Start Cross Training To Maximise Your Surfing Fitness!

Surfing is a physically demanding sport, you need to be reasonably fit and confidently be able to swim at least 50 metres in open water. If you need to increase your surfing fitness, then surfing itself is one of the best ways to do it but there is also a number of other cross training activities you can do that target different ranges of muscle groups helping you to surf faster, harder and for longer.

Swimming is a simple and effective sport for surfers. If you are new to surfing, swimming is an excellent yet gentle way to start improving your surfing fitness. Where possible practice in the sea rather than the swimming pool and for beginners this will help you to accustom you to the motion of the ocean. Swimming helps develop your paddle strength as it involves using a lot of the same muscle groups as surfing such as the muscles in your shoulders, upper back, chest, core and legs and you will also have the added benefit of a great cardiovascular workout. Also by increasing your confidence in the water you will push your surfing further and enjoy it all the more!

Running is another great cardiovascular activity for improving surfing fitness. For some it's mind numbingly boring! However the benefits can be immense in terms of endurance and stamina. To really give your legs a good workout and to minimise the impact on your joints compared to road running, try running on the harder sand near the edge of the water.

Many professional surfers have realised the benefits of Yoga. Yoga works on your core strength, balance, flexibility and also helps to develop your mental and physical stamina. These are all critcal to surfers. Yoga also helps to develop calmness and patience which are also so very important for surfers. Other benefits include better posture, improved breathing and you will also be reducing your risk of injury. Yoga works on both the body and mind and is the perfect compliment to surfing.

Finally functional training can be of immense benefit to surfers. Boyle (2004), in his book 'Functional Training for Sports, Human Kinetics', states "In its simplest form, functional training teaches athletes how to handle their own body weight. Essentially functional training focuses on exercises that involve doing similar movements to what you would do whilst out in the surf. By focusing on surf specific exercises your surfing fitness will be unbelievably boosted and will take your surfing to a higher level. The real beauty of functional training is that you don't need to be a member of a gym. All you need to find is an even surface. You might want to invest in some items such as a fit ball, a medicine ball (a basketball will do) and weight plates. Functional Training helps to develop stamina, flexibility, superb core strength and fantastic power in the arms and legs. There are a number of excellent functional training programs available out there. It is worth taking looking at these and finding one that suits you.

By doing these activites your workouts will always be varied, this keeps it interesting and stops you from getting bored! All the time you will be building up your flexibility, strength and balance. You'll be performing amazing manoeuvres in no time! If you are going on a surfing trip soon, start your surf training program 4 - 6 weeks before you leave. At the end of the 6 weeks you will feel so physically fit and confident that you will know you are going to be surfing harder, longer and faster than ever before!