Surfing is a water sport that requires the entire body to be strong, agile, and flexible. Surfers battle with and against big waves, so they must be able to react quickly, yet stay relaxed if they are knocked off the board. While obviously the best way to become a good surfer is to surf a lot, there are other ways to improve your overall and surf-specific fitness. To be a strong surfer, you need strong shoulders and arms, good balance, and great core strength to keep you up on your board. Keep reading to find out how you can improve your fitness to become a great surfer.
Aerobic Conditioning
Surfers must be good swimmers; if they are knocked off their
boards by a wave, they must be able to swim back to calmer waters in
order to regroup and start again. If you are not comfortable with ocean
swimming, start building some basic fitness in a pool, and gradually
progress to open water swimming. Swimming also trains the shoulders,
arms, and upper back muscles, which are important for paddling while
lying on your surfboard. Surfing contains stops and starts; you can
mimic the cardiovascular feeling and get fitter by doing interval
training with jump roping, cardio and plyometric circuits, or running
intervals. Try running or swimming hard for one to two minutes, then jog
slowly for the same amount of time to recover; repeat this for up to 30
minutes.
Upper Body Strength Training
As stated above, surfers need to have strong arms, shoulders,
and backs for paddling out with their boards and swimming when
necessary. Use weights and machines to strengthen your upper body in
integrated ways. Try dumbbell rows and lat pull-downs, triceps
extensions, and push-ups. Wood chops with medicine balls or resistance
bands will strengthen your entire body. If you have weak shoulders, do
rotator cuff rotations, so you do not hurt them. In general, do three
sets of ten to twelve repetitions of each exercise.
Surfers' lower bodies must also be strong and agile in order to
pop up to standing on the board, and then stay steady and balanced while
riding waves. You should do some stationary and isolated exercises like
squats, lunges, and leg extensions, combined with integrated, dynamic
exercises like squat jumps and burpees. The burpee works the whole body
and slightly mimics popping up to standing: start standing up with your
feet together. Bend forward, bending your knees if necessary, and when
your hands reach the floor, shoot your legs back to a push-up position.
Do one push-up, then hop your feet in between your hands and stand back
up. Repeat until failure.
Core Strength
Core strength is essential to good surfing; strong abdominals,
hips, and backs will help prevent injury and give you better balance. Do
integrated exercises like Russian twists with a medicine ball, forearm
planks, woodchops with a medicine ball, bird dogs, and stability ball
rollouts. Try to do 10 minutes' worth of core exercises with little to
no rest; do any combination of exercises, switching every minute or so.
Balance and Flexibility
The last important elements to be fit for surfing are balance
and flexibility. Your balance will improve by doing many of the strength
exercises listed above, though you can also add exercises like one-leg
balances or standing on BOSU balls. Yoga is a great way to keep you
flexible and practice your balance; loose, flexible surfers can recover
more quickly if knocked off their boards and have fewer joint injuries.
Do 20 minutes of yoga three times a week to improve and maintain
flexibility.
Of course, surfing is the best way to improve your surf-specific
fitness. However, whether you are just starting or want to become a
better surfer, you can benefit from extra cardiovascular conditioning,
strength and flexibility training. Surfing, like other water sports,
uses the whole body to paddle, pop up, balance, and repeat. You will
need strong shoulders and upper back, along with a strong core and legs
to keep you surfing from nine until noon.
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