Often ranked among the ten most challenging waves in the world, the renowned Fiji wave 'Cloudbreak' boasts fast, barreling lefts over a shallow reef. It’s one of those breaks you truly just have to see to believe. I always dreamed to ride this wave and in 2019 on my 30th birthday I booked myself a last minute trip to Fiji to chase a swell with Camille Juban (you can read the full story here).
A few days before traveling, I had injured my back landing jumps. It was not the best timing feeling my lumbar discs aching as I embarked on a 30 hour flight journey that will be followed by countless hours of very technical light wind windsurfing. So I came up with a routine that I religiously executed twice a day. This routine got me through one of the most intense weeks of my life! I created this sequence of targeted movements to prepare myself for the unique challenge of windsurfing Cloudbreak. It is now one of my go-to's for myself and the athletes I train.
The Fiji Routine works great as a "morning loosen up", an evening cool down, an after traveling "get rid of the stiffness" or an "I sat for too long now my back hurts" session. Based on a combination of stretches and spine movements, this routine will help you to believe in your body's ability to heal itself when you give it some love!