Surf and fitness interview with Paige Hareb – Pro surfer

Paige, tell us where you are from and a bit about you (when you started surfing, when you turned pro, how long you have been on the QS and then the CT etc).
 
I’m from a little town of about 4000 people called Oakura which is in the North Island on the West Coast of New Zealand. I first got into surfing when I was about six years young. I played and did a lot of different sport growing up and I guess I was quite good at all of them so eventually had to choose one. I chose surfing because every wave and every surf is different so I knew I would never get bored of it. I started doing well in NZ so ventured out to the pro juniors in Australia then my first year on the qualifying series I won a contest which helped my qualify that very first year for the World Tour which I didn’t expect to do at all. I guess I would say I’ve been pro for several years now and was on the World Tour for six years. Next year I’m planning on 2016 being an awesome year and re-qualifying for the 2017 Women’s World Tour.


 
 
How important is it to be physically fit and in good shape as a surfer? With surfing, what do you specifically need your fitness to do (e.g. paddling versus a skier needing to build their legs for example)?

Yeah the fitter you are, the better you're going to feel in and out of the water. Surfing and paddling beats other training because thats exactly what you want to be doing but I do a lot of running just to keep fit and now I do a lot of surf specific exercises just to give me that extra advantage when competing. Surfing you're using your whole body so you need a good all-round workout but I concentrate on my legs a lot for power and explosiveness and my core for strength and balance. You can never do enough squats and planks haha.


 
 
What about competitive professional surfing, how can you fitness set you apart from your fellow competitors?

I think there are a lot of girls that still don’t do enough fitness which is good for me to try and set myself apart from them. Lots of them go for runs and do stretching but they don't do surf specific stuff which I think they are going to start needing to do more and more of since Womens surfing is getting more and more professional every year.
 

 
 
Do all the girls on tour train equally and have the same approach to fitness? If not, how does it differ? Who trains the hardest, who is quite relaxed etc.

I would say that Courteney Conlogue and Sally Fitzgibbons are the most dedicated to their fitness training and it pays off pretty well for both of them each year. Although then you look at someone like Steph Gilmore and I think she is way more relaxed and relies more on natural talent, maybe she does a few sneaky fitness sessions haha I think there are more and more girls starting to do more than just surf though.
 

 

How do you personally train for surfing? Can you share your routine and any videos pictures/ tutorials?   Do you have a set routine on comp days?  What about the off season?

I’ve just recently found a really good trainer in San Clemente who has given me some awesome tips and a good training program. I’ll admit the last few years I haven't been very scheduled with my training regime but I’ve started training already for next year and I have way more of a set routine which I’m enjoying. It’s pretty hard but I want to go hard next year so it’s perfect. For competitions I haven’t made a set plan yet but maybe just a set warm up so I know exactly what I’m doing every time and get in the right head space. I don’t want to wear myself out before and while I’m competing.
 

 
What muscles are particularly important to train as a professional surfer?

To be honest I think almost the most important one to train is your brain! At the top everyone can be physically at their peak performance and a lot of the time it comes down to making the right decisions out in the water.
 

 
What about yoga and mobility, is this also important to you? If so why?

Yes surfing is a sport where you need strength and flexibility, I’m not too much of a fan of yoga, I get bored and for some reason I enjoy doing my stretch routine more. Either way they are both good for you and your muscles and is very important to keep nimble and helps you keep injury free when you get twisted in weird ways above and underneath the water.
 

 
Can you touch on what sort of diet you maintain as a professional surfer? Any favourite recipes you can share with us? 

I kind of wish I could still eat whatever I wanted and still be a skinny little 12 year old haha but that’s not the case. Even if I’m surfing everyday, if I eat the wrong thing I can put on weight easily unfortunately. As I’ve got older and realized that I’m a lot more aware of what I eat. At the moment I’m on a no-carb and no-sugar diet so manly just meat, salad and nuts. Pretty boring but it works. The only drink I have is water and maximum 2 coffees per day but I like to go without coffee every now and then too. I do love lebanese and mexican food! Tabouli salad is one of my favorites except I’ve started just having parsley, onion, mint and tomato in it and taken out the bulgar wheat as it’s a carb. Still delicious!
 
 

What are your dreams with surfing, where to next?

I’m not ready to stop competing yet and I think I can and want to get back on the 2017 World Tour so I’m training harder than ever before and trying to do everything that will help me get back on tour!
 
What would you say to any women wanting to become a professional surfer?

Never give up, you're going to have more losses than wins, even Kelly Slater has that stat to his name so persistence is key but as long as you're having fun and still enjoying it too.
 
Follow Paige's progress via the following social media channels
facebook.com/paige.hareb
twitter.com/paigehareb
instagram.com/paigehareb

Videos
https://www.facebook.com/paige.hareb/videos/vb.542546052505366/963659110394056/?type=2&theater
 
https://www.facebook.com/paige.hareb/videos/vb.542546052505366/937951146298186/?type=2&theater
 
Paige Hareb
www.paigehareb.com