Fitness
At 50, Kelly Slater Is Nearing Greatest-of-the-Greats Status
Right now, the No.1 ranked surfer in the world is a middle-aged bald guy. This sport, so often associated with reckless youth, is currently led by the calculated Kelly Slater—who turns 50 today after winning the Billabong Pipeline Masters last weekend. That would be 30 years after he won it the first time.
Slater is, by far, surfing’s G.O.A.T., but there are many who see his ability to stay there in four consecutive decades as a sign he may be the greatest of the greats. It begs the question where he fits in with other athletes known for longevity.
In 1965, Satchel Paige took the mound for the Kansas City Athletics at the tender age of 59. It was his only game of the season after a hiatus from the Majors. He pitched three innings, giving up only one hit to the Boston Red Sox. The Hall of Famer’s career had started 40 years earlier in the Negro Southern League—and Paige was still a force in 1948 at age 42 when he joined the Cleveland Indians. He’d continue to pitch in the Majors until he was 47.
Satchel Paige Courtesy Image
“He was still striking people out because his stuff was so nasty,” says Lindsay Berra, contributor to MLB.com and writer for ESPN Magazine for 13 years—not to mention granddaughter of affable Hall of Famer Yogi Berra. “Paige put so much movement on his pitches, you could tell someone where the pitch was coming and they still couldn’t hit it,” adds Berra. “He pitched a 12-inning shutout for the Cleveland Browns when he was 46.”
In the hockey world, the standout equivalent remains Gordie Howe, who began his NHL career in 1946 and scored his final (801st ) goal on April 9, 1980, in a Stanley Cup Playoff game for the Hartford Whalers at age 52. “His son, Mark, got the assist,” chuckles Berra.
Gordie Howe Courtesy Image
In the 90s, Slater was often compared to Michael Jordan when they were both stacking championships. Slater was to surf brand Quicksilver what Jordan was to Nike. They both obsessed about details and both “retired,” but couldn’t stay away from the games they loved.
In terms of pure hoop longevity, there was a guard named Nat Hickey who started playing pro in 1921. As late as 1948, he was coaching and would put himself in the game when needed. But Nat Hickey didn’t have a signature collection of kicks. If you’re looking for the NBA comparison, it would have to be LeBron. Both James and Slater dominated from the age of 18 and continue to be among their sport’s elite long after the average age of retirement, having cultural impact beyond their respective playing fields.
The Greatest Record of All Time
Last Saturday, Slater won the Billabong Pipeline Pro, the first World Surf League WCT event of the year. Back in 1990, the surfing phenomenon aced his first professional event before taking the Pipe in 1992 along with (as it was then known) the Association of Surfing Professionals world title. The Florida native went on to rack up 55 more event wins and 10 more titles, the next closest competitor being Aussie Mark Richards who won less than half that in the 1970s and early ‘80s. It would take a book to retell the entire Slater story and marvel at all those stats. Indeed, his two biographies may have been written a bit prematurely.
If we simply focus on the numbers from last weekend, Slater put up 18.77 of a possible 20 to beat Seth Moniz, from a family of Hawaiian surf royalty. In the 90s, Slater surfed in the same events with Tony Moniz, Seth’s father. Seth wasn’t born until three years after Slater first won at Pipe.
Slater surfed the Tour long after all his “Momentum Generation” friends who revolutionized competitive surfing hung up their boards. His closest contemporary, Taylor Knox, retired in 2012. Slater’s twisted rivalry/friendship with three-time champ Andy Irons ended in 2011 with Irons’ tragic death at age 32. Slater outlasted Aussies Mick Fanning and Joel Parkinson, both 10 years younger, who combined for four world titles. He’s won specialty big-wave events, influenced the competition format, changed the equipment, set a new bar in heavy water, founded separate surfboard and apparel companies, and played his part in the development of the man-made wave at the Surf Ranch—which may completely alter the future of surfing.
In recent years, with Slater fighting injuries, surfing’s focus has shifted to John John Florence and Gabriel Media, a pair of surfers 20 years his junior. They’ve each won two titles in what should be the twilight of Slater’s career. But with Medina choosing not to compete this year and Florence slipping in the semis at Pipe, Slater is again on top.
“I look at surfing or skiing or snowboarding a little different,” says Berra. “You have two opponents—your actual opponent, then the elements of the waves or the hill. You can be a smart, old boxer, but you can still slip and a young guy can break your jaw. It’s athletically incredible that Kelly is doing this 30 years later. In his case, age is almost an advantage. He knows his body and Pipeline so well.”
