RealSurf Surfers' Forum

Realised my fitness might be OK (ish) but my surf fitness has a long way to go.

Thought I might do this workout regularly:

http://www.sbsboards.com/top-20-surf-fi ... stability/

Anyone got something better?

Oh yeah, on the days I don't surf I usually do a 60 min swim one day and a 60 min bike ride the next, plus 50-100 pushups, 50-100 situps/crunches/leg raises. I've upped the bike and swim to doing both on the one day lately. Swim is 30-40 laps, swim four at medium pace, then the fifth at max pace. Same sort of thing for the ride. Also do yoga, stretching and light weights for 2-4 hours a week. Everything goes to crap if I'm surfing twice a day, but that seems OK to me.

Can't wait till I hit Indo again so I can stop all this boring training stuff though

chins

el rancho wrote:chins

Surely all the chin ups in the world don't do anything for fitness?!.

Or is this a dig at shearer ?

Nah, ya gotta do chins (paddle power). I don't have anywhere to do them at my house, only when I go for a walk or a run at the local park, 20 is my limit ATM.

Cranked,

firstly my comments here are purely my own opinions based on my own experience. I am certainly no fitness expert but anyway here goes:

The program looks ok to me. In fact it looks pretty good and has a good functional base to it. Will it improve your surf fitness? Possibly by a few percent. It might help with some core strength and it might help prevent some injuries. At the end of the day it will probably help your general functional strength and fitness in day to day life so that is a positive.

Problem with training for surf fitness is that surfing and specifically paddling is very hard to replicate on land and in a gym. Surf fitness comes from time in the water where your body learns to adapt to what is needed through actually doing it. To me a big part of surf fitness actually comes from becoming surf aware in all different situations. It comes from learning to relax. Learning about the ocean in various conditions. Only way to get that awareness is through time in the water on a surfboard. Its not just physical. Its mental too.

I think that much of the typical surfing we do say on east coast Australia is actually not great fitness in itself. Think paddle out for 5 min. Sit on your board for 5 min. Catch a wave for 1 minute. Repeat. Not really a great cardio workout. Best way to replicate this would be through interval training not a distance cardio workout. In fact I would argue that surfing is more anaerobic than aerobic. Possibly anaerobic training would be more beneficial if anything?.

For me as I have said before on these forums prone training on a racing mal has been the best thing for my surf fitness other than surfing itself. In fact I have found it hugely beneficial to my general surf paddle fitness. As an example I had chronic shoulder problems for years. Prone paddle training has 80% fixed my shoulders to the point where I hardly have problems at all. It has also given me greater experience out in the ocean in different situations and conditions which gives you more general confidence in the water.

Swimming would be pretty good too which I need to do more of.

As for things like cycling and running. Good aerobic workout but limited in the benefit that would be applied to surfing IMO. Still great things to be doing though.

A rounded program alternating these activities on different days

Core strength for popping to your feet and being strong on your board.

Chins, swimming, prone paddling for paddle endurance.

Jog, bike, stair sprints for increased anaerobic capacity

Run rocks underwater for lung capacity.

Recent paddling at Burleigh and even worse Currumbin gave me a big reminder of what it's like to paddle against a sweep. Crowds weren't really a problem. Fitness to keep or improve position definitely was. 80% of the crew was paddling flat out to stay in position.

What about a rowing machine - has anyone had experience with these in relation to surf fitness?

Yep.
I bought one and had it for a year or so. Bought cheap on gumtree.

They are great training equipment, you can do anything from laying down an aerobic baseline to full lactic destruction through pyramids, muscular endurance etc.

Strengthen your core, lower back, hammies, shoulders etc which all help with surfing.
Can leave you with tight shoulders and upper back.

Very easy to hurt yourself (lower back, hips) without good technique, but plenty of videos out there. The computer is a very good training aid, and that's coming from someone who doesn't even have a speedo on their bike. Daily workout suggestions online

Sold mine when I tore a hip flexor (not on the ergo) and couldn't use it for a while.
They are also fcuking boring compared to outside exercise.

Good resale.

i used a rowing machine heaps coming back rehabbing from the torn achilles.

i didn't mind it. like boo said though, theres nothing you can compare to outside exercise.

I have a rowing machine. Yeah fixed stuff can be boring but I've set up a lap top in front of it to watch movies. Big help with the boredom.

There was one at the gym I used to go to but I never used it.
Started getting shoulder pain, physio told me to start using it because muscles in front of shoulders and across chest were overdeveloped and were pulling my shoulders forward.
it only took a few weeks to have a beneficial effect.

swimming, swimming, swimming.

good for your core, back, flexibility, recovery, paddle speed, joints everything, esp good for old cnuts.

def helps in every size of surf...and around the world i have noticed as soon as it's five foot the line-up thins out considerably...which is when it really starts to get interesting.

my point is, i have paddled out alone and scored ridiculous waves on numerous occasions here and in Marokko that i would have definitely missed if i wasn't supremely confident in my paddling (swimming) ability

It's also a pretty handy skill to have for when the leg rope snaps..........and eventually it will, and usually in bigger stuff.

This just in:
Best exercises for surfing are surfing, paddling and swimming.

I do love to see hundred kilo gym junkies flailing around on their 6'1 thrusters wondering why all their gainz aren't helping them.

Not enough coconut water, probs.