Preparation Before Surfing

We fear to say it, but for you to surf to your full capabilities, you'll have to put in a little work before you hit the surf. Of course, we're talking about exercise! Surfing is meant to be fun and it is, but if you want to maximise your enjoyment and increase the speed that you improve - and maximise the time that you can spend in the water- then you are going to need to do a little work.

There are three main areas to work on, and we will look are each of these in turn.

Upper Body Strength

You need to have good upper body strength to even paddle out to get a wave-no mean feat on a day when you might have to spend at least 10 minutes paddling against walls of white water. You then need the strength to paddle into the waves and the strength to push up onto your feet, then the strength to... You get the idea; surfing can be damn hard work.

While you are at it, you also need to work on strengthening your lower body muscles! A good way to increase your upper body strength is to simply lift a few weights at the gym. You'll look and feel better for it, and you'll find it helping your surfing immensely. (We are not saying that you need to go overboard- you've never seen Mr. Universe on a surfboard have you?) If you don't have the time, inclination, or money to go to the gym then why not try starting a press-up regime? Get down and give us twenty you 'orrible little squirts!

Swimming is a great way to increase your upper and lower body strength, your stamina, and your endurance. Speaking of endurance...

Think you are fit? Let's see who stops first!

Endurance

Endurance means that you will be able to surf better for longer; we all know that is a good thing. Take up jogging, slowly building the distance that you run over a period of time. Any aerobic exercise will help you increase your endurance and give your cardiovascular system a good workout. If you've ever completed an epic paddle out and caught a wave straight back in for a 300 metre ride, then you know you're going to need serious endurance to keep it up for the next two hours!

Flexibility

To perform well at any sport, it is a good idea to be flexible. Surfing is a very physical sport, making flexibility all the more important. Touch your toes, do a bit of yoga, or do anything else that will help your flexibility. Being flexible-and warming up before a surf-will reduce the chance of sustaining a muscle injury during your surfing.

A good level of overall fitness is desirable for a healthy lifestyle anyway, so use surfing as an excuse to start getting into shape and living a healthily lifestyle. You will feel and look better for it, and you'll look a thousand times better in your boardies, bikini or Speedos.