In fact, Slater is credited for smarts more than any other surfer. In any given heat at Pipeline, there may only be so many waves to come through that will garner an excellent score. Had Seth Moniz been in position for one of those three amazing Backdoor tubes, Slater would have been runner up. But time after time, decade after decade, Slater is the guy with the strategy to nab those coveted waves in each heat.
Tom + Kelly
On Tuesday of this week, just days after Slater’s Pipe win, newly retired NFL quarterback, Tom Brady, 44 posted a congratulations to Slater on Instagram, to which Slater replied “@TomBrady Legend! Congrats on your retirement this week, but I’ll hold out hope that with the skills still obviously intact, you make another appearance. You’ve made Florida and @Buccaneers fans proud. Thank you, Tom.”
Tom Brady Wong / Shutterstock
The two have a mutual admiration, but possibly more in common than that. Seth Wickersham, award-winning NFL reporter, senior ESPN writer, and author of It’s Better to Be Feared: The New England Patriots Dynasty and the Pursuit of Greatness has studied Brady’s career and spent countless hours with him. He reports that Brady has started surfing and skiing in later years—and has a library of surfing books at his home.
“I think when Brady came into the league, he figured he’d play 10 or 12 years then move on to something else—but I think his love for the game only intensified,” notes Wickersham, who recalls a transcript of a 27-year old Brady interview on 60 Minutes where correspondent Steve Kroft asked him, “What really scares Tom Brady?” Brady’s reply was, “The end of my playing career.”
“It was one of the most autobiographical statements of his life and shadowed much of what was to come,” adds Wickersham. “He continued to play for a few years before hurting his knee in 2008 and missing the season. That was when he started working closely with body coach Alex Guerrero, who became a controversial figure, but at the time really helped Tom with his rehab.”
Guerrero and Brady developed an entire approach to wellness designed to keep muscles soft and pliable. Wickersham stresses how Brady became evangelical about diet and hydration. Wickersham also mentions that Brady, as a rookie in 2000, started practicing yoga—leading to some very strong parallels with Slater, who’d quietly educated himself on fitness philosophies before anyone else in surfing. Prior to the mid-2000s, tour surfers worked out by carrying rocks underwater then rehydrating with cheap beer. Slater was into yoga and Pilates dating back to the ‘90s. By the time exercise balls started showing up at tour events, Slater could’ve had a degree in sport physiology, and his muscles were already elongated. The similarities didn’t stop there.
“When he missed that year, Brady not only began to question some of the tenets of Western medicine, but he also saw the game move on without him,” says Wickersham. “I think the next couple of years is when he really started talking about playing into his 40s.”
This sounds an awful lot like Slater’s attempt at retirement 20 years ago—while watching Irons start gobbling up titles.
“You saw Jordan come back after he retired because nothing makes him happier than playing basketball,” adds Wickersham. “Tom Brady saw that in himself. He was going to challenge the conventional wisdom that once you’re in your mid-30s in the NFL, you’re a senior citizen and you’re on your way out. Kelly is a phenomenal athlete. As great athletes age, often their love for the game doesn’t lessen. It actually intensifies.”
Kelly Slater and 24-year-old pro surfer heavy Seth Moniz embrace after Slater took the Billabong Pipeline Masters title on Saturday February 5, 2022. Six days later, Slater now celebrates his 50th birthday. Courtesy of WSL
Final Wave?
Slater was visibly emotional in the circus surrounding him last Saturday. He hadn’t won an event since 2016.
“I committed my life to this,” he gushed to the world, “To all of this. To all of the heartbreak and winning and all this crap. You know, I’ve hated lots of it, but I savor this and this is the best win of my life.”
And then he threw an awkward stick in the spokes of the moment, mentioning he might not compete at the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach, which could start today. Does that mean he’s skipping an event to focus on the rest of the season? Does it mean he’ll never put on a jersey again?
Hard to say.
Kelly Slater has thought aloud about retiring as many times as he’s won titles. Keep in mind that while he has a mastery of Pipeline, Trestles and Teahu’poo, the big tricky walls of Sunset have never been his thing. But it certainly sets up the intrigue for the rest of the season. No matter what he decides to do, at 50, he’s earned his place on a very short list of greats.
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The key to 360-degree muscle: 90-degree eccentric isometrics. It might seem like we’re throwing a lot of geometry at you, but the concept behind time under tension (TUT) is simple, says Joel Seedman, PhD, owner of Advanced Human Performance: “Perform the lowering phase of a movement in a slow, controlled fashion, usually 3 to 5 seconds; pause in the stretched position, typically around 90 degrees; then perform the lifting phase in a powerful yet controlled fashion.” Believe us, a time-under-tension workout can humble even seasoned lifters…Eccentric isometrics are like the pressure cooker of training.
