Garrett McNamara's Kick Ass Workout
By Joseph Grassadonia
When Garrett McNamara speaks of getting pounded in the massive surf, his voice becomes softer yet more serious. He wants to make clear that what he does to make a living is a life and death business with no room for mistakes.
"In theory, I could take an experienced surfer who has never trained a day of their life. Never prepared themself physically and mentally and take them out to the biggest wave in the world and tow them in. They could get down on it, make it and actually survive it and ride the biggest wave ever ridden. But if they fell, then they probably wouldn't come home," says Garrett, who then sits back in his chair looking up to the sky, hands calmly resting on his thighs.
"Being underwater too long will scare anybody, and the power of the waves that we are riding can rip you in half. I've had friends who had their whole arm ripped off and another, their whole leg from the knee. It's unquestionably a sport of consequences. Once you are good and comfortable, and you know what you are doing, you can get away without training too hard as long as you don't fall. But once you fall on the wrong spot, if you're not training, then it can be your last fall."
Garrett McNamara isn't your typical surfer. In 2003 he competed in the Tow Surfing World Cup at Jaws in terrifying 70-foot surf, which even he admits was scary. He won and took home the $70,000 purse and the world title. In that same year, he caught a death-defying 20-foot Hawaiian barrel at Jaws.
"I was just floating around in the channel at Jaws," explains Garrett, "when Dane Keola came by and threw me the rope. To my surprise, Uncle Dane headed straight out and did a U-turn through the lineup. He whipped me into the first wave of the set -- a wave that challenged every inch and fiber of me. I hit the bottom and looking straight up, thinking, this is a massive wave, while a megaton lip brushed my head. I thought I would get crushed and die, that I was done for, but to my amazement, I held on until the wave spits me out of its giant tube. That was the biggest and most incredible tube ride of my life. I will never forget it."
Arguably Garrett is one of the world's best big wave surfers, a 5-10, 170-pound big-wave charger. He spends his life pursuing and chasing the biggest and deadliest waves in the world, and most recently, he could go down as the man who surfed a 90-foot wave in Portugal, the biggest wave ever ridden in the world.
Surviving these monstrous waves, you must be well-trained and physically fit to survive. Then you must be mentally ready and spiritually ready.
Garrett McNamara’s Workout
Garret’s workout consists of:
Underwater training, running with a 100-pound rock at 40 feet for a minute. This workout is key to building breath, oxygen capacity, and confidence underwater.
Bikram yoga. Stretching is key to being limber and always loose in the surf, which helps prevent serious injuries.
Barefoot HIIT sprinting on the soft grass builds strength and endurance and fast-twitch muscle for explosive power.
Whole-body workouts. Lots of squat work to build core and powerful lower body. Pushups, core work, bench press, chest and shoulder work to build strong muscles and power for paddling.
Garret McNamara’s Diet:
Good nutrition is essential.
Garrett is a vegetarian and relies on plant-based protein. He eats food that allows him to digest easily and quickly, such as lots of greens, avocados, quinoa, beans, and fish, as well as lots of garlic.
Most importantly, Garrett eats foods that he can quickly digest and that offer lots of energy. He advocates lots and lots of water daily, which he believes is the fountain of youth.