Get fit to Surf
In getting fit, or staying fit for surfing, there are a number of factors to be considered.
- How often you are surfing
- How old you are
- How agile are you are
- How flexible you are
- What injuries you may have
Firstly, there is nothing as good as surfing to keep you fit for surfing! It's a lot more fun than almost any thing else too! The problem we may have, if living away from the coast, is that it is sometimes difficult to surf as often as required to actually stay fit enough to enjoy it when you are there. Although it is reassuring having health insurance with a company like Aviva or Medibank, it doesn't mean you don't have to worry about keeping fit! As any doctor will tell you, you should exercise regularly and eat a balanced diet. As you get older, the more you need to work on it to stay fit, so having a good exercise routine is essential if you want to have a good time when you hit the surf!"
If we look at four categories of fitness it may make things a little easier to establish a routine.
- Upper body strength, endurance and flexibility
- Core (abdominal and back) strength and flexibility
- Lower body strength and flexibility
- Cardio-Repsiritory (aerobic) endurance
In all exercise (simulation of sporting activities) it is highly desirable to do as much functional exercise as possible. By this I mean that you need to try to mimic in your exercise the movements that your body is going through in you chosen sport. But it is also good to do the exact opposite!
If we look at the first category above and think about what our shoulders and arms are doing when we surf, we should try to mimic that, and do the exact opposite, when we are exercising. Likewise for the other three categories. Think about what your body is doing when you surf, and look for ways to mimic it.
Personally, I vary my exercise routine around the following activities -
- Swimming
- Resistance training using the Gymstick
- Walking
- Core training using the Swiss Ball
- Balance Training
Firstly, swimming is something that I really enjoy, although the swimming pool environment is not always the nicest. Give me salt water anytime! Swimming is excellent whole body exercise, fantastic for aerobic endurance, and really good exercise to keep your back in good shape. I do mainly freestyle as of all the styles it most close resembles paddling a surfboard, although biomechanically it is quite different in that there is a lot more body rotation. I do a lot of slow laps, but also sprint a couple of laps, which is what you do when you are surfing. I break my freestyle laps by getting out of the pool and doing some pushups on the side. 12 repetitions in each set and a lap in between each set. I would do three sets. Why pushups? Upper body strength which is handy every time you get to your feet when catching a wave. I always mix it up a little by doing some backstroke (as it is the opposite action to freestyle) and breastroke at the end to cool down. I swim for about half an hour once a week.
Secondly, I do about 3 half hour sessions with a Gymstick. Gymsticks are available at this resellers page. This is a great resistance trainer, helping to maintain and even increase strength in the upper body. And it is best thing I know to use to get a paddling action happening out of the water. You can use it in combination with a Swiss Ball too. We hope to have a video on this web page soon to show how to use this fantastic bit of training gear.
Thirdly I walk about 5 times a week for about half an hour, at a pace fast enough to warm up the body. This is good for your aerobic fitness, and like swimming is also good for the back.
Fourthly, I suggest at least one session a week on the Swiss ball, again available on our resellers page. I use Paul Chek's Swiss Ball Exercises for Better Abs, Buns and Backs to take me through a half hour work out. Core strength is really important for surfing in that a lot of the power in turns is generated in trunk rotation. Have a look at Mick Fanning's website if you want some idea about how good Paul Checks training is for surfing.
Lastly, a bit of wobble board or other balance board training (like a Vew-Do board) is highly recommended. This is for a bit of fun as well being good to keep your balance sharp.
I hesitate to recommend a specific programme here. What you need to do is keep in mind all the above principles and devise a program that best suits you and be flexible about it. If all else fails, just go surfing!
To discuss anything about fitness training for surfing, go to our blog site.
