bad....

« on: December 29, 2018, 09:19:05 AM »

Changing your sugar diet can be pretty tricky at first.....

Yeah does take a bit to get sorted.  But once you take out added sugar -> that alone is a big chunk.  Then cutting back on refined carbs will get you well on your way.  Did that until most excess fat was gone.  Then focused on optimizing blood numbers. 

Def bloodwork took a lot more effort and time to sort as “in range” -> does not necessarily mean “optimal” by any stretch.  From there it has been straightforward maintenance.  So adding back in some sugar has been without much consequence.  Since when cleaned up -> your body processes toxic junk pretty easy.  Instead of turning it into inflammatory fire which is the typical situation.

But sugar for the most part is not good to ingest at all.  Just like alcohol or smoke.  In fact most man-made packaged products are not that great.  Sugar in particular is pretty toxic -> especially at the molecular level.  So best to cut back for sure.  Tons of clinical trial data on this.

2

Training, Diet, and Fitness / Re: Sugar is sneaky bad....

« on: December 29, 2018, 01:02:33 AM »

QB sugar is a major evil.  While I still consume Christmas cookies and dark chocolate -> take no sugar in my daily coffee.  No added sugar in everyday eating.  But do partake in sipping rum straight which is all sugar with friends.  Like I did tonight.  3 rums for taste testing.  Haha.

My perspective is moderation with no deprivation.  Has worked wonders for close to 5 years now.  Took off about 25 lbs of blubber and put on about 15 lbs of muscle.  Is possible even as you age -> but takes a lot of dedication.  In all well worth the expense in time and effort.  No question.  That and the 23” AS have been key for me.  Hardly use my wider boards anymore.  23 for balance.  Weights for muscle mass.  Good diet overall for good blood numbers.  Yeah abs also -> but who really cares.

https://youtu.be/K3ksKkCOgTw

3

Downwind and Racing / Re: Stunning speeds of the pros

« on: December 26, 2018, 11:13:12 PM »

..... The winner, pro-level Eri Tenorio, did it in 37:54, with an incredible average pace of 10.21 kph. I wouldn't have believed that was possible if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.

The next two guys, Florida's top two amateurs, did it in 39:12 (9.87 kph) working together in a draft pair.

They were all on 14x22 or 14x23 Flying Fish sups.

My fastest ever time on the same course was 40:40 (9.47 kph), but I was a lot slower than that Saturday because I'm de-trained and because I was going slower so my buddy could draft the whole way to improve our cumulative team time.

Yup.  Until you see the speed of top Elite firsthand -> you have no clue how fast they actually go.  Amazing really.

4

Training, Diet, and Fitness / Re: Sugar is sneaky bad....

« on: December 26, 2018, 10:08:06 PM »

I like the image below.    It will depend on your goals and where you find that your body feels the most capable and healthy.  For me there is no comparison.  Minimal excess has all the advantages.  If you are enjoying increased fitness at 15% you might want to see how lower feels.  It is a cool experiment at the very least. 

Thought that pic to be valid -> but found it really depends on age.  So can be very deceiving.  At 60 or so the cutoff for very very lean is quite high comparatively.  Take a DEXA scan to see your true BF%.  This was my third one.  They rate based on Z-Score which is a very good representation on where you stand vs your peers.  But take one to also track your muscle mass gains and losses -> as well as BMD.  Those 2 were much more important to me.  Most important tho were comparative blood tests as diet was massaged.  That is where the most important gains were made by far.  Yeah abs are one thing.  Overrated really.  But insides are key.  Much rather have no abs -> but perfect blood numbers.  As always YMMV.

5

Sessions / Re: Unlimiteds don't like to turn into the wind....

« on: September 25, 2018, 01:35:18 PM »

... I did that in 2013. The gain was so obvious, even on a 12'6, that two days later I was drilling my board...

Hmm very interesting.  Good to see a big benefit on shorter length boards as well.  But would like to see what Mark actually designed and fabricated as his ventral "switchblade" solution.  Would suspect that he could implement that into any SIC board with an optimized placement if requested.

But doubt that we will cut up any boards we have.  As they do pretty much exactly what we expect from them as designed.  All are still in pretty much like new condition.  But if we had a cheap extra board -> would def "experiment".

Sounds like your daggerboard is working out well for your use.  So no need to argue with that.  Personally if we could have only one board -> would go with that pintail 17'11 One at 24 or 25 wide.  The 25 was very stable so maybe the 24 would be better suited with lower drag.  Steering worked fantastic and board scooted along very efficiently.  With a SIC "switchblade" and its easy to turn rudder -> that board could handle most AW conditions thrown this way. 

6

Sessions / Re: Unlimiteds don't like to turn into the wind....

« on: September 25, 2018, 12:01:12 PM »

"Mark Raaphorst did a beautiful switchblade ventral fin that he mounted far enough back that it was more like a daggerboard. Most of the Maui crew tried it, and the consensus was "very cool, and useful if you want to go upwind."

Hmm?  Too bad the design did not gain much traction.  That might be useful for our quick 2 mile upwind DW runs we often do around here.  Even on a 14V2.

