So you’ve just paid the 10% deposit to book your experience with Surf Getaways, Yay! Where are you headed? Is it the relaxing rainforest escape in Byron Bay or a chartered yacht in the Maldives? Whatever you’ve picked, you’ll be doing yourself a favour, both mentally and physically, if you start preparing now.
We understand that everyone has busy lives and that we can’t always get in the ocean for a surf as often as we’d like. Luckily surfing is a sport that can be improved on land, without a surfboard. Getting into land training is ideal when you are too busy to get to the beach regularly, so you can still practice and improve your skills at home.
What are the best ways to get ready for your well awaited surf adventure?
Ideally, join our Surf Getaways monthly programs. We have created land based training programs to assist you in preparing for your surf tour, and to help you keep the momentum going when you return home. Our Surf Fit program is ideal to increase and improve your fitness before your surf trip - you will work on your paddle technique and build strength and confidence so that you feel comfortable in your
ability when on your much-anticipated surf tour. Alternatively, you can join our Surf Skating clinics where you practice and learn the correct technique simulating the surf movements on land, gaining speed and understanding how to do turns on the wave.
If our local programs are not accessible to you, here are some of our favourite intermediate exercises and workouts for you to start doing at home before your getaway.
It is important to create a routine for yourself to ensure consistency. Doing daily exercises such as running or walking will increase cardio fitness and help to prepare you for the longer surf sessions on your trip. You know the ones, when the waves are just so good that you don’t want to come back to shore!
Being fit and strong in your upper body is also important for you to feel confident in your surfing ability when you are challenging yourself on a surf tour. If the surf is no good but you still have a free 30 minutes, a great way to improve your paddle fitness and upper body strength is by getting in some flat water and practicing your paddling. Make sure you start by warming up with dynamic exercise like jumping jacks or arm circles to minimise the risk of injury and remember to do some static stretching such as a shoulder stretch after your workout to increase recovery time. Getting the body familiar with consistent paddling will help prepare for your epic surf tour.
To maintain your surf fitness and work on your surfing skills out of the water is to practice your pop-ups on land. This can be done from home on a flat surface like carpet. To practice, grab some tape and make a straight line on the floor – this will be the centre of your board. When you are practicing standing up, make sure your feet end up on this line in your surf stance. Having this centre line is so important when practising your pop ups to make sure you end up in the correct position on the board. Practicing this as often as you can will create muscle memory so when you get in the water it feels natural and almost like second nature.
Now it’s time to put these workouts into practice and start getting into the habit of exercising regularly before your surf adventure - your body and mind will thank you later. We recommend you start setting up a routine at least a month before your surf getaway, so you can benefit from it when on tour. Get in touch if you have any specific questions regarding your surf holiday, or any of our land based training programs.
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