The best way to think about what a surfer’s body looks like is by analyzing the best surfers in the world’s bodies. When you look at professional surfers, they don’t have big muscles, they don’t look like bodybuilders, nor are they super shredded.
None of the professional surfers I know of are below 10% body fat, they tend to be above 15% body fat on average. Surfers have wide shoulders and strong arms for paddling.
Surfers have low body fat, but not enough to be ripped or shredded, they need just enough body fat to cope with the high endurance sport that surfing is. So, surfers do need approximately 10-15% body fat to burn during a high-intensity surfing cardio workout session.
My idea of the ideal surfer’s body is:
- Upper body strength
- Endurance (cardio)
- Upper body endurance
- Flexibility
- Core strength
You can get a surfer’s body by training on land with lunges, squats, planks, burpees (core strength exercises), and a whole range of stretches for flexibility. Swimming and treading water for cardio endurance. Surfers drink large amounts of water before surfing, think about how a surfer would endure a four-hour surfing session without any food or water.
When you get fit enough to surf, you’ll be ready to start practicing surfing at home. This is how you can get yourself ready for hitting the waves from the comfort of home.
Why Do Surfers Have Nice Bodies? (Surfing Fitness)
Surfers acquire nice bodies through daily cardio exercises that last for four hours at a time. This is a form of an endurance workout that burns large amounts of fat while building lean muscles for long surf sessions without a break.
Seeing a surfer standing on a board and gliding on top of waves seems easy, and that’s why we can forget that surfing actually requires surfers to use many muscles of their body. To begin with, the act of paddling with their hands exercises cardio.
In fact, paddling on a surfing board for a certain period of time can have the same benefits as swimming. Not only will this improve surfers’ cardio levels, but it will also help build muscle in the arms, legs, and chest.
Once they are standing on the board and surfing the waves there are other muscles involved as well.
Experienced surfers may not realize that the concentration of they put on their bodies to manage to stand on the board is great for strengthening their core.
What type of surfer are you? Here’s my article on all the different types of surfing styles there are.
Surfing Exercises For Beginners (Surfing Fitness)
Surfing Exercises For Beginners. Surfing can be hard in the beginning so, choosing the right exercises will help you better prepare your body.
You should focus on exercises that will improve your overall muscle strength, your endurance, and, of course, your balance. Some of the exercises you should do are the following:
- Push-ups, as will help you exercise the muscles of your upper body, as well as your core,
- Squats, since they will help you mimic the pose you will have while standing on the board,
- Twisting burpees, as they will help you prepare for the movement you are going to experience on the board,
- Lunges to help you get a better balance of your body,
- Running. This simple act will help you increase your resistance, as surfing can be quite tiring for those who don’t usually practice physical exercise,
- Swimming, since you will use the same muscles of the upper body when you paddle.
How Do Surfers Train? (Surfing Fitness)
How Do Surfers Train? Surfers do most of their training on land. They do need to spend a lot of time on a surfing board to become experienced, but they also need to prepare their body for it.
Surfers do a lot of strength exercises, especially focusing on their upper bodies, as well as balance exercises to make sure they can easily adapt to a board moving on waves.
Surfers also spend time improving their physical resistance by doing cardio exercises such as running long distances. This will help them build physical endurance enabling them to surf for longer periods of time.
Surfers don’t forget the importance of flexibility and agility either. They must have good reflexes and can perform fluid body movements on the board since they are never still in the same place. These exercises are important to prevent anybody lesions.
Swimming is an important aspect of learning to surf. Here is how important it is.
Why Is Surfing So Tiring? (Surfing Fitness)
Surfing is tiring because of the endurance required to last several hours out in the surf without a break. The waves keep coming, so the surfer needs to keep paddling, surfing is an endurance sport. Good cardio is needed for surfers to have a long surfing session.
Why is Surfing So Tiring? Besides being exhausting for the body, surfing, like many other sports, can be exhausting for the mind, especially if you are a beginner surfer.
You can feel a lot of stress when you go surfing, whether because you still find the sea daunting and you are still afraid of falling and being caught in a wave, or because of all the anticipation. Either way, you will be feeling stressed which can easily tire you out.
When you are stressed your breathing can worsen which can make you tired faster. For this, you will need to learn breathing exercises and practice them so you can better control your breathing and feel energetic for longer.
Besides, the surf is a sport that requires you to use many muscles at the same time without realizing it. This too can make you feel tired sooner than you expected.
Is Surfing Good For Losing Weight? (Surfing Fitness)
Surfers have a low body fat percentage due to the demands of surfing in general. You will lose weight by becoming a surfer. The ocean will act as your personal trainer by sending a constant flow of waves toward you, this will push you to keep paddling. And while you are out in the surf, there will be no opportunity for you to eat. Forcing you to reduce your intake of food.
Is Surfing Good For Losing Weight? Surfing has been proven many times to help people lose weight. Because the aerobics involved in it are the same as in swimming.
On this alone, surfing is great to help you lose weight, but it has another benefit. This activity helps to increase your metabolism, therefore, increasing your appetite.
Don’t be alarmed by this, because most surfers change their diet when they start surfing as well.
The whole idea that surrounds surfing is to be in contact with nature, and that makes people seek a diet that is rich in nutrients, protein, and good fat, and low in saturated sugars, fats, and added artificial chemicals.
All this combined will make it easier for you to lose weight and achieve a healthier lifestyle.
Do Surfers Live Longer? (Surfing Fitness)
Surfers do Live Longer? The notion that surfers live longer is gaining strength and with good reason. Many studies have shown that surfers can live longer due to the longer sun exposure.
Yes, being under the sun for hours can increase the risk of developing skin cancer, even if a surfer applies sunscreen regularly, it can easily lose its effect if it comes into contact with water.
However, sunbathing is proven to increase your life expectancy. Not only that, but since surfing is an activity practiced outdoors, you will be avoiding the main issues caused by sedentarism, such as heart disease, diabetes, and high cholesterol for example.