#89: Laird Hamilton, The King of Big Wave Surfing (Plus: Gabrielle Reece and Brian MacKenzie)

Laird Hamilton (@LairdLife) is widely considered the greatest big wave surfer of all-time and an innovator in board sports. He’s the creator of tow-in surfing, and largely responsible for the rebirth of stand-up paddle boarding.

Hamilton starred in multiple surfing films and was the centerpiece of Riding Giants, a documentary about big wave surfing. A contributing editor for Men’s Journal, he has been featured on Oprah, Charlie Rose, 60 Minutes, and The Ellen Degeneres Show. Laird was also the featured expert in the surfing episode of The Tim Ferriss Experiment.

Laird is known for using his healthy lifestyle to raise money for charities including, Race Across America, Pipeline for a Cure for Cystic Fibrosis, Rain Catcher, and Muscular Dystrophy.

Gabrielle Reece (@GabbyReece) has been named one of the “20 Most Influential Women Sports,” and is best known her success in volleyball, modeling, and for a starring role as a trainer on The Biggest Loser.

A volleyball champion, Elle magazine called Reece, “One of the five most beautiful women in the world.” Reece used her crossover success to become the first female athlete to ever design a shoe for Nike.

Brian MacKenzie (@iamunscared) is the founder of CrossFit Endurance and the author of the New York Times best-selling book Unbreakable Runner. 

MacKenzie created controversy by suggesting a counterintuitive approach to distance running, which challenges high-mileage runs, high-carb diets, and incorporates intense strength training to conquer everything from 5K runs to ultra marathons. He was also prominently featured in The Four-Hour Body where he showed how you could prepare for a marathon in record time.  

MacKenzie has been featured in Runner’s World, Men’s Journal, ESPN, Outside, and the Economist.

In this episode we cover a lot of ground, including: 

• Challenging your beliefs and physicality with underwater weightlifting, elevation masks, and exercise efficiency 
• Laird Hamilton's potent magic yellow energy elixir 
• The characteristics linked to success 
• How to cultivate a thriving relationship: Training, Confidants and Value Systems 
• Laird's formula for invention in sports 
• Advice for an older, perhaps beat up, athlete seeking to get back to high-level performance 
• Laird Hamilton's mantra of "training for life" [1:08:39]

Links, resources, and show notes from this episode can be found at http://fourhourworkweek.com/podcast

This episode is sponsored by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time, “If you could only use one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is, inevitably, Athletic Greens. It is your all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in the The 4-Hour Body and did not get paid to do so.  Get 50% off your order at https://www.AthleticGreens.com/Tim

This podcast is also brought to you by 99Designs, the world’s largest marketplace of graphic designers. Did you know I used 99Designs to rapid prototype the cover for The 4-Hour Body? Here are some of the impressive results.  Click this link and get a free $99 upgrade: http://www.99designs.com/tim  Give it a test run.

Enjoy!