Fitness Tips for Learning to Surf by Costa Rica Surf Camp

You are getting ready for your trip to Costa Rica Surf Camp and perhaps you would like to prepare yourself physically for learning to surf! The team at Costa Rica Surf Camp has put together an (optional) list of exercises you to help you boost your surfing potential for your week at Costa Rica Surf Camp!

You can do these simple exercises 2-3 times a week at your own pace and your own place. 🙂

1). Push Ups

Push ups are essential part of surfing for any level. Preforming push-ups will drastically improve your “pop up.” To do a proper “pop up,” your body need not only the knowledge of how to complete the pop up, but also the strength to preform the motion correctly. Having the basic core strength that you can get from practicing push ups will help you learn the skill of the proper pop up.

Struggling with upper body strength? Work your way into a push-up by practicing “plank” for 30 seconds- 2 minutes daily.

2). Balance Board

Surfing requires a certain amount of balance to be able to pop up and stay up on your board while riding the waves. A balance board is an excellent way to improve your balance for surfing as well as building core strength. Balance boards are shown to also help with your body coordination which goes hand in hand when learning to surf.

3). Swimming

50% of surfing is paddling so getting your muscle use to the movement of paddling will be very helpful with your endurance while learning to surfing. Swimming the freestyle stroke will not only increase your stamina, but it will also make you feel more confident in the water and will help expand your breath.

4). Yoga

Yoga is a Costa Rica Surf Camp favorite. Not only great to improve your balance but also builds a connection with your muscles, a foundation for strong muscle memory. Recommended as a daily practice, even as little as 10-15 minutes on your mat will have a wonderful effect on your surfing stamina and will help you more then you can believe when learning to surf.

5). Running

Running 3 – 4 days a week, or any other aerobic exercise will help you build up your endurance for surfing. From a light jog to interval sprints, any cardio work will strengthen your lungs and legs. If possible try running barefoot ether on the beach or soft grass, this helps evenly disrupt balance across all points of your feet.

Whether your incorporating one or all of these fitness tips into your daily life, the key is to work hard in a short time. Give it all you’ve got, just like paddling for a wave or making your way through a set. This will help create great stamina for catching those first waves while learning to surf with us, here at Costa Rica Surf Camp.