Working out for surfing

[Cali-surf]

i am not sure on how much to do on weighs...i dont wanna get to buff but just fit so tell me if i am over doing it or not enough. lol

bench press 6 reps (125pounds) 5 sets
fly's 12 reps (20 pounds each hand) 5 sets
barbell press 12 reps (20 pounds each hand) 5 sets
triceps 6 reps (60pounds) 5 sets
situps 40 reps...10 sets
jump rope 1200 times

second day
lats (the side thingy) 6 reps (70 pounds) 5 sets
Main back 6 reps (70pounds) 5 sets
2nd back 6 reps (20 pounds) 5 sets
shoulders-military 12reps (20 pounds) 5 sets
shoulder shrugs 12 reps (20 pounds) 5 sets
biceps 12 reps (20 pounds) 5 reps
jump rope 1200 times

i am 15 years old and dont wanna get buff just fit for surfing. I have limited equipment as you can see with the 20 pound hand weights...all i have lol. so what i need to know is if i am working the right areas and if so am i overdoing it?

[surf patrol]

Looks like you are serious about getting fit for surfing and this workout should do it. Here are a couple of things i'd say -
If you do not want to build yourself up too much then increase the amount of reps in each set and decrease the weight - this will favour endurance more than bulking up.
Add some stretching to your workout to improve your flexibility.
Go swimming to improve your endurance and cardio fitness, swimming freestyle targets the same groups of muscles that you will need for paddling.

[tree_hugger]

try doing some yoga that loosens the muscles up and make you more flexible.
surf mello

[swimmer_anna]

surf patrol is right - swimming will definitely improve your paddling. the first time i went surfing, i found paddling to be the easiest thing in the world since i'm a competitive swimmer. obviously, you don't have to do 5-7km a day like swimmers, but something like 1-2km seems appropriate. i suppose you could alter it depending on your swimming ability and also how much time you can devote to swimming. and maybe not necessarily every day. try to build it up, don't just do 2km the first day. also, it would probably be best that you don't limit your swimming to all freestyle, because
1. it WILL get monotonous.
2. your shoulders will not like you for it.
3. maintaining some balance in your swimming will make you stronger overall. because all four strokes in swimming will lead you to a strong body; arms, legs, and core.

so yeah, swimming rocks for surfing. oh by the way, doing chin ups will also make you super strong, and helps swimming, hence also helps surfing.

another thing you might not know about is tubing. it's rubber tubing with paddles on the ends for your hands and you bend forwards and do fly and freestyle pulls on them. this is probably a great alternative for you if you cannot get out to a pool very often. it's really great in addition to swimming. and probably as a surfer, not a swimmer, you will like having that option.

anyway, basically SWIM, do TUBING, CHIN UPS, all the other things you mentioned, and try to keep things VARIED for the best results and least monotony. you should attempt to alternate between leg workouts and arm workouts interms of your weight training as well......

good luck!

[TokyotheKid]

i have a book called fit for surf..or something like that by ROCKY SNYDER ;) its good, i like it and yeah dont overtrain and drink plenty of liquids.

a good way to keep up your paddling is to a rope with a bucket to your board and then paddle around on a flat day. its hard! but fun.. in a way

peace

[Guest]

Dude, I do weights, have done for years with my other sport (cycling). Man you're way overdoing it. If you do your weights properly, you should not be able to tolerate multiple workouts of the same muscle group in less than say, 3-4 days. If you can...you're not doing them hard enough to start with.

The key thing to remember is. YOU WILL NOT BUFF/BULK UP. Get over that mind-set, unless you increase your testos levels (take chemicals) or anabolic steroids your body is as it is, you will however harden up physically (the muscles will define & harden), you may grow, perhaps 5% in size for the 12 hr period after a really hard session (pumped), but other than that...you will not increase in size. It is a very rare person who bulks up. they are the genetic exception rather than the norm.

If you were to do hard weights then rest completely, do no other sporting physical exercise...you would stand more chance of increasing in size. But the EXERCISE you do by surfing negates size increases as well.
It's all about your ratio of type A & tybe B muscle fibers. By taking part in an aerobic activity (surfing) that mostly uses type B fibers, you negate the increasing levels of typa A fibers you gain by doing hard weights. Understand? That's why endurance athletes like road cyclists never grow huge legs. ...but track cyclists who do far less road-time do...understand? That's why middle distance runners don't, but sprinters do. Easy eh?

You need to do whole body weights for surfing, not just upper body. My old cycling coach always said, you can't have a big engine in a weak chassis. You need to do legs as well (do them hard) , do dead-lifts to strengthen your back. Do abdominal exercises to strengthen your torso, (like Russian twists etc), you do twist on a surfboad after all eh? , The key surfing exercise is Shoulder Press. That is the most surfing specific weights exercise I know of. I practice pop-ups also.
I know, this is my programme it works for me. Perhaps you might take something of value from it?
I do it in a weekly cycle, 4 mornings a week. I do no more than 1 hr a morning in the gym. I do my weights properly and I'm shattered when I leave the gym.

