workouts for surfing?

find a pool & swim. best thing for paddling outside of getting a prone paddleboard.

 

hey... i've been wanting to post the same question! i can tell you that the past 5 months or so that i've really been focusing on my lower body. i'm getting older and want to make sure that i'm doing all that i can reasonably do to help myself get stronger/prevent injury.

i've been riding a bicycle like crazy. really tones up your legs/butt and strengthens around the knees/hips/ankles. there's different ways you can ride like using more of your heel on the pedal to focus on hamstrings or with the ball of your foot to focus more on quads/calfs. i can really tell a difference. i've got a safe place to ride and can usually do about 10 miles in just over an hour. bursts of sustained speed mixed in with constant pedaling.

i absolutely love running stairs. it's the one exercise i wish i could do more of. you can do variations of step-overs, side lunges, sprinting, or even just walking up them like normal. a mixture of all really works out the whole lower body and keeps your heart rate elevated. i try to go for about 45 minutes worth twice a week.

i like going down on the beach and doing a lot of plyometric type stuff. bodyweight squats, lunges, suicide sprints, box jumps, footwork drills.... you name it.

if i can, an ideal week would look like this... bike 5 days, stairs 2 days, beach drills 2 days, weightlifting 1 or 2 days. like i say i've been doing this for about 5 months just forcing myself to go even when it's been crappy weather and i can really tell the difference. i've actually got meat on my legs now, my knees and hips look all padded.

everything i just described will also work on your core to an extent, but i've been focusing so much on legs that i do pretty minimal with upper body. i do what you do with the pushups and pullups maybe once or twice a week (although for me it's going on a month that i've spent anytime on upper body).

if i had access to an indoor pool in the wintertime, i would be all over practicing swimming and treading water. i'm wanting to start going at a friend's canal house as soon as we don't need booties and gloves anymore (yeah i'm a cheapskate). i haven't surfed as much this winter just because my wetsuit is on it's last leg, always trying to get one more winter out of it. i should be doing better as soon as the water gets back up over 55-60 degrees.

one thing i saw on stabmag.com was a web series called 21 Days with Mick Fanning and Joel Parkinson. it's 3 separate 15 minutes segments that documents their lives behind the scenes and a lot of the type of training they do. super inspirational. they are youtube videos, but i couldn't find them on youtube. so if you go onto stab, just scroll down to the bottom of the opening page, and if they're not there i bet they're on the second page. they just came out earlier in February.

best wishes man, i don't know exactly yet that everything's gonna pay off, but i do feel better and able to do things without getting tired like some of my friends who are close to my age. i'm 33.

p.s. google things about proper nutrition and stretching. things like preparing "whole foods" whenever possible. that in itself is going to play a key role in how you feel and the amount of endurance you can potentially have

 

I swim Laps 50 minutes every day. I totally outlast all my buddies surfing and I am 62. I also do lots if somersaults in the pool so I won't freak when I wipeout bad in the ocean. It really helps!

 

The most important thing that you can do is to vary your workout. Strength training, cario, swimming, stretching etc. Mix it up and eat clean. And when there's waves you surf. I've found that pullups have helped my paddling more than anything. But that's only one piece of the puzzle.

 

I can't work out .... I'm exhausted after reading this post...

 

Ok, that was a JOKE. I was merely KIDDING... ok, clemson??

There's some useful nuggets in the guy's post, actually; although I have to wonder if he's like the third cousin of the njshredmachine. Awaiting the bench off, DL.

 

no no, it's all good trust me... i'm 5'8" 155 lbs soaking wet. i just went through a bunch of years "just getting by" and not taking these types of things seriously. back in the fall i thought to myself "do i still look like i think i look"? and after spending about 30 seconds in the mirror i realized i looked like crap. almost like atrophy in my legs, just not good at all. so now that i'm getting older i just decided that i had to commit to it for once in my life. it's been great. definitely helped me keep my attitude right during these cold, sun light shortened days. now i just need to surf more (don't we all).

