Get a 'Surfer's Workout' on Dry Land

Image: Kita Lawrence

Words: Alex Harmon

Here at WOW we often get asked by participants - how do I keep 'surf fit'?

Apart from the obvious (surfing your little heart’s out!), we recommend the following exercises to keep your body primed for a great session in the ocean, no matter where your level of surfing is at.

This is a workout you can do anywhere, anytime (just make sure you don’t overdo it and if something doesn’t feel right, speak to your health professional).

🤸‍♂️ Push ups - this exercise engages your whole body, strengthening your core and improving shoulder strength and control. It'll give you that extra push when paddling, duck diving and popping up.

🤸‍♂️ Lunges - these are surf-specific leg and hip movements that help build strength in your legs to power through bottom turns and cutbacks.

🤸‍♂️ Planking - strong core muscles are a must for surfers and planks in all variations are the perfect exercise to build this. A strong core helps with stability and assists with paddling, balance and rotation through turns. Those who did our recent Plank Up The Volume challenge will tell you!

🤸‍♂️ Squats - these mimic the pattern of standing or crouching on your board. Giving you extra leg strength for balance and posture when powering through a wave.

🤸‍♂️ Breath work - learning how to breathe for longer means being able to handle hold-downs and stay calm in dicey situations.

🤸‍♂️Mobility drills - this will help you stay mobile and flexible to avoid injuries, because no surfer likes to spend time sitting on the sand when the waves are pumping.

🤸‍♂️ Yoga- after an epic day scoring waves, release the tension from your tired muscles with 30 mins of yoga, this will help your flexibility and re-centre you for the next sesh.

But, do you want to know our best advice? It’s not about being the best or fittest surfer in the line up, it’s about being the person who is out there having the most fun!