If you've stuck your face in a surf mag or watched the action on any number of videos and possibly want to try riding monster surf yourself, then here are a few ways to prepare for the on-coming season.
The best way to build confidence and improve your ability is to get out there and surf. Consistency is the only way to improve your skills. Consistent good surf during the summer months in California is rare. So if you can, take a trip to a reputable challenging destination, such as Indonesia or the South Pacific. Travelling to unfamiliar places can increase self confidence and definitely improve your surfing. Another advantage to travelling, is the interaction with other surfers from around the world. You'll find that most people will mirror your attitude, so have a good one. And most of all respect the native people and they will treat you like gold.
Now you are probably wondering what this has to do with training for big wave surfing? The fact is if you have the will and ability to charge big surf then chances are you're going to paddle out. And if you're lucky, a wave won't land on your head or you won't get sucked over trying to get one. The risk for injury is much greater if you're physically unprepared. The eventual consequences will directly effect the remainder of time in the water and possibly on this planet. In other word's a little off-season training could mean the difference between holding your breath just a few more seconds and living a lot longer.
Maintaining a level of peak performance is nearly impossible to do throughout an entire year. Though it's human nature to experience peaks and valleys in our physical and mental states, the objective is a constant, to be ready when the surf comes up. Atrophy is a real factor for the surfer who only surfs.
Flat spells can deteriorate a surfer physically if he or she does not have some other type of activity. Cross training is the key to most successful big wave riders, whether it be mountain biking, rollerblading, skateboarding, swimming or resistance training. Cardiovascular activities are essential. As Laird Hamilton put it "keep moving" That's the best advice for someone who enjoys a sport that only gives a moments notice to psychologically prepare for what may be only a few seconds of actual wave time. Your physique, without question, should be ready for a serious situation. A successful experience can be the most exhilarating feeling on earth. A bad experience will be forever embedded in your memory and constantly serve to remind you why it so important to prepare for the ocean's fury. In the extreme scheme of things, the rewards outweigh the risks, even though the stakes are high.
We all have a uniqueness in the way our bodies move. That's why it's easier to identify a surfer on a wave by his style rather than the color of his board or suit. By identifying our major muscle groups being recruited for surfing, we then may begin the process to improve muscular imbalances that occur in sport specific activities such as surfing. Identifying the prime movers throughout the act of catching and riding waves is essential in understanding the relationship of other muscle groups of lesser use.
The core of all performance surfing begins with just that, "the core" or trunk, as more commonly known. Abdominal strength is extremely important for surfers to successfully perform maneuveurs. The prime movers being recruited for the trunk area of course are the abdominal and erector spinae. Strong abs and erectors will increase stabilisation and also help prevent injury of the spine, which of course happens to be the most common among surfers. Exercises for abdominal would be spinal flexion or crunches. Exercises for erector spinae would be spinal extensions or "superman" laying down in a prone position, raising chest and quads up at the same time.
The most obvious group of muscles involved in surfing are within the upper body. To propel ourselves through the water on a surfboard requires a combination of muscle groups working in harmony to maintain the path of motion the arms require for this task. The prime movers in this group are deltoids, latissimus dorsi, pectoralis major and triceps. Assisting muscles are rhomboids, trapezius and biceps. The rotator cuff muscles are of major importance in providing stabilization of the shoulder joint and are most susceptible to injury. Hypertrophy within the rotator cuff muscle group is highly recommended because of the repetitive motion required from paddling a surfboard. Resistance bands are the perfect device for strengthening the (S.I.T.S) supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor and subscapalarus, the rotator cuff muscle group. The shoulder is a ball in socket joint. Strengthening your internal shoulder muscles will help prevent injury and increase paddling performance. Recommended excercises for rotator cuff are internal and external rotations starting with light resistance bands and changing the direction of resistance throughout the range of motion of the shoulder joint. There is no way to exactly duplicate the way you paddle a surfboard within a gym environment. So get out there and paddle.
The largest group of muscles recruited for the act of wave riding are in the lower body. Specifically, quadriceps, gluteus maximus and biceps femoris. Just have a look at a couple of contemporary stand-outs of power surfing, i.e.; Johnny boy Gomes and Mark Occhilupo. Their lower body strength sets them apart in terms of carving huge power gauges that completely bury the rail. Of course genetics plays the biggest part in our build and they just happened to have the right parents.
One of my favorite ways to strengthen quads and glutes for surfing is what I like to call rock hopping. A fast walk or slow run over an uneven surface, whether you train on the coast or in the mountains, the results are the same. Low tide provides another challenge, slippery rocks, so be careful not to injure yourself. This routine enhances eye to foot coordination for better balance and agility, increased stamina and endurance.
An often undertrained muscle is the biceps femoris, or hamstring. A strong hamstring will help prevent injury. Knee flexion or leg curl is the recommended exercise, either with a resistance band or on a leg curl machine.
Flexibility is very important to a surfer. The body contortions the average surfer makes to pull off radical maneuvers or even just fit the wave are beyond normal. Yoga is a very popular form of stretching and strengthening and also has a powerful mind to body relationship. One of the most important things to remember when stretching is to warm up prior to a stretch. Muscle is similar to silly putty in the sense that it is less pliable when cold. A cold stretch can sometimes do more harm than good.
However way you train for surfing the one thing to remember is have fun . Because if its not fun, chances are you're not going to do it. Surfers are inherently fun junkies, so keep the stoke and have a smile.
Don L. Curry
N.A.S.M. Certified Personal Trainer - (and mavericks hellman)