Pre Surf Warm-Up

[BoMan]

According to Tracy Ann Axel, an athletic performance coach, we should warm-up dynamically before surfing to increase blood flow from the internal organs to the skeletal muscle, increase heart rate, improve range of motion, speed muscle contraction, and enhance strength.

http://www.theinertia.com/health/a-dynamic-pre-surf-warm-up/

My warm up is NOT dynamic or much of anything else. In less than a minute, I touch my toes, twist at the waist, swing my arms, crouch, and popup once in the sand. I should do more but after a long drive I just can’t wait to paddle out. There’s also the kook factor. I can’t resist smiling at folks who prepare like they are Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

What do you recommend?

[oldmansurfer]

I just walk from my car to the beach and I am out of breath and my heart rate is increased so isn't that enough? Just kidding. I usually do some groin stretches and shoulder stretches before going out, generally less than a minutes worth just to loosen up. My groin stretch is standing in the sand I take a wide stanch and bend at the knees then move my upper body over one knee and then the other and at the same time dropping the other knee down and rotating my upper body in the same direction. I keep my head at the same height and go back and forth a few times. Then I stand up and swing my arms in a mock swimming motion stretching my shoulders in all directions while mock swimming. Then I swing both arms in front and both arms back a few times. If there are more than one interesting peaks I may stay a while and observe them and do some more stuff.

[waikikikichan]

1) bend and stretch back as you lay board down on the sand
2) flex fingers around ankle as you put on the leash strap
3) stretch / extend legs as you pick up board
4) extend toes as you jump into water

or you can do a pre-surf routine like this guy.
https://www.facebook.com/Kooklife/video ... =2&theater

[Tudeo]

I try to do a lot of things to keep my old and worn body fit, a long warmup is part of that. But I try avoid looking too kookish doing all that on the beach, so I do it in the house before I jump on my motorbike to the beach (20-30min).

Waiting for traffic lights I stretch the neck, accepting the Bule Gila (crazy foreigner) judgement of the locals around me, who try not to stare..

On the beach I do again some (cool) short exercises only for the problem area's and jump in. Then for the first part of the long paddle out, I swim next my board. This is for an extra warmup in the legs and hips. Off course this destroys all the cool I've built up with my 'short' warmup..

After this I paddle slowly slowly to the lineup where I do a long wait on the far outside position to slow my heartrate and to let others have the first waves on the peak. After the mayhem of the first big set I paddle to the then empty peak position, and I'm ready for business.

[dtc]

Yes, the older you are the more warm up required. i end my warm up feeling no better than I would have felt 10yrs ago prior to any warm up.

[Big H]

Walking from where I park with the board gets a little sweat going. I have a specific routine that If Ibdeviate from feels like I missed something. I kneel in the sand with my feet flat under me and watch the break for as long as I need to. Once I've sorted out what is going on and where I want to be when I'm out there (3 min tops) I then stretch my arms out as far as I can in front of me and genuflect deeply for 30 sec, then I hop up into an Asian squat for 30 sec then grab my leash and touch my toes while putting on the leash. Then I get out into the water, dunk myself and vigoursly scrub my face with both hands to get all the oil off that gets in my eyes then I take a mouthful of water and gargle....if I miss any part of this I feel wrong for the next 20 min.

[BoMan]

My back requires the most recovery time after surfing and yet I do very little to strengthen it. Carrying my log, getting it off the car rack, and grabbing the rail to go backside down the line all contribute to the problem.

It's interesting how strong and how fragile the back can be. When I lift properly - bending at the knees and keeping my back straight - I can move heavy loads with no pain; but when I pickup my terrier pup the wrong way, I can be sore for days!

Here are 5 low impact excises for a stronger back. What do you think?

http://www.apmhealth.com/education/healthy-living/stretching---strengthening-tips/5-moves-to-strengthen-your-back-and-core

[Tudeo]

I benefit a lot of a daily yoga/stretch routine, especially my back. For me the trick is to not overdo it. Easier said that done. My body has gotten a lot stronger since I do this.

[oldmansurfer]

There is no reason to grab the rail just going backside unless the wave is going to hit you. I have been doing what I call stretches and come to find they are good for core strength. I lay down on my side aligned fairly straight. I put my hands under my head so I don't need to use my neck to hold my head straight then I raise my upper leg sideways as far as it will go then back down and then bring my knee up to my chest and repeat that originally 10 times but now I am up to 20 times then roll over and do the other side. Then I lay flat on my back and bring one knee up to where my foot is seated against my butt and I raise the other leg as high as it can go and then back down and repeat that 20 times (originally 10 times) then put the raised knee down and bring the other knee up and repeat. The I lay flat on my back with both legs down and bring one leg up as high as it will go (keeping the leg straight) and back down and repeat that 20 times (originally 10). I read in MIck Fannings book that he does 600 leg raises a day for his back and he has had a back problem. I recently added another set of exercises where I lay flat on my back and raise both legs as high as they will go and back down and repeat that 5 times then I put my legs straight out but maybe 2 to 6 inches off the ground and hold that during my exhale (maybe a second or two) then slowly inhale and bring my legs back to me keeping my feet 2 to 6 inches off the ground till I feel my hips rotate up and I may rest for a bit here just a second or two and then repeat for 5 times then I bring both feet up to my rear and do a butterfly where the bottoms of my feet are touching and I bring my arms up over my head and lay them down over my head to stretch my shoulders out at the same time while I slowly slide my feet touching each other down to straight again where they can't touch each other on the bottom. I do four sets of this new stretch. I forgot to mention I don't rest at all on any of those other exercises so when my feet come down they just tap the floor and back up immediately. The two leg lift thing is new and I hold tension in my back if I continue so I rest it a bit in the manner I mentioned above.

Long ago I did yoga before I started surfing and continued when I started so it wasn't anything to do with surfing but I was generally all stretched out at any moment of my life back then. What I used to do before surfing was mental imaging exercises where I would imagine what I wanted to do and kind of mind surf a wave all in my mind but doing this while standing up in my stance and sort of going through the motions

[Big H]

Here are 5 low impact excises for a stronger back. What do you think?

http://www.apmhealth.com/education/healthy-living/stretching---strengthening-tips/5-moves-to-strengthen-your-back-and-core

Bo, those look good except for the crunches which are a bad exercise no matter how they are done from what I have read (too many stresses on areas that can't handle such over a period of time). Planks are great for abs (which in turn support the lower back). One more that you might consider kills two birds with one stone and is one I do regularly.

Hang from a chin-up bar arms extended (great for stretching out your shoulders - bird one) and pull your knees up to your chest as high as is relatively comfortable, hold for a period (5 sec - 10sec) then slowly release back down in smooth control. Do reps of this and you'll tone the abs (bird two) and support that back.

[dtc]

I do a bit of gym work (2-3x per week) and my surfing is still terrible. Although maybe it would be worse without the gym?

[BoMan]

There is no reason to grab the rail just going backside unless the wave is going to hit you.

Yep. That's a bad habit I transferred from slaloming steep hills on my skateboard.

I have been doing what I call stretches and come to find they are good for core strength.

OMS is a fitness machine...thanks for the tips!

[oldmansurfer]

OMS is a fitness machine...thanks for the tips!

Long ago I was a fitness machine. Now I strive to get somewhere close....well .....maybe just not so far away from the level I was at before. I did nothing for fitness before, just my usual stuff that I enjoyed doing. Ok well once I kind of got out of shape during the school year so I picked pineapple in the summer to get in shape ($1.75/hour hard work)