Functional Fitness Training For Surfers - Click Through For More Details
The most common comment I get from clients returning their surfboards though, is regret that they weren't fitter for the holiday just past. This is an understandable problem. During the daily grind we all have work, family and chores to contend with. Time is the scarce resource which all our commitments fight over. We can't surf as much as we'd like, neither can we spend all our time training for fitness. So it is a rare surfer who arrives on a holiday with the appropriate level of fitness.
So what is the best way to get fit for a big surf holiday while you are busy back at home, with all the pressures and distraction every day living brings? We believe there are 3 things you should do. The first 2 should be part of your long term commitment to personal health and fitness and the last is aimed at giving you a real fitness boost before you go on holiday.
General endurance is critical. You have to have a base level of aerobic fitness to surf. Otherwise you won't be able to paddle out past the breakers, paddle into a wave or breath through a hold down. Further, with this fitness comes a level of confidence, this is critical for surfing.
You need a little more than basic endurance though, you need water endurance. Have a look at the best surfers and swimmers in the world. They glide through the water, seemingly effortlessly. This is because they have a great feel for the water. They know how to move their body so it is moving efficiently. This is so important in the water as we are inately inefficient in what is really an alien environment.
So get in the pool and swim at least twice a week. If you have a break near you, surf at least twice a week. No matter what you do, just make sure you are getting wet twice a week, every week of the year. Your water fitness will just come. It will just be something that develops, you will become more and more familiar with the water environment simply because you are being in it. Don't make any excuses, go on, get wet.
The second key to surfing fitness is flexibility, balance and core strength. Once again, this is not something you want to leave till the last minute, rather something you want to develop over time as part of your commitment to surfing, health and fitness.
Yoga is the answer here. Yoga is so good for surfing fitness, it is almost as if it was invented purely with the surfer in mind. Not only does yoga help you improve your flexibility, balance and core strength, it also re-aligns and re-balances your body back into its natural and healthy position, away from the imbalanced position which surfing causes.
Also, even the simple act of paddling requires you to over-arch your back, creating a distortion in the development of your back muscles. Yoga sorts all these types of issues out, as well as conditioning your body. My advice, get yourself a surf specific yoga DVD and do it 2 or 3 times a week.
Functional Fitness Training For Surfers - Click Through For More Details
The final thing you can do is a surf specific, functional training program. If you have taken care on the first and second items above, surf specific training is the ideal pre holiday fitness preparation. It should be short, (Ie a fitness program which runs from 4 - 12 weeks) it should gradually increase in intensity over those weeks and it should be designed specifically for the muscles you use in the water. The point with such a training program is to give your surf specific fitness a massive boost prior to arriving on your holiday.
To embellish a little, we've assumed you have a good level of general fitness, reasonable core strength and flexibility, so you are ready to participate in your every day level of surfing. However, in recognising that on the upcoming holiday your body is going to be using your surfing muscles a whole lot more than it usually does, for a short period of time, we give those muscles a fitness boost by performing very specific and related exercises.
I hope this helps you prepare for your next surfing trip where ever it may be. We all know training can sometimes be a bit of a drag, just remember how much more fun those surfing days are when the waves, your skill and your body all come together at the same time, so you can catch that elusive perfect wave.
Total Surfing Fitness - Click Through For More Details
