Surfing works all the muscles in the body. When surfing you need to work your legs, your core and your arms. In preparing for a surfing trip therefore, you’ll need to focus on building strength and endurance in these areas. Below are some great exercises for doing just that.
1.Core Strength
When it comes to riding the waves, core strength is key. If you want to build your core strength you can begin by taking some Pilates courses. These are great for learning new core strengthening exercises. If, however, you’d rather just work on your own, try to incorporate some core exercises into your regular fitness routine.
Great core strengthening exercises include the plank, squats, one legged squats, stability ball sit-ups and stability ball twists. These exercises can help build up your abs and lower back as well as improving your overall balance and agility—two very important qualities for surfing. The side plank is another great one to slip in. To add an extra challenge try it while lifting the top leg.
2.Upper Body Strength
Surfing likewise requires a good deal of upper body strength as any beginner will confess. Not only is carrying your board in and of itself a challenge sometimes, but swimming out to get to the waves can take some effort especially when you’re swimming against some pretty strong waves.
Good exercises for building arm and upper body strength include: the bench press, dips, and push-ups. To work your back muscles also add in close and wide grip pull-ups, close and wide grip seated rows, and arm pull-downs. Your shoulders too need to be buff so make sure to include some deltoid raises and military presses. For the arms, there are no substitutes for the good old fashioned bicep curls and tricep kickbacks.
3.Balance
A final, but essential aspect of surfing is working on balance. Getting up on the board is one thing but staying up for the ride is certainly another. To work on balancing use some of the above maneuvers including the side plank and one legged squats. Try also simply balancing on one leg and working with the stability ball.
Surfing is great exercise and can yield significant fitness results. However, if you’re just getting started and want to get the most out of a surf trip, you’ll want to start doing a little pre-training of your own. Don’t forget to work your lower body as well, as leg strength is also a fundamental aspect of a surfer’s success.
