If you’re looking for a way to strengthen your body, boost endurance, and revel in the beauty of the ocean, surfing might just be the perfect sport for you. Beyond the thrill of riding the waves, surfing is a full-body workout wrapped up in an adventurous and meditative experience. Whether you’re a seasoned beachgoer or someone just starting, is surfing a good workout offers incredible physical and mental benefits that keep you coming back to the water.
This article explores the myriad benefits of surfing, highlighting its impact on both strength and stamina, alongside a few surprising perks you may not have considered. Let’s paddle into the details of why surfing is more than just a water sport.
A Total Body Workout With Endless Fun
Surfing engages nearly every muscle in your body. Paddling to catch a wave strengthens your shoulders, arms, and back, while maintaining balance on the board activates your core, glutes, and lower body. The repetitive push-ups required to pop into a standing position build your chest and muscle endurance. Whether you’re going for short bursts of speed or paddling long distances, surfing offers an excellent mix of strength-building and cardio-intensive movements.
This total-body engagement makes the sport particularly effective in improving muscle tone and endurance. Over time, consistent surfing trains your muscles to respond with greater precision and strength, helping you perform better not just on the board but also in everyday activities.
Building Stamina in the Ocean
To glide along the crest of a wave, you need more than just brute strength; stamina plays a crucial role in how well you perform and how long you can stay out in the water. Surfing inherently challenges and pushes your cardiovascular system, making your heart and lungs work harder in sync. This kind of functional cardio exercise improves overall stamina and allows you to continuously paddle, ride waves, and manage longer surfing sessions.
Once you develop stamina, it becomes easier to spend hours in the water without tiring yourself out. This doesn’t just help you catch more waves in a single session but boosts your fitness level over time, allowing you to see improvements in other sports or physical activities.
Balance and Coordination at Its Best
Surfing isn’t just about raw power; it’s also about balance and precision. Balancing on a moving surface requires exceptional coordination between your brain, muscles, and sensory system. Even your eyes, inner ear, and proprioception (your body’s sense of spatial awareness) get a workout.
The balance you cultivate while surfing transfers incredibly well to other activities like yoga, skiing, or even simply walking on uneven terrain. Many surfers find they feel more grounded both physically and mentally due to the constant practice of stabilizing their bodies on the water.
The Calming Mental Rewards
Few exercises pair physical vigor with mental relaxation the way surfing does. The meditative rhythm of the ocean, combined with the focus required to catch and ride waves, creates an environment where stress and anxiety seem to melt away. Surfing demands focus on the present moment, helping to reset your mind and enhance mental clarity.
According to several studies, spending time near or in the water has been linked to lower cortisol levels, which are responsible for stress. Costa rica surfing provides both a sense of achievement and an opportunity to connect with nature.
