If you talk to the average person, they will most likely not classify surfing as a form of exercise that a person can do to tone up and get more fit. However, anyone who has tried surfing in their life can attest to the opposite of that statement.
Whether you are a beginner or an expert at surfing, this water activity can provide you with countless benefits to help you maximize your fitness level at a record pace.
Surfing is an incredible option to assist you with making huge strides in helping you to improve your health across the board. You can improve your balance, increase your core strength, and receive a great leg workout with the needed muscles to stand up on the board and balance while hitting the waves.
If that wasn’t enough to convince you how great surfing can be for you, then look at the added benefits of upper body engagement along with cardio & endurance training that is required when you are just paddling out in the beginning to start your surfing before the real work begins of standing on the board and actually surfing.
Personally, what I believe to be the biggest benefits to surfing are the often the most overlooked and that is the enjoyment to being outdoors, having fun, and needing very little equipment to get started. All that you literally need is a pair shorts/bathing suit and a surfboard – It’s that simple!
However – just like any other exercise program, safety is always important but even more so in the very beginning when learning something new such as surfing, in this case. So, if you want to try out surfing this summer for the very first time or for the first time in a while, then just do so with a strong foundation by preparing your body for optimal levels of success using your Total Gym Fit.
Below we have listed 5 fantastic exercises on your Total Gym Fit that will help provide you with a strong infrastructure for achievement on your journey to becoming a better surfer. Check it out:
Total Gym Fit Chest Fly
Sit up straight with good posture facing away from the Total Gym. Grab onto the handles, slightly bend the elbows, and start with your arms straight out to the side. Then bring your hands together in front of you in a clapping motion to complete your first rep. Repeat the exercise to complete the set. Remember to squeeze your chest together fast but to release slowly to the starting position. Repeat this sequence to complete the first rep and then you repeat the exercise to complete the set.
Total Gym Fit Glute Bridge
Lie on your back with your knees bent, your arms by your sides, and your feet on the seat of your Total Gym. Elevate your hips by pressing your weight down in your palms and in your feet. Focus on squeezing your glutes and driving your weight down through your heels into the seat of your Total Gym Fit. Complete 5 rounds of a 30 second hold.
Total Gym Fit Plank Hold
Start with your body in a horizontal position with your weight on your toes and your palms face down on the seat of your Total Gym. Keep your body as straight as possible make sure the midsection is not positioned to high or too low. Hold this position for 30 seconds. Complete 5 rounds of a 30 second hold.
Total Gym Fit Leg Raises
Lay flat down on your back on top of the slider with your arms fully extended above your head to grab onto the hand grips of the Total Gym Fit with your hands facing one another. With your arms fully extended and your body stretched out, begin to lift your legs up simultaneously as high as you can to form the letter “L” out of your body, then slowly lower them back down. Repeat this sequence to complete the first rep and then you repeat the exercise to complete the set.
Total Gym Fit 1 Legged Regular Squat
Sit upright with your butt as close as possible to the bottom of the seat with one leg on the platform and the other leg lifted in the air to the side of the platform.
Proceed to squat on the one leg that is on the platform by going down slowly until you feel engagement in the quadriceps region of your leg, then press to lift your body back up to complete the rep. Repeat this sequence to complete the first rep and then you repeat the exercise to complete the set.
So, there you have it, 5 exercises on the Total Gym Fit that will help you to immediately build the confidence to ride the waves all summer long. Hang loose!
