| Quick Link: | Laird Hamilton Supplement Stack » |
|---|---|
| Country of Origin: | United States of America |
| Occupation: | Big Wave Surfer, Entrepreneur, Author |
| Best Known For: | Inventor of tow-in big wave surfing |
| Online: | XPTLife.com, Laird Superfood, FB, Instagram, @lairdlife |
Who is Laird Hamilton, and what is he known for?
Laird Hamilton (born 1964) is widely regarded as one of the greatest big wave surfers of all time. He was born in San Francisco but moved to Hawaii at an early age. That’s where he connected with his adoptive father Bill Hamilton, who made a living creating custom surfboards. And so began Laird’s love affair with surfing, which culminated in Surfer Magazine labeling him as “the sport’s most complete surfer.”
By the age of 17, Laird Hamilton was an established surfer and was in prime position to begin competing in the World Championship Tours. However, he has always viewed surfing as an art form, and the idea of being judged for his wave-catching skills never appealed to Laird.
He did keep on surfing, however, and has had a significant influence behind many of today’s popular surfing innovations. Most notably, he played a role in creating the concept of tow-in surfing, the technique of using inflatable boats to tow into waves in tandem when they are too big to catch under paddle power alone. Laird recognized that tow-in surfing was the only way to catch and survive monstrous, 70-foot waves.
Today, Laird still surfs nearly every day. And along with surfing, he is hugely passionate about helping people maximize their overall health, fitness, and wellness. Together with his wife Gabrielle Reece, a world-famous professional volleyball player and model, he has created the companies XPT Fitness and Laird Superfood.
XPT is a lifestyle performance training focused on breath, movement, and recovery. Laird Superfood started with the idea of making healthy coffee creamers, but it has since evolved, and they now sell other products like coffee, coconut water, and performance mushrooms.
Below, we’ll take a closer look at Laird Hamilton’s approach towards health, fitness, as well as the superfoods he uses to fuel his life and fitness endeavors.
What is Laird Hamilton’s preferred Supplement Stack?
- Laird Superfood Matcha Instafuel
- Laird Superfood Organic Performance Mushrooms
- Laird Superfood Ground Coffee – Medium Roast
- Laird Superfood Creamer – Original
- All Laird Superfood Products
Keep reading to find out what all of Laird Hamilton’s recommended supplements work and why he uses them…
How Laird Hamilton thinks about health
Laird adopts a holistic approach when it comes to health. He’s not only concerned with strength, speed, and agility (although anyone that has seen him surf knows that he commands plenty of those), but he believes that to perform at the highest level one needs to have balance in every area of their lives. He’s similar to Jocko Willink in that way.
He believes that it is critical to have a good relationship with your family, be fulfilled at work, get quality rest, stay hydrated, maintain a healthy diet, exercise, and recover well.
While we’re all doing our best to maintain good relations and be productive at work, those topics are beyond the scope of this article. However, what we can do be inspired by Laird’s discipline and passion when it comes to fitness and nutrition.
How XPT lifestyle helps Laird Hamilton optimize performance
One of the great things about Laird, and his wife Gabby, is that they live the life they preach and market their products around. So, when they promote XPT training or Laird Superfood, you can rest assured that they’re using those products in their family as well.
XPT is a training program Laird and Gabby have created intending to stimulate growth in every area of their performance through exposure to a variety of natural elements. On an episode of the Joe Rogan Experience, Laird explained that XPT is a lifestyle program that developed out of how he and his family lives.
There are 3 components to XPT.
Breathing – Breathing is an essential element of performance optimization, according to Laird. On the Joe Rogan Experience, he talks about all the different kinds of breathwork he does, and how that helps him with endurance, as well as calmness, which can be critical for a big wave surfer.
The concept of breathing for optimum health is not new. Yogic practices like pranayama, which stands for controlling the life force through breath, have been around since ancient times. The idea is to balance the body’s energy flow to promote maximum physical and mental health.
XPTs performance breathing component involves training with specialized breathing methods that are designed to enhance aerobic capacity.
Movement – XPT has a unique movement program. It incorporates both land and water-based exercises that push you to the extreme and requires you to adapt physiologically.
XPT involves movements like single arm dumbbell exercises underwater, swimming with a dumbbell in one arm, single leg squats underwater, jump lunges, and more.
On the podcast episode with Joe Rogan, Laird explains the idea behind these unique movements. He says challenging yourself in unusual ways exposes different imbalances that you might not otherwise know about. According to him, it also improves breathing capacity and mobility.
Laird Hamilton on The Joe Rogan Experience
Recovery – The other part of XPT training involves extreme thermal cycling between a 200 F sauna and -30 F ice-bath. Switching between extreme hot and cold has been shown by research to reduce inflammation and promote recovery after a workout [1][2].
XPT also claims that thermal cycling balances hormones and that the restriction of blood vessels and capillaries in extreme temperatures benefits the cardiovascular, endocrine, and muscular system regulation.
Laird and Gabby host 2-3 day XPT retreats and experiences where you can join them for pool workouts, breathwork sessions, mobility drills, and exposure to heat and cold. You’ll also hear guest speakers talk more about fitness, nutrition, and other related topics.
