Interview with Adrian Fowler - Skate Performance, Recovery and Time in the Gym
A conversation with Adrian Fowler. Lifelong Skateboarder, photographer and Footballer who has put his hours in at the gym in recent years to increase performance across the board.
So Adrian, we met a few years ago (2015ish?) skating the mini ramp in Glebe. That was heaps of fun, and ended up being the most I’d skated since moving to Aus. It was the first time I felt I had a little skate crew to call up and session with since I’d moved to aus and that was something I’d been missing from back home in England. Those were the best parts of growing up as a skater, having a great group of mates to skate with. So tell me, When did you start skateboarding? Do you remember why you started?
I remember it quite well. I was in year 5 at school (10 years old) and one of my best friends told me about the ramps in his street and how much fun it was rolling around on a skateboard.
It ended up being the hang-out spot for the first few months of my skateboarding life. However the guys we were skating with were a little bit older, much better and even though they were so supportive I felt intimidated.
I fell in love, I wanted to practise so much more. I made my dad build me a simple bank out of milk crates and ply-wood, ahhhh the simple pleasures of being young.
We also had this weird curb, no taller than 10cm at its highest point. I'd practise for hours a day getting all 4 wheels up and trying to roll away smoothly.
Love it. The grom froth is so good. How often did you used to skate and did you do any sort of fitness/recovery work?
I'd skate every day. I remember buying my first ever skate VHS - Globe Opinion. Chet Thomas in it mentions: "I'll skate 'till I cant walk". This instantly resonated with me.
I'd skate to and from school, I'd skate after school, on the weekends and any/ all other moments I'd have my board with me.
I was always quite fit, playing football as well as skating. They worked well together as power/ sprint speed helped with pop/ endurance on the board. Winters (typically cold and rainy) I'd play football. Summer I'd skate.
Recovery work would always surround these two sports. I never wanted to be injured as that would mean I couldn't do the things I loved. Eating right was part of the process. I'd always fill up on my mums spaghetti before a big skate mish/ important game.
Sounds a bit more organised than I ever was. I did end up getting into ice baths for a while, they made a huge difference but my diet was always terrible.
So jumping ahead a bit, you do a lot of fitness work nowadays, But you don't just go to the gym to look good, you seem to have a passion for performance and tracking that with your football. Is that correct? What drew you to that new approach?
Yes, I am in the gym 6 days a week. I take my lunch breaks in the gym downstairs (we are very fortunate to have a fully functional gym in our building). The aesthetics (thanks by the way) come with being strong and healthy, but you are right... The data analysis, performance tracking and the digital age have meant in a team sport you can hold yourself accountable for how much effort you are putting in.
I was drawn to the new approach as you can compare against the pros. I think at my age (26) being a professional footballer is out of my grasp, however knowing that I am matching/ exceeding in certain aspects of the game make it more enjoyable (for me at least). It's another way of tracking your progress from the gym. I train for functionality, not just to look good in budgie smugglers (I am yet to wear them... maybe this Summer).. So to see that translate onto the field has been the biggest motivator to keep this routine. I am stronger on the ball, change of direction and alertness have both improved and sprint speed too, which in turn has complimented my goal tally (18 Goals this season)
I love the idea of comparing yourself to the pros. Having that data and being able to focus on specific, measurable goals (SMART targets). I know you don't skate much anymore, but you went skating recently having added about 15kg (?) to your weight? How did it feel? What felt good and bad?
Man! It was difficult to start off with. I was also a little tighter (might need to limber/ warm up more) through my body.
I felt stronger and could skate for longer without needing a break.
However when I went to try tricks on the bank it was much easier to 180/ body varial than come back switch as my centre of gravity felt off, my shoulders threw me forward too much. I felt a little top heavy.
I am still well proportioned as my legs have always been thick, however it felt very different.
How would you train for skateboarding now? Looking at performance, AND recovery?
Training would consist of what I do during my football season... as a comparison:
Off-season - Goals: Gaining size, gaining strength whilst staying as lean as possible: It is strength based with heavy compound movements (dead-lifts, squats etc)
During the Season - Goals: Adding additional cardiovascular conditioning, staying strong without inhibiting performance, staying lean, adding power/ explosivness: conditioning based exercises with as much isolating movements as possible (single leg kettle bell deadlifts, pistol squats, dumbbell reverse lunges, box jumps etc)
Its important to be well rounded, the examples are just what a leg day would consist of during off season/ on season.
Recovery in both situations is just as important.
I'll tend to neglect decent stretching/ warm down during the off season (so long as it doesnt inhibit my strength) for the chance to spend more time lifting heavy.
During the season, stretching and yoga are paramount. I also have the assistance of TimTam Recovery products. These help with both warm up and warm down. On my rest day I'll use it to break down knots, lactic acid build up and improve blood flow.
Meditation at night.
(Quick interjection here, I use the Calm, or Oak Meditation apps for this!)
7-8 hours sleep. At night I'll have a magnesium and zinc formula with Ashwagandha (sleep aid) called Adrenal Switch. One of my sponsors is Switch Nutrition who make the Adrenal Switch and its a lifesaver (all natural) nutrition company.
Post work out (within the first 30mins) I consume 30g of protein, 30-50g of nutrient dense carbohydrates (a decent meal should have both of these…I use YouFoodz for my meals during the workday) and 3-5g of creatine.
At night I'll have a magnesium and zinc formula with Ashwagandha (sleep aid) - Adrenal Switch
One of my sponsors is Switch Nutrition make the Adrenal Switch and its a lifesaver (all natural) nutrition company.
It seems like your pretty knowledge-able for someone who a few years ago was pretty underweight and skinny. What resources have you used to inspire/educate yourself with this?
Some amazing fitness instagrammers (as cliche as that sounds), The Rock, Rodney Mullen etc
I also studied a diploma in Nutrition - I found myself reading so many related articles through blogs, reddit and online that I thought I best spend my time getting the correct info and filtering out the broscience.
Also, for youtube kind of resources, Steve Cook is awesome. I use him/ his Strength coach Jacob Hutton as resource material
Awesome, we’ll wrap it up there. Heaps to get into and check out. Cheers Adrian it’s been great to chat and catch up, we’ll do a skate coaching retreat when I’m next on the Central coast. I’m super hyped for your future! Where can people find you?
Can’t wait! I’m on instagram @adrian__fowler so yeah, that’s probably the best place!
Sweet, so follow Adrian on Insta, and if you use the code ADRIAN10 at checkout for any Switch Nutrition then that will score you a cheeky discount off their products!
Hope everyone found that useful! Here’s an old clip of Adrian skating, enjoy!