Surfing Waves

I started surfing at the beginning of November and have been going out every day since then, sometimes once a day, sometimes twice a day. Some days I stay out for two hours, some days it will turn into four hours. I've now been surfing for almost 150 days, I guess, and I have gotten a lot better. But my body doesn't seem to adapt as well to the couple hundred hours of surfing I have put in over the summer.

When I first started out I got a sore back a lot of the times, but that just went away after a while. However, lately my shoulders have been killing me. It's usually fine while I am in the water, but as soon as I get out they get sore again. At night it can hurt so much after a long session that it actually wakes me up. Not even a few beers with dinner help...

I've been reading up on it for the past few weeks and I have tried to change my paddling technique: I now make shorter strokes and I try to involve more of my body. I have started stretching before going out and I make sure I warm up slowly. I have started stretching after extra hot showers and massaging my shoulders afterwards. But it just keeps being sore!

Does this sound familiar to anyone and is there anything I can do about it? Any advice is much appreciated, I planned on getting enough time in the water this autumn, so that I would be able to switch to a shortboard by winter when the swells get bigger...

Well this is coming from a competitive swimmer (distance freestyle) so I know quite a bit about shoulder pain.

The biggest thing for me while I was swimming, was not stretching enough before practice. After I ruptured my right pec I started doing all types of stretching before and after. That said, what you need to do before you go surfing is do DYNAMIC stretching.

Forward arm swings, backwards arm swings, tricep arm swings, speed skaters, cross country ski swings etc. It is EXTREMELY important that it is DYNAMIC stretches and NOT static since you need to sufficiently warm up your muscles prior to getting in the water.

Now that said, after your session is where you need to do STATIC stretches. Try doing tricep stretches mainly , and also pulling your arm across your body, pulling it into your chest.

If you can manage to consistently do this before and after each session, you will notice a SIGNIFICANT decrease in your shoulder pain, and will help your body recover so you are 100% for your next session!

Good luck!!
Derek

Dynamic stretching was a completely new concept to me, but it certainly seems to get discussed quite a lot with reference to surfing. I've found lots of info about it. Thanks Derek!

If anyone else is interested, here's some info to go along with the post above:

Long Explanation about kinds of stretching
Video of dynamic stretching

Thibb-I have been surfing for a few months about 2-3 times per week. My left shoulder is very sore now. it does not appear to be muscle soreness but more in the joint. Will this type of stretching help or is this more for muscle soreness?

Thanks

I've been having sore shoulders related to my wetsuit; when I trunk it I am fine, but when I use my 3/2 my shoulder feels sore for the rest of the week. Keep in mind this is an old wetsuit that is well stretched out.

Are there wetsuits with extra stretch at the shoulder?

You are certainly not alone with the shoulder pain. I started surfing about 1.5 years ago and I'm in my mid-30's. So I don't bounce back as quickly as I did 10 years ago. I put in 2 four hour sessions on the weekend(also preparing for the winter swells ) but by the end of the weekend I have some sore joints as well.

Like derek said, the dynamic stretching saves a great deal of pain!

Also, as I am/was a competitive swimmer as well, I swim laps twice a week. After 1 swimming session, my shoulders already feel better. Working them and getting some good bloodflow through exercise will help. Swimming is a nice low impact exercise too.

check out this link: https://surfing-waves.com/surf-fitne ... aining.htm

mtizzle wrote:I've been having sore shoulders related to my wetsuit; when I trunk it I am fine, but when I use my 3/2 my shoulder feels sore for the rest of the week. Keep in mind this is an old wetsuit that is well stretched out.

Are there wetsuits with extra stretch at the shoulder?

Front zip wetsuits are much stretchier at the shoulders than back zip. The top of the range suits from the major manufacturers (Xcel, Rip Curl, O'Neill etc) are very stretchy nowdays - its almost like wearing spandex. Which does have issues if you arent the perfect speciman (but then I surf, so everyone is too busy laughing at my surfing to worry about laughing at me in spandex).

Keep in mind that different makes of wetsuit are different sizes across the shoulders, so get one that fits.

Also take a look at the posterior capsule stretch for preventing surfers shoulder.

I went surfing for the first time last week and must have overused my left rotator cuff. I went for about 2 hours 3 days in a row. I did no stretching or warmups (idiot). Now my rotator cuff feels like I really tweaked it, especially when I bend over and let my arm hng down to pick something up...wondering if I actually tore it. I hope not as I really want to get back out and learn more