Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.
Some of the most monstrous and best-known waves for surfers are on the North Shore of Oahu in Hawaii.
The north coast of Oahu is also the site of the North Shore Swim Series, a 5-race summer ocean swimming series.
The series includes the 1-mile Aloha Salads Summer Sprint from Sunset Beach to Ehukai Beach Park, the 1.2-mile Cholo’s Waimea Bay Swim around the perimeter of Waimea Bay, the 1.6-mile Jaco’s Chuns to Waimea Bay Swim from Chun’s Reef to Waimea Bay, the 2.1-mile Soap Factory Laniakea to Pua’ena Swim from Laniakea Beach to Haleiwa’s Pua’ena Point surf break, and the 2.3-mile Jamba Juice North Shore Challenge from Ehukai Beach Park to Waimea Bay.
While the waves are flat to small during the summer months during the North Shore Swim Series, the waves can be monstrous and dangerous crashing over coral reefs at shallow depths while surfers and bodysurfers face strong tidal pulls, rip tides and currents. These conditions demand that the lifeguards on the North Shore of Oahu are always ready and on the lookout for surfers and swimmers who need help.
To make a save, the lifeguards must run from their lifeguard station in soft sand, quickly put on their fins, and sprint through surf diving under the crashing waves. Then they must grab the troubled surfer, bodysurfer or ocean swimmer and safely bring them back to shore, usually against oncoming or lateral currents. The lifeguards make these saves repeatedly on days where the surf can be rough or large.
Their life-saving responsibilities require speed, strength and stamina.
These lifeguards use KAATSU Training and KAATSU Aqua to help them improve their speed, strength and stamina?
For speed on land, lifeguards can place the KAATSU Air Bands on their legs and run on the soft sand at Waimea Bay or Ehukai Beach (Banzai Pipeline) or Hale’iwa. They can start with simple walking and then end with short sprints on flat sand or up a sand dune.
For speed in the water, lifeguards can place the KAATSU Aqua Bands on their legs while using fins and do the following kicking and swimming sets in a pool:
• 1 x 25m easy kicking + 1 x 25m fast kicking
• 1 x 25m easy kicking + 1 x 50m fast kicking
• 1 x 25m easy kicking + 1 x 75m fast kicking
• 1 x 25m easy kicking + 1 x 100m fast kicking
• 10x streamlined jumps off the bottom of the pool and kick up as high out of the water as possible. Repeat immediately 10 times.
• 8 x 25m swimming freestyle with fins with 20 seconds rest between each 25
• 4 x 50m swimming freestyle with fins with the first 25m easy + second 25m fast
• 1 x 25m easy + 1 x 75m fast
• 1 x 25m easy + 1 x 100m fast
For strength on land, lifeguards can place the KAATSU Air Bands on their legs and do squats, leg lunges, leg curls and simply balance on one leg to gain core strength. Lifeguards can also place the KAATSU Air Bands on their arms and do KAATSU 3-point Exercises, push-ups or use resistance bands with a variety of exercises.
For strength in the water, lifeguards can place the KAATSU Aqua Bands on their legs while using fins or place the KAATSU Aqua Band on their arms while using hand paddles and do the following kicking and swimming sets in a pool:
• Kick in the vertical position for 10 seconds in a pool with hands and arms out of the water. Rest 10 seconds and repeat 4-8 times.
• Kick on one’s back with arms straight out of the water: 4 x 25m with 20 seconds rest between each 25
• 4 x 25m hard with hand paddles and no fins, 20 seconds rest between each 25
• 8 x 25m easy/hard with 20 seconds rest and 10 seconds of vertical kicking (elbows out of water) between each 25
For stamina on land, lifeguards can place the KAATSU Air Bands on their legs and go for a slow run or spin on a stationary bicycle.
For stamina in the water, lifeguards can place the KAATSU Aqua Bands on their legs while using fins or place the KAATSU Aqua Band on their arms while using hand paddles and do the following kicking and swimming sets in a pool:
• 12 x 25m kicking with KAATSU Aqua Bands (2 butterfly, 2 backstroke, 4 freestyle, 4 head-up freestyle)
• 3 sets of vertical kicking with KAATSU Aqua Bands for 30-60 seconds until reaching muscular failure
• Aqua-jogging or aqua-running with KAATSU Aqua Bands in waist-deep water
• 3 x 60 seconds of treading water (eggbeater with arms above water) with KAATSU Aqua Bands
• Two lifeguards face each other and hold one kickboard between them. The kickboard is held in the vertical position. Each lifeguard kicks vigorously against each other, in the opposite direction, until one lifeguard has moved 5 meters.
KAATSU Air Bands can also be used for rehabilitation purposes under the guidance of a physical therapist or trainer.
For more information on the North Shore Swim Series, visit here.
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