Surfing Fitness Program

Welcome to our surfing fitness program, Fit To Surf. In this blog I’m breaking down our surfing fitness program into easy to understand steps so that you can have the strength and power needed to paddle to the outside, engage the wave, master the pop up, and just feel overall stronger while surfing.

Besides the strength training and cardio workouts, I’ve included a prehab, myofascial release, and yoga videos to help you stay injury free and recover faster. If you enjoy this workout, please leave a comment and share this blog on your favorite social media.

FAQ’s about Surfing Fitness

Should I surf every day to get better at surfing?

No, you don’t need to surf everyday. Improving your general fitness will go a long way to helping you become a better surfer. It is important to get out in the water and surf but you really should give yourself some recovery days too so that you don’t overtrain and injure yourself.

Should I surf if I have injuries or aches and pains?

I’ve included a Prehab workout for surfing that will help your shoulders, but if you have injuries in other parts of your body, such as low back or knees, you may want to do one of these rehab workouts:

Should I do cardio to get in better surfing shape?

In general, you need more anaerobic fitness for surfing, however, improving your cardiovascular fitness will definitely help you catch more waves.

Surfing Fitness Program Overview

Start here by watching this video with an overview of the entire Surfing Fitness Program. If you are looking to improve your mental game, check out Gabi’s Flow State Warriors course here.

Equipment Needed for this Surfing Fitness Program

Prehab for Surfing Fitness

Prehab is the most important part of this Surfing Fitness Program. If your shoulders are as tight as mine, you’ll want to do this prehab for surfing routine daily.

Here are the prehab exercises that will help keep you injury free and feeling good in your body:

Chin Retraction
Wall Angel
Internal & External Rotator Cuff Stretch
Rear Delt Pull
Band Buddha
Optional: Neck Traction off the end of a bed

Strength Training For Surfing Fitness

How often you do this strength training workout will depend on your current level of strength. If this workout is challenging, then do this workout every other day. If it’s fairly easy, then once a week should be enough. As I mention in the first video, intuition is key so learn to be mindful of what your body is telling you.

Do each of these combos 3 times through.

Combo 1: Start with 3 sets of Pull Ups alternating with Push Ups. Remember the goal is to be able to do 10 clapping push ups!

Combo 2: 10 reps of Rock & Roll Jump alternating with 10-15 reps of Jackknife.

Combo 3: 8-10 reps of Overhead Dumbbell Press alternating with 15 reps of Bulgarian Squat per leg.

Combo 4: 30 reps of Kettlebell Swing alternating with 10 Handstand Push Ups.

If you struggle with these movements, schedule a workout session with myself or Victor.

Best Women’s Wetsuits

Cardio For Surfing Fitness

Since surfing is more anaerobic than aerobic, it is important to develop your fast twitch muscle fibers through interval training. This workout will challenge your lactic threshold and build incredible stamina for the paddle out.

Repeat this sequence 1, 2, or maybe even 3 times through depending on your current cardiovascular fitness level. Do each exercise for 45 seconds then use about 15 seconds to catch your breath and transition to the next exercise. Here are your exercises:

Jumping Jacks
Bicycle Crunch
Squat Jumps
Back Dips
Leg Lifts
Alternating Lunges or Split Lunges
Pike With Rotation
Burpees
Arch Ups
Mountain Climbers

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MFR & Foam Rolling

Prehab is great for improving mobility, but for most people, it’s not enough. Body work is really important for helping you recover from surf sessions and for overall self care. If you are unfamiliar with Myofascial Release (MFR), read this blog. And here is a list of our favorite MFR tools.

Yoga For Surfing Fitness

Yoga, combined with the strength, cardio, prehab, and MFR, will give you that edge that you are looking for in the lineup. Yoga helps your body find balance and will quiet the mind so you can live a more centered life.