“Rather than mindlessly performing slow-tempo reps, you’re using the increased time under tension as a means to fine-tune your body mechanics and alignment, which requires more mental engagement and focus,” Seedman adds.
If you want to forge functional muscle mass and strength while simultaneously bulletproofing the joints and connective tissue, give this 10-move, full-body eccentric isometrics workout a go.
Directions
Perform the following moves as 90-degree eccentric isometrics following the above protocol. Use heavy weight, but not at the detriment of proper form. Rest 60 to 90 seconds between sets and 2 minutes between circuits. Perform once every 2 to 4 days for optimal results.
Best Time-Under-Tension Workout for Total-Body Strength
Circuit 1
A. Barbell Back Squat
Set a squat rack up with heavy weight, then grasp bar and step under it. Squeeze shoulder blades together, then stand to unrack bar and step back with feet shoulder-width apart. Inhale, hinge at hips and slowly bend knees to 90 degrees. Pause, keeping natural arch in low back, then extend through hips to powerfully stand. 3 x 4-6 reps
B. Renegade Row
Start in the top position of a pushup with hands shoulder-width apart on moderate-to-heavy dumbbells (shown). Explosively drive right elbow back to row dumbbell toward ribs while balancing on opposite hand and feet. Pause, then slowly lower weight, stopping a few inches above floor. Switch sides after all reps are done. 3 x 5 reps each side
Circuit 2
A. Dumbbell Bentover Row
Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding two moderate-to-heavy dumbbells in front of thighs, palms facing you. Push hips back and hinge torso forward so it’s nearly parallel to floor, soft bend in knees. Dumbbells should be near shins. Drive elbows back to row weights toward ribs. Pause, then slowly lower down for 3 to 5 seconds. 3 x 4-5 reps
B. Incline Dumbbell Chest Press with Legs Raised
Set an adjustable bench to a 30- to 45-degree angle and lie back with dumbbells in either hand. Engage core and lift legs off floor, flexing feet. Press weights overhead, palms in. Slowly lower to 90 degrees, staying tight and compact. Pause, then drive weights up directly over chest. 3 x 4-5 reps
Circuit 3
A. Dumbbell Bulgarian Squat
Stand lunge-length in front of a flat bench, holding heavy dumbbells in each hand by your sides, palms facing in. Rest the ball on top (shoe’s laces) of your right foot behind you on the bench. Slowly lower your body until your front thigh is parallel to the floor. Pause, then drive through your heel to stand. Switch sides after all reps are complete. 2 x 3-4 reps each side
B. Single-leg Romanian Deadlift
Stand with feet hip-width apart holding dumbbells or kettlebells. Drive right leg up, foot flexed, knee aligned with hip, making a 90-degree angle. Hinge at hips as you slowly lever your torso toward floor, lowering weights and driving right leg back for counterbalance. Hold, then squeeze glutes to reverse. 2 x 3-4 reps each side
Circuit 4
A. Pullup
Hang from a pullup bar using an overhand grip with legs extended and feet flexed. Engage lats and draw shoulders down your back, then pull yourself up until chin is higher than hands. Pause at the top, then slowly lower. Pause at bottom, then reset before your next rep. 2-3 x 4-5 reps
B. Kneeling Overhead Barbell Press
Hold a bar with moderate-to-heavy load at shoulder level with forearms perpendicular to floor. Kneel at end of bench with feet flexed to grip edge for support. Inhale, engage your core and glutes, then press the bar overhead, pushing your head forward so it passes your face, exhaling at the top.
Slowly lower until elbows are at 90 degrees, then hold to maintain tension. Begin your next rep from here. 2-3 x 4-5 reps
Circuit 5
A. Dumbbell Pushup
Place hands on dumbbells (this provides greater range of motion) at shoulder width and feet wider than shoulder width with just toes touching the ground. Keep head neutral and hips high to increase tension on core, chest and tris and reduce stress on spine. Slowly lower to the floor. Stop
once elbows hit 90 degrees, pause, then push up to start. 1-2 x 6-8 reps
B. Biceps Curl
Stand with feet hip-width apart with moderate-to-heavy dumbbells in each hand hanging by sides. Engage biceps to curl the weights up, keeping upper arms still. Pause at the top, then lower slowly. Don’t let arms drop all the way down to keep greater time under tension on biceps. 1-2 x 6-8 reps
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