What is the best training for surfing? – Kai Allison

There are many different ways to train for surfing, each one with it’s own strengths and limitations. Surfing is a challenging sport that incorporates a number of physical skills and abilities. Much of the training for surfing has previously involved isolated movements and lacked specificity and functional relevance to the sport. People in the past have said that surfing itself is the best form of training, due largely to the difficulty in replicating the demands of surfing on dry land. Whilst nothing will ever replicate the same thrill, uncertainty and excitement unique to surfing, the surfset is a way to increase the functionality of training for surfing.

The surfset is specifically designed for surfing training and can be seen as a more functional approach to training for surfers, as it enables replication of the movements and perturbation challenges inherent in surfing.

The surfset consists of a modified surfboard set upon unstable surface, which creates a functional platform to replicate the dynamic integration of body systems required in surfing.

The surfset is designed to engage the core and stabilising muscles, through challenging the body in a dynamic environment.

Exercising on the surfset is a full-body approach to training, moving away from training in isolated and non-functional ways. Training in this way helps to develop functional movements sequences and functional muscle activation patterns specific to surfing, resulting in improved function and surfing performance.

Workouts on the surfset can be specifically designed to develop aspects of surfing performance such as aerobic fitness, along with muscular strength, power, endurance in addition to balance and coordination. Workouts can also be designed to isolate specific movement sequences in surfing such as the pop up and allows replication of the dynamic balance and proprioceptive demands of surfing.

In addition to being a challenging full body workout, exercising on the surfset is also a fun, engaging and unique way to exercise.

Is there any evidence for exercising with the surfset?

Completing exercises such as squats on unstable surfaces such as a surfset has been found to increase core muscle activation, along with an increase in lower limb muscle activity, making this type of training particularly effective and functional for this population (Nairn, Sutherland & Drake, 2017).

Specific benefits of surfset training can also be related to common injuries in surfing. Ankle injuries and sprains are one of the most common injuries in surfing and training on the surfset can be targeted specifically to rehabilitate functional stability, range of movement, balance and proprioception for these injuries (Nathanson, Haynes & Galanis, 2002).

To summarise, the benefits of training on the surfset include: 

• Increased dynamic balance
• Improved core stability
• Greater lower limb joint proprioception
• Development and refinement of surf specific movement patterns
• Increases in muscular power, strength and endurance
• Greater aerobic fitness

Training on the surfset provides the opportunity to incorporate functional movement sequences unique to surfing, whilst incorporating the same dynamic balance demands and challenges involved in surfing. Thus, the surfset is a highly functional and specific way of training for surfing and has the potential to result in increased surf fitness and greater performance, which is essentially what we are all searching for.

To find out more go to: http://www.surfsetfitness.com

To book a surf fitness class go to: http://pottsvillephysio.com.au

References

Nathanson, A., Haynes, P., & Galanis, D. (2002). Surfing injuries. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 20(3), 155-160. doi:10.1053/ajem.2002.32650

Nairn, Sutherland and Drake. (2017). Motion and Muscle Activity Are Affected by Instability Location During a Squat Exercise. Journal of strength and conditioning research. 31(3). DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001745