Surfing Warm-Up: Proper Preparation

Any decent workout begins with a warm-up; the same goes for surfing! It is essential to prepare properly to get the most out of your surfing session, and doing a good stretch will give you all you need to catch some gnarly waves and surf them well.

There are multiple reasons why a proper surfing warm-up is necessary, including increased mobility, improved oxygen levels, injury prevention, enhanced muscle temperature, improved energy levels, and mental preparation. These surfing warm-up benefits are essential for improved performance.

 To get your surfing prep underway, this warm-up focus will equip you with all the information you’ll need to nail your warm-up every time, yielding surprising results when you’re out on the water.

How To Warm Up For Surfing: Tips And Techniques For A Safe And Successful Session

Some believe they may look like a kook when they warm up before a session, but pro surfers do it all the time before competitions, and it’s genuinely in your best interest to get your pre-session flowing. Also, nobody likes an injury, especially when it’s entirely preventable by trading in ten minutes of your time.

Do you want an extra performance boost? Pre-surf warm-ups are your answer, thanks to improved oxygen flow, warmed-up muscles, and increased energy levels. Warm-ups are simple and offer you so many benefits – it’s an opportunity you don’t want to pass up.

Warming up doesn’t just prepare your body – your mind gets ready too! Due to increased oxygen flow and the slight exercise you put your body through, your body releases hormones like cortisol and epinephrine, which manage your energy levels before you even begin surfing.

 

In summary, the benefits of a pre-surf warm-up include:

• injury prevention
• amplified mobility
• improved oxygen exchange
• increased muscle temperature
• improved energy levels
• boosted performance
• mental preparation

Tip #1: Take It Easy

You might think warm-ups are tedious and energy-consuming, but that is not true. Warm-ups are supposed to be short and non-strenuous. Your prep should only last between five and ten minutes. Surfing warm-ups are yoga-inspired and low-impact but still give your muscles what they need to function when you catch some waves.

Warm-ups are not supposed to feel like a workout; you’re probably over-exerting yourself if it feels that way. Relax and focus on getting the movements right instead of doing them as quickly as possible. Feel the flow and enjoy moving your body – you’ll notice how much your warm-up makes a difference once you’re on the water.

Tip #2: Focus On Breathing

Since yoga is a surf-warmup inspiration, you should get some breathwork into the warm-up mix to facilitate relaxation, proper oxygen flow, and release of necessary hormones. Breathwork also prevents muscle fatigue.

When you breathe during warm-ups, you need to inhale through your nose until you feel as if your lungs have reached total capacity, pause briefly, and then exhale through your mouth, slightly forcing it out using your abdomen.

Never hold your breath for long periods! You’ll want to follow the ‘exhale on exertion’ rule to ensure you get your breathing right, meaning that you should breathe out when you use the most energy, like when moving a muscle into a strenuous position. So, breathe in as you act out a movement, and exhale when you’ve completed the muscle placement.

Tip #3: Warm-Up Key Areas

You use your hands, arms, neck, shoulders, spine, abdomen, hips, and legs to surf, which are the key muscle groups you must focus on during a warm-up routine. You should preferably make room for all these muscle groups, but your hands and arms aren’t 100% necessary if you feel impatient.

Your core focus should be on your shoulders, spine, hips, and legs, as that’s what you use most, and loosening them up will give you results and prevent serious injury. If you have any particularly stiff muscles, be sure to add them to your warm-up regimen and give extra focus on them as they are injury prone.

Pre-Surf Warm-Up: Essential Exercises To Get Your Body Ready

A pre-surf warm-up happens outside of the water, as it partially preps you for water temperatures. In-water drills aren’t as necessary as pre-surf ones because they’re more of a practice and water acclimatization than anything else – but we’ll delve further into them in a moment! You can perform your pre-surf regimen on the beach or nearby grass.

These following pre-surf warm-ups are the main ones that focus on multiple muscle groups, but you can find others that work just as well. Remember to breathe out when you exert your muscles! Six to eight reps of each warm-up will be sufficient.

Neck Rolls

Neck rolls help prepare your neck and cervical spine. You start by standing in a proper posture, relaxing your shoulders, and looking forward. Tilt your head to your chest, and roll it until it moves above your shoulder. Rest for a second and roll it back to the center. Then roll it to the left, hold it, and repeat in the opposite direction each time.

Torso Twist

Keep your arms extended and slightly loose. Sway them all the way right while twisting the top half of your body with them until you’ve turned them as far as possible. Use your left leg while doing this to lean right into the twist.

You can dip into a slight squat as you twist past the center of your body. Then you should sway your body and extended arms to the left, using your right leg to lean into it. Repeat from left to right and back again. There should be a seamless flowing movement when you twist from side to side.

Spinal Roll

Stand up straight. Start inhaling, hunch your shoulders forward, and slowly reach for your toes while rolling your spine along. Once you’ve got as low as possible, you can exhale. Then slowly rise, moving your spine upward, and once you’re back in a standing position, angle your shoulders backward. This movement is all in one motion – no pauses.