The problem we have is the constant side push of the nose as you pound upwind.  Wind and wave action even at 10 kts forces you to compensate for heading changes.  That slows down progress upwind a lot.  So would be very interesting to see how much that switchblade ventral actually would help out.  Sounds like it worked quite well upwind.  Turning DW -> moving it to the closed position makes complete sense for quick turning and minimal drag.

So can appreciate the daggerboard approach noted.  Obviously can get by without - as have been doing that for years - but why not use it if it works and is available?  Keeping a straighter line upwind with less effort seems to make a lot of sense.  That solution seemed pretty reasonable -> especially for a 17 or 18 UL.

As noted the best UL paddled AW so far was that 17'11 One.  Something like the switchblade solution would no doubt help progress upwind.  But even then the steering was way more responsive than the 17'4 Bullet.  Could barely make any progress upwind crosswind in the Bullet in just a paltry 15 kts.  Just got pushed sideways.  Whereas others on 14s pounded away no problem.  Is a real problem.

7

Training, Diet, and Fitness / Re: Over doing it

« on: September 24, 2018, 04:31:27 PM »

Your mind def can play tricks on true pain and true power output as I found out firsthand.  But as noted opposing and supporting stabilizer muscular development is no doubt key.  Unfortunately is overlooked by many.

"... just undergoing an MRI appears to be an independent risk factor (i.e, not related to disease severity) for future pain and disability.[44,45] In other words, just learning that your MRI shows ominous spinal “degeneration” is enough to make your pain worse and last longer. This fascinating phenomenon is known as the nocebo effect, and it fits perfectly in line with the biopsychosocial model where the brain has ultimate control over your perception of musculoskeletal pain."

https://startingstrength.com/article/aches-and-pains

https://youtu.be/riq-DfDDimc

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Training, Diet, and Fitness / Re: Over doing it

« on: September 24, 2018, 01:58:23 PM »

... I'm really focusing on lifting big weights again but no more than 2-3 times per week and protein ingestion needs to increase as you age to help recovery and to maintain muscle mass. Focus on good recovery and nutrition for recovery.

I have more but it would bore the hell out of you. Look after yourself - you'll be the best tool you ever have.

Yep.  Would not cut out heavy DL or heavy manual labour either.  That sort of variation has been essential to maintaining and building even more muscle mass -> even after a recent DL set back injury.

But would agree that taking days off in between is very good advice.  Especially depending on intensity -> multiple days of very heavy repetitive stress is hard for any body part to recover from.  Took me about 10 days to fully recover from my recent debilitating "pop" in my lower back.  But in that period slowly and carefully continued lifting heavy to even increase past my problem rep range.  So was very much a "use it or lose it" proposition for me.  Psychologically it was extremely difficult to motivate my mind to ever lift heavy again and exceed that "problem" rep.  The fear of another "pop" was super hard to overcome.  It was such a weird sensation -> could barely even DL 30% at first.  But thankfully was able to push past that auto-lock mental safety barrier. 

So as noted before -> heavy variation has been key.  For me my back strength is stronger now than ever from super heavy squats and heavy DL.  Makes everyday heavy lifting chores and even heavy manual labour really quite "easy" comparably. 

9

Technique / Re: Paddling slower, Going faster

« on: September 17, 2018, 09:53:24 PM »

As noted the past couple of years have used mostly the 430 sq cm Enduro AW which is around 67 sq in.  Going to my "normal" HA 500 sq in or 78 sq in blade feels foreign and puts more strain for the same speed.  Still use it -> but seem to go more for the smaller blade now.  Def am not a really great very powerful paddler -> but seems to work just fine with minimal slip.  For DW still use the huge 116 Vantage as the wind pushes so hard from behind -> a small blade just has insufficient grip for the higher board speed.

"I have more recently been using smaller blades to help with my lower back issues, and also to help adapt with my high cadence paddle style. I’ve been using the Starboard Enduro XS 430 for SUP Surfing and the High Aspect M for most races in sprints and flat water. If I am downwind paddling, I might opt for a tad larger blade and more lengthy shaft because of the higher speeds we are reaching and need for reach when at the crest of swells."

https://www.sup-internationalmag.com/knowledge-shafts-n-blades/

"Connor Baxter used the Bolt M and would like to have a larger paddle, so we developed the Lima L, the size moves from 510 cm2 to 531 cm2.

Fiona Wylde used the Bolt S at 480 cm2, now she will mostly use the LIMA M at 485 cm2."

https://www.trioceansurf.co.uk/surf-shop/stand-up-paddle-boards-sups/sup-paddles/starboard-lima-paddle-2018-carbonbalsa/

10

Gear Talk / Re: Toothpick, ultra narrow tippy race boards. What would you want to know ?

« on: September 12, 2018, 11:24:48 PM »

The draft trains have always helped equalize the weaker paddlers.  All Yuka had to do was keep pace with Seychelle.  But Seychelle simply is a powerhouse for endurance.  Personally do not like draft trains of any sort.  Always have preferred hard core give it all you got Time Trials. 

