Surf Workouts. A 5 point checklist.

5 Point Workout Checklist

TOTAL SURFING FITNESS

by Clayton Beatty

Do Your Workouts Include These 5 Components?

To make sure you are covering all your bases with your training, you need to be including all 5 of the following components into your workout. If you include all of these you are going to enhance your surf and snow performance in record time…

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1. Foam Rolling

I recommend everyone should start their workout with a few minutes of Self Myofascial Release (SMR)otherwise known as foam rolling.

This is a great way to massage your muscles and improve the tissue quality so that your muscles will work more effectively during the workout. It can also help promote mobility and flexibility in your muscles.

2. Dynamic Warmup

The second and perhaps most important part of your workout is the Dynamic Warmup as it will help prepare your body for the strength exercises that follow. There are also some added benefits such as improving mobility and ironing out any muscle or postural imbalances.

Your dynamic warmup should include the following…

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Corrective Exercises – These will help improve common muscle and postural imbalances. For example exercises to improve the movement at your thoracic spine, which is a common problem as most people will tend to move more from their lumbar spine increasing the risk of back injury.

Mobility Exercises – These exercises will help enhance your ability to actively move through a full range of motion which will directly improve your movement patterns in your chosen sport helping you to be more efficient, expend less energy and reduce your injury risk.

Activation Exercises – These will help turn on any dormant muscles so that when you are performing the strength exercises your muscles are more likely to fire in the correct sequence. For example many people have underactive glutes so that when they perform squat and lunge movements they become quad dominant. By performing glute activation exercises you can fire up the muscles so they will switch on and be used correctly when needed.

3. Functional Strength

The main part of your workout is the functional strength component and should include the following…

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Balance, Core Stability and Rotational Core Exercises - Stability is extremely important for any surf or snow sport athlete and therefore needs to be adequately trained. Exercises should be included that challenge your balance and core stability. In addition, as surf and snow sports require lots of rotational movements, you need to train both rotational stability and rotational power.

Multi-joint Exercises – The focus of your strength training should be on multi-joint exercises that use multi-planar movements (the 3 planes of movement). Gone are the days of doing isolated body building exercises. Instead you need to be doing compound movements like Squatting, Lunging, Lifting, Pushing (horizontal and vertical) and Pulling (horizontal and vertical).

Power Exercises – You will also benefit from including some power exercises which are basically strength exercises performed explosively (eg squat jumps).

4. Energy System Training (EST)

Energy System Training refers to the cardiovascular component of the workout. This can be done after the functional strength training part of your workout, or depending on time you may choose to split it up and do it on a different day, alternating days between strength and cardio.

The most effective way to train your energy systems is with High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) as it has been scientifically proven to significantly improve both your Aerobic (with oxygen – for more sustained efforts) and Anaerobic (without oxygen – more short burst energy) energy systems simultaneously.

Using High Intensity Interval Training also allows you to do a shorter workout and produce better resultswhen compared to traditional cardio training. However sometimes you may still want to perform other more traditional forms of cardio for variety because High Intensity Interval Training is just plain hard work and you may not want to do it all the time.

5. Static Stretching

Old school static stretching has it’s place at the very end of your workout. Stretching will help your muscles recover and promote increases in flexibility. Static stretching can also be done everyday and anytime of the day (not just with exercise). In fact to make good gains in flexibility it is better to stretch frequently so your muscles will stay lengthened and not revert back to being short and tight.

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So there you have it, my checklist for the perfect workout. How do your workouts compare?

To view for more info go here;   TOTAL SURFING FITNESS

Surfing Core Exercise

TOTAL SURFING FITNESS

If you really want to challenge your core stability you need to be doing exercises that force your body out of balance. This way you are training your muscles to bring your self back into a balanced position. As balance and stability are important for surfing, make sure you include stability training in your workouts. 

If you are looking for some variety in training your core and balance, have a go at this exercise. It is great for building core strength and stability whilst challenging your balance.

Core Balance Circles

Stand on a BOSU or balance board and keeping your core braced draw big circles holding a weight plate or dumbbell (I use a 10kg weight plate).

Do 5-10 circles each direction. 

