Surf Flex

If you don't intend to ever give up surfing, that must mean that you plan on surfing until you're well into 'old-age'…and if you want to do that successfully you had better pick up a copy of Surf Flex by Paul Frediani & start following his advice!

I've been a professional fitness trainer and Sports Medicine practitioner for 15 years (& surfing a little longer) and it's a rare occurrence for me to find a book on fitness that doesn't promote the latest, dubious fad exercise system. Frediani's approach has been to look at various, proven exercise modes, from Yoga to Swiss Ball, cherry pick the best moves and then mould them into a programme that's about as sport specific as you could hope to get for surfing. That in itself is no mean feat when you consider the diversity of movements we make in a single session and the wide variety of equipment we choose to paddle out on.

The book covers all aspects of fitness to condition you for surfing or any other sport you may do too, as all the exercises are relevant for even day-to-day, general fitness. Frediani employs specialists from all sectors to give advice on training, injuries, nutrition and even sunburn and in addition there are mini interviews with many of surfing's great watermen to add weight to his advice.

Perhaps the only piece I'd change is the use of the 'rocker board' in the "Toys" chapter. If you've made it through the chapter on standing on a Swiss Ball, you will probably find the rocker board too easy. However, if you were to exchange this for an "Indo-Board" you'll find enough of a challenge to test your balance skills to an even higher level for a long time to come.

Any negatives at all? Only one & nothing to do with the exercise advice, but how come in the opening pages there's a great photo of Gerry Lopez going right and switchfoot? I'm sure he rides goofy foot & that Pipeline's a left…!