They are among the world's toughest athletes -- men for whom some of the most grueling training imaginable is all part of the routine.
For the "beasts" of the Oracle Team USA America's Cup crew and those who work with them, the pursuit of peak condition is as relentless as the races in which they push themselves to the limits.
Punishing gym regimes -- they push weights around as well as merely lifting them -- swimming and boxing are key to making these extreme sailors as ready to defend their America's Cup title next year in Bermuda as they can be.
And for the man overseeing it all, physical performance manager Craig McFarlane, there is the pride of helping his charges to be "absolutely the best at what they are doing."
They are among the world's toughest athletes -- men for whom some of the most grueling training imaginable is all part of the routine.
For the "beasts" of the Oracle Team USA America's Cup crew and those who work with them, the pursuit of peak condition is as relentless as the races in which they push themselves to the limits.
Punishing gym regimes -- they push weights around as well as merely lifting them -- swimming and boxing are key to making these extreme sailors as ready to defend their America's Cup title next year in Bermuda as they can be.
And for the man overseeing it all, physical performance manager Craig McFarlane, there is the pride of helping his charges to be "absolutely the best at what they are doing."
"They are very competitive -- there's no shortage of that. We do a lot of competitive stuff and break down some barriers. We embarrass them now and again.
"Once you humiliate yourself a couple of times, make fun of yourself, you've broken down a few barriers."
The nature of McFarlane's training is governed by the nature of the boats raced in the America's Cup -- "the new boats are very physical, so we are improving physically until the Americas Cup comes in 2017" -- and he says it brings huge rewards.
"They are all professional athletes, they are motivated to train -- and so as long as they are hitting their numbers and improving, then I'm probably doing my job," McFarlane explains.
"When you see them out on the boat, it is even more impressive. It is just phenomenal seeing them in their environment. They are absolutely the best at what they are doing.
"You do your job in here, but you don't know how it's going to translate out on the water. But you like to think the physical side is prevalent."
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Boxing, overseen by coach Brent Humphreys, is a big part of that physical side.
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Skipper Jimmy Spithill -- who led Team USA to an astonishing 2013 America's Cup comeback when it roared back from 8-1 down to defeat New Zealand 9-8 -- says fight training helps the crew think more sharply when exhausted and under pressure.
The Australian, who swaps the water for the air as a pilot in his spare time and had the idea of introducing boxing to the training regime, is more than happy to ride with the punches.
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