ALL HAIL the "BIG O"

Having gone through a substantial number of Oscar's files, I can tell you, Oscar runs higher HR to me for all shorter distances.
He does so because it is his sport, he is made for it, I'm not.

My goal for Molokai is just that, and estimation based on a consistent output, one that most people would have no idea of even approaching an answer.
One, that if I follow will allow me to finish successfully.
It may not be optimum, but it will get me home with confidence.
I have made these types of predictions for many years for many people with uncanny success.

Oscar's average is low because he knows how to work the water and gets many rests. This keeps his average artificially low.

His maximum HR at Molokai is not his max HR, just the highest it went on the day of a very long race.

He goes much higher than this.

As for your prediction of my own speed, you base this on absolutely zero information.
Not t mention the conditions you predict it for.


I put my numbers up because the previous poster requested if anybody could supply him with such, I simply obliged and I doubt if you supply yours.
I did toss up starting a new thread for this, but one off topic post is not a biggy compared to the endless sniping in this thread that you have directed at me.

Again, where in my first post was this apparent beguiling of Oscar's performance?
And how much further are you going to offtrack this thread with your personal attack on me.

RAB heart rate is not the title of this topic!
If your HR is lower than Oscars, all it implies is you are not working as hard as him.
(see Dicko's earlier comment)
If I wanted to insert my HR details, I'd courteously do it under the appropriate topic.

Either way RAB it's insulting to the legends of this sport & irritating to other forum users to persistently insert yourself in the topic that is not honouring you........but after 860 posts I suspect you have a real need to express your opinions be it under a pseudonym.

Without using your real name your credibility & integrity are questionable.

I am not trying to personally attack you, but to point out you are being rude, disrespectful & irritating?

This is not the first time this has happened to you on this website or 'real life', so perhaps there is a life lesson for you?

Best wishes RAB

Don't get too wrapped up in it TH.

People are starting to see a familiar pattern here on the forum. Some of the crap being posted on here by RAB is getting a bit too much for all to digest.

From some of the more recent posts on this forum, I for one get the impression he is an expert in sports science, coaching, boat building, not to mention he should be in the guinness book for the fast ski paddled @49kmh.

We all know who he is outside of this forum. I think he just needs to get himself down to a blast one saturday and show us all what he's got.

However, something tells me that will not happen anytime soon. I have not seen his name in any race, at any time, anywhere. Seems a little strange for someone who has so much to say about competing.

Just like to apologise for my maiden post on this forum. My references to Heart Rate during paddling compared other disciplines was indeed inviting an off topic post. This was quite unintentional. However, I do appear to have created a bit of a stir

Does anyone know if Oscar is likely to compete in Australia in the near future ? It would be great to see the living legend.

No issues from my side......welcome, generally this small paddling community is harmonious & respectful.

Oscar did a clinic tour around australia recently (2010/2011?).......it was a privilege to attend one on the gold coast where we spent about an hour playing in the river mouth in some gentle swells followed by some land drills.
Unfortunately, there weren't many that attended & perhaps it was a marketing thing?

Hopefully Epic will bring him out again to do this sort of thing, as it is well worth attending.

Spending time with a credible expert / coach is well worth seeking out.

Met this big dude (yeah fat even) on a blowy Sorrento Beach Perth late arvo 2006 or so crappy beach day as he brought his Epic ski up to the clubrooms. No other bastard around. I was new to ocean paddling and Epics (turns out he was one himself) and asked fatuous questions about where to buy skis second hand, what are them thar Epic boats like, blah blah and he was really accommodating, helpful etc. I knew the face and afterwards confirmed it was He, the OSCAR.

Anyway at the time it was note to self about not who you are, but what you are about and what you are doing with it that is important. This man world champ at the time was just about boats, happy to chat to some random dude even though he was wet and the day was shitty. So cheers to that man, the big Oscar. Respect to someone whose age is irrelevant, but heart is huge in lots of ways.

A separate thread bubbling in this Oscar topic is RAB's contributions . Any forum is going to have a range of positions and attitudes - flaming, trolling, droll easy-going, respectful etc - them's the cut and thrust and fun of forums .. look I just deleted some big flaming on my own behalf .. however when one hears the same echo through repeated posts it does becomes tiresome. I skip over some of your posts RAB when I hear the springs in the big armchair squeak as the weight shifts back before Your Verdict. Look that's a bit inflammatory on my behalf, but methinks forums would be less testy with fewer august pronouncements and 'Me RAB'. I do value the experience and knowledge that you bring to bear though See Rule #5 (google) when dealing with attacks on character.

49 the new 24

If you look at a picture from the race, you can see how bent his knees are. I had this idea that to really put the hammer down, you had to use leg drive. But if they are at that angle, I have a hard time understanding how he can use them at all. Is leg drive overrated ?

Which picture?
Leg drive, worth a thread in it's own right.

Maybe this one from 28 years ago?:
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150793...51156&type=1&theater




Oscar says he`s lowered his knees since then.

I just read the race report and the previous article.

There is a photo of him in the V12 with his knees a little high, but I think that is just because he is just cruising and he is just sitting in the bucket, I find myself that this happens and that when you start to paddle properly the body goes back in the seat as this is where the Epic bucket seems to work best to allow the pelvis to rotate.

Read a SA newspaper article on Oscars weight loss technique for his Molokai preparation. Based on Tim Noak's (south africa's most well regarded exercise physiologist / sports medicine guru) low carb/high protein diet

Substantial departure from high carb recommendation to athletes.