 

i just turned 32 & am training for 2 things: 1. my second go at the DRCF's paddle for a cause around absecon island in june & 2. to lose serious weight. after running competitively for more than 10 years, through high school & college, i was skating by. when i retired from running, i decided surfing was my workout. all well & good if you're in california or hawaii where you can surf almost every day. between that & eating like i was still training to race the way i did when i was 22, i ballooned up to 220lbs from about 155lbs when i graduated college. i've since dropped about 14lbs, so i'm 206 now. being told by the mother of a good friend that i used to lifeguard w/ that i'd "really let [myself] go since i stopped lifeguarding" was a really gutcheck. i looked horrible. so this is the program i've come up w/ to help accomplish both goals (to get to 185 before my wedding in july, & shave 30-45min off my finishing time from last year's dean paddle):

M, W, F: pool time. 1500-2500 meters, 500 w/u & c/d w/ either longer, steady-state laps or shorter, more intense intervals. more interval days than not.
T, Th: 30min. moderately intense dry land cardio, either bike, erg, or running, followed by weights. my weight work has focused on strengthening & stabilizing the paddling muscles in the back, shoulders, & chest. relatively low weight, high reps (12-15). i'm not trying to bulk up, but rather to train & tone.

also, i surf whenever there's waves. i've avoided the bigger, hairier days this winter b/c i've just not felt like i'm up to them & i don't want to put myself or anyone else in danger, but i've had my share of days. that said, i've lost about 14lbs (1-1.5lbs/week) & can really feel an improvement in my paddling strength.

 

Crossfit.

crossfit.com

It'll change your life

 

while i've heard really good things about this program, i'm just not really a program kind of guy. the thing that always appealed to me about running is that it's essentially a solo endeavor. it'd be awesome if it has staying power, but i feel like it's kind of the flavor of the week. last year was insanity & p90x. before that was tae bo & jazzercise. i also really like the "tried & true" methods i use...eat less/better, workout at least an hour a day, mixing weights, cardio, & intervals

 

Well, if you can't get out to surf or SUP, mix up your fitness activities:
Weight lifting: Lighter weights with higher reps (10-12) to increase stamina. You want to maintain flexibility, not bulk up. Work muscles in both directions to include opposing muscle groups.
Body weight exercises: pushups, pullups situps, dips, burpies, squats.
Stretching and flexibility exercises: Of increasing importance as one gets older.
Swimming: Open water or pool.
Running: Crank off sets of pushups throughout your run.
Maintain a good, balanced diet. Also of increasing importance as one gets older.

 

SUP, Kite, Skate, Swim and Stretch. The other day i surfed, kited and sup'd all in the same day. Each activity is similar but focuses on separate muscle groups.

Long distance SUPing is the newest thing i have been into and it is an amazing workout. A few weeks ago i paddled from one island to another, almost 6 miles.

Swimming is by far the best "workout" to cross train for surfing. Running has never been my thing and is actually really bad for your joints so i tend to stick to water activities.

If you pay attention to the Pro surfers warm up before heats you can pick out some great stretches specifically focusing on surf muscles.

 

I do cardio and weights. I had to stop running a long time ago, and I really don't like pools, so I have to do cardio on the machines at the gym three seasons out of the year. I think there's been some good advice here already, but your best bet is to find a personal trainer that surfs to get you started. I did a few sessions with one many years ago, targeting surfing-specific routines, and it's kept me in the game as I've gotten older. (Who am I kidding... "old!") I don't have time to go more than about 3 times a week, but ideally a daily workout is much better.

 

This is not true. If you have bad form, don't stretch properly, or overexert yourself, it can be bad for the joints. However, running in general is good for the joints.
http://www.runnersworld.com/health/benefits-running?page=single

I have been a long distance runner since I was 13. I am now almost 31 with no joint issues. In fact, the only times I feel real joint pain is after consecutive days of surfing. It is easier to overexert yourself fighting currents or even riding a wave (push, pull, crouch). I am not a slow runner either. I average 7 minute miles and run about 5 miles a day.

 

I have been using my son's ripstik. It is fantastic and has really helped my surfing. I also swim 3 days a week.

 

if you're not a program guy, check out the book "Fit To Surf"

It gives you 100+ exercises including stretching, yoga, indo board, and paddling. It gives you pictures of the exercise and the muscles it work along with what they do. In the back of the book, there's a bunch of sample workouts and pre-made programs for home workouts and the gym. It's pretty neat

 

Bench unless you can't bench 135 then just stay home. Great waves here you should get out and catch some barrels

 

after consecutive days of surfing the muscles used are sore, but not my joints. The only time I have ever had joint pain was in my shoulder. Leash got wrapped around my arm while I was getting rag dolled.

We all know someone who is a runner and has joint issues. Surfing has very little impact on the joints unless (like you said) if you have bad form

 

yoga and more surfing. Surfing in the winter with 10 lbs of wet rubber on is like swinging a baseball bat with a doughnut on it.