If you don't have a BOSU or balance board, try the exercise standing on one leg (and even try closing your eyes).

You will be surprised at what an effective core workout this will give you if you do it correctly.

Are you suffering from tight muscles?

If you are living an active lifestyle (I hope you are), then you may well be prone to having overactive or tight muscles.

To help manage this, I recommend you get yourself a foam roller and self massage several times per week.

Foam rolling helps break down the knots in your muscles, just like having a massage. All you do is simply roll over the tight muscles focusing on the knots or sore parts of the muscle.

I find it really helps with my hips flexors, as mine are always pretty tight, but the same principle applies to any muscle group.

I recommend every surfer get themselves a foam roller. You can purchase them from most fitness stores or online.

I Hope you got some good tips from this.

For More Surf Info go to;   TOTAL SURFING FITNESS

A supplement to assist you is Velvet Deer Antler. Processed form New Zealand Deer it works for all age groups. Check it out here.

Deer Antler Velvet from NewZealand is Ultimate Health Formula

1. Strength Training to Improve Your Upper Body Strength & Stability The first way to is build a solid base of strength and stability in your upper body. The key here is to keep your body and muscles in balance by targeting all of the major muscle groups, not just the ones you use the most when paddling. If you target certain muscles or movements more than others you increase the likelihood of creating a muscular imbalance which can lead to movement inefficiencies or musculoskeletal injuries. So try and do a mixture of exercises using each of the following 4 movement patterns: Vertical Pushing (eg. Single Arm Dumbbell Press, Swiss Ball Inverted Shoulder Press) Vertical Pulling (eg. Pull-ups, Chin-ups, Overhead Band Pulls) Horizontal Pushing (eg. Swiss Ball Chest Press, BOSU Push-ups) Horizontal Pulling (eg. Dumbbell Plank Row, TRX Inverted Row) You also need to keep your joints stable and for paddling this means stable shoulders. Exercises like YTW Raises are really good for helping to keep your shoulder joints stable and preventing shoulder issues. 2 - Swimming to Improve Your Shoulder Endurance If you have access to a swimming pool or the ocean then this can be a great choice for when you can't get in the surf. Freestyle swimming uses similar muscles to paddling and is a great way to improve the endurance in your arms and shoulders. Try doing intervals, or even add duck diving into your laps. The Cardio Manual which comes with the Total Surfing Fitness package has some surf specific swimming workouts which you can get started with. 3. Practice Paddling at Home Using a Resistance Band Paddling against resistance using a resistance band is another great way to improve your upper body endurance. Try and use a fairly light resistance and if you have a swiss ball that will make a great surfboard alternative to lie on. The great thing about band paddling is that you can do it at home without getting wet, so there are no excuses! The Cardio Manual in the Total Surfing Fitness package also has some interval workouts with band paddling to help build your paddle fitness. 4. Do Some High Intensity Interval Training Cardio training using intervals is a great way to improve both your anaerobic and aerobic energy systems (both are important for surfing). Running, riding, boxing, rowing, skipping and bodyweight exercises like mountain climbers are all great for interval training. Try and include this type of training in your weekly schedule to help you out in the surf. I know I have some work to do, so will you join me getting back in surf shape? If you need a step-by-step plan of exactly what to do including workout frequency, exercises, sets, reps, cardio, stretching, plus more then Total Surfing Fitness is your action plan.

For more Surfing Fitness info click the link-  

TOTAL SURFING FITNESS

Build Your Surfing Fitness.

Hi.

It's the start of another new month and that means it's time for your June workout calendar.

If you are doing one of the Total Surf or Snow Fitness training programs, simply print out the calendar attached to this email and write in your weekly workouts to keep on track.

  

Try this interval training cardio workout...

Here is one of the interval training cardio workouts you can try from the June High Performance Club workouts. You can perform this with any cardio exercise such as running, riding, skipping, etc, to help build your aerobic and anaerobic fitness levels.

Workout time = 25 mins 

In this workout the interval start longer than the recovery period, the equal, and then finally shorter than the recovery period.

