Many people wonder if being overweight is a problem for surfing. What is more interesting is that being overweight is a symptom and not a cause of the difficulty in surfing. The problem is why someone became overweight.
People can become overweight because they eat more calories than they burn and that is a measure of the problem. People gaining weight are often not exercising and that is the main cause of difficulty in learning to surf.
Getting in Surf Shape for Overweight People
It seems since the pandemic began, I get more overweight people learning to surf in lessons. One problem all of us have experienced in the pandemic is that indoor exercise venues closed such as gyms and swimming pools. We became locked down in our homes with little to entertain us other than screens and eating.
What I see in lessons now is that in general, people have lost upper body strength, leg strength, flexibility, and stamina. Gaining weight to the stomach and legs becomes introduces the burden of lifting the body from a lying down to a standing position.
In the dryland portion of the lesson, students practice fake paddling and then putting their hands on the board in the man’s push up position. Then students push and bring the right foot under their body and place it flat on the board. Then they are to stand on this leg as they raise their hands and move their other foot to the front of the board.
Many overweight students can’t get their foot under their body and place it flat on the board under their butt so they can stand up on it smoothly as they move their other foot to the front. In this position, their head and upper body are in front of their feet and they have to lift their upper body and stomach with their rear leg. Many students cannot do this. It is much easier on land than in the water.
These students are usually not capable of touching their toes without bending their knees. Spending time sitting at home has ruined flexibility. Students need to stretch. It takes time to stretch muscles to gain flexibility.
Students need to build upper body strength. Their are several ways which include push ups, bench presses, and cable pulls. Exercisers should be sure they are medically cleared before engaging in exertion that could trouble their heart or cardiovascular system.
Surfers need strong legs. Beginners need strong legs to lift their body off the board accompanied by a strong core. Walking is a start. Then walking up hills or stairs begins to build quads and hamstrings. The best exercises are squats and dead lifts. It is important to incorporate perfect form to avoid injury. YouTube has videos on both.
Squats and dead lifts can begin without weights. Then light weights can be started with gradual acceleration to heavier weights. In the gym, I executed both exercises with 100 pounds, but now at home I just use a 35 pound barbell plate and it is more than adequate. Start lighter.
Building Stamina for Surfing
Start walking ten to fifteen minutes a day. Increase gradually to thirty minutes. Then increase to 45 minutes and an hour. Shoot for 150 minutes a week which is 30 minutes a day for five days. Bike riding and treadmills are both excellent to get moving. Moving will build the cardiovascular system and burn some calories. It will get the body to start burning glucose and fat for fuel and recovery.
Advanced stages of developing cardio will begin with jogging. Once again begin with a few minutes a day and build. Or jog a few minutes while walking and then walk again. Jogging can lead to faster speeds and longer duration. Introducing intensity with short intervals of greater speed is the most helpful for building fitness and stamina.
The most tiring part of surfing is the paddling. Even experienced surfers lose conditioning when they don’t visit the water in a few weeks. It goes fast. If you have access to swimming, it is a great exercise for surfing.
Begin slowly improving nutrition and moving your body. Practice surfing pop up techniques at the same time or when practical.
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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