In this episode, we chat with Candice Land, exercise physiologist for the World Surf League and founder of The Female Surfer. Candice has an extensive background in exercise physiology, human performance, with over 20 years of experience. She shares her journey from sports psychology to exercise science, and how her athletic background—ranging from martial arts to rowing—shaped her approach to surfing, which she discovered in her mid-20s.

Candice delves into the unique challenges female surfers face and emphasizes the importance of core stability, movement efficiency, and understanding one’s physiology. We explore her methodology for training female surfers, including her Pillar System program, which focuses on core, upper body, and lower body development to enhance surfing performance.

She also discusses how female athletes can better connect with their bodies by recognizing the influence of hormonal cycles and lifespan changes on their training. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced surfer, Candice offers invaluable insights into surf-specific conditioning, injury prevention, and maximizing athletic potential.

Key Topics:

Candice's path to surf training and exercise physiology
How athletic backgrounds influence learning in surfing
The Pillar System: core stability, upper, and lower body development for female surfers
The importance of understanding hormonal cycles in training
Training strategies for female athletes to enhance movement efficiency and reduce injury

Resources:

Visit The Female Surfer for more information on Candice’s programs and resources for female surfers.
Follow Candice on Instagram: @thefemalesurfer

Sponsor for this episode is Flatrock Wetsuits, head to https://flatrockwetsuits.com.au and use code MASTER15 at checkout for 15% off.

Transcript:

Michael Frampton

So now I'm here. Oh, cool. So what, by way of intro, could you tell us a little bit of your background and what you're currently doing?

candice land

Sure. So I'll flip it around and start with the end first. I'm currently managing female surfer, which is something I created to ensure.

for that female athletes and female surface have the toolkit that they need to perform at their best. So that's currently what I'm doing.

But I've been in the world of human performance for about 20 years now. So I've been in exercise, which seems crazy, actually.

It seems like I just graduated from uni yesterday. But yeah, I've been in exercise physiologists now for nearly 20 years.

So delving into the world of human performance and how we can make that better.

Michael Frampton

Oh, wow. So did you dive straight into that world as soon as you left school?

candice

Fun fact, I actually was initially enrolled in sport psychology. I was always an athlete at school, so I always had that kind of interest.

I don't understand how we're supposed to even know what we want to do when we finish high school. For some reason I didn't get into sport psychology, but I'm so grateful that I didn't.

I ended up getting into sport and exercise science with a good friend of mine. She went on to physiotherapy and I stayed on as an exercise physiologist.

And I'm one of those lucky people that this is my passion and this is what I love. So from the from the get-go, this is what I've been, I guess, I feel pulled to do.

So I just stayed an exercise physiologist that whole time.

Michael Frampton

Yeah, awesome. When did surfing come into the picture?

candice

Late. I played a lot of sports growing up but living in the tropics, obviously we've got the Great Barrier Reef.

So I wasn't exposed to surfing until I lived in Ireland when I was about 25. So that's when I got exposed to surfing because when the weather was, I said to myself when the is good, I don't want to be...

104 Candice Land - Exercise Physiologist for WSL and "The Female Surfer"