Lean onto your shoulders while arching your back with your pelvis forward, and allow your chest to open on an exhale. Stand up straight after your exhale and repeat.

Full Squat Stretch

You may hate squats, but this drill is more fun and about movement than exercise. Sit into your full squat position and stay balanced on your feet. Move your hands across the floor and try maintaining your balance.

Play around and reach for the sky with one hand and then the other. Move your bum from left to right. Then lean into your left leg, push your hands down on the right, and repeat for the other side. These exercises open your pelvic floor, the gateway for all movement, and will improve your balance. It will be tricky initially, but it’s an effective stretch.

Downward Dog And Spiderman Stretch

From your squat position, you can move into a downward dog posture where your feet are flat on the ground, knees as straight as possible, tailbone in the air, and body angled downward in a straight line with your hands flat and extended in front of you.

Then you can take your right leg, place your foot next to your right hand, and lean into the stretch. Hold for five seconds and resume to a downward dog. Then you repeat it with your left leg.

T Rotation Push Ups

This warm-up increases your stability and strength to get you ready for the perfect pop-up before a wave. You’ll start in a standard plank position, do a pushup, and then shift your feet while taking your right hand, reaching upwards, and expanding your chest. Do a pushup again and repeat for the left side.

In-Water Warm-Up: How To Get Your Body Acclimated To The Waves

In-water warm-ups are extremely useful for getting your head in the game. These in-water drills are also a brilliant supplement for when the waves aren’t producing the goods, but you’d still like a day on the water. Practice never goes wasted, and you’ll soon be a pro when you take the opportunity to get acclimated to the waves.

Swimming

Swimming is a vital aspect of your safety as a surfer, so going for a short five-minute swim will prepare your body for the times you wipeout – it happens to the best of us, and it’s better when your body is prepared. If you’re swimming in cold water, you’ll want to wade in till half your body is underwater and then wet your face. Once done, you can go out for a short swim before grabbing your board.

Perfect Pop-Up, Board Handling, And Paddle

Pop-ups aren’t for the faint-hearted, and giving yourself the time to try some out in the water before you catch a wave will provide you with the confidence you need to smash the surf when a decent wave arrives. Take note of your standing stance, board positioning, and what works for you.

Newbies struggle with board handling, so it will help to spend some time with your board in the water by figuring out how to sit on it properly, turning it with your feet and hands, and pivoting towards the beach. These skills won’t go wasted.

No waves? No problem! Your paddle can sharpen up, so feel free to roam the waters with a power paddle that will prepare you for the next perfect wave, or at least a good one!

Practice Angled Take-Offs Without Pop-Ups

This one is especially great for beginner surfers or those who like to pop up too early. For the ultimate preparation, get the feel of the waves without a total wipeout. Paddle to catch a wave and position your board as if you want to catch it. Then move into a cobra yoga position where your legs are flat, and your arms are extended perpendicular to the board, holding your upper body up.

Move along the wave without popping up and focus on controlling the board. This drill will give you newfound awareness and direction on how your board moves. This is especially useful for preventing a kooky nosedive.

Practice Duck Dives

Once you know how to duck dive, you’ll save your paddle power for worthwhile waves. To get duck dives in the bag, get used to going under waves with your board. Paddle up to a wave, dip the board’s nose underwater by grabbing both sides, and drive the board downward and forward using your foot or knee as leverage.

Common Mistakes To Avoid When Warming Up For Surfing

Warming up is a simple task, but it’s normal for people to get it wrong sometimes. Luckily these tips will set you on your way to a perfect pre-surf warm-up session that will leave you worry-free and well-prepared.

Skipping Your Warm-Up

The number one mistake surfers make is skipping warm-up. It may seem tedious, and you’re probably itching to be on the waves, but getting your body and mind ready is worth the few minutes on the beach. You’ll miss out on many injuries, and your body won’t hurt as much post-surf. You’ll also acclimatize to cold water better after a warm-up.

Overdoing The Warm-Up

Warm-ups are NOT supposed to wear you down. You should focus on dynamic stretches rather than exercise movements to prepare your muscles. Take your warm-up nice and easy, moving slowly and focusing on stretching, not getting it done as fast as possible.

Uncontrolled Movements

Hold the correct posture in whichever stretch you do, and don’t force your body to do something it can’t. Specific stretches can do more harm than good if you do them wrong. Flowing, calculated movements will yield the best results and discourage injury.

Staying Static After Your Warm-Up

Once you’ve completed your pre-surf warm-up, you’ll want to wade into the water as soon as possible to redeem the benefits from the efforts you put in. Some of its benefits disappear by taking too long to move your body. If you’re done with your regime, at least stay walking around if you’re not getting in the water immediately.

Conclusion

Now you know how to get your pre-surf warm-up on point! A surfing warm-up has a wide range of physical and mental benefits. You’ll be happy to know that your warm-ups are supposed to be relaxing, as over-exertion is a no-no. There are plenty of pre-surf activities and in-water practices available that will prepare you for surfing – and the results will leave you stoked!