Surfing Waves

Hey !

One thing recently got me thinking.

I am currently learning on 7.6" board. I am 186 cm height, 81 kg weight.

If I loose some weight, would that basically mean increasing my board size/liters, if you know what I mean?

Would that make it easier to catch more waves due to less water surface on the board thus making me faster when paddling it?

Of course plus all the benefits of being lighter overall.

Par

Yes, basically

The paddle equation is a little less complicated than that.
You lose weight your board floats better, easier to paddle!
You get a good bigger board it paddles easier!
Most times if you get a bigger higher rocketed board it paddles harder.
You get a more bouyant board it paddles better than a board of similar dimensions.
The more volume the harder they are to duck dive , think pushing bigger corks under water.
For learning,
better paddling boards mean catching more waves, each wave is an ingredient to improve your learning. I would still suggest at least 8ft for you. ( I reread your posts).
GET WATER TIME!

Surfing is one of the few sports in the world, where it's beneficial to be as small and petite as possible. Look at the pro-surfers, many of them have almost feminine bodies they are so small. Adriano DeSouza weights 135lbs, lol. Being at a lighter weight is more advantageous. You will be lighter and quicker to your feet, and you won't have to paddle as hard to catch waves. Your board will float you better and you will be able to paddle more efficiently going further with each stroke. We've all seen those guys that weight about 140lbs, not even paddle and catch wave after wave. So get yourself on a good diet and fitness routine.

Also, pullups is the best exercise to help your paddling. So if you don't have one, get a pullup bar, and start doing pullups frequently.

Once the wind is offshore then more weight helps. If you watch the pros the small guys have trouble in larger waves with offshore wind or when the wind is sideshore and they have to surf into it. However being overweight is different in that if you are larger due to muscle mass then your muscle will help you surf but if you are heavier due to fat then you have the muscles of a smaller person but are burdening them with carrying this extra weight in fat along.

All the above is correct, but at 186 cm height, 81 kg weight you arent going to be dropping to 135lb anytime soon. Honestly, that 5kg you might lose probably wont make a noticeable difference. It might if you were surfing right on the edge of your 'volume', you could drop from (say) 28.4litres to 27.5 litres; but with a mid length board its not really going to make much difference. Or, putting it another way, other things will make a far bigger difference than a few kg.

This is just in terms of boards. Obviously there are benefits in being as lean/fit/strong/fit as possible, both surfing and otherwise.

I reckon I have found the best gym surfing exercise - a rope climbing machine ('endless rope machine'). Basically its a loop of rope that goes through a pulley and you just climb the rope for 1000m (or whatever you can do). You can set it up to almost replicate a paddle stroke and it works the lats, shoulders, grip (for those turtle rolls) and aerobics. Not sure how you can do this exercise without the machine however, so its pretty gym specific. You can get a similar strength workout with just a rope (lay on the ground with the rope between your legs and pull yourself to a standing position), but that doesnt have the aerobic element. Pulls ups work similar muscles but are more strength than endurance

Thanks for your thoughts on this.

I am kinda trying to loose weight anyways so was looking for a confirmation it will hopefully benefit my surfing as well.

jafa1949:

I think the problem with water time for me is I have too much! I spend 3 hours a day in the water unless the conditions are really bad, and I think it's not ideal. I get exhausted mentally and physically..
And my biggest breakthroughs in surfing (which are still baby steps) so far happened _after_ a long break from water (due to cold or other reasons)

So I think there's a happy medium somewhere, I just need to find it

Parito, it is never a good idea to surf to exhaustion, first for safety. You need to have reserve energy to save yourself should the need arise.
Secondly the more tired you are the more your motor skill and judgement fall apart.
Two one hour sessions in a day are better overall than a five hour session unless you are really surf fit.
Your wave count can be a way of judging how long or when you start losing that little burst that gets you on the wave.
Choosing your sessions for better conditions can help save energy too, going through the full washing machine with rinse and spin burns energy and saps confidence.
If you are over matched don't struggle to stay out come in and do it some other time.

Spend no surfing time at the beach, use it to refresh yourself and view what other people are doing. Body surf, ride a boogy board, just have some fun days.
Having fun burns weight, can relieve depression and is vital in stress management.
Take it easy on yourself, surfing is about shedding stress not making it

weight loss is tricky since if you will be exercising more then you will gain in muscle mass and lose fat but your weight will not change much. But if you diet then you will lose fat without putting on muscle mass however if you think you can lose weight by dieting and then once lost go back to eating the same way forget it, you'll just put back on all that weight. However I am sure in the long run your body will appreciate the weight loss since it is carrying extra weight and putting extra stress on your body. I recently lost 10 pounds and suddenly my hiking was way easier but if I carry that extra 10 pounds along in a pack then it was the same so either I had to do more exercise to get the same effect or carry weights.

parito wrote:I am 186 cm height, 81 kg weight.

Why do you want to lose weight? Your BMI* is perfect.
Get fitter, get better at surfing, sit out back and take a good deep breath once in a while. No worries






* yes, yes, I know that the BMI isn't a very good system.

