The (Simple) Surfer Workout

A lifeguard at Dohini State Beach, Kelli Lyons often catches waves when she's not on the chair. Here, the Newport Beach 24 Hour Fitness trainer shares her three-pronged approach for using gym time to help master the break. This is your dry run:

For Balance:
Single Leg Balance Reach
Stand with your hands at your sides and your right leg out to the side with your foot about
an inch off the ground. Squat down, and bend forward slightly from the waist. Return to standing, and repeat 15 times. Start with two sets of 15 on each side. "You're using muscles in your thighs and butt, but you're also activating your core because you're balancing on one foot," says Lyons. "It's a pretty gnarly workout." For an even gnarlier twist, hold light weights in each hand.

For Strength:
Standing Cable Row
"You're going to be sore if you don't train the muscles you use to push yourself up on the board and paddle around," says Lyons. Here's the best way to start: Standing tall with a slight bend in your knees, perform a standing cable row on the free motion machine, focusing on pulling your shoulder blades together to activate the muscles in your upper back. Start with two sets of 15 reps.

For Endurance:
Interval Swimming
"Surfing is just like an interval workout," says Lyons. "You go really hard, then chill for a while." The best arena for developing start-stop endurance? The pool. Start with an easy 100-meter (four lengths of a 25-meter pool) warmup, then jump into eight 25-meter pushes at 85 percent of your maximum pace. Rest for 10 seconds rest between each sprint. Recover fully, then do four 50-meter pushes at 75 percent of your max with 20 seconds rest between each. Cap it off with a 100-meter cool down.