Pre-Surf Warmup

How To Do a Proper Pre-Surf Warmup

Doing a good pre-surf warm up can truly make or break your session. To say this is the “proper
pre-surf warm up” is a bit dishonest because everyone's body is different, we all have varying
flexibility and strength, which leads to different stretches and subsequently a differing warm up.
With all that being said this warm-up is one I have been doing for 20+ yrs before every session.
The goal of a good thorough warm up is getting one's blood pumping, to stretch and loosen up
the body, and increase mobility/movement. By doing this habitually over time your body
becomes familiar with the warm up and what comes after, the surf session. In a sense you can
begin to “wake up” your body alerting it to the fact that you’re about to get physical and go for a
surf. In addition to “waking up your body” a good warm up can help you avoid injuries and/or
strained muscles.

Getting Your Blood Pumping

Personally, I like to get a nice jog in before I paddle out to get the blood pumping. This usually
takes place from Point A (my car) to Point B (wherever I decide to paddle out). Other ways one
can elevate their heart-rate and get the blood pumping are by doing jumping jacks, burpees or
up-downs, by doing inplace high knees, etc. This allows your body to warm up, allowing for a
deep and more effective stretch as well as alerting your body that it is time to “get physical”.

Loosen Up

Once I have elevated my heart-rate and my blood is pumping, I take a moment to catch my
breath, then I begin stretching. The stretch ultimately depends on what you feel needs the most
attention. I tend to focus on the areas utilized in surfing, that of your arms, legs, hips, and groin.

Increasing Mobility/Movement

Dynamic stretching or a “dynamic warm-up” prior to any physical activity which will result in an
increased blood flow from the internal organs to the skeletal muscle, increased heart rate and
core temperature, range of motion, faster muscle contraction and relaxation, improvements in
strength and power, and overall mental preparedness. In general, you want to increase your
body’s ability to produce greater amounts of force to paddle faster, pop-up quicker, and
maneuver your board with speed and power.
Whether you’re surfing, running, playing hoops, or trying to crush it at the gym, a dynamic
warm-up preps the body to perform optimally. A dynamic warm-up is moving through
challenging yet comfortable ranges of motion repeatedly approximately 8-12 repetitions. This
warm-up/stretching is favored among many athletes, coaches, trainers, and physical therapists
because of the benefits in improving functional range of motion and mobility in the kinetic chain
for physical activity and daily life.

Another way you can increase mobility/ movement, loosen up, and build your balance is with
our surf balance boards. Perfect for the pre-surf warm up before you leave the house or for the
days where the waves or weather is not ideal.  The rail-to-rail motion will prepare your legs and ankles to ride the waves, work through the soup, and relax your upper body to increase style and function.