BEST WARM UPS FOR SURFERS

Before hitting the surf it’s essential to warm up! Warming up helps to prepare your body for the coming activity and the body’s systems to reach a steady state of energy production whilst also preparing the muscles for exercise and raising heart rate.

Performing an efficient warm-up will also help lower risk of injury and get your body primed to deal with the physical nature of surfing.

A good surfing warm-up should be continuous and rhythmical in nature and last between 4-8 minutes depending on the surf size and duration of the session.

1. A good surfing warm-up should include gentle exercise for the whole body such as light jogging. This gradually increases the heart rate, breathing and blood supply to the muscles. It warms up muscles and can help you prepare for your first wave!
2. Additional light mobility exercises such as arm swings, leg swings, lunges etc. are also crucial to your surfing warm up.
3. Very light stretching can also be done, however, try to avoid long stretching as this should be done after a surf, slowly bringing your muscles back to a normal state. When stretching before your surf tries to maximize the time to 7-10 seconds per stretch. When stretching after your surf, try to hold the stretch for a minimum of 12-15 seconds

Warm Up Exercise: Jogging

How to perform: To begin, start with a light jog of about 150-200 meters then with some 3-5 second sprints to finish off this will help to raise your heart rate and increase blood to muscles.

Warm Up Stretch: Side Neck stretch

How to perform: Start with your shoulders relaxed, gently tilt your head towards your shoulder. Assist stretch with a gentle pull on the side of the head if need be.

Warm Up Stretch: Shoulder circles

How to perform: With shoulders relaxed and arms resting loosely at your sides (or in your lap if you’re seated), gently roll your shoulders forward, up, back, and down. Reverse direction. You can do this exercise alternating shoulders or both at the same time.

Warm Up Stretch: Dynamic Overhead stretch

How to perform: Standing straight up, start with your hand by your waist and slowly bring them above your head. Keep your shoulders down as you extend your arms up. Return to starting position and repeat 5-7 times increasing speed as you do so.

Warm Up Stretch: Dynamic chest stretch Muscles :

How to perform: Stand with your hands together, arms extended directly in front of you. This will be your starting position. Keeping your arms straight, quickly move your arms back as far as possible and back in again, similar to an exaggerated clapping motion. Repeat 5-7 times increasing speed as you do so.

Warm Up Stretch: Sit Squats

How to perform: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. This will be your starting position. Begin the movement by flexing your knees and hips, sitting back with your hips. Continue until you have squatted a portion of the way down, but are above parallel, and quickly reverse the motion until you return to the starting position. Repeat for 5-7 repetitions.

Benefits: Opens up the hip flexors and strengthens the back; ideal to prevent hip cramping when sitting on your board for a while.

Warm Up Stretch: lying cross over “knee across body”

How to perform: Lay on your back with your legs extended. Cross one leg over your body with the knee bent, attempting to touch the knee to the ground. Your partner should kneel beside you, holding your shoulder down with one hand and controlling the crossed leg with the other. This will be your starting position. Attempt to raise the bent knee off of the ground as your partner prevents any actual movement. After 5-7 reps each side, relax the leg repeat with the other side.

Warm Up Stretch: Lower Back Mobility Twists

How to perform: lay on your back with your hips and knee at 90 deg gradually allow knees to fall closer to the sand

Warm Up Stretch: Cross over reverse lunge

How to perform :Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. This will be your starting position. Perform a rear lunge by stepping back with one foot and flexing the hips and front knee. As you do so, rotate your torso across the front leg. After a brief pause, return to the starting position and repeat on the other side, continuing in an alternating fashion.

Warm UpStretch: Squat Jumps

How to perform: Stand with feet slight wider than shoulder width apart Squat down to a comfortable depth, but not further than a 90-degree knee bend Jump straight upwards Focus on performing proper technique, not the height of jump or number of repetitions When you land, land with “soft knees” which will reduce the impact of landing Use personal judgment on how many to do; do not over-exert yourself

Warm Up Stretch: High Lunge

How to perform: . High Lunge: Benefits: Stretches and strengthens your legs, especially thighs, knees, ankles and psoas muscle; opens the groins and hips, and lengthens the spine. Benefits: Stretches and strengthens your legs, especially thighs, knees, ankles and psoas muscle; opens the groins and hips, and lengthens the spine.

Benefits: Releases tight hips, hamstrings and back muscles.

Warm Up Stretch: Standing Toe Touch

How to perform: Stand with some space in front and behind you. Bend at the waist, keeping your legs straight; until you can relax and let your upper body hang down in front of you. Let your arms and hands hang down naturally. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds.

Improves the flexibility of the spine which is important for long paddle outs. stretches the shoulders and the backs of the legs, which will allow your surfing stance to be more relaxed.

