Nobody can deny that surfing is among the most strenuous of the extreme sports. You only have to try it once and be in the water for half an hour to feel a great amount of respect for the surfers who go out and ride the waves every day of their lives. Not only is it a struggle getting out to the waves but riding itself is very draining as their as lots of different muscles working to keep you upright. So if you are going to want to get signed by the likes of Roxy, Rip Curl and Animal Clothing you’re going to have build those muscles. But which are the main muscles that get worked during surfing and which should you be training most?
Deltoids These are basically the shoulder muscles and they will take an absolute pounding during any surf session. As you paddle out to sea and are lying on your front on the board, most of your ofter torso muscles are disengaged and your shoulders do 80% of the workload. Because of the amount of paddling out that most surfers have to do, if your shoulder muscles are not up to the job, you will find yourself stuck on the beach pretty soon
Trapezius These are muscles that make up the upper back. They are also involved with the surfboards forward movement when you are paddling out, but are called into action more when you are ‘popping’ up on the board. This is a fast movement and requires a lot of power, so likewise you should be working hard and fast with your exercises in the gym
Abs and core muscles Your stabilising muscles need to be in peak condition otherwise you might as well just not get in the water. Although skill and balance are important elements in surfing, they are nothing without the muscles that are engaged to alter body position rapidly. These muscles need to have high priority in your training regime as their use is required during every surfing element. They can be worked on using a core-ball or similar instability fitness device.
Cardiovascular fitness should also be included in your surf training and there are plenty of second hand bikes that you can pick up and use to ride to the beach to help with this
