BRODIE LEDGERWOOD TALKS ABOUT WORLD TITLE LEVEL TRAINING

Brodie Ledgerwood talks about World Title level training

Burleigh Heads strength trainer, Brodie Ledgerwood is a teen strength and conditioning coach who focuses on athletic development and sports performance. In his time as a trainer he has trained many great athletes but the one that springs to mind for us is 2x World Champion Tyler Wright. 

We wanted to get an insight on what he thinks the types and levels of training that a surfer has to do to be at their physical best, we thought we would reach out to the legend himself to explore his ideas on surf training. 

Hey Brodie! Can we start off with getting to know a bit about you. Where are you from? What are your passions? 

Hi, my name is Brodie Ledgerwood. I live on the Gold Coast and own Salt Fitness and Consulting. A few of my passions include coaching strength and condition, coaching basketball, diving and pretty much all water sports as well as hanging with my dog Bear. 

So, you are a teen strength and conditioning coach, can you tell me a little bit about what that involves?

It involves teaching youth or teen athletes about training in the gym and also other aspects of their fitness and areas that relate. With the aim to reduce the chances of injury and aid in performance.

You have also been involved with training 2 x world champ Tyler Wright. What did a normal day of training look like for her?

Normal day of training with Tyler, hmm… Normally a chat to see how she’s doing, then we would move into a warm up and activation work. Then pending on the style of the session, there would be some form of strength for example squats. Then into her single leg stuff to finish with some form of cardio for a finisher. 

How important do you think it is for a surfer to be physically strong and why?

I think it is important to be physically strong, because the demands put on the body, in both riding the wave and when you get a wipe out. Also with performance, but don’t sacrifice mobility for strength. If you’re only strong through a partial range you will increase your chances of injury. 

What sorts of exercises can a surfer grom do at home to help them be more in tune with their bodies?

I would be saying to do single limb exercises like, single leg RDL (Romanian DeadLift), lunges, single leg hops and bounding, learning to bend and squat properly through a full range, upper body keep strength and mobility through shoulders and thoracic spine. So, shoulder pressing, pull ups and pushups equally. As for core, I would say making sure you have control over your lower abs, so alternate leg lowers on the floor. 

What is your main goal as a strength and conditioning coach regarding surfers?

My main goal is to maintain structural balance, and also strength through full range of motion of both upper and lower body. 

There you have it folks! Some tips and tricks from Brodie Ledgerwood who has lots of experience in strength and conditioning for surfers. As well as coaching the likes of Tyler Wright, Brodie also works closely with new rookie on tour Isabella Nichols and QS campaigner Alyssa Lock.  If you want to check him out head over to his instagram, @salt_fitnessandconsulting to find out more!

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5lnd0Bguyx/?igshid=jm5b68f9ij9e