FAQ – How Do I Improve My Paddle Fitness For Surfing?
Lack of paddle fitness is one of the biggest reasons surfers come looking for an exercise program, especially if they don’t live close to the surf or are about to go on a surf trip.
I know for me it was one of the factors why I started this whole venture of fitness for surfing. As I wasn’t getting in the water that regularly and when I did I would get frustrated by my lack of paddle fitness and how quickly I would get fatigued.
Luckily it doesn’t have to be like that. All you have to do is train using the 2 steps outlined below and you can paddle with the best of them. And that means more waves and more fun! If you implement these strategies then you will be ready to paddle hard every time you hit the surf regardless of the last time you were in the water.
Step #1 – Improve Your Upper Body Strength & Stability
The first step is build a solid base of strength and stability in your upper body.
The key here is to keep your body and muscles in balance by targeting all of the major muscle groups, not just the ones you use the most when paddling. If you target certain muscles or movements more than others you increase the likelihood of creating a muscular imbalance which can lead to movement inefficiencies or musculoskeletal injuries.
So make sure you do exercises for each of the following 4 movements:
- Vertical Pushing (eg. Single Arm Dumbbell Press)
- Vertical Pulling (eg. Pull-ups)
- Horizontal Pushing (eg. BOSU Push-ups)
- Horizontal Pulling (eg. Dumbbell Plank Row)
You also need to keep your joints stable and for paddling this means stable shoulders. Exercises like YTW Raises are really good for helping to keep your shoulder joints stable and preventing shoulder issues.
Step #2 – Improve Your Muscular Endurance
The second step once you have a stable base of upper body strength is to improve your muscular endurance. If you improve the endurance in your paddling muscles, when you are out in the water you can paddle back out to the line up with more energy and it will take longer to fatigue.
There are several ways you can improve your muscular endurance for paddling. The obvious one is to get out on your surf board and paddle more.
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If this is not an option then here are two are options to try…
Swimming – Freestyle swimming uses similar muscles to paddling and is a great way to improve the endurance in your arms and shoulders. Doing intervals in the pool or ocean is a great way to train for surfing. We have swimming workouts in our online coaching program which can help you build upper body endurance for paddling.
Band Paddling – Paddling against resistance using a resistance band is another great way to improve your upper body endurance. Try and use a fairly light resistance and if you have a swiss ball that will make a great surfboard alternative to lie on. The great thing about band paddling is that you can do it at home without getting wet, so there are no excuses! Our online coaching program also has some interval workouts with band paddling to help build your paddle fitness.
Hopefully this has shed some light on how to improve your paddle fitness for surfing so you can catch more waves!
PS. Do you want to transform your body and enhance your physical performance so you can be fitter and stronger for surfing and feel more confident in sport and life?
Click on the button below to learn more about the SSF 360 Transformation Coaching Program…
>> Get In Shape, Become A Fitter, Stronger Surfer & Feel More Confident in Sport & Life! <<
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Here’s an example of what other surfers have experienced with our programs…
“I first started surfing last year. I’ve always been an active person so I was in good shape, but I wasn’t in “surfing shape”. After 10 minutes of fighting the breakers and the current, I could barely catch a wave because I was so exhausted. I knew I had the drive & determination to keep at it, I just needed to train my body better. So I purchased Total Surfing Fitness and spent the winter months following the program.
Once summer rolled around and I headed back to the waves, it was a whole new experience. I could (and did) spend hours at a time in the water, catching wave after wave, regardless of how rough the ocean was. I was stronger, more confident, and less injury-prone. Thanks to Clayton’s excellent program I can now enjoy surfing! Thanks for your great product!”
John Riviello
Click on the button below to learn more about getting started with your free trial…
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