Warm-up - 5 mins	Moderate intensity
Intervals - 5 mins	40 seconds - high intensity 20 seconds - recovery
Intervals - 5 mins	30 seconds - high intensity 30 seconds - recovery
Intervals - 5 mins	20 seconds - high intensity 40 seconds - recovery
Cool down - 5 mins	Low intensity
Stretches	Perform the Stretch Sequence

Make sure you include some interval training cardio workouts in your training schedule this month!

Enjoy. Keep fit. Stay ahead of the pack. Ride more waves.

For more Surfing Fitness info click the link-  

TOTAL SURFING FITNESS

Surf and Snow Superfoods List

It's the start of another month and that means time for your monthly training calendar.

If you are doing one of our training programs write in your weekly workouts to keep on track.

 Surf and Snow Superfoods List

Superfoods is a word that gets thrown around a lot these days and depending on who you speak to will depend on what foods this refers to.

Below I am going to give you a superfoods list which comprises of nutrient dense foods that can help you achieve you fitness and performance goals. This is not a comprehensive list, however you should try and get in a variety from each of these categories on a regular basis...

Proteins

• Lean red meats
• Salmon & other fresh fish
• Organic Free Range Eggs
• Low fat plain yogurt
• Protein supplements

Vegetables and Fruits

• Spinach
• Tomatoes
• Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage)
• Mixed Berries
• Oranges

Other Carbohydrates

• Mixed beans
• Quinoa
• Whole Oats

Good Fats

• Mixed nuts
• Avocados
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Fish oil
• Flax Seeds (Ground or Meal)
• An additional food that is great for good healthy fats is coconut oil

Drinks/Other

• Green Tea

Supplements

• Multivitamin/mineral
• Fish oil
• Protein powder/shakes

If you combine these sorts of healthy foods with an athletic strength & conditioning program, you can redefine your body and perform better in the surf or on the snow.

Are you going to train smart, eat well and play hard this month?

Go on, I challenge you :)

A supplement to assist you is Velvet Deer Antler. Processed form New Zealand Deer it works for all age groups. Check it out here.

Deer Antler Velvet from NewZealand is Ultimate Health Formula

Eat the superfoods above, do a training program below...

• Total Surfing Fitness
• Total Snowboarding Fitness
• Total Skiing Fitness
• Total Windsurfing Fitness
• SSF High Performance Club

I hope you are having a great week :)

 

It's been a few weeks since the last installment of our "Habits Of Fit Surfers" so it's time for a quick refresher...

 

Habit #1 - Fit surfers do functional strength training workouts 2-3 times per week

 

Habit #2 - Fit surfers keep their muscles loose by doing foam rolling on a regular basis

 

 

How have you been going with the first 2 habits so far?

 

Are you ready to add in a third habit?

 

 

Ready or not, here it comes...

 

Habits Of Fit Surfers #3

 

Fit surfers incorporate exercises to improve their overall stability

 

When I talk about stability, I'm not just talking about core stability (although it does include that) and I'm not just talking about balance (although it does include that as well).

 

What I mean is stability throughout your whole body at every joint.

 

Surfing involves being on an unstable surface at all times (water) and so that makes it even more important to have a stable body so you can control your movements more effectively.

 

 

So how do you train for stability?

 

Here are a few suggestions...

• Do more single leg or single arm exercises
  (Single Leg Deadlifts, Single Arm Swiss Ball Chest Press)
• Perform exercises using a swiss ball, BOSU, balance board or suspension trainer
  (Swiss Ball Side Plank, Balance Board Squats,Single Arm TRX Rows)
• Do more complex variations of exercises
  (Split Squat Jumps, Band Power Chops, Side to Side Pull-ups)

 

Does every exercise need to train stability?

 

No, you should still have a balance of strength based exercises and stability based exercises. However most exercises will train a combination of both anyway.

 

 

Are you training for stability? If not, it's time to get incorporate some stability exercises into yoursurf fitness workouts.

 

 

Fitness should be a lifestyle, so keep building those habits. Imagine the difference 12 months from now if you can incorporate even just a few of these habits into your routine.

 

Stay tuned to your inbox for Habit #4 :)

 

 

If you want to fast track your surfing fitness, here are your options...

