A good warm up is key before getting in the water to surf. Surfing is an extremely intense full body workout, so it’s essential to make sure all your muscles are ready for it to help prevent injury. Below are a few of our favourite warm up exercises and stretches.
Now, it shouldn’t just be any old stretches you do before going for a surf. Ideally, you have a warm up exercise routine which recreates movements that you will be doing whilst surfing. We’ve put a few of our favourite dynamic warm up exercises down for you which really get the blood flowing in the muscles warmed up ready for surfing.
Breathing squat
Perform a normal bodyweight squat, exhale as the body moves down and inhale as you bring your body back up whilst extending your arms towards the sky.
Warrior lunge
Start in a standing position and lunge forward into the standard lunge position, extend your arms to the sky then push up off your front foot and back into the starting position.
T rotation push-ups
Begin in a push-up position and rotate one arm and your hip towards the sky. You should now be balanced on one hand with your other arm reaching towards the sky. Rotate back into the starting push up position and repeat with the other side of your body.
Bent shoulder circles
Keeping a straight back and slightly bent knees bend your upper body forwards. Bend until you find an angle where you begin to feel a light stretch in your hamstrings. Bring the arms out to the sides into a T shape. Perform small arm circles for around 30 repetitions in each direction.