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When it comes to surfing, actually riding waves as often as possible is a pretty reliable method of…well, mastering the art of riding waves. But there are other sports and activities that can improve your posture, balance, cardiovascular strength, and muscle development – all skills and strengths that will improve your surfing.
Of course, working on these key areas will also help you maintain a healthier body and hopefully keep you surfing longer. But most importantly, you can always improve your balance, which is probably at the top of the for traits that create a better surfing athlete. Therefore, focusing on other sports that help you accomplish this can actually become a need for your surfing repertoire. Here are the best non-surfing alternatives to take your skills to the next level:
Suspension Training
TRX, or suspension training, has become a popular training tool for improving balance, posture, mobility, and muscle toning. Training with TRX bands plays a crucial role for any active person as it teaches you how to correctly perform every movement while maintaining a good posture.
Suspension training can also build your cardiovascular endurance. According to the American Council on Exercise, TRX training can help you burn 400 calories within 60 minutes. This means that you can burn calories while you exercise your posture, which plays a crucial role for surfers. This is something you can train in the gym, at the park, on the beach, or even in specialized classes, making it an accessible method for surfers looking to train outside of the water.
Running
Running has many health benefits and it’s considered to be one of the best activities for cardiovascular endurance. If you feel out of breath while surfing, this is the simplest way to improve this fitness indicator. Lace up your shoes and go. That’s it.
When you start running you should always focus on short distances. You can and will increase the distance as your performance level improves. If you want to see the best results, focus on long-term performance by tracking this. Soon, aside from improving cardiovascular endurance, running will increase lung capacity (an obvious bonus for surfers), improve blood circulation, and increase fat burning.
Whether you choose to run outdoors or on the treadmill, you should keep track of your performance levels like speed, distance, and heart rate. With today`s smartphones, there are many solutions which allow you to digitally track all these indicators.
Cycling
If you are looking to tone your lower body muscles, cycling is one of the best options. Meanwhile, surfers know the importance of a strong lower half and its role in great performance.
For the most convenience, you can begin cycling indoors at your local gym. This way you can train on cold or rainy days. Also, indicators like heart rate and calorie burning monitors can track your progress as you go. If you want to analyze your performance in time you can synchronize the bicycle with your smartphone and get weekly readings and analysis on your performance.
Swimming
Swimming is high on the list of recommendations for surfers. It comes to aid you in both responsiveness and speed. And there’s the obvious fact that since you will be spending a considerable amount of time in the water, you will need to become a good swimmer.
To improve your swimming skills you will need to swim as often as possible. Since the sport will involve using all the major muscle groups in your body, your caloric intake should be able to sustain the effort. This might mean you need to eat more, but also be sure to choose healthier foods.
Bodybuilding
Lifting weights is not what you have in mind when you begin surfing but it is essential to maximizing strength and explosiveness in any sport. With surfing you carry a board, swim, maintain focus, and lift yourself out of the water. These are all simple movements and tasks that make your overall strength imperative.
One way to start weight training is by using a simple weekly program. You can start with a push day for muscles like the chest and triceps, followed by a pull day for the back and biceps. On the third day, you would train legs to strengthen the muscles of the lower body. Bodybuilding will also require you to constantly improve your nutrition knowledge, making it an even better tool for your overall health.
When you want to take your surfing skills to the next level, expanding your training to other sports might be a good solution. The good news is that all of these sports require a focus on nutrition, helping you learn everything from how much food to eat and how to select the best healthy fuel sources for whatever it is you’re doing. And of course, they will all also improve mobility and balance – two of those key components you’ll need to be a better overall surfer no matter how you get there.
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