strength and conditioning?

some excellent advice in here. i would also add, buy a cheap kayak and use it on a lake or a pond. it'll get you out balancing on the water in the sun, totally work your shoulders and if you dig deep it's like running with your arms.

 

Squat, Bench, Deadlift, Hang Clean and Press. The Big "four". Depending on goals do cardio once a week to every day. One thing I have noticed when talking to people they usually dont want to get "big" becuase it could effect there surfing. I disagree im 6'2 230 pounds and can still ride small mushy waves. I think as long as you dont put on sloppy fat weight, more muscle can only help your surfing making you stronger. Any comments on this. Or should i start and running cross country to lose all muscle and fat and be a lanky surfer.

 

how many really good bulky surfers to you see? i think alot of that stems from the fact that most muscle heads dont do much flexibility work.

 

interesting. I am 6'3 210-215 lb. Once I hit 215 on a constant I will try to tighten up my abs and work on strictly primarily toning. Stretching is very important, and I always stretch before working out and I try to do it before paddling out too. I am able to pretty much lay my hands flat with my legs strait while standing, and I use this as a benchmark for keeping my flexibility in check. I think one of the bigger issues with getting super strong and heavy is having to adjust boards to float more effectively (5'10 motivator and 6'3 stretch sword now)... and my newish wetsuits are already tight and I only purchased them a year or so ago... If you are getting big try to make sure your lower body is sufficient to support the upper or you will get top heavy while surfing (off balance) and getting to your feet is more difficult. Ever since I started incorporating legs and cycling to work full out for 30 minutes each way I noticed my surfing has become much more well rounded and consistent.

 

Go to TheSurfersView.com they have some good articles that can help you with strength and conditioning. It helped me a lot. Good luck!

 

P90X will never get old because all the work outs are designed to stop you from stalling out. They keep your muslces confused which keeps them growing. With the exception of the yoga all you need is 50 - 60 minutes a day, motivation, and very little equipment...most importantly, IT WORKS WONDERS!!! You won't build size up like in bodybuilding but you will get super strong, cut, and maybe add a little size. Important thing is that your overall fitness level will go through the roof. Doesn't matter if its playing basketball, biking, surfing, whatever it is, you will be in top shape for it. Like Tony Horton said "ahhhh forget the rest and do your best" and you will see amazing results from P90X.

 

Im not a meat head just been basketball, football player all my life and like to workout. most of my weight is all in the lower body and im very flexible. I actually have a hard time finding good dimensions for a shortboard. right now i ride a 6'2 rocket fish which is perfect for small surf. but when it comes to big surf i need to find something not as wide as fish (21 1/2) and its difficult weighing 230 pounds. I also do yoga to keep my flexibility on point. I beleive flexibility to be the most important aspect of surfing conditioning

 

I hit a major conditioning issue last year around the end of august and it had taken me till feb/march to start reversing the problem...
and I did so by doing the following...
3 excersizes equals one time through the the routine. do 5 times.
1st, 30 pushups, immediately into 20 stomach crunches (on floor on back, arms and legs extended straight,raise feet and hands until they meet in middle above stomach)
immediately into 20 one legged squats with non squatting leg behind on chair(20 left leg, 20 right leg)
rest for 2 minutes. then repeat this for a total of 5 times.
Trust me you will be hurting by the time you get to the 3rd one.
I almost immediately felt the difference in my endurance and my overall surfing strength.
I also run 3 miles about 3times a week and hit the gym for one week, then the above work out the next week(mon, tues, thurs, fri.)
Good luck.