Elastic Band Training

[LOLRuss]

Ok, that makes sense. I can see how 10 lbs of weight gain is going to slow you down if you had only just mastered the pop-up. Like I said: the eating/drinking/slacking factors are probably more important than the time off. I played a team sport for over ten years and after the summer break (three months) we usually found that the guys who had had a bit of an active summer pretty much picked up where they left off, but the guys who had been partying and smoking all summer ended up puking during their guts out during the first endurance runs in practice. Needless to say the coaches enjoyed these moments of victory...

Well, if I am out of the water for 3 weeks my arms go to pot. And it takes me more than a few sessions to get back to my previous level. I have issues with getting enough speed for waves sometimes because I have a lot of mass to move - so I'm trying to get my paddling to the next level. I need more power and endurance to be able to paddle at an angle into a wave and still catch it, and ride the line. So I really didn't want to have to start all over, if you know what I mean. Maybe its not literally starting over but... when I go out there after a long lull where we get NO waves, it FEELS like I'm starting over because there are so many of these flat periods that I end up having lead arms half the time and my shoulders weren't developing the power I need them to.

So I guess thats the context. Its not that my paddling arms literally go back to the way they were before I started surfing but... the constant yo-yo of adaptation/atrophy was really holding me back. So I took to training my upper body.

[billie_morini]

My sister likes to excercise with bands. I find using free weights every other day between surfing keeps my arms in good condition for paddling again.

[LOLRuss]

Yeah, I'm aching for teh iron. I'm not paying for another gym membership so I'm looking for some used dumbells so I can superset with the bands and really wail on my arms for strength + endurance.

[sebastiansurfer]

i bench and found the perfect swimtechnique if you dont care what you look likelet your whole lower boady just sink and try to freestyle down.the straight down weight imitates a surfboard(DONT use your legs!)

[LOLRuss]

I don't quite know what you mean?

[sebastiansurfer]

ok.when you swim freestyle you kick with your legs and alternate with your arms
let your legs just hang in the water like dead weight
its difficult to explain
you feel like your drowning but it helps those muscles!

[NJKILLSYOU]

step 1: tie ankle end of leash to diving board

step 2: paddle


thats what i do sometimes, but i dont think i really need to.

[LOLRuss]

Update: I did lunges and body-weight deep squats and pushups and burpees mostly daily for a week or two, as well as paddling a few times when it was flat and...

result: shoulder high faces, and I was popping up and dropping in on those things and making the bottom turn. It was glorious. Major breakthrough in my surfing. I've never gone so fast on a surfboard - I could whip the board and turn back and forth and it was fun as hell. I am close to being able to ride the line in the green - I just need to angle into the waves and turn as I go down the face.

Too Much Information Update: The reason I've been having so much trouble getting fit for surfing is... low testosterone. Like really low. My nuts stopped working. I just took my first weekly shot of testosterone, so I'm hoping my surfing will really improve! This explains why my conditioning was so fragile, why it would go away so quickly, why I hurt ALL THE TIME from surfing and exercising, and why it took me so long to get the pop up. So glad I found out and got that treated.

[LOLRuss]

ok.when you swim freestyle you kick with your legs and alternate with your arms
let your legs just hang in the water like dead weight
its difficult to explain
you feel like your drowning but it helps those muscles!

I've been swimming a lot lately, and I do try not to kick much so I work my arms more. One thing I noticed the other day when I went out without a leash on - going after my board was NO PROBLEM. I freaking flew after it. It was cool.

[garbarrage]

ok.when you swim freestyle you kick with your legs and alternate with your arms
let your legs just hang in the water like dead weight
its difficult to explain
you feel like your drowning but it helps those muscles!

I've been swimming a lot lately, and I do try not to kick much so I work my arms more. One thing I noticed the other day when I went out without a leash on - going after my board was NO PROBLEM. I freaking flew after it. It was cool.

personally, i treat swimming as a sport in its own right... so i swim properly as i believe being slippery in the water is an accomplishment in itself and may just get me out of a tight spot if i ever get in trouble out there....
the main reason i concentrate on how far i can swim as oppossed to how fast.... this goes by the wayside the one night a week i swim with a mate as without saying anything we push each other really hard as we are both trying to out do the other.

[LOLRuss]

Major breakthrough: caught lots of waves in the green, a few great late drops I made, and I rode the line a couple times.

[garbarrage]

congrats mate... no feeling in the world quite like it... especially when you've worked so hard.

[LOLRuss]

I was really surprised... I rode a couple waves almost to the beach, and they never broke. I've never been able to catch green waves that well before.

[matt2000]

Woa, did i hear that right? testosterone shot? the last thing we need is surfers on steroids and razor bladed boards. Seriously, i train the mind instead of the muscles. I notice the good surfers barely need 1 or 2 strokes and they are up. They are thin looking guys too, even kids. It's not the quantity, but the quality of the strokes, i started thinking. While lulling around waiting for waves, i analyze my strokes. I must have tried at least a dozen variations. My breakthrough is this: keep your upper body relaxed. I used to train, bulk up, etc. This only reinforces the 'no pain, no gain'. Yes, you will move a little faster, but also spending a lot of energy, therefore having less to focus on finer aspects of surfing. Relaxed deep strokes. Give your board a chance to respond and glide before the next strokes. Pay attention and see how your breathing tenses up, etc. "Less pain, more gain". Good luck.