BOARDING SCHOOL
Surfing big waves is just one discipline that Kai Lenny has dominated, but he needs dry land to help hone his skills
World Champion on the water, Kai Lenny tells MH how he combines 4,000 calories with dry-land training to tackle 20m waves
Kai Lenny is in his element at sea. At 28, he already excels in big wave surfing, stand-up paddleboarding (SUP), tow-in surfing, kitesurfing and hydrofoiling. Growing up on the northern shore of Maui as the son of ocean enthusiasts, he caught his first wave aged five and never looked back.
‘I had a gut feeling that I needed to get on my board,’ Lenny says. ‘It was the same feeling I get when I go out into big waves now: the anticipation, the fear of the unknown.’
Lenny is a veteran on the PWA World Windsurfing Tour, has been runner-up at the Kite Surf Pro World Championships and has won the SUP world title eight times. His current objective is to win the World Surf League Big Wave World Tour title.
‘I work with my coach, Scott Sanchez, who’s been training me since I was 12 years old,’ says Lenny. ‘With surfing and water sports, you need to mix endurance training with sprint work.
For example, paddling to catch a big wave can elevate your heart rate to 200bpm, but if you fall off the board, you have to hold your breath and stay calm while being thrashed around underwater. It’s an odd combination of exerting as much power as you can while being relaxed.’
Staying calm in the water is something Lenny is good at. Often he’ll only head back to dry land to change equipment or eat. ‘I need at least 4,000 calories a day during watersport time,’ he says. Growing up on Maui with parents who understand nutrition, plus an abundance of locally sourced produce, meant healthy eating was the norm for Lenny.
This attention to detail makes Lenny far from what many would regard a stereotypical surfer. ‘Maybe that Ridgemont High, weed-smoking dude still exists, but the sport is so professional now,’ he says. ‘You can be the best surfer on Earth, but unless you catch a wave that gets you a score, you’re not.’
The work these athletes put in isn’t always immediately recognised by spectators. ‘If you’re watching a Big Wave competition, not many people think, “What incredible skill these people have.” It’s more like, “Man, these people are crazy!” In any intense sport there are obviously individuals who are crazy, but I don’t think I’m one of them. I take that methodical approach.’