Surfing – The Whole Body Workout

 One can visit any beach to see surfers effortlessly gliding across the water while enjoying themselves. A January 2022 article from the online publication, The Wave, discussed the advantages of surfing therapy, including mental health advantages. This article was a part of a report studying the impacts of blue health or activities occurring near a body of water, including surfing.

In addition to its mental health impacts, the activity has fitness advantages because it is a whole-body workout. Some of the direct benefits of surfing include promoting heart health because of the different activities a person must do as a part of the activity.

Another positive impact of the sport includes increased balance and coordination. Surfers must stand on the board requiring balance, which, if practiced over time, improves both balance and coordination. An Australian study found that people who participated in surfing over an extended period maintained or improved their balance, control, and coordination.

According to some experts, surfing is a way to burn calories. The activity is on par with playing football, rock climbing, or one workout session in the gym in terms of burning calories, and much of this is because the activity requires the person to use every part of their body.

Similar to other vigorous forms of exercise, surfing also feeds into better sleep. Surfing’s impacts on cardiovascular fitness also extend to improved sleep patterns.

For one, surfers usually have buns of steel and toned legs because the activity requires the person to squat and balance, which works out the gluteus muscles and gastrocnemius and quadriceps muscles. Furthermore, the surfer uses quadriceps and hamstring muscles in standing. When the person performs aerial moves, they are working muscles in the hips, which slims the hips to the waistline.

The exercise works muscles in the upper body as well. Some of the muscles in the upper body used in surfing are in the arms, back, and shoulder, namely the triceps, deltoids, and biceps. As the person lifts off the board to stand, They use pectoral (chest) muscles combined with other arm muscles. The pop-up technique, for example, is one instance when the chest muscles and the triceps play a role in pushing the person off the board to stand up.

These muscles are used when paddling out on the water as well. Surfers spend 60 percent of the time in the water paddling, and having strength in these muscles is an important part of being able to paddle for a long time. Paddling also requires the surfer to have a good range of motion in the shoulders, which is primarily the work of the rotator cuff muscles.

Additionally, core muscles (latissimus dorsi, obliques, rectus abdominis, and trapezius muscles) play a role in navigating the waves. Finally, core muscles have to be used to remain standing while riding the waves.

Finally, ligaments and tendons play a role in the more high-impact moments of surfing. The body’s tendons make it possible for the bones to move, and connective tissue (ligaments) attached to the bone are involved in providing stability, both of which are used in every action a surfer takes while out on the water.

Ultimately, surfing is an activity that many do without thinking about its workout impacts because it is enjoyable. While surfing, the person uses just about every muscle in the body while enjoying a low-impact activity.