I have observed some talented young athletes over the years, and one thing is consistent: those who do not train outside of their “sport” tend to be more prone to injury and even lack the mental toughness to make it at the highest level.
“I’ll just hit the water and forget my flexibility and strength program today. The waves are firing.” Well, not if you want to make a run at landing a position on the ASP World Tour or get the best clip in the latest video or webisode. This might be the norm for some of you surfers, but the best understand that you get better out of water as well.
As a result, I’m excited to offer a short workout that provides a solid foundation for all ages of surfers. Being an avid BMX racer, I have seen how quickly all of the sports have progressed over the last ten years. Everything is upside down, inverted, off-axis, and faster than ever. All of that energy takes a toll on the body. Since most enthusiasts concentrate on a single sport, body mechanic compensations and physiological changes are inevitable. I have seen body scans that reveal physical changes due to over-use. These physical changes ultimately end up causing injury; however, with some off the water training, you can compensate for those grooved muscular patterns and improve your performance.
Try these simple exercises 2-3 times per week for a month. The purpose of this small circuit is to:
– increase flexibility
– add strength
– increase your range of motion
Activating key muscles not used in your sport helps keep everything balanced and can help offset some overused muscles. This is a basic sample of a focused foundation phase that can be used for any surfer.
This will seem basic, but you don’t have to balance on a Bosu ball blindfolded and lift heavy weights to increase your performance. Likewise, your workout doesn’t have to be longer than 30 minutes or involve any fancy equipment.
Perform this in a circuit (3 Rounds):
1. Spiderman stretch push-up (30-45 seconds)
2. Lunge hold with slight lean forward and push foot into sand and outward to work your glutes/quads and hip region (30 seconds each leg)
3. Surf stance/Athletic stance holds (drop to your lowest point and hold 10 seconds then come up quick and then lower yourself quickly and stop at your lowest point holding 10 seconds again. Repeat 5x’s)
4. Push up hold to Side flops (keep your legs stationary and “flop” from side plank to side plank (30-45 seconds)
5. X Y airplane standing in bent over flat back position (30-45 seconds)
