Upper Body Training #1
Upper Body Training #1
Most of the time surfers spend more time laying face down on their board paddling than they do riding down the face of a wave. Therefore upper body strength is vitally important for any surfer as it is the only means of transportation between sets. To keep your muscles strong and in balance, you will need to do a combination of pushing and pulling upper body exercises. Pushing exercises such as the push-up, will work on the strength in your chest, shoulders and arms which is important for takeoffs. Pulling exercises such as a one-arm row, will help develop back and arm strength to improve your paddling power. The following exercises are two of the most basic upper body strength exercises, but both are highly effective and will help improve your surfing performance. You can do the following exercises 2-3 times per week, and perform 2-3 sets of each.
Push-Up
- Start with your hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart and in line with the middle of your chest.
- Keeping your body straight, lower yourself until your nose is about to touch the ground and then push back up to the start position.
- You can perform these on your knees instead if you like.
- Do 15-20 repetitions.
One-Arm Row
- Kneel with one knee and one hand on the bench and the other foot on the ground.
- Keeping your back straight and abdominals braced pull the dumbbell to the side of your torso and then slowly lower to full extension.
- You should keep your elbow tucked close to your body throughout the action.
- Do 8-10 repetitions per arm.
For more functional exercises for surfers, visit totalsurfingfitness.com. Here you will find a complete functional training program designed specifically for surfers, which includes training for core strength, balance, cardiovascular fitness, upper & lower body strength and flexibility.
ABOUT AUTHOR
Clayton Beatty is the fitness expert behind TotalSurfingFitness.com, a website dedicated to functional training for surfers. Clayton holds a BSc Degree in Human Movement, is a Certified Fitness Trainer and grew up surfing the Margaret River region in Western Australia. If you would like to learn more visit his website at www.totalsurfingfitness.com.
-
Upper body training series - Part 2
The following exercises are advances on the exercises shown in Upper Body Training #1. The stability ball push-up adds an extra core strength component and will have your core stabilizer muscles working overtime during the exercise. This is an excellent functional exercise to help with fast takeoffs...
read more
-
Core Strength training series - Part 1
All movements performed whilst surfing originate from the core muscles of your body. Your core muscles are not just your abdominals, but include all of the muscles that help stabilize the spine, pelvis and even shoulders. These muscles provide a solid foundation from which all movements of your extremities (arms and legs) occur...
read more
-
Yoga for Surfers - Core Stability
Fusion Yoga & Pilates for surfers enables you to nurture and take control of your own body. You can build strength for paddling, increase your flexibility, boost your endurance and assist your balance, putting you tighter in the pocket, or deeper in a barrel next time your in the water...
read more