As with any other sport, surfing has a specific set of skills required if you want to perform well. Being a great swimmer doesn’t necessarily make you a great surfer, but neither does having a gymnast’s physique. What muscles do surfers use while out on the water?
The muscles that surfers use include those in the shoulders, back, and arms. To stand up and remain balanced, your abdominal muscles and lower back also come into play. Last but not least, having a solid set of legs doesn’t hurt either when it comes to riding the big waves.
There are two separate sets of muscles used while surfing: those used while lying on the board when trying to catch the wave, and the ones used when you are actually riding the wave, and you’re standing on top of the board. Here I will explain how to properly train to improve at surfing.
Muscles Used While Paddling
When paddling towards a wave, you must literally drag your body plus the added weight of the surfboard across the water.
For this, your arms need to rotate continuously and effectively. The first half of this rotation takes place outside the water, where most of the job is undertaken by the shoulders (deltoid group) and the trapezius muscles.
Once the hands enter the water, the second half of this rotating motion is more strenuous on the back muscles, specifically the latissimus dorsi, and the triceps, which are your rear upper arm muscles.
Muscles Used When Standing Up
You first need to be set in position and ready to catch the wave. Then you must go from a lying to a standing position as quickly and balanced as possible. For this, you will jump, kind of like finishing a burpee and at the same time, land firmly on the center of the board.
Here’s a YouTube video to demonstrate this:
Strong triceps and chest muscles are required. Also, there is a “shortening of the torso,” meaning the knees will come closer to the chest. Here the abs come into play.
Once the surfer is standing, it’s time for the other muscles from the abdominal group, which include the internal obliques, external obliques, and transversus abdominis, to keep the torso balanced.
Also, the arms will be used as a balancing pole, much like when a tightrope walker performs his act. For this to happen, the trapezius and deltoids need to resist the weight of the arms and act as shock absorbers, minimizing any unwanted movement.
While all of this is happening, the athlete is not standing straight, nor sitting down, but at a midpoint. Therefore his legs need to be strong and conditioned enough to not let the surfer fall onto the board but rather keep him steady throughout the entire duration of the wave.
With all this information in mind, the natural question would be which exercises will make me a better surfer?
Exercises To Improve Your Surfing
Exercises should take care of three main aspects:
- Strengthening of the core muscles.
- Strengthening of the arms and shoulders.
- Improving the cardiovascular condition of the athlete. Because no matter how strong the torso, the abs, or the arm muscles are, none of that will help if the surfer is gasping for air a few minutes after jumping into the water.
Strengthening of the Core Muscles
Simply put, the core refers to all the muscles from the neck all the way down to your waist. But not only in the front but also the back and sides of your torso. This includes all of the back muscles, the abdominal group, and the pectorals as well.
The abs can be divided into two major groups: the front abs and the side abs.
The front abs are responsible for shortening the distance between your head and your navel (rectus abdominis). Then we have the muscles that cause trunk rotation (the obliques and the serratus muscles).
To make these muscles more robust, you must do exercises that tackle both functions of the abs: crunching and twisting.
The basic prescription, and the related YouTube videos, would be:
- Regular floor crunches:
- V-ups:
- Heeltap crunches:
- Hanging knee raises:
- Seated trunk twists with a very lightweight bar across your shoulders:
- Planks:
For the back muscles, nothing beats the good old chin-ups. They will help build overall back strength as well as arm power, which includes your biceps. These should be performed using a variety of grips and hand placement widths.
To name some of the most important:
- Wide grip pull-ups:
- Shoulder width pull-ups:
- Close-grip pull-ups:
Strengthening of the Arms and Shoulders
For the triceps, pectoral and shoulders area, the best overall exercises are:
- Bodyweight dips:
- Floor push-ups with different hand placement: shoulder width and close grip, which emphasize the use of the triceps muscles.
Improving the Cardiovascular Condition of the Athlete
For a surfer to improve his cardiovascular condition, it is required that the athlete does any sort of aerobic exercise.
Aerobic exercise is any activity that elevates your heart rate in a significant way for a minimum of 30 minutes. You can do so by swimming, running, jumping the rope, walking on the treadmill, or hiking.
You can use a heart rate monitor or just use your fingers to feel the pulse at the side of your neck. Just count the number of beats for 6 seconds, add a zero to the number, and that’s your BPM (beats per minute).
The correct number of BPM
will vary depending on your age and gender. To not get over complicated on this, aim to reach around 140 beats per minute.
Final Thoughts
Surfing is a physically demanding sport that requires strength, endurance, focus, and balance. As with all sports disciplines, the more you practice, the better you will get at it. Adhering to a regular exercise routine will make you better at surfing and improve your overall health.
