Fitness

[Millsy82]

After what seems like a really long, windy winter when I have not managed to get out as much as I'd like I went out on Sunday and found i was shattered after about 45 minutes then I started missing waves (the tiredness wasn't helped by catching a pretty poor wave but milking it all the way to the beach then had to paddle all the way back out again)

Over the winter I've got out as often as I could but I only ever go to 3 beaches as I don't really know the rest so ov

[Millsy82]

Sorry fat fingers and new phone

Over the summer I'm going to try new beaches ready for next winter.

My question is when I can't get out over the winter what is the best thing to keep me for enough for when I can eventually get out. I'm not usually finished work before night fall so only have weekends now I can start to get out after work to build my fitness up.

[Oldie]

Do you have a indoor pool nearby - those typically are open after hours, too? I would go at least twice a week. And then all sorts of pulling exercises, daily burpees and core strengthening exercises like planks etc. I think that high Intensity training will help more than endurance/cardio as paddling is more lke a sprint.

[BoMan]

Do you have a indoor pool nearby - those typically are open after hours, too? I would go at least twice a week. And then all sorts of pulling exercises, daily burpees and core strengthening exercises like planks etc. I think that high Intensity training will help more than endurance/cardio as paddling is more lke a sprint.

Good call! I take a water exercise class two times a week at the community college where the instructor lets me swim my own workout. On the other days, I do pulling exercises with a resistance band along with push-ups and pop-up practice. This combination allows me to paddle strong when I surf.

DTC is swimming coach...or ought to be...and has posted some great ideas.

Train for distance, train for speed

What I suggest trying is laps 'on time' - so lets say you are doing 25m repetitions (personally I suggest at least 50m but if 25m is what you feel like you are up to, then 25m). It takes you 14 seconds at the moment. So do 10 laps 'on 30 seconds' - basically every 30 seconds you start a new lap. So (for example), your first lap takes 15 seconds, you rest 15 seconds and push off right at 30 seconds. Next lap takes 16 seconds, rest 14 seconds, push off right at 1min. etc etc. Until you have done xx laps (6 or 8 or 10, depending on fitness). Once you get to 10 laps 'on 30' then, next session, drop the time - to, say, 'on 25' (something like 27 seconds would probably be a good drop, but trying to figure out 27 seconds after 9 laps might be a bit hard!).

This is just one part of the session - so you might do 'on time' for a block; another block might be swim 75m or 100m as fast as you can and then rest until you feel good again (breath back), then do another 75m sprint etc. Notice your times and try to beat them next time. Another block might be 400m at any pace but no stopping. If you want (a bit more advanced) do descending sets eg 4x25m as fast as possible on 20 or 22 seconds; then rest for a couple of minutes. Then 4x25m on 25 seconds and rest. Then 4 x 25m on 30 seconds.

[dtc]

no, not a swim coach, just a flounderer

The main problem with surf training is that there isnt a part of the body that isnt used when you surf. So surfing specific training really means whole body training, for both power (muscle power and sprint power) and for (some) endurance. Which means specialisation is pretty hard.

For swimming, if you are just starting out, I highly recommend starting off with the 0 - 1650 (or 0 -1500 in the real world) program here http://ruthkazez.com/swimming/ZeroTo1mile.html

after you can swim 1500, then that is probably enough distance/endurance for weekend warrior surfers. So then start looking at sprints as per the above (indeed, you could potentially start sprints once you can swim, say, 1000m) mixed up with longer swims and whatever keeps you interested (for example, I currently do 10 x 100m sprints then swim a longer interval (400 - 500m) then play around with whatever I feel like for another 500 - 1000m (meaning I might mix up 50m sprints, or 200m at 80% or swim 100m but sprint for 20m each lap etc)). But whatever works, so long as you are getting a good workout (puffing, feel tired at the end). Swimming can 'encourage' you to swim at a slow speed in a relaxing manner, because it feels good; but this is very inefficient for fitness improvement. You dont get better at running a 5km race by slowly walking 5km.

As a tip, a pull buoy can make things a bit easier when you are starting out and perhaps struggling a bit; but dont worry about fins or hand paddles etc. Goggles and pool buoy, and a water bottle on the pool deck, is all you need (oh, and swimwear I guess). I really like using a stop watch to prevent me getting lazy, any waterproof watch will do (or there are swim specific ones - I use a garmin; but it works the same as a $15 one off ebay)

What you will find when you surf is that your paddling technique uses 70-80% of the same muscles as swimming, and the other 20-30% will get painful and be what holds you back in the surf. As Oldie said, pulling exercises should also be used and this can compensate for some of the bits that swimming doesnt cover (pull ups are very good). This wont prevent something feeling sore, but you can adjust your workouts to hit those sore areas more (eg if your triceps get sore paddling, do tricep excercises like rows more than pull ups).

Secondary focus to pulling muscles I suggest should be core, then posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings), then pushing
muscles (chest, biceps). But if you are doing weights, really a full body workout with a slight emphasis on pulls ups and rows is the way to go

Rest, eat well, keep limber (yoga).

Its easy.... until your first surf is in overhead white water close outs