Multi-Sport Training in Las Catalinas

Thanks to 42km of tropical dry forest trails, two sandy beaches, and a sheltered swimming bay, there are many sports to participate in around Las Catalinas. These options, along with the walkability of town that makes it easy to go from home to the outdoors, are what give rise to town’s naturally active lifestyle.

There are sports to pursue on land and in the water from Las Catalinas, which include mountain biking, paddle boarding, open water swim, freediving, SUP Yoga, triathlon, obstacle course races, surfing, and more. Many athletes in Las Catalinas mix them all, living a true multi-sport lifestyle.

A big part of this lifestyle is training. When out surfing, a bit of extra strength and endurance can mean catching more waves more often. On a mountain bike, good cardio and leg strength makes climbs easy and quick and offers more control on a downhill. The need for smart training is even more prevalent for long races like the TRI Las Catalinas, Intrepid Challenge, Paddle Battle, Flamingo Marathon, and more.

To stay in top shape for all of these different sports requires a regimen that blends multiple disciplines and target areas for a true multi-sport training.

The View from La Cresta

Multi-sport Training in Las Catalinas

Single sport training regimens usually tend to focus on specific areas like strength, cardio, flexibility and balance, or intensities on high-output, medium-output, low-output, or even on specific techniques like breathing or adaptation to extreme conditions.

For multi-sport training, the best regimens push the body to become adaptable. Rather than specializing in one movement, multi-sport training prepares the body for every possible intensity, cross-trains cardio and strength, integrates flexibility and balance, and adds the mental aspects of calm under pressure, breathing techniques, and performance in many environments

XPT, or Extreme Performance Training, is one example of such a comprehensive regimen. Based off of three pillars -- Breathe, Move, and Recover -- that were refined by legendary big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton and team, XPT’s training covers every aspect of fitness, producing athletes capable of performing at a high level with a degree of mental focus and fortitude no matter the environment.

Training on the hilltop in Las Catalinas

XPT showcased their program back in June with XPT Waterman, a retreat that used the pools, trails, beach, and ocean around Las Catalinas for their comprehensive training program. Waterman will return to Las Catalinas in 2020 at the Santarena Hotel, for another chance to see firsthand how town can serve as a multisport training ground.

There are other ways to build a multisport training regimen yourself. HIIT and popular variant CrossFit both blend cardio, strength, and mobility training, seeking to provide the adaptable multisport fitness capable of transitioning to any other activity. Combined with a flexibility and mentality practice, like Ido, Yoga, or one of many available apps like RomWOD, it’s possible to build a strong multi-sport base applicable to any of the sports around Las Catalinas.

Training as a Base and Sports as a Lifestyle

A good multisport training regimen provides a base of physical fitness that applies to any sport in Las Catalinas and beyond, which makes riding, surfing, swimming, paddling, and running throughout the week just that bit more enjoyable, and opens the door to compete in one of the many thrilling physical competitions around town.

There are HIIT classes on Mondays and Wednesdays at 7am, and beach yoga classes available Wednesday and Friday mornings, as well as on request from concierge.

XPT has a more formal regimen that encompasses many aspects of multisport training. Their curriculum includes workouts every day through the XPT App, and XPT Waterman will return in 2020 to offer a deep dive into their extreme performance lifestyle.

XPT's "Reptile", a training method developed by Laird Hamilton