Surf fitness training

Training theory.

All round fitness can be summed up in the four 'S's:

Strength
Speed
Stamina
Suppleness

Strength.   This goes without saying. The larger you are & the less buoyant your board, the stronger your arms will need to be to haul your body along on the paddle out. Equally to hold a tight bottom turn in the squat position requires great muscle strength in your lower legs.

Speed.   The one you wish you had trained harder for when you see the outside set appear on the horizon and you realise you're about to get a pounding! This is basically the ability to exercise at 100% level for a short period of time, producing very fast movement.

Stamina.   How quickly can your body recover so that you can maintain optimum performance for a prolonged period over many hours? Whilst important in the bedroom ;) this is as vital in the sea if you are going to manage to get the most out of a 3-hour session on a fantastic day when the swell is pumping.

Suppleness.   Can you touch your toes or does it feel like someone has implanted a rope in the back of your legs? The less supple you are the greater the chance of pulling a muscle, even if you have warmed up. And its surprising the shapes you get bent into when you wipe out. Stretching progressively increases the length of muscle fibres allowing greater range of movements and reduced injury.

Simple programme

Variety and training being fun are key to making sure it becomes a habit and isn't a fad that gets forgotten by the end of January. Try to find someone else to train with and rotate your training so it doesn't become boring or you over-work only certain muscle groups.

Surfing - the best form of preparation - get in the water. But if you cant or it's flat try these:

Mountain biking - "Since I took up bike riding my surfing has improved 100%" Wendy Botha. "Mountain biking is excellent because of the balance involved and the speed on the downhill" Laird Hamilton. They should know.

Swimming - excellent for increasing stamina and speed. See below.

Paddle boarding - even if there are no waves, get out on your board and paddle. It is great for building stamina in your core muscles of your back, shoulders and neck and will improve strength in your arms and shoulders. Include short 'sprints' of increased activity to mimic paddling for a wave and to increase speed.

Running - the most natural of sports and excellent for increasing core strength in hips, back and shoulders thus is excellent for posture. 20 minutes at a time, including short sprints, a few explosive leg exercises (see below) and stretching will increase each the 4 'S's. Easy and cheap to do.