cofounder of the Shack approaches us with a welcoming smile . We stand in between the wooden tables and benches that make up the coffee shop and restaurant where a post workout meal can be enjoyed . Andre is standing behind the order counter that makes up the barrier between patron and kitchen . We meet , we chat , we play with their cat . Then it ’ s down to business .
To properly understand their brand of training , Calisthenics , requires a first-hand approach . Celeste and I walk bare footed onto the mats in the interior of the “ Shack ”. The word Shack is misleading as the training studio has an assortment of workout paraphernalia including a punching bag hanging from the ceiling , a climbing rope and a climbing wall . That is just a few of the instruments that would be used to give us the most overall intense and surprisingly fun workout sessions I have had , probably ever .
The workout took about an hour , with Simone and Andre showing us how the human body should be able to move along all the planes that Calisthenics encourages , and how traditional workouts fall very short in this regard .
Sweating , and with a beer in front of us ( yes , these hard bodies can still drink beer thanks to their choice of exercise ) we get to know them better .
Feral : So , first things first , how long have you been surfing ? ( They both gaze past us longingly at their boards which have a permanent space in the restaurant .)
Simone : Although I lived at the coast until the age of 10 I only had the opportunity to surf from about the age of 14 . So about 12 years now .
Andre : I started on a body-board . I had no idea what I was doing ! I caught this huge wave at Bronze beach , and headed straight towards my friend at the bottom of the wave . I had no idea how to avoid the collision . Diligently , he performed a perfect duck-dive , and I gracefully connected my lip with his ankle . After the surf , we went for a coffee at the Wimpy , and I had to drink it through a straw .
It was then that I decided to trade the body-board for a surfboard , which made more sense to me straight