8 Exercises for Surfers You Can Do at Home (By a Certified PT)

Last Updated on September 19, 2023 by Matt Hapgood

As a personal trainer in New Zealand, I’ve worked with dozens of surfers across all age groups. With some of the best waves in the world on our doorstep, we Kiwis love surfing.

And we know that to get better in the water, you’ve got to work on your fitness off the water. 

In this article, I’ll lay out the go-to 8 best exercises for surfers I use with my surfing clients to prepare them to take on the waves at Raglan, Piha, and Ahipara.

As a bonus, I’ll also include a killer cardio workout to ensure that you’ve got all your surf fitness based covered. 

What Should a Surfing Workout Focus On?

Surfing demands a lot from your body. During an afternoon on the water, you’ll spend most of your time paddling rather than standing on the board.

Paddling is an aerobic activity. So, a key requirement for surfing fitness is to develop your cardiovascular fitness.

In a study involving pro surfers from New Zealand, it was noted that the athletes had pulse rates in excess of 120 beats per minute for 80% of their surf session.

To maintain that level of activity, you need to spend time off the water building your cardiovascular endurance. 

Surfing also involves short bursts of anaerobic exertion. That’s when you’re paddling intensely and then standing up on the board.

To build anaerobic fitness you need to incorporate sprint training into your routine.

Of course, your muscles are also going to be put through their paces. Here’s a breakdown of the main muscles worked for the different phases of surfing:

Paddling:

• Deltoids (shoulders)
• Triceps (back of upper arm)
• Obliques
• Erector spinae (lower back)

Pop Up:

• Pectorals (chest)
• Core
• Quadriceps (thighs)

Riding the Wave:

• Quadriceps
• Glutes (butt)
• Hamstrings
• Core

The Home Surfing Workout

The surf training program that I use with my clients involves two phases.

Three days per week, they perform a resistance training workout to strengthen the key muscles identified above.

Then, on two other occasions, they do HIIT cardio to develop both aerobic and anaerobic cardio endurance. 

The Cardio Workout

For my home training clients, the HIIT workout involves getting themselves down to an open field.

After a two-minute jogging warm-up, they sprint as fast as they can for 20 seconds (I tell them to imagine they’re being chased by a very hungry dog).

They then recover for exactly 10 seconds.

This sprint/recovery cycle is repeated for eight rounds. At the end of it, if you’re not lying on the grass in a heaving mess, you’re not pushing hard enough!

The Surfing Resistance Workout

The 8 exercises in this routine are designed to build a solid base of strength and power to enable you to better handle the physical demands of surfing.

You’ll be performing the exercises as a circuit, where you move from one to the next, with no rest between. 

Each exercise is performed for 30 seconds

If you can’t complete 30 seconds worth of reps, rest for a count of five and then get back into it. 

At the end of the circuit, you will get exactly two minutes to recover. You then repeat for a total of four rounds.

What You’ll Need

This workout has been designed to be done at home with minimal equipment. You will require the following:

• A soccer (or similarly sized) ball
• A stopwatch

Exercise 1: Goblet Squats

Muscles Worked

• Quadriceps
• Glutes
• Hamstrings

Optimized Form

1. Stand with your feet shoulder feet apart, and toes pointing slightly outward. Hold a soccer ball in front of your chest, squeezing it between your hands. Your torso should be completely uptight, with a neutral spine position.

2. Hinge at the hips as you descend down to a full squat position, with your hips slightly lower than the level of your knees. Do not round your back.

3. Push through your heels to return to the upright position.

Exercise 2: Dynamic Lunge

Muscles Worked

• Quadriceps
• Hamstrings
• Glutes

Optimized Form

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a soccer ball held on your left side in both hands.

2. Take a large step forward with your right leg to assume a lunge position, with the knee a few inches from the ground. At the same time, bring the ball across your body to the right side.

3. Now follow through with the left leg to lunge on that side, bringing the ball across to the left side.

4. Continue forward for five steps.

5. Then reverse the actions to take five backward steps.

Exercise 3: Stability Push-ups

Muscles Worked

• Pectorals
• Deltoids
• Triceps
• Core

Optimized Form

1. Get down in the top push-up position with a soccer ball under your right hand. Your hands should be shoulder width apart. Push down on the ball to keep it stable.

Maintain a straight line from head to foot, being sure not to lift your butt.

2. Lower down to bring your chest to the ball.

3. Push back to the start position.

4. Roll the ball across to your left hand.

5. Perform your second push up.

6. Continue alternating to complete your reps.

Exercise 4: Handstand Push-ups

Muscles Worked

• Deltoids
• Triceps
• Pectorals
• Core

Optimized Form

1. Stand with your back against a wall. Now bend down to place your palms on the floor. Simultaneously walk your feet up the wall and your hands out from it until your body is at a 45-degree angle to the floor. In this position, your head should be about 24 inches from the wall.

2. From a  start position with your arms fully extended, lower down to touch your head to the floor.

3. Push back to the start position.

Exercise 5: Reverse Dips

Muscles Worked

• Triceps
• Front deltoids

Optimized Form

1. Stand in front of a chair and place your palms on the seat behind you. Your thumbs should be about six inches apart. Extend your feet out so that your knees are only slightly bent.

2. From a starting position with your arms extended, lower down to bring your butt to the floor.

3. Push through the triceps to return to the start position.

Want to take your surfer workout to the gym? Check out this beginner weight training routine.

Exercise 6: Glute Bridge

Muscles Worked

• Glutes
• Abdominals
• Quads

Optimized Form

1. Lie on the floor on your back with your knees bent and arms on the floor at your sides, palms down.

2. Lift your hips toward the ceiling, bringing them as high as you can.

3. Squeeze your glutes in the top position and hold this contraction for a 2-second count. 

Exercise 7: Russian Twists

Muscles Worked

• Obliques
• abdominals

Optimized Form

1. Sit on the floor on your butt with bent knees and a soccer ball held in front of your waist. Form a V shape by lifting your feet off the floor and angling your body back to a 45-degree angle.

2. Bring the ball across to the left side of your body and touch the ground.

3. Immediately bring the ball across to touch the ground on the right side of your body.

4. Continue alternating back and forth to repeat your rep count.

Exercise 8: Crunches

Muscles Worked

• Abdominals

Optimized Form

1. Lie on the floor on your butt with your legs elevated and feet crossed. Place your hands by your ears.

2. Crunch your torso toward your hips so that your elbows touch your knees.

3. Lower and repeat.

Personal Trainer Tip:

Summary

These eight exercises for surfers should be done on alternate days.

If you’re doing them on the same day that you’re heading out for a surf, try to space them at different ends of the day to allow for some muscular recovery.

Program in your two HIIT cardio sessions on days that you’re not doing your resistance training circuit. 

As you get stronger on this circuit, you should increase the resistance. You can do this by purchasing a set of resistance bands or dumbbells. 

Want to beef up your home gym this year?

Check out this complete guide to setting up a home gym without breaking your budget. 

References

[1] Farley OR, Harris NK, Kilding AE. Physiological demands of competitive surfing. J Strength Cond Res. 2012 Jul;26(7):1887-96. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3182392c4b. PMID: 21986691.