Nobody can deny that surfing is among the most strenuous of any extreme sports. Spend 20 mins in the water trying to surf and you will soon realise just how fit the surfers are who choose to ride waves each and every day. Not only is it a struggle getting out to the waves but riding itself is very draining as their as lots of different muscles working to keep you upright. So which muscle groups have the greatest demand put on them and so need more training?

Deltoids – These are basically the shoulder muscles and they will take an absolute pounding during any surf session. As you paddle out to sea and are lying on your front on the board, most of your ofter torso muscles are disengaged and your shoulders do 80% of the workload. If you imagine you are paddling out 20 times or so in a session, those muscles better be ready

Trapezius – These muscles make up those of the upper back and the neck. They are also involved with the surfboards progressive movement when you are paddling out, but are called into action more when you are ‘popping’ up on the board. This is a fast movement and requires a lot of power, so likewise you should be working hard and fast with your exercises in the gym

Abs and core muscles – Your stabilising muscles need to be in peak condition otherwise you might as well just not get in the water. It is all very well have the skill to surf but without the core muscles in good condition you will fatigue very quickly and will not be able to stay upright. Every part of the surfing action requires engagement of these muscles so they should be top of your list to train. Use a core-stability ball or Pilates techniques to build these up.

Cardiovascular fitness should also be included in your surf training and there are plenty of second hand bikes which you can pick up and use to ride to the beach to help with this