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Get Fit to Surf

Have you ever gone to your favourite break to find beautiful surf waiting for you, but haven't been fit enough to catch enough waves to make it worthwhile? I have!

The older you get the harder it is to stay fit too. You have to put in extra effort once you are over about 35 years old.

There is no better way of keeping fit for surfing than to go surfing regularly! For some people however, this is not so easy. If you are stuck in the 9-5 routine and you live more than half an hour from the beach, getting a decent surf on more than once a week is difficult, if not impossible. And we all know how frustrating it is to drive for an hour to find there is no surf (try using the surf forecasting tools on this site).

So what's the answer?

This is our example (see footnote 1) of a surfer's exercise routine for a week when you don't get to surf:

If you get to have a surf on any particular day, follow it up with the stretching routines, and have a break for the rest of the day! Unless you are young enough to have 2 or more surfs on one day - then go for it! But be warned, the older you get the more maintenance you need. If you stretch a lot and improve your flexibility while you are young, you should extend your surfing life. Older surfers tend to stop because of chronic pain - shoulders, backs, necks and knees being the main trouble spots. Take a paddling tip - keep you neck in line with your back as much as possible when paddling. You will have less neck problems, in both the short term and the long term. See the last video clip below for an example.

Equipment description

Buy a mediBall Pro, some resistive band with handles and you can then very well mimic paddling, in the comfort of your lounge room. When you get a mediBall, also buy Paul Chek's video, Swiss Ball Exercises for Better Abs, Buns and Backs. All the exercises on this workout video are highly relevant for surfers, even if they don't immediately appear to be so!

Click on each of the download buttons in the following table to view a video demonstrating the mediBall, resistive bands and Vew-Do.

The Resistive band also comes with an instruction booklet which will give you some good ideas, but you need to modify some of the exercises to suit the length of your arms and legs.

One of the interesting things about this combination of mediball and resistive band is that you can mimic virtually every exercise performed on a piece of equipment called the " Vasatrainer" which was specifically designed for improving fitness of surfers. You can buy one of these machines for about $USD699.00 You can get a mediBall Pro and resistive band for about $USD100.00 A substantial saving.

NOTE: The resistive band comes in various colors that indicate the level of resistance offered. I would suggest purple for most surfers, male or female.

Illustration 1A grom on the Vew-do

Find a way of doing chinups (both overhand and underhand) to improve arm and shoulder strength. Do 3 sets of as many reps as you can do first overhand grip and then underhand grip. Strength is not critical for paddling out, but it sure does help in catching a wave. The resistive band exercise shown in the above video will improve endurance for paddling out. In addition standing and doing a paddling motion will help improve paddling endurance. Remember, paddling involves lifting your arms out of the water as well as pulling your hands through the water.

Swim freestyle at a pool regularly (if you can handle the chlorine). This is fantastic for improving your paddling endurance

Stretch regularly. Try Kit Lauglin's Stretching and Flexibility manual. This is available as either a book or a video. The video is easier to use but more expensive. Stretching is really important important if you surf and/or workout regularly. Kits shoulder stretching routine is fantastic to loosen up as soon as possible after finishing a session in the surf. It also contains Kits Daily 5 as mentioned in the above routine.

Walk regularly – this keeps your back in good condition. Now you may think that going for a walk is a pretty wimpy way of exercising. But the gentle rocking motion created through the pelvis rocking the spine is fantastic for keeping your back in good alignment.

Notes

1 We gotta say it – before doing any exercise program please consult with your medical practitioner. We bear no responsibility for any misfortune you may suffer by putting our advice into practice.

2 Be extremely careful when you start using the Vew-do board! You will soon master it, but it can be an extremely dangerous bit of equipment (its actually a heck of a lot of fun too, like all dangerous past-times!)

3 About 30 mins duration