NEW YORK, New York/USA (Tuesday, June 11, 2013) -Carissa Moore (HAW), 20, is a proven champion. From her amateur success as a childhood prodigy to her ASP Women’s World Title, the Hawaiian has earned her position as No. 1 on all levels of competition. With the 2013 Women’s World Tour currently enjoying a mid-season break, Moore finds herself at No. 2 on the rankings and well within striking distance of current frontrunner Tyler Wright(AUS), 19, for a potential second crown. While Moore has achieved the highest level of surfing by spending countless hours in the water, she is equally focused on cross training to build both physical and mental strength. The iconic New York publication The Wall Street Journal recently interviewed Moore to talk in detail about her training program, touching on everything from boxing class to her diet. This… is their story…
In addition to strength, flexibility, and agility, Ms. Moore exercises her mind. “When I’m in a heat during a competition, I need to be in control of my emotions,” she says. “The boxing and martial arts helps bring out my inner tiger,” she says. “It also helps me stay in the zone and concentrate.”
Ms. Moore surfs ever day for at least one hour, even when the waves are small. When the waves are good, she tries to fit in an extra hour or two in the afternoon.
On land, Ms. Moore trains 90 minutes four to five days a week with her trainer. Sessions start with a warm-up designed to loosen her upper body and hips. Next, she runs through boxing and martial-arts drills with her trainer. They perform simple punches and spar. Ms. Moore says the drills have helped her become highly reactive and adaptive in the water: “When someone is about to punch you, you have to stay calm and in control and react instantly to defend yourself.”
Next, they work her fast-twitch muscle fibers, which help with quickness and speed, and slow-twitch muscle fibers, which are needed for endurance. In timed sets, Ms. Moore performs: sumo jumping jacks, where she lands in a squat position; martial-arts front kicks; and pike push-ups, to which she adds a hop to the side between each push-up.
She says one of the easiest ways to raise her heart rate is to perform frog jumps, where she leaps up a flight of bleachers like a frog. “I put my hands on the step ahead of me and then jump my feet up to meet so I end in a squat before I move to the next step,” she explains.