See following references & pics of article:
www.discovery.co.za/email_za/mailers/pdfs/general/noakes.pdf
www.runnersworld.co.za/nutrition/novel-dietary-ideas/

One can't argue with the weight loss results for Oscar & Tim?
How does it go with performance?

Tony h, I can vouch for the diet. In 3 months I have lost over 15kg. This is even eating things like Lamb chops and egg. You have to forget everything you have ever learned about nutrition, in particular that fat doesnt make you fat sugar does.
I am nowhere near the leagues of oscar in performance stakes but had no problem doing 2hr sessions 3 days in a row without eating any carbs.
Other benefits are i feel much more energetic. No tiredness late afternoon or wanting to sleep in afternoon traffic. In fact I now sleep 4-5hrs per night only. Sounds cliche' but it has changed my life and I have lost 1kg or more per week without feeling hungry.
Basically eat when I am hungry and till I have had enough which without carbs is much less than I would have normally eaten. Usually only twice a day, being recently divorced has helped as i have to prepare my own food now. (I do need to increase my veggies.
Yes I was very overweight at 136kg and 6'2. I am now down to 120 and 23% bodyfat so still have a way to go.
And I know the sceptics are going to go the cholestrol route, well mine is down from 5.6 to 4.8.
I can't even try to explain how it works because i am still confused and in my mind I should still be trying to eat 6 meals a day and balance them. only lost 3kg in a year that way, struggled on tuna salads with brown rice. with way too much cash spent on homepathic medicines and even tried accupuncture.

My insulin was consistently around 19 and has now come down to 9.

Just to add I have had absolutely no cravings for any of the carb food groups including things like fries.

very impressive Moll- well done.
sure those results are great quality of life improvers.
would be a substantial lifestyle change for me......giving it some thought! that 20kg Oscar lost must have made the difference btw winning & losing - gap to 2nd place in Molokai 19sec!

I hope you do realize thar high-meat diets like that (Atkins, basically) are likely quite harmful for you despite the weight loss? Just see what Atkins himself died from, not that it is a statistically significant event, but nevertheless, ironic, as I feel his diet directly and adversely contributed to his death...

Looks like this thread has started to have run it`s course (until Oscar`s next great achievement!) Will be interesting to see how the old sea dog does in Hong Kong against those who weren`t in Hawaii. Not knocking the old fella at all, in fact, I was blown away in HK in 2010 when Oscar - fat, untrained and on a V8 - was only 15 mins behind the rest of the best after 25km. If the wind blows, it`ll be great to see how he does in his real racing boat. Then again, it`s 6 months away and a few (well deserved) beers could flow under the bridge in the meantime!
ps Everyone should read Gary Taubes` `Good Calories, Bad Calories`, then make your own mind up.

Food falls into three categories - carbohydrate, fat and protein. A vegetable is a carbohydrate with associated vitamins and minerals, some having low levels of protein eg legumes.

When it is said "I am on a low carb diet, and eat lots of vegetables" there is still a moderate to high intake of carbohydrates based on the intake of these vegetables. Typically processed grains are removed from the diet. Eating more vegetables is great and will result in health benefits more significant than eating more protein.

Weight loss is very, very simple. Expend more energy than you consume. Regardless of what kind of diet you follow, if this does not occur, you will not lose weight.

Unfortunately, many low carb diets are typically a marketing ploy with very little associated, accurate information or data. Each to their own and there will always be anecdotal evidence of fantastic results of massive weight loss which is great and hopefully has long term health benefits.

Surf ski racing is an aerobic sport, the body needs carbohydrates to perform this exercise.

Kocho wrote: I hope you do realize thar high-meat diets like that (Atkins, basically) are likely quite harmful for you despite the weight loss? Just see what Atkins himself died from, not that it is a statistically significant event, but nevertheless, ironic, as I feel his diet directly and adversely contributed to his death...

Dr Atkins cause of death was "blunt impact injury of head with epidural hematoma" believed caused by slipping and hitting his head on the pavement.

Nothing to do with eating two many t-bones without the chips!

RED for the most part I agree and yes there are carbs taken in, however these are largely in the form of greens and at the moment I eat no complex carbs, processed foods, wheats and grains.

If followed correctly carb intake does increase once goal weight is reached. for me that is another 10 - 15Kg.

I suppose that then will open a whole new chapter but for now at least i have the means to control my weight. i consume as does Tim Noakes less than 50g of carbs a day which is very little. However as per the last 2 weeks due to work and weather I have not managed to train I know if I lower that to around 20g I will still loose weight.

Importantly all my weight loss has been without any muscle attrition which occurs in many other diets.

People talk of the side effects, well I will have to wait and see but I already know the negative side effects I suffered from my previous carb intake. Any future effects will have to weigh against uncontrolled weight gain, lethargy, needing to sleep 8 hrs or more. for now I enjoy the feeling of wanting to train and no problems getting up in the morning despite it being cold and dark, as well as overall having more energy.

But as per the disclaimer in the article, it may not be for everyone. there are athletes out there that are lean and mean and have no problem processing carbs in their diet.

Moll, I can say after many years of analysing and prescribing nutritional plans when coaching for performance and weight loss, there are many variables at play and no two people are ever alike. I can remember numerous cases where the performance of an individual defied their diet.

Although I had never guided someone to take on a high protein diet, when faced with a client who was keen to go down that path, it was always done so that they consumed enough of a variety of food groups to ensure minimum amounts of vitamins, minerals and fibre for example, were eaten without having to rely on supplements.

Just to show how different we all are, I worked it out, I consume your total carbohydrate intake at the moment of 20g in the first few mouthfuls of my breakfast!

Good work on the training and weight loss, losing 15kg will make paddling a comparitive breeze.