How's Your Surf Warm? Try These Great Exercises

Do you finally arrive at the beach, do a few quick random stretches, a few brief exercises and then head straight for the water? Well you're not alone and yes it's because we have so little time or we are so excited to at long last be at the beach where the waves are actually decent for a change or we think a quick warm up is as good as any. The reality is a good surfing warm up really does make for a much better surf but it also vitally reduces the risk of injury and the good news is it only has to last for 5 minutes! Below I have outlined some excellent exercises for your warm up - give some these a go and see the difference for yourself!

First of all you need to get the heart beating faster. Why? Well this increases your body temperature which mean your muscles warm up which in turn means your muscles have more elasticity. More elasticity reduces the risk of muscle strains and pulls. So you'll have to agree that some cardiovascular activity is a crucial part of your surfing warm up. This can simply be accomplished by grabbing your surfboard and jogging from your car down to the beach or instead when you get down there take a few minutes to jog on the beach.

Now that your heart rate has increased it's time to do some dynamic exercises (i.e. exercies that are similar to the movements you make while surfing. Firstly make sure you are on a stable and even surface. Make sure that each of these exercises are performed in a continuous movement avoiding jerky movements! Arm and leg swings are good exercises to start with. For arm swings stand with your legs shoulder width apart and bend your knees slightly. In a slow continuous movement swing your arms up and over your head and then bring them back down and swing them backwards, repeat this several times. To perfrom a leg swing simply swing one of your legs forwards and backwards, you may have to lean on a wall or your surfing buddy to keep your balance. Having repeated at least 10 to 15 times, swap sides. A simple roll of the shoulders can be adequate, roll each about 8 - 10 times. Another option is to stand with your legs hip width apart. Grab a rolled up towel, hold it taut between your two hands keeping your arms wide and straight. Move the towel over your head, behind your neck and down your back, in one continuous movement. Your arms will need to be far enough apart to allow this to happen without having to bend your arms. Then bring back up and to the front again and repeat several times. Remember to keep your shoulders relaxed, your head still and your body as straight as possible.

A great surfing warm up will also involve moving your hips. Try lying down face up. Make a circle by raising your right leg about 30cms off the floor so that it is straight out in front of you. Next bring your knee up towards your chest, now swing your leg out to your right side and then back to the starting postion. What you are aiming for is to make continuous small circles. Keep the circles smooth and keep increasing the circle size. Do 8 -10 repetitions and then swap legs. If you are going to stretch before your surf make sure its light. Long stretching is best left until after your surf. Long stretches help to relax your muscles, aid recovery and will help reduce stiffness.