Are you in surfing shape? People don’t really understand what the physical demands are for surfing. They see experts in the movies that make surfing look easy and decide they want to give it a try. That’s good.
What people learn in their surf lessons is there is more than meets the eye. Surfing is physically demanding but can be learned by all ages. What is important is that age is functional not chronological. Anyone in shape at any age can learn.
The Fundamentals Necessary for Surfing
There is a weight factor in surfing. We often call it power to weight ratio. It means you must have the strength to lift your body off the surfboard. When people become overweight, it is not the weight that is as big a problem as the fact they stopped exercising.
To catch a foam wave, the surfer rolls over onto the surfboard and begins paddling easy. Then when the wave is close, the surfer paddles hard to get in front of the wave.
At this point, the surfer places his hands on the surfboard next to his chest in a man’s push up position. Then he pushes up. Most people do not have a problem up to here. Then the trouble begins.
As the surfer pushes up, he places his right foot (or left foot) under his butt flat on the board. This is where flexibility becomes an issue. Many people cannot touch the floor without bending their knees. This indicates tightness in the hamstrings, buttocks and lower back.
Next the surfer has to stand up on that foot and lift his hands to get the other foot in front of his body and close to the nose of the surfboard. This is the second area of trouble. People may not have the strength to lift their body with the strength of the one leg.
Another issue is that if there is a lot of weight on the upper torso such as the stomach, chest and shoulders, they may not be able to get upright when the front foot is trying to get to the front of the board. This causes them to fly off the front of the surfboard.
You can try this in your living room. Lay down and pretend to paddle. Then put your hands in the man’s push up position. Push and bring one foot under your butt and place it flat on the floor. It can face a 45 degree angle so it will be at the same angle as when you land your front foot.
Not stand raising your arms and bring the other foot in front and place it shoulder width apart (3′) from the front foot. Mind you, this is much more difficult in the water. In the water, people tend to put their knees on the board which makes it difficult to stand without tipping the board over.
Exercises for Fitness
Surfing needs strength, flexibility, and stamina. Paddling is the most tiring aspect and after catching waves and trying to stand up several times, stamina becomes an issue.
Surfers can build upper body strength with push ups, bench presses, and cable pulls. They can develop paddling strength with both push ups and cable pulls. Flexibility comes with stretching. The best surf exercise is squats. It is full body and strengthens the legs and lower back while creating flexibility.
Stamina is developed with cardio. Walking is a good start, but higher levels of heart rate are better with biking, swimming, running, or treadmills. Surfing is a series of intervals where the surfer paddles hard and then stands on the board to ride. The heart rate increases and then needs to recover.
Nutrition becomes a factor to reduce weight and to provide energy and recovery. Top athletes understand the need for balanced meals that provide energy and recovery.
Surfing can be achieved at any age with the proper preparation or conditioning.
Read Other Posts:
Beginner Surfers Learn on Soft Tops
5 Steps to Improve Surfing Performance
3 Ways to Catch Real Surfing Waves
Training to Ride the Surfing Short Board
Short Board Surfing Techniques
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