surfer

If you are a surfer, you are all too familiar with the feeling “Man, I hope don’t get **** by This Wave!”, weather you are just trying to paddle out, surf your biggest wave or getting owned by waves tossing you around like you weigh next to nothing.

Being in good shape is not just important to being able to surf, its also important for your safety too. Having the right muscles in the right places can allow you to protect your joints against injuries and be most in control while your out in the water.

I am a surfer myself, and decided to put together the best exercises that you can do in the gym so you can feel better surfing out on the waves.

Here is my top 7:

 

  1. Burpees

These are a simple, yet very effective exercises that you can do virtually anywhere. It works your core, shoulders, triceps, chest, calves, legs, and thighs. Its great to helping you explode off your stomach into a standing position. You can down this before or after your workout.

 

 

  1. Overhead Walking Lunge

These are amazing for surfers. This exercise is great for working the stabilizing muscle in your shoulder, so it can be more protected while surfing and well as legs. They force you to keep your arms in that very awkward position above you head while making you work your legs simultaneously.

overhead_lung

  1. Kettlebell Swings

This a great for the full body and full motion exercise work your Hips, legs, core and conditioning. Having a strong core is vital for surfing.

 

  1. Stiff Leg Deadlifts

This exercise is awesome for low back and hamstrings. Having a strong lower back can go a long way in preventing injuries and helping you stabilize your core while surfing. Hamstrings is a muscle group the often gets overlooked.

 

  1. Standing Pullover x High Rep Lat Pulldown

Paddling is arguably the most important physical activity in surfing. If you can’t paddle fast enough you wont have enough speed to catch the wave or even just to the swim out pasted the braking point of waves. Standing Pullover at the gym can help with your paddling in the water. I recommend high reps at lower weight and combined in a circuit with Cable Alternative Pulldown

 

  1. Cable Alternative Pulldowns

Same as the Standing Pullover, its great for paddle conditioning, and I recommend to alternate it with the Standing Pullover in a circuit. High reps again.

 

  1. Squats

You don’t want to have noodle legs once you are up on your board. This exercise works all the leg muscles, helps with stability and is also good for boosting testosterone.

 

 

These are just some exercise you can do for surfing while at the gym. Off coarse, nothing beats going out and just surfing! Surfing is a lot more that just brute strength and conditioning but if your muscles are burnt out in the water, you just wont surf as well. Please share your thoughts or input below.