Surfing
Move · High-Intensity · Movement, Typed Supps
Almost the entire session is spent lying face down on a board pulling yourself through water, and that is the part that changes your body.
Stage by stage
- On the board (Lumbar held in extension): The prone paddling posture keeps the lower back extended for long stretches, which is a common source of complaint in high-volume surfers.
- Paddling out (Repetitive overhead pulling): Latissimus, posterior deltoid and cuff work at swim-training volumes, producing the same impingement pattern seen in swimmers.
- Catching the wave (Brief anaerobic burst): Maximal paddling, an explosive pop-up and isometric leg work through the ride, occupying a small fraction of session time.
- Months later (Aerobic and local endurance): Aerobic capacity and shoulder endurance build, with balance and postural reactions developing as a separate skill.
Muscles trained
- Primary: shoulders, lats, abs
- Secondary: obliques, heart, lungs
Intensity
3 METs (Surfing, body or board, general).
Time to effect
- Weeks: Paddling efficiency, the pop-up from lying to standing, and basic balance on a moving wave face improve within the first few weeks in the water.
- Months: The shoulder endurance to paddle for a full session without fatigue, along with the reflexive weight-shifting needed to read and adjust to a wave in real time, build up over months of regular time in the water.
Related supplements
Common myth
Surfing is mostly about the few seconds spent standing and riding a wave. In reality: The overwhelming majority of a surf session, often more than 90 percent of the time in the water, is spent paddling and positioning, making shoulder and back endurance the real physical foundation of the sport rather than the ride itself.
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