The facilities at Extreme Athletics in Costa Mesa, California. Image: ExtremeAthleticsOC.com
The premiere surfing event of Southern California is finally here. The 2013 Vans US Open of Surfing is sure to be a good one as it has attracted the world’s best surfers yet again. Kelly Slater, Tyler Wright, Dane Reynolds, Courtney Conlogue, Jordy Smith and defending champions Julian Wilson and Lakey Peterson have all come to Surf City–Huntington Beach–to compete. But before this all-star cast hits the water, they’ll be in tents warming up with Extreme Athletics. EA, founded by Paul Norris and myself, is a surf-specific training facility in Costa Mesa, California, that is proud to partner with Vans to get the competitors ready before they hit the water.
The purpose of a dynamic warm-up should be to turn on all the body systems before you go out for best possible results from the very start of your heat. You want to do that by first raising your heart rate then taking your muscles through a full range of motion, opening up your joints, and stimulating the nervous system by mimicking surf-specific movements.
Here we break down our top 5 movements that will help any surfer whether they’re about to compete or just going out to have some fun.
- Jump Rope – Jumping rope is great movement to get the heart rate up and blood flowing to the upper and lower body. A study has found that five minutes of continually jumping rope can have the same cardiovascular output as 30 minutes of light jogging. For a warm-up, two minutes should be sufficient.
- Lunge with a thoracic twist – Inspired by yoga, this dynamic stretch will activate your nervous system while wringing out the upper spine and opening up your shoulders, chest, core and hips. While standing in good posture, step your right foot out front to a lunge position by bending both knees to 90 degrees. Place your right hand down inside your right foot and rotate up lifting your left hand towards the sky. Step back and repeat the stretch for the left side. I recommend doing ten of these alternating between the right and left sides.
- Low back rotations – Surfing is extremely hard on lower backs with big turns and airs taxing the muscles throughout the area. This will get those muscles ready and turn on your proprioceptors (they help you balance). To perform this stretch, you want to stand with your big toes, knees, hips and shoulders in line then bring one knee up to hip level so that you’re standing on one leg. Grab the knee that’s lifted with the opposite hand and pull it across your body while twisting at the waist in the other direction. Hold for two or three seconds then return to the starting position and repeat on the other side for a total of 20 repetitions.
- Side to side lunges – A great stretch for the main abductors and adductors in the lower body as well as the majority of muscles in the hip area. Plus it will keep the lower body warm as you go through the stretches. Again, standing in good posture, place your weight onto your heels, engage your abdominals to stabilize the spine and step out to the right. Keep your left leg straight with foot firmly planted on the ground and bend at the hips and right knee as far to that side as possible. You want to hold for two or three seconds then return to the starting position. Repeat for the left side then alternate sides for ten repetitions.
- Pistol stretch – This a solid stretch for your calves, hamstrings and glutes that will help you prevent injury during your session. Standing with your feet together, step your right foot out but only let your heel touch the ground so that your toes are pointed up. Keep your back as straight as possible as you bend your left leg and push your hips back as you reach and touch the right big toe. At the end of the motion, hold for two to three seconds then release, step back and repeat on the left side. Alternate between right and left legs for 20 repetitions.
This warm up is going to take about ten minutes and will help you surf better and enjoy your time in the water for as long as you’re out there.
To learn more about Extreme Athletics, check out their website here.