 

Option 1 - Download the step-by-step workouts to become a fit surfer...

www.totalsurfingfitness.com

 

Option 2 - Join our exclusive members area for more advanced workouts

www.surfnsnowfitness.com/high-performance-club 

 

Train smart, surf hard!

 

How To Catch More Waves Using Surf Specific Fitness Training

How To Catch More Waves Using Surf Specific Fitness Training

By Clayton Beatty BSc (Human Movement) Exercise Scientist

Are you tired of watching those surfers who just cruise by continuously, catching wave after wave, getting barrel after barrel… and basically making you look bad?

And are you sick of having arms like jelly after only a few minutes of paddling and then struggling to stand up because you don’t have enough strength left in your arms to push yourself up?

Or maybe you are just fed up with not being as good a surfer as you want to be, but you don’t know what to do next to improve?

If any of this describes you, then don’t stress… you aren’t the only one.

I am going to reveal a 5 step blueprint which will show you how you can triple your wave count in 30 days or less, improve your surfing style, get more barrels and get in the best shape of your life.

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Step 1 – Increase your paddle fitness through energy system development

Surfing uses a combination of both your aerobic energy system (with oxygen) and your anaerobic energy system (without oxygen). In order to improve your cardiovascular fitness for surfing, you need to improve both of these energy systems simultaneously.

Doing hours of running along the beach is just not going to cut it. What you need to be doing is interval training using surf specific interval periods, and certain types of exercises which will boost both your paddle fitness and improve your overall surf conditioning.

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Step 2 – Improve your core stability, strength and rotary power

If you think that cranking out 100 crunches every morning is going to give you the core strength you need for optimum surfing, you couldn’t be further from the truth.

First of all you need to be working on your core stability, which is using your core muscles to stabilise your torso when there are other forces acting against you. The basics of this are bridge or plank type exercises, but there are many more advanced exercises you need to master before you have excellent core stability.

You will also need to develop your core strength and rotary power. Rotary power can betrained using very specific functional exercises and is an important factor in mastering powerful turns.

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Step 3 – Increase your upper body endurance, strength and power

If you are not doing functional training to improve all of the above (endurance, strength and power), you are missing part of the equation.

You need muscle endurance in your arms, back and shoulders so you can keep up the paddling intensity throughout your entire surf session.

You need strength and power in your chest and arms so that you can pop-up fast (even when you are getting tired).

In addition you need to have the strength and power in your shoulders and back for the short bursts of paddle power you need to paddle into each wave.

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Step 4 – Improve your mobility and flexibility

Most surfers are aware of the need for good flexibility, but what most don’t understand is the missing piece of the equation – mobility.

Flexibility refers to the passive range of motion as achieved through static stretching. This is important for overly active muscles, but it does not mean the surrounding joints are stable and prepared for dynamic movements.

Often an increase in passive flexibility is an injury waiting to happen. What surfers need more than passive flexibility, is mobility. Mobility refers to the ability to move your joints into flexible positions, but also have the joint stable whilst in those positions. Mobility can be increased through specific mobility drills which are generally incorporated into your dynamic warm-up.

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Step 5 – Improve your balance and lower body strength & power

Balance is obviously important for surfers to help stop you from wiping out. Most surfers however, do not do any balance training. It is actually very easy to improve your balance using some simple training methods that use very little equipment.

Surfing also requires a lot of lower body strength and power.

Strong and healthy legs will mean that you can perform powerful manoeuvres and not have an increased risk of injury. This doesn’t mean hitting the gym to do more leg curls and leg extensions. What you need to be doing is lower body functional training exercises – both hip and knee dominant, both single leg and double leg, and both stable and unstable exercises.

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Conclusion

In order to increase your wave count fast, and become a better surfer, you need to have a well rounded, surf specific, functional training program. You cannot rely on traditional body building workout routines and long boring cardio to improve your surfing.

What you need is a surf fitness program that has been proven to work with hundreds of surfers from all over the globe. If you are interested in finding out more about our surfing exercises, surfing workouts and surf training programs,

To find out more just click on the Banner above this page.

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