By Clayton Beatty BSc
Clayton Beatty is the fitness expert behind Total Surfing
Fitness, a website dedicated to functional fitness training for surfers.
Clayton holds a BSc Degree in Human Movement and is a Qualified Exercise
Scientist. If you would like to learn more visit his website at www.totalsurfingfitness.com
Wouldn't you like to be able to surf harder and longer,
get more barrels, bust bigger airs and surf with more style? And wouldn't you
like to be able to accomplish this without even getting wet?
Surfing has reached a new level of professionalism in recent
years, with pros opting to train harder and smarter in an effort to increase
their performance out in the waves.
Mick Fanning's rise to the top was driven by his dedicated
approach to his fitness regime after a debilitating hamstring injury. Taj
Burrow has personal trainer (Bra Boy - John Gannon) flown around on tour to
keep him in peak physical condition at all times. Obviously fitness training
for surfing is becoming more and more important to the top professionals.
So what can the rest of us mere mortals do to improve our
surfing ability whilst stuck on dry land?
The secret lies in functional training.
What is functional training?
Most fitness programs created by fitness trainers are
designed for bodybuilders not athletes. Generally these programs are generic in
nature and do not tailor to the specific needs of the sport.
Functional training is working out using exercises that have
movements similar to that used in the sport, in this case, surfing. It is
basically training for a specific purpose.
From a performance perspective, functional training
overloads your body whilst you are doing similar movements to that you would
use whilst out in the surf. Your body then adapts to this overload and the
result is that these movements are easier to perform whilst surfing.
There are many movements your body undertakes whilst surfing
including paddling, pushing, squatting and twisting just to name a few.
Therefore it is important any functional training program incorporates core
strength, balance, upper body strength and lower body strength.
The following functional exercises are designed specifically
to improve your surfing ability. All you need is a stability ball and a
dumbbell or weight plate.
SWISS BALL PUSH-UP
- Start with your hands on a swiss ball.
- Keeping your core braced, lower your chest to the ball then push back up to the start position.
SWISS BALL RUSSIAN TWIST
- Start resting your upper back on a swiss ball.
- Keeping your core braced and hips raised, rotate your torso to one side finishing on your shoulder.
- Rotate back to the start position and repeat on the other side.
SWISS BALL SPLIT SQUAT
- Start in a lunge position with your rear foot elevated on a swiss ball.
- Lower your back knee towards the floor and stop just short of touching. Your knee should end above your foot.
- Push back up to the start position.
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