Surfing is a whole body workout that can be pretty demanding on our bodies. Our muscles can feel totally destroyed after a long session if we’re not doing the right thing out of the water to stay surf fit. So whether your local spot has hit a flat spell or you simply don’t have time to get in the water as often as you’d like, adding these exercises to your home workout routine will keep your surf fitness levels up for your next session.

 

1. Push up variation with knee and foot tuck 

Improve your pop up technique with this simple surf-specific sequence.

 

This is a great exercise to practise your pop up at home. You’re basically mimicking the motion of pushing up on your surfboard, bringing the same foot forward that you would when standing up to ride a wave (so left for regular and right for goofy). Remember to do some on the other side to balance things out, then finish up with a few push ups in your natural surf stance to stimulate muscle memory for your next surf.

 

Step 1 – Start in a plank position, making sure your back is straight. Then bend your elbows and lower your body so you’re hovering a couple of inches off the ground.

Step 2 – Now as you push back up, bring your knee into your chest, aiming for it to touch the opposite elbow and hovering your foot at a 45 degree angle off the floor.

Step 3 – Bring the foot back into a push up position and repeat 10 times on each side.

 

Tip: Finish with a few push ups in your natural surf stance to stimulate muscle memory for your next surf, then practise getting to your feet as you would on your surfboard.

 

2. Dynamic side planks

Strengthen your core for more paddle power with some side plank exercises.

 

Paddle endurance isn’t just about having strong shoulders and back muscles – you also need to build up your core strength to stay stable on the board. Keeping your legs together as you paddle will help to keep your core engaged, but you’ll need to build on those muscles so you don’t get tired paddling out to the line up. These side plank exercises will light up your core to give you a strong centre hold whilst paddling.

 

Step 1 – Start off in a low plank with a flat back and your forearms resting on the ground, hands pointing forwards.

 

Step 2 – Going to the left side first, rotate your left forearm inwards so it’s at a right angle with your right forearm.

 

Step 3 – Shift your body weight over to the left and raise your right arm to the sky, keeping your left hip high off the ground. 

 

Step 4 – After holding for a few seconds, rotate back over into a low plank with both hands facing forwards again.

 

Step 5 – Repeat on both sides five times.

3. Surf specific yoga flow

Wake up your body and calm your mind with a surf-specific yoga flow.

 

It’s super important to release all the muscles you’ve worked during your surf or workout so your body can stay nice and loose. Not only does yoga allow you to stretch out your body after a long session in the water, it builds inner strength and grounds you in the present moment to promote overall well being. Here’s our ocean-inspired yoga flow in collaboration with Yogi Bare designed to boost your energy, the perfect way to start your day.

 

With surf training, one thing to remember is that your body needs time to recover. So if you’re already getting out in the water most days, you’ll want to focus more on recovery exercises between sessions. Yin yoga is an amazing way to restore surf-sore muscles, and adding in some post-surf stretching will help your body stay lean and limber for the next session. 

 

If you’re not surfing so much, aim to do a workout three times a week, keeping the exercises as surf-specific as you can with lots of stability, balance and core training. Adding this extra training to your routine will enable you to surf better and for longer, especially as you get older and your body begins to tire more easily. But with a solid workout routine, you’ll still be shredding long into your silver surfer years!

 

By Lily Plume