Surfing Fitness

by Bud Lawrence
(Pensacola, Florida)

One of the main things to consider when you are beginning any workout program is to take into consideration your starting point. What that means is where are my strengths and where are my weaknesses. Some questions to ask yourself are what do I want to accomplish, (goal wise). What exercises am I currently doing? How long have I been doing these exercises and how has this routine worked for me in the past and present? How will my past and present workout concepts apply to my new goals and will they benefit me and the reasons for this goal.

It may become clear to you that what you have been doing to maintain health for surfing (and life) may need to be approached in a different form of movement and concepts.

There is a movement of new idea's and reasons for them and there applications are surfacing within the fitness training world. Core conditioning, Functional Fitness and Sports conditioning have become very popular do to there immediate results creating abilities. These ideas and programs require a base though and it is critical that the newcomer to these ideas travel a new path of discovery and how the base they are challenged with will determine the success of the application of more challenging exercises to come. In other words, don't attempt to build your house until you have poured a sufficient foundation.

Proper testing for the core, shoulder and rotator cuff strength and R.O.M. plus overall physical endurance need to be understood first for the individual in order to create long term and healthy noticeable results. Before you dive into any fitness program check those things out first, let your ego go and truly take into account where you are now strength wise and where you want to go. If you fail to plan then you can plan to fail. The plan is as important as the end result so get an idea about what you want to accomplish, set a date by which you can feasible accomplish the first part of your plan and make sure you have a clear understanding of your starting point. Don't put the horse before the carriage. You will be glad you took the time to understand what your limitations are and find a plan to resolve them. You can search Google or whoever on how to do a simple core strength test,the test can actually become part of your foundation workout and will let you know how you are progressing. That is a good starting point and your core strength will determine how effective your extremities can become and perform for you. Your core delivers the power to your extremities and helps to prevent injuries. Abdominal training and core training are not the same. Your abdominal muscles only make up a small portion of the core so be sure you understand what all the muscles of the core are and what they do. This is critical so educate yourself on what those muscles are and why they do what they do and it will help you understand how they play into your program.


Begin a stretching program that is easy to follow and this will help with increasing R.O.M. If you have joint pain find a good deep tissue therapist who understands orthopedic assessments and make sure you are treating the correct muscles. Don't waist your money on fluffy massages unless that is what you want.

Take your time and it will serve you in your quest. Surfing as a lifestyle is an incredible way to live and you may want to follow this path for a lifetime. Learn how to exercise so it compliments your surfing and it's dynamics and you will see how your efforts were worth the exploration.

Feel free to check out my website @ www.lifesgoodlifecoaching.com
and read more about different workouts and how they can apply to you.

I will write more later on how to set up a workout and apply those ideas to your goals and how to handle old injuries and personal pain management.

Until later, have fun surfing and with life!
Isn't that why we are here?

Bud Lawrence
CPT/LMT/C.C.A.