I found that running made a big difference in my ability to surf, mainly because I dropped 60lbs and all of a sudden my board was floating better, but also because my body was used to the cardio and I could paddle harder and longer without getting winded

mjames wrote:I found that running made a big difference in my ability to surf, mainly because I dropped 60lbs and all of a sudden my board was floating better, but also because my body was used to the cardio and I could paddle harder and longer without getting winded

It's much easier to paddle without the extra 60 pounds. Much easier to do everything probably. Easier to run too. Only thing extra fat does is help you stay warm. When I was a youngster I had no body fat and got chilled if there was a strong cold wind (Hawaii) came in from surfing with blue lips and chattering my teeth uncontrollably. Now I have a few extra pounds of body weight (fat) and I am never cold in the water.

I think just surfing alone causes weight loss. I especially noticed when I started wearing a wetsuit for winter and downsized to a smaller board paddling became a lot harder. The pounds melted off. I have lost 20 kg in one year. I surf from early morning and long sessions 4-6 hours so I rarely have time to eat which may have something to do with it.

jaffa1949 wrote:Body surf, ride a boogy board, just have some fun days.
Having fun burns weight, can relieve depression and is vital in stress management.
Take it easy on yourself, surfing is about shedding stress not making it.

I completely agree! Since it's 1 1/2 hour drive to my favorite spot I'm always tempted to stay in the water too long to get my money's worth and this is bad for safety and confidence. So, I break my session into two parts separated by beach time when I will have a gatorade, watch other surfers and take a few pictures. Skimboarding is also a blast to practice sliding and riding the oncoming waves. After the break, I'm recharged, WARM, and ready to go.

BoMan wrote:

jaffa1949 wrote:Body surf, ride a boogy board, just have some fun days.
Having fun burns weight, can relieve depression and is vital in stress management.
Take it easy on yourself, surfing is about shedding stress not making it.

I completely agree! Since it's 1 1/2 hour drive to my favorite spot I'm always tempted to stay in the water too long to get my money's worth and this is bad for safety and confidence. So, I break my session into two parts separated by beach time when I will have a gatorade, watch other surfers and take a few pictures. Skimboarding is also a blast to practice sliding and riding the oncoming waves. After the break, I'm recharged, WARM, and ready to go.

thepatch2.jpg

I like the beach break idea. Gonna try that next time.

hit_the_lip wrote:Also, pullups is the best exercise to help your paddling. So if you don't have one, get a pullup bar, and start doing pullups frequently.

I used to hit 10 on the way to my morning and evening showers; right there in my bathroom doorway. Been off it for awhile; hit 10 this morning to get back in the swing....pullups and pushups target groups of muscles and between those two and dips you're pretty much covered for building up muscles that you use in surfing though I wouldn't substuite actual water time which is by far the most fun way to build up your surfing muscles (by surfing!)

One of the facets of my job is menu design for our Spa program, one of the programs being a weight loss program. The ONLY way to lose weight is to take in less than what you put out, period. Exercise is great....while exercising you burn a higher rate of calories than you would just sitting, but the true benefits are in boosting you metabolism so that you continue to burn a higher rate of calories while at rest as well as general fitness. But real weight loss begins and ends in the kitchen; if you are serious about your weight loss goals you need to take a close look at what you eat, when you eat it and how much you are eating. Rules of thumb are to reduce sugar, carbs, and fats, increase proteins and water drinking, eat earlier than later, and eat more frequently but in smaller portions. Eliminate alcohol totally during your dieting; absolute empty calories and not that great for a body that is being taxed with exercise and lower calorie intakes. Also stop sodas and almost all juices; as healthy as juice can be they are often loaded with natural or added sugars; drink water, water and more water; if that is boring put some infusions like lemon wedges or orange slices inside. You can lose weight just by changing your diet and nothing else; exercise will enhance and while you will put on a little muscle weight if you are overweight now you will certainly realise a drop in your waist line if you address your diet and stick with your new hobby. BTW active surfing (not bobbing in the lineup) can burn around 500 calories /hour in colder water. I have overseen friends that I've put on the program transforming themselves so dramatically that I've been encouraged to write a book. That's the last thing anyone needs is another fad diet; eat less than what you burn and be really strict with yourself and you'll lose weight like you were getting paid to do it.

mjames wrote:I found that running made a big difference in my ability to surf, mainly because I dropped 60lbs and all of a sudden my board was floating better, but also because my body fat was used to the cardio and I could paddle harder and longer without getting winded

Hello mjames,
I also find that running is good for my health and has also increased my stamina greatly.

drowningbitbybit wrote:

parito wrote:I am 186 cm height, 81 kg weight.

Why do you want to lose weight ? Your BMI* is perfect.
Get fitter, get better at surfing, sit out back and take a good deep breath once in a while. No worries






* yes, yes, I know that the BMI isn't a very good system.

Hello,
I want to know how can i check my accurate BMI??
Thanks in advance.

thepast123 wrote:

drowningbitbybit wrote:

parito wrote:I am 186 cm height, 81 kg weight.

Why do you want to lose weight ? Your BMI* is perfect.
Get fitter, get better at surfing, sit out back and take a good deep breath once in a while. No worries






* yes, yes, I know that the BMI isn't a very good system.

Hello,
I want to know how can i check my accurate BMI??
Thanks in advance.

Get a pair of skinny jeans and hit the clubs on a Saturday night.....