Want to have more fun, less injuries, and surf longer? Either surf all the time or incorporate some kind of workout routine into your life. Photos: YouTube//Screenshot
The best way to stay in shape for surfing is, of course, to surf a lot. Sometimes that’s just not possible, so if you want to make the most of your sessions, finding workout routines that will keep your body in the game when you do get in the water is pretty important. Not only that, but it’ll help you keep surfing for as long as you can. You know those older people who rip? It’s very likely that they’ve either continued surfing a lot or kept some kind of exercise regimen as part of their daily routine. Some of the best surfers in the world know this, and they have been kind enough over the past few years to share some of their workout routines. So here, for your motivational moment, are five of them.
1. Mick Fanning
Mick Fanning, while technically retired from the tour, is anything but retired from surfing. He was a proponent of maintaining surf fitness outside of the water years before it was as common as it is now. “Training isn’t for everyone and I don’t know what might work for other people. For me though, I like being in shape,” he told The Inertia is 2014. “I like being able to eliminate my doubts by trusting that my body and mind are up to the challenge. If I do lose a heat, I don’t like wondering whether I could have done more to get the result I wanted. That’s why I train.”
2. Koa Rothman
Koa Rothman has had his fair share of injuries, but none of them have kept him out of the water for a substantial amount of time. He keeps his body tuned up so it’s able to quickly recover from the inevitable aches and pains that come with taking the kind of beatings he does. His new sponsor, Darc Sport, is heavily involved in the fitness and fighting industries, so it makes sense that Koa would join forces with them. He called the workout you see here “an absolute full-body burner,” and if you do it the way he does, he’s definitely not wrong.
3. Nate Florence
Nate Florence is pretty well known for his soul-crushing workouts. He’ll pull out the weight vests, head out to a grassy expanse in the heat of the day, and do burpees until everyone’s barfing in the grass. All that training is paying off in spades because Nate can take whatever the ocean deals him and, for the most part, comes up with a smile on his face. In this particular video, he focuses on workouts that help surfers with paddling and duck diving, which, if you think about it, we do a hell of a lot more of than actually riding waves.
4. Lakey Peterson
Lakey Peterson is an athlete. All pro surfers are, but some are a little looser about fitness routines than others. Lakey appears to have found a perfect mix of surfing a lot and working out a lot. It’s doing wonders for not only her surfing, but her longevity. She’s married to Dr. Thomas Allan, who is a doctor of Osteopathy. Which means, as you’d expect, that he has a very good understanding of bones, muscles, joints, and how they all work together. This surf mobility routine was actually created by him for Lakey
5. Koa Smith
Koa Smith loves to surf giant, barreling waves. In order to do that, one needs to be strong in both body and mind. Much of Koa’s YouTube content revolves in some way around keeping those two things tuned up, and this video is no different. He calls it a “functional fitness workout routine,” which, unless you’re a body builder entering a contest, is likely a lot better for your day-to-day life.
