Surf Fitness

Surf Fitness – A Must Be When You Go Surfing

You can’t fool around and claim to be a good surfer if you are not physically fit, and have the correct muscle tone to withstand all the swimming, paddling and balancing against the most natural force of wind and water. Surfing is an endurance sport that is also an ancient form of art that we learned from the Polynesians. In days of old, leadership was attained through the best and bravest surfer who can conquer the strongest surf breaks.

Because surfing requires strength and stamina, surf fitness is the key to conquering all those challenging waves whether for fun or for competition. When you enrol in any of the Gold Coast surfing schools, one of the first things that the instructor will establish is your fitness whether you are a beginner or an expert. This is very important because the fun and challenge in surfing will diminish if you cannot withstand the rigors of paddling towards those waves and mounting your surfboard while keeping your balance against the surge of wind and sea.

There are several ways of building your strength and stamina to ensure surf fitness. Doing regular swimming laps, freestyle, is one of them. The hamstring stretch and upper back stretch will increase your flexibility. Strengthening the arm strength and upper back muscles is important to let you paddle with ease and with less fatigue. You need to have a stable and strong leg muscles and core stability which means keeping your balance while manoeuvring your board. Upper body strength and lower body strength are equally important to let you do a lot of twists without unnecessarily exposing yourself to injury.

Learning the Right Techniques from Gold Coast Surf Instructors

Surf tourism is a major industry in Gold Coast City which is located in the southern part of Queensland, Australia. It is a coastline city endowed not only with golden beaches, but it has a variety of surf beaches that is the envy of other surfing destinations. Surfers, whether professional or hobbyists come to Gold Coast regularly because the surf breaks are mixed and there are so many surf beaches to choose from.

You will also find the best surf instructors in Gold Coast, because they are not only professionally trained, they know the sport like the back of their hand because of the number of years of experience while living in a surfing haven. So if you want to improve on your surfing techniques, it won’t be difficult to find a competent surfing coach here. You can check online for Gold Coast surfing schools or training centres, their programs, and the qualification of their surf instructors.

Learning the right techniques is crucial especially when you want to get into the national and international circuits. According to an Australian study, surfing has become so popular especially among the younger set that there are over 10 million surfing enthusiasts worldwide and the numbers continue to grow. Competition is rather stiff, that is why you have to be very good in all aspects of the sport, and you have to be a 100% physically fit where your core balance, strong arms and strong legs are highly developed. Nowhere else will you enjoy the benefits of excellent training in a location with superb surf beaches, but in Gold Coast.

Learning To Surf And Your Fitness

Surf Fitness Training

Surf fitness is an extremely important part of learning to surf. The more “surf fit” you are, the longer you will spend in the water each session, the quicker you will learn and the better a surfer you will become. Improving surf fitness can really fast track your development. Here some general tips on what you can do (and as with all these things – consult your doctor/trainer to ensure this is appropriate for your situation)

General Cardio Fitness Training

This is important as surfing is a cardio sport. It really gets the heart racing. You will need some endurance training (for long paddles and bigger days) and explosive training (for duck diving and sprinting to make quick waves). Running is excellent, swimming is better. Swimming is especially good as it will help build your confidence as you know you’ll always be able to swim back to shore.

Mobility Training

When you get tumbled by a wave, you are at the mercy of the wave. Ensuring supple muscles and a flexible body will help you avoid injury and recover from long, strenuous sessions. Surf yoga and pilates can be helpful here.

Surf Specific Conditioning

If possible, do some functional training that targets the areas of the body specific to surfing. Clayton Beattie has put together and excellent surf fitness training program for this very thing. It is highly recommended, you can access it by clicking through this link: Surf Specific Functional Training