I agree. It's exactly for this reason why in cycling too I don't do bunch racing anymore and stick to time trials and i prefer the quieter SUP races too for the same reason. There is an argument to be made that tactical nous is (or should be considered) part of the SUP game but personally, the inclusion of TT's in the 11 cities was intended to replicate the tour de France approach and it should be applauded. When you look at the results of those particular stages, it gives a bit of insight into who the really strong paddlers are.

Yeah KOM as well deserves much respect. 

11

Gear Talk / Re: Toothpick, ultra narrow tippy race boards. What would you want to know ?

« on: September 12, 2018, 11:19:57 PM »

Personally proper am not much concerned by volume as a lightweight rider about the size of Kai.  Paddled a huge volume Bullet 17.4 and loved it.  Also loved that huge 17'11 One.  Basically just determine at the time when hopping on a board if I like it or not.  Never thought about how it should help a heavier rider.  Maybe some designer like Robert can tell you.

12

Random / Re: Pro Tennis Needs to make some changes.......

« on: September 12, 2018, 11:12:48 PM »

This was prime time quality tennis from young Osaka vs No.1.  With some coaching thrown in. 

https://youtu.be/SdQZg102Uxs

13

Gear Talk / Re: Toothpick, ultra narrow tippy race boards. What would you want to know ?

« on: September 12, 2018, 04:01:32 PM »

I agree Eagle. If one comes up, that would be my first choice.

As a brief tangent, looking at the footage of Steinfath at the recent euro champs, he looks like he’s still on a stock 24 width board.

At 24 wide it would be very hard for Steinfath to even keep close to the Hasulyo Bros in 11 Cities if he ever tried.  That spear 21.5 Sprint is so efficient comparably as you know.  A tubby 24 Maliko like that simply would be too sluggish and draggy to keep close.  Even in a draft train.

But did like the addition of the Time Trials.  Allowed the stronger paddler behind a chance to catch up and pass like in the Women's Div.  The draft trains have always helped equalize the weaker paddlers.  All Yuka had to do was keep pace with Seychelle.  But Seychelle simply is a powerhouse for endurance.  Personally do not like draft trains of any sort.  Always have preferred hard core give it all you got Time Trials. 

14

Random / Re: Pro Tennis Needs to make some changes.......

« on: September 12, 2018, 02:08:02 PM »

As well I.  But simply cannot condone her actions.  She went to the sexism card as a last resort.  She was pissed and fuming on the "cheating" matter.  She knew she would lose a point then a game if she continued.  She knew the consequences -> but had to throw in "thief" because he would not apologize to her.  She does have a history on forcing people to apologize to her.  Some view her as a "bully".  In my view Ramos should have given her the courtesy of saying to her before assessing that game penalty -> Serena if you continue ...

But interestingly Ramos did not insinuate she was a "cheat".  It was only Serena.  He just called a "warning" that her coach was coaching with hand signals.

It seems her energy would have been much better focussed in getting to a third set.  Some players create a disruption and a distraction intentionally to disrupt their opponent -> and motivate themselves.  So maybe that was a part of it as well.  Serena did win the next game at love.  Osaka tuning all that out -> was special in my view.  So very hard to do.

Serena said it best herself ->

"Always stay gracious and stay humble and that's the lesson I think we can all learn from this.  Just like I did."

Personally love tennis.  Played my whole life.  So was very hard to watch as Serena has been the GOAT for so long.  This was not the best moment to push the sexism card as other journalists note.  Ramos probs did unleash on her -> but Serena pushed him to.  He did act within the Grand Slam Rule Book.  We all can learn from this.  I know I have. 

15

Gear Talk / Re: Toothpick, ultra narrow tippy race boards. What would you want to know ?

« on: September 12, 2018, 01:08:07 PM »

For what it's worth, I'm splitting my time between SUp and surfski next year so will unlikely see enough time on a board that narrow to justify it so I'm likely to be going for something like the 23.5 Allstar (for the exact reason you gave in your post) and whatever I'm given to test.

As noted the original triple concave All Star 23 is somewhat sleek for a cutting boof design.  It easily pearls if you are not constantly trimming it in steep wave action.  But interestingly the current 22.5 may be pretty close in size and handling.  Whereas the current 23.5 and 24.5 are considerably larger bulkier and have a lot more float comparably.

Personally my preference is always a wider tail option since my balance is pretty crappy on narrow boards.  So losing an inch stability at the tail width would be quite a bit for me on the 22.5 model.  The tail width on the current dropped deck Sprint 23 is a nice fat 15.8".  So even better.  Notice the Sprint 21.5 tail width is now the same as my old AS23 -> at 14.8" wide.  ukgm my suggestion would still be the Sprint 23 -> unless you mostly expect to race in ocean slop and chop.  Then would go for the AS 23.5 just to handle waves better.  The Sprint 21.5 nose spears too mch for me in steep waves.  So is very hard to keep speed up and consistent unless a top elite.  My suspicion is the Sprint 23 would be optimal for your type of racing. 

2016
23" - 8.7" Thick - 14.8" Tail - 264L - 50-80kgs

2019
22.5" - 8.7" Thick - 13.8" Tail - 272L - 40-75kgs

2019
23.5" - 10.2" Thick - 14.4" Tail - 327L - 50-85kgs