Like any other sport, surfing can only be learned and mastered through experience. Any surfer will tell you that no amount of fitness or training can prepare you for what happens in the water. However, there are certain actionable steps you can take to improve your surfing and condition your body.
We’ve divided this mini conditioning guide into three sections: Core strength, paddling strength, and flexibility. We describe the muscles being triggered and some strengthening exercises you can perform.
Core Strength
Developing your core is crucial if you want to be a strong surfer. Having a strong core means you will be able to balance with ease and display fluidity in your turns.
Our favorite core conditioning exercises are planks. Below is a five minute plank workout to strengthen your entire core.
60 second full plank (pushup position)
30 second elbow plank
60 second raised leg plank (30 seconds each leg)
60 second side plank (30 seconds each side)
30 second full plank (pushup position)
30 second elbow plank
Repeat as many times as you would like resting only for a few seconds in between each exercise.
Paddling Strength
Surfers spend significantly more time paddling than actually wave riding. If you’re not in paddling shape, you will most likely have to cut your session short. Having a strong upper and lower back will allow you to spend as much time as you want in the water.
Here are a few exercises you can perform at home to develop your paddling strength.
Bird dogs (Start with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips, keep your back straight and reach your right arm in front of you while simultaneously kicking your left leg back in line with your torso, release and repeat on opposite side)
Bridge pose (Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and your hands by your side, lift your hips off the floor while keeping your back straight, hold for 15 seconds then release)
Supermans (Lie face down on your stomach with your arms in front of you, raise your arms, legs and chest off the floor and hold this contraction for 5 seconds, release)
Flexibility
Flexibility is vital when it comes to surfing. We here at Real Surf Trips prefer yoga. It gives us everything that we could ever ask for: flexibility, strength, and balance. Yoga is also a great pre surf warm-up. A few rounds of sun salutations will increase your mobility and charge up your body. If you are an avid surfer, we recommend participating in at least two yoga classes a week to reduce stiffness, improve circulation, and stabilize your muscles.
We hope this mini guide will help you become a stronger surfer! If you want to take your surfing to the next level, check out our surf & yoga packages here: https://trsurftrips.com/trips/