Monday - Legs & Abs.
Legs press, Hamstrings, Calves & Abs ( I do 5 sets of about 8 of everything - hard as I can)

Tuesday - Arms & torso
Biceps, Triceps, russian twists, pop-ups.

Wednesday - Chest & back
Bench press & flys, incline bench press & Laterial pull-down, Upright Row
Abs (hard)

Thursday - Shoulders
Shoulder press, laterial raises (middle & rear), pullovers, back extensions.
Pop-ups.

Then I have three mornings off. I really practice pop-ups too...that's something everybody should do unless they're in the water more then 4 times at week. Weights give you horsepower, make padding to catch waves a pleasure, but, THEY DO NOT MAKE YOU A BETTER SURFER. They just give you the core strength to be a better surfer. Understand?

[babyboarder89]

WOW, you are all so dedicated, you do loads. i once tried to do 200 sit ups every morning, after 2 days i couldnt move and that was the end of my training. im very impressed.

[Cal-surf]

I dont have a gym pass and cant get one (just broke board and getting a new one...aka no money for gym pass) with what i have (bench a pull down bar for back and lats and triceps both can get to 180 and two hand weighs 20 pounds each and a jumprope) am i doing enough?

[Guest]

once you get you new board, save up some money and join a gym, get a couple of books on sports specific weights programmes from your local library (that one mentioned in the post above is excellent - I bought it earlier this year), learn what you can by reading, then go to the gym & ask the staff to help you.
Go to it.

[leolivi]

Hey cali-surf, You are only 15 years old you know, Weights are not advised until your body is fully developed. You can lift weights, but should not lift a lot. Maybe sets of 20 reps...

For surf strength is not that important, so running and other aerobic activities are good.

About not getting big muscles, you dont need to rise any testosterone. My friend was very thin and did not take any drugs and in two years he gained something lie 10 kg of pure muscle. I am sure he did not take drugs for that.

The most important thing is: for 15 years old you will develop your body in a diferent way if you lift too much weight. Do not do anything less then 15 reps unless you get some professional advising, and try to vary your exercises as much as possivle. Lift weights one day, run the other, dance another, swim, whatever...

Skateboarding is great. If you learn how to pump a skateboard that's a whole body exercise and LOTS of fun.

[Cal-surf]

i know i am young about to be 16 and i heard lifting weighs can be bad at my age. That is why i am lifting very low weight...my max on bench is 170 and i do 125 and will not go higher on bench. Everything i am doing is very low. i think that makes a difference right? lol

[Guest]

I just looked back at this thread to see what else was coming out of the woodwork...perhaps I didn't read it properly but I've only just realised your age. (I'm the dude who wrote the big-long spiel with my weights programme above).
At 15 you are to young to be doing a serious weights programme....get out there and enjoy youself - go surfing, chase girls around, go surfing, and just enjoy being a kid.

It's ok to "muck around" with weights at your age, but the serious gym mindset is unhealthy for a young man of your age.
I am 38, and at my age it's ok to do weights as it keeps us old-fellas tuned-up so we can chase young guys like you around.... My programme is for a mature, experienced gym person. Not a young dude

Now, disregard all I wrote above and go & enjoy yourself ;-)

[driftwood]

definately get some yoga on the go. you dont have to do all the spiritual stuff just the exercises. They'll improve your all round fitness loads.
books are easy to find and any one will do, not neccercerily one specifically for surfing.

proper

[southcoaster]

xxxxx might i wouldnt do weight at your age, me and my mate did it loads when we were your age, did it for like three years untill i was seventeen then stoped and we used to get shakey fingers and hands when you held them out, only jusst stopped and thats been nearly two years!! really wouldnt advise it it will bugger you up if your not develop properly, if your are gonna do it, dont over do it! keep it to high reps and kinda light weights!

[fhjxd]

get a indo board.

[jethro-bodine]

THE BEST WAY is just surf. while surfing don't stop paddling. while all the other guy's just sit there on there boards waiting keep paddling. Here in florida if there is a big swell you can't stop paddling at all since there is alwase a current. What this does is some guy will catch a wave, then you will, you will be so used to it that you will be out in the line ready to catch another wave before the other guy is even close to being on the outside again.

JUST KEEP PADDLING AND DON'T STOP.

[Snatch.TheReservoirDog]

hey my first post.

I just started surfing, and everyone was telling me how hard paddling out was, but when I started it was amazingly easy and fun. I was going twice as fast as everyone else. I've been following this workout since I'm interested in joining the Marine Corps after high school:

http://seals.longboys.net/warning_order.htm

I used to go to the weight room about everyday, and it was making me stronger but I feel that doing pushups and situps and pullups are better. They train you for longendurance, rather than just short endurace/strong muscle spasms'.

[SeanSurf]

I hav jst started surfing aswell and i have found that just going surfing keeps me fit enough to go out.
But i am also no starting to use the gym just to give me extra strength to make mi pop up quicker.

[Simpl]

i just started wind surfing and the first time i went my back realy hurt

i started doing situps while touching my knees with my elbows but i dont know what to do for my back

[SeanSurf]

I wld advise jst streches for ur bk i cnt think of ne exercises for it but i am deffinately sure tht there r some.