Photo: Shannon Reporting
Here’s the Captain Obvious statement of the day: Core strength is vital to surfing well. Duh, right? Without it, pop-ups suffer, balance sucks, and you’ll fatigue quickly. More importantly, without good core stability or strength, there’s a good chance you’ll develop lower back pain and potential injury at some point of your surfing career.
Ok, so we know that core is important, but let’s dig deeper into what exactly the “core” is and how we can best train it to be stable and strong.
What Is Core Strength & How Do You Know If You Have It?
Hopefully by now you realize that core strength is much more than just doing leg lifts or sit-ups. And while planks are a much better alternative, most people do them wrong and frankly they’re not difficult enough for the somewhat fit surfer.
Before we talk about core strength, we need to talk about core stability.
Core stability simply indicates how well you can protect the spine with the muscles in the torso, the ability to keep a neutral spine (without an excessive arch or rounding the lower back) and whether you can move your lower body and upper body together in a coordinated fashion. You might look at guys with six pack abs and think holy shit, that guy has core strength. Not necessarily.
He might not even have core stability, which always comes before strength. He might have a well-developed rectus abdominis muscle, which is that top layer muscle that makes up the front side of the stomach – but it’s what lies beneath that is much more vital. We’re talking mostly about the transverse abdominis which acts almost like a corset around the belly. That’s the muscle we work when we’re talking about core stability.
So, here’s the general framework:
Work on core stability first. Then progress to core strength. Then, and only then, move on to core power or doing explosive moves that you see all the pros doing.
This is the logical pattern you should apply to your core training:
Build a strong foundation. Lay down some strength on that solid foundation. Challenge that strength with speed and load to develop a bulletproof core.
Perform the following tests to see if you have proper core stability:
- Toe-touch: Can you touch your toes while keeping your back straight and legs straight?
- Solid push-up in one straight line: Can you press up from the bottom of a push-up in a straight line with no movement in your lower back?
- Bird dog: Can you extend the opposite leg and arm at the same time and then touch elbow to opposite knee without losing balance?
If you fail any of these tests, you need to work on core stability.
Remember, it’s not about having the abs. Having abs (the kind you can see) is based on diet and nutrition. But again, this has zero connection to having a functional core. Learning how to protect your spine and control your pelvis is the name of the game.
If you haven’t trained core stability before, you might be surprised how difficult these movements are. They don’t look challenging, but if you do them correctly, they are. If you progress to more advanced exercise without the proper foundation, you will run into problems.
So, if you fail any of the tests, here is your homework for the next 2-3 weeks.
1) Leg lowering:
While this exercise will strengthen your whole core (and especially your lower abs), it’s much more than just a core exercise. Leg lowering is also a motor control movement that teaches you how to control and stabilize your hips, which will directly lead to better stability and balance.
Start lying on your back with your legs fully extended in the air directly above your hips (bend your knees if you can’t keep your legs straight) and your hands by your sides. Keeping your back flat against the ground, lower your right leg down slowly towards the ground while your left leg stays straight up. Slowly return the right leg up to meet the left. Repeat on other side.
The key here is to keep your spine completely flat against the ground and your hips square. If you have trouble maintaining this position, bend your knees to 90 degrees throughout the exercise.
2) Dead Bug
This is one of the best exercises to teach your body core stability. Make sure the lower back stays on the ground and the ribs don’t flare up.
If you passed the above tests, congrats and you can work on some intermediate core progressions.
Intermediate Core Training
Plank variations are a great way to build on core stability and increase the muscular endurance of the core muscles, especially the deep core muscles.
Progress in the following order to make your planks harder:
- Standard Plank
- RKC Plank
- Stir the pot
Once you master the above plank variations, it’s time to move on to the more advanced exercises.
Advanced Core Training
- Roll-outs
2. Jack Knife
If you want to take your core training to the next level, you can tackle a comprehensive Surfer Body Program to build a sollid core, get more lean, more flexible and move better overall.
Editor’s Note: Get instant access to a free workout from the author’s program right here.
