Stand Up Paddling In Hawaii; Want to Try?

June 10, 2008 08:33 PM

Stand up paddling is a combination of surfing and paddling. But it's not just for elite athletes any more. There's a new fitness routine for the sport, for anyone willing to try it. Reid Inouye's been a part of Hawaii's surf scene for more than 20 years. But these days he's hauling a different kind of board. "I know a lot of guys say that stand up paddling is a fad but no way, this is a good workout," says Inouye. Ever since he picked up the paddle two years ago, surfing for him has changed. Inouye found a new love for the sport after a spiritual journey with close friend Leleo Kinimaka. It was a humbling visit to Pele at Volcano. Now he's inspired to teach stand up paddling to anyone who wants to learn. Inouye's instructed first timers as young as 8 and as old as 84. Inouye says, "I've talked to canoe paddlers about what they do and what works and applied it to stand up paddling." Besides just moving on the board, Inouye's added a number of paddle strokes and positions to make this an all body water workout. And there are many who have become big fans of this fitness routine. "If you want to get a deeper work out you can bend your knees a little bit more and push thru the water and he showed another exercise where you can work your obliques by the way you move and paddle," says Resham Gellatly of Honolulu. Wendy Borja also takes lessons from Inouye six days a week. "After a while my body has learned the different movements and i've seen a real difference in my body, says Borja. Mother nature can determine the intensity, from wind resistance to the open ocean. But you don't need waves for this conditioning program, that's why it's expected to be very popular. "Hawaii is like a good proving ground to what's going to happen around the world. i think in the lakes in the next 3-5 years you are going to see boards and this is just the start," says Inouye. Stand up paddle workouts have already taken off in Australia, South America and Europe. For more information click here.   Also on KGMB9 Sports @ 10PM: NBA Finals Brian Ching added to US team Girls Volleyball

Last Updated ( June 10, 2008 08:33 PM )