5 Tips to Achieving Optimum Surfing Fitness

28 March, 2016

As a surfer, achieving great maneuvers and getting stoked with great waves is like a picture perfect goal. There are some effective surf lessons that you can learn from basic to advanced. However, for you to paint that picture your body needs to be ready for long paddles through sets of catching waves, popping up, and riding without losing balance. Here are some tips that may help you in achieving optimum surfing fitness:

Know the right food to eat. Your surf fitness training should start with the food you fuel your body with. Your diet should be composed of 50% complex carbs and lean protein and the other 50% will be natural water rich food. Brown rice, whole-grain bread, beans, skinless chicken, red meat, sprouts, fruits, and vegetables are just some of the food that you can consume which can make you feel great and perform at your peak during surf fitness training.

The core strength of the body is important. The abdominal muscles are the group of muscles which are greatly involved in almost every surfing movement. Handling a big wave while rotating your hips for an expected maneuver can directly or indirectly involve your abdomen. Working out to increase the core strength of your body will surely help you out on your training.

Increase your stamina and paddle power. Paddling is what surfers do most of the time when they are in the water. This is done mainly for a surfer’s SAFETY. Paddling through tough spots with great speed often saves a surfer from drowning and being caught in waves. How to paddle a surfboard is easy as long as you have great stamina and strong paddle power. To increase paddling power, surfers often doe exercises which target the shoulders, lats, arms, and core. Common exercises that may help increase your paddle power includes freestyle swimming, barbell press, plank with dumbbell row, and upright rows. To greatly increase your stamina, you need to perform high-intensity cardio exercises and weight training. Being able to endure rough conditions when you are out in the water will help you gain confidence.

Gain functional strength and muscle endurance. As a surfer,  your training should be tailored for a day out in water no matter what the weather is. Functional exercises which improve stability should be included in your surfing fitness training. These exercises should also include a lot of rotational movements for the muscle groups and joints. Lastly, you need to focus on muscular endurance that that will enable you to counter a strenuous day in the water.

Be consistent. Though you are a starting surfer grom or a professional one, you’ll get a better response if a series of positive changes on your body are made over time. Being consistent with the surfing fitness training will allow you to gain the most progress. It will be best if surfers make a wise decision for their diet and get 2-3 sessions of training per week for their surf fitness program. Deciding on the program, sticking to it and being consistent will surely get you the best results.