If you don’t have the time or budget for a retreat, your local gym might have XPT certified trainers. Otherwise, you can visit XPT’s website for more information about how you can incorporate this lifestyle into your routine.
The diet and supplements that fuel Laird Hamilton
During an episode of Behind The Brand with Bryan Elliott, Laird laid out what has been his basic approach to food that he has been following for decades.
First, he only eats for energy and recovery, and not for taste. If the food is pleasing to the taste buds, that’s a bonus. Second, he avoids what he calls the three devils – white flour, white sugar, and white milk.
Besides that, Laird doesn’t follow a specific diet. He primarily relies on high-quality fats for energy. So, a lot of avocados and coconut oil. He’s also a fan of raw, organic dairy. Laird gets his proteins from nutrient dense wild game meats, eggs, and wild-caught seafood.
As far as supplementation, Laird only uses his own line of products, Laird Superfood. It started out as a coffee creamer brand, as Laird noticed the high amount of unhealthy creamers people put in their coffee. The idea was inspired by Laird’s own recipe of ghee and espresso, which he has been using for a long time.
The creamers contain superfood ingredients like coconut milk powder, turmeric powder, coconut sugar, and extra virgin coconut oil. Of course, everything is organic.
Today, the brand has expanded, and it sells a variety of different products that contain superfood ingredients. Here are a couple of examples of what Laird Superfood sells, and also of what Laird himself consumes regularly.
Matcha Instafuel
A blend of matcha green tea and the superfood creamers. Rich in antioxidants, this latte drink has natural MCTs, and it also contains calcium, iron, and vitamin C.
Organic Performance Mushrooms
A combination of Chaga, Cordyceps, Lion’s Mane, and Maitake mushrooms, which have been prevalent in Eastern medicine for over a hundred years. These mushrooms are used to promote optimal performance, both mentally and physically [3].
Tip: Laird Hamilton’s Perfect Coffee Recipe
uvitals received a few emails asking us to break down Laird Hamilton’s perfect cup of coffee recipe, and break down why this super-fueled coffee recipe is so effective.
Laird Hamilton’s “Perfect Coffee Recipe” that uses Laird Superfood Creamer and Laird Superfood Coffee Beans to supercharge Laird’s day!
What do you need to make your own ‘Laird Superfood Coffee’?
You will need some coffee beans, Laird Superfood’s coffee creamer and a way to brew the coffee; our preferred method being the Aeropress which allows you to pour either more espresso-like shots of coffee or very flavorful Americano-style coffee, or a quality French press for simplicity. Optimally you can use a milk frother or magic bullet blender to mix the ingredients, or just stir with a spoon.
- Laird Superfood Ground Coffee – Medium Roast
- Laird Superfood Creamer – Original
- Aeropress Coffee & Espresso Maker or French Press Coffee Maker
- Milk Frother or Magic Bullet Blender
The Laird Superfood Creamer mixes well with the caffeine by introducing MCTs (Medium Chain Triglycerides – a brain & body energizing fat that’s very popular with those following the keto diet like Dom D’Agostino), derived from coconut products and a variety of natural oils, as well as a nutrient-rich calcified sea algae called Aquamin with coffee to deliver a steady release of energy that can last up to 4-5 hours. Laird utilizes this coffee mix on a daily basis to power himself through the most demanding surf sessions in the world. The creamers are vegan & gluten-free and can be added to coffees, teas, smoothies and food, if you prefer.
Final Thoughts on Laird Hamilton Supplements & Health Philosophy
Laird Hamilton is the epitome of athleticism, performance, and overall life optimization. If you can incorporate some of his habits, like his diet, exercise, or recovery routines, it would undoubtedly bring you immense benefits.
However, if all of this seems a bit too overwhelming, don’t let that discourage you. Laird’s lifestyle is out of reach for the vast majority of people today. That doesn’t mean you can’t live a fit, healthy, and happy life.
Laird’s advice to anyone looking to take their health more seriously is simple.
- Be consistent – Create a weekly exercise schedule that fits your life and goals, and then be consistent. Treat it as a non-negotiable just like you do with brushing your teeth (hopefully).
- Breath – Get started on the practice of breathing. This can even be a part of your weekly routine. To get started, you can look up the Wim Hof Method. It is simple to understand and implement, and also something Laird endorses.
- Nutrition – Nutrition is critical. Increase your consumption of whole foods like plants, cruciferous vegetables, animal proteins, and healthy fats. Try to cut out processed foods as much as possible.
Start there, and when a healthy life becomes habitual, you can start adding in some of the advanced tools that Laird, Gabby, and other high performers are using.
Podcasts and videos mentioned in this article
- Joe Rogan Experience #1301- Laird Hamilton
- Laird Hamilton: Part 4 – Eat, Sleep and Train Like a Champion
Laird Hamilton Supplements & Products mentioned in this article
- Matcha Instafuel
- Organic Performance Mushrooms
- Laird Superfood Ground Coffee – Medium Roast
- Laird Superfood Creamer – Original
- Aeropress Coffee & Espresso Maker
- French Press Coffee Maker
- Milk Frother
- Magic Bullet Blender
- Wim Hof Method
