As you might have noticed, surfing requires many different skills from balance and coordination to strength. Surfing is physically very demanding. It is good to add some exercises to your daily routine that support your surfing. These exercises will improve your surfing, while keeping you in good shape when surfing is not available.
First and most important thing is to condition your paddling endurance. A good way to do this, is a pool exercise. Swim some laps in your local pool or even in open water if possible. For the same session you can add some breath control exercises as well. You will need to be able to hold your breath while duck-diving in between the paddling. This will give you more confidence in the waves if you get caught up in the impact zone or when paddling back out.
For balance you should work on your core muscles. A strong core will be helpful when paddling, balancing and on rotations. Get a balance board you can stand on. Do some squats and lunges on it or try to stand on one foot. If you want more challenge close your eyes. To strengthen your core, you can do a variety of exercises. Planks, side planks and different push-ups all strengthen your core muscles. Add some single-leg squats to gain some more muscle to your legs, hips and core.
You don’t need a gym or any equipment to do these workouts either. It doesn’t hurt to join the gym or do some group training, but it is not required. If you are in Bali, you should definitely enjoy a sunset or sunrise beach walk/run. The beaches are long and beautiful, so you don’t even feellike you wanna stop. Why not add some squats and abdominal exercises as well? During the day it can get quite hot, so try to avoid too much exercise at that time and remember to drink loads of fluids. Remember that rest is also important for your body, so don’t over do anything and have some rest days.
For more ways to improve your surfing, read our blog article here