2012 Surf Fitness Training

2012 Surf Fitness Training- "Prehab" or "corrective" exercises will become more popular as part of surf fitness training programs.

 

In recent years there has been a big emphasis on "correct exercise" science in strength and conditioning circles. If we can keep clients injury free and moving effectively, then their performance will improve and they can train harder.

 

Foam rolling, mobility exercises, and activation exercises are all ways of helping improve movement patterns to enhance performance.

 

 

Want to see what kind of corrective exercises you should be incorporating in your surf training program? Check out the links below...

 

Free your tight muscles with self myofascial release...

http://surfnsnowfitness.com/perform-better-with-self-myofascial-release/

 

Improve your upper back mobility and take the pressure off your lower back... 

http://surfnsnowfitness.com/thoracic-mobility-exercises-for-surfers/

 

Loosen your hips and enhance your performance... 

http://surfnsnowfitness.com/hip-mobility-exercises-for-surf-snow-sports/

 

 

You are only as strong as your weakest link, so it's time to start fixing your imbalances with corrective exercises in your surf training program.   

 

 

Make 2012 your fittest year yet!

Functional Core Training

Functional Core Training will continue to increase in popularity as mainstream personal trainers are slowly starting to catch on that there is more to core training that just hammering out a few hundred situps.

 

Here are the types of core training exercises you should be doing...

 

• Anti-rotation - you need to be able to resist rotational forces acting on your body in order to remain stable when surfing or doing any other sporting activity.
• Rotary power training - you also need to be able to generate rotational forces using your hips, while protecting your lower back from too much movement.
• Dynamic core stability exercises - you need to move and at the same time keep stable through your trunk to transfer the force from the ground up through your body.

 

Want more core training information and exercises? Check out the links below... 

 

Assess your core stability with this quick test...

http://surfnsnowfitness.com/trunk-stability-pushup-test/

 

Build rotary power with these core exercises...

http://surfnsnowfitness.com/rotational-core-exercises/

 

I challenge you to try this core complex in your next workout...

http://surfnsnowfitness.com/core-complex-finisher/

 

 

Core training should be a solid foundation of your training program, so make sure you are building a strong stable core in your surf workouts

 

 

Improve your paddling efficiency.

If you want to paddle on your surfboard more efficiently and take the pressure off your lower back, then you need to have good thoracic spine mobility.

The position of your body when you are paddling on your surfboard means your back is in an extended position putting pressure on your lower back. But you can minimize this pressure by extending more from your thoracic spine to take the pressure off your lumbar spine.

If your upper back can arch a bit better, you can paddle more efficiently and it can also help prevent your neck from having to extend so much as well.

Check out these 2 exercises to improve thoracic mobility..

Thoracic Spine Mobility Exercises For Surfers

Thoracic Extension on Foam Roller

• Lie on your back with a foam roller placed under your upper back.
• Holding your hands on the back of your head, arch back slowly and gently over the roller.
• Lean forwards again and move the roller up your back just a little then repeat the process.
• Keep moving the roller up your spine little by little until you have done your whole thoracic spine (don’t go up to your neck, or down to your lower back).

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Kneeling Thoracic Spine Extension-Rotation

• Start on all fours with one hand behind your head and your core braced to prevent movement through your lower back.
• Reach your elbow down towards your opposite knee and then extend back up and try and point your elbow towards the ceiling.
• Repeat this for 8-10 repetitions then repeat on the other side.

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The problem is, a lot of us have pretty poor posture due to sitting in front of computers all day, so our upper backs and shoulders are usually rounded forward too far, which decreases the mobility of our thoracic spine, and makes extending our upper back when paddling that much harder.

The solution - Improve your upper back extension and rotation with a couple of exercises you can do at home or add to your workouts.

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Hopefully these can help improve your posture, combat lower back and neck fatigue and help you paddle more efficiently.

For more click on the banner above.

Diet Tips for Surfers

. Plan and prepare your meals in advance

 

Yes it's simple, but how many of you actually do it?

 

If spend a few minutes each week planning your meals and even preparing your lunches, snacks, etc, in advance, you would be able to get leaner and stronger faster than ever.

 

Here are a few things I do to help plan and prepare my eating in advance...

 

• Write down what I am going to eat for the week and then base my shopping list on that
  
• Chop a salad the night before to have with my lunch (I normally have a big tuna or chicken salad)
• Always have plenty of fruit and unsalted nuts available for snacks
  
• Take a water bottle with me everywhere so I always have something to drink and don't need to buy soft drink
• Make extra for dinner to take for lunch the next day or to put in the freezer for another meal when you don't have time to cook
• Make sure I have plenty of fresh vegetables to have with my meals
• Don't keep any potato chips, or junk food at home, so that way I am not tempted to eat it
  

 

They are just a few tips you could use to help plan and prepare your meals in advance.

 

You might also benefit from using a food diary to record what you are eating. This way it might force you to take more notice of your diet.

 

If you want to clean up your diet and get lean, strong and fit, have a go at planning your meals in advance this week.

 

 

 

The same rule also applies for your fitness training - You need to plan your workouts in advance!

 

Luckily you don't need to prepare the workouts, because I have done that for you. All you need to do is download them...