Warm Up Stretch: Hip gluteus stretch

How to perform : The gluteus are dominant in most lower-body power moves. Go to the bottom of a lunge and place your back knee on the ground. Slide your front foot forward and drop the knee out to the side. Place your hands on the ground on either side of the foot. Lower your chest towards the ground. Lean down further to increase the stretch. Hold for required time, then change

Warm Up Stretch: Back Stretch/ Cat Stretch/ Kneeling Quad Stretch / On Your back Quad Stretch

How to perform:

1. Start with your hand on the floor shoulder with apart in a kneeling position; slowly maintain the actual natural curve from the spine, down their back. Hold the stretch for 5-7 seconds.
2. Start with yourself on the floor on your hands and knees. Pull your belly in and round your spine, lower back, shoulders, and neck, letting your head drop. Hold for 15 seconds.
3. Kneel on the floor, holding your heels with both hands. Push your buttocks up and forward while bringing your head back to look up at the ceiling, to give an arch in your back.

1. Lie flat on the floor or step, and hang one leg and arm over the side. Bend the knee and hold the top of the foot. As you do this, be careful not to arch your lower back.

Warm Up Stretch: Standing Knee To Chest

How to perform: Helps to relieve tight hip muscles and lower back and increased range of motion particularly helping flexing of the knee, start in a balanced standing position gently raise one bent knee up enough so you can grasp your lower leg with both hands. Gently pull your bent knee toward your trunk using your hands. Relax your legs, pelvis and low back as much as you can while you pull. Hold for 5-7 seconds return leg to the floor, repeat on other side

Stretch: Standing Quadriceps

How to perform: Boat Pose: Benefits: Strengthens your core, and helps with deep breathing.

Warm Up Stretch: Spiderman stretch

How to perform: helps mobilize the hips and the spine helping in the popup and turning. Start with your feet together and hand in a “T” shape by your side and lunge forward.

Warm Up Stretch: Extended arm & shoulder stretch

How to perform: Start in a standing position with your fingers clasped together and thumbs pointing down push as hard to the floor as you can and slowly move your braced arms in front of your chest then up to the sky. Disconnect your finger briefly as you then reconnect behind your back making a wide circular motion. For an extra stretch lean forward.

Warm Up Stretch: Triceps stretch

How to perform: Reach your hand behind your head, grasp your elbow and gently pull. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds, and then switch sides.

Warm Up Stretch: Shoulder stretch

How to perform:Reach your left arm across your body and hold it straight. With your right hand, grasp your left elbow and pull it across your body towards your chest.

Warm Up Stretch: Standing lateral stretch

How to perform: Arch side – Slowly reach one arm over your head, keeping your arms in line with the hips. Take a slightly wider than hip distance stance with your knees slightly bent. Place your right hand on your right hip to support the spine.

Raise your left arm in a vertical line and place your left hand behind your head. Keep it there as you incline your torso to the right. Keep your weight evenly distributed between both legs (don’t lean into your left hip). Switch sides.

Warm Up Stretch: Warrior Lunges

How to perform: Stand up straight with the spine vertical, the left foot slightly in front of the right. Bend both knees and lift the back heel off the floor as you press the right hip forward. You can’t get a thorough, deep stretch in this position, however, because it’s hard to relax the hip flexor and stand on it at the same time. Switch sides.

Warm Up Stretch: Foot twirl

How to perform: Lift the right leg in the air (just around 2 inches from the floor) and perform a circular motion with the big toe. Pretend that you are drawing a big circle with it. Tip: One circle equals 1 repetition. Breathe normally as you perform the movement. When you are done with the right foot repeat with the left leg.

Warm Up Stretch: Standing hamstring and calf stretch

How to perform: Hamstrings – The hamstring stretch is a great post surfing stretch, use it very lightly as a pre surf movement. Sit up straight on an exercise mat. Bend one knee and put that foot on the floor to stabilize the torso. Straighten your other leg and flex your ankle. Using a band, towel, or your hand if you can reach, pulls the toes toward you. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds, and then switch sides.

Warm Up Stretch: Surfing Spinning Twists

How to perform: Start off in a wide Squat Position with your hand straight out in front of your body “parallel to the floor”, move your hand down towards the floor so they land evenly either side of your feet engaging in trunk and hip rotation in one full movement. Keep your head looking forward parallel with your arms, then twist to one side and touch the floor with successive quick rotations from side to side twisting the trunk and hips through the full motion.

Warm Up Stretch: Knee circles

How to perform: Stand with your legs together and hands by your waist. Now move your knees in a circular motion as you breathe normally. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Warm Up Stretch: pelvic circles

How to perform: Start off with your feet hip-distance apart. Bend your knees slightly to keep them soft and springy. You may want to move your pelvis backwards and forwards a few times before holding the tailbone forward in this stretch.

Warm Up Stretch: Alternative To touches

How to perform: stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart bend down and try and touch your left foot with your right arm and then switch and repeat with the other foot do 8-10 reps.

Warm Up Stretch: Torso Rotations

How to perform :Stand upright holding an exercise ball with both hands. Extend your arms so the ball is straight out in front of you. This will be your starting position. Rotate your torso to one side, keeping your eyes on the ball as you move. Now, rotate back to the opposite direction. Repeat for 10-20 repetitions.