How important is physical fitness to surfing?

Surfing is fun and should be fun. It's a fantastic sport. But if you are not in good physical condition, you will end up disappointed and not having fun. First, if you are not in good shape for paddling, you will have a difficult time paddling your surfboard out through the incoming waves to get to the place where you can start catching waves. The paddle out to the best place in the lineup to catch waves can be anywhere from 50 meters to four hundred meters. If you are exhausted when you get out of the lineup, you will have to spend good surfing time resting instead of catching waves. Chances are you might not even make it out there.

Some of you will be so out of shape that you will not be able to get through the incoming surf and will be forced to turn around and head back to the beach where you started. It doesn't sound like a successful fun day of surfing.

I was once told that "couch potatoes don't do it in surfing". It really makes sense. This is probably more true for part-time surfers because many surfers surf all year round. Even year-round, surfers need to stay in training to realize their maximum potential for a great surfing experience every time they go out.

Surfers need to be motivated and stay in good physical condition because you know that when the good surf comes you will be ready. What this means is that when there are days and sometimes weeks without surf, you have to stay in the gym by lifting weights, stretching, working on their core muscles and performing your cardiovascular workout.

A good way to live in good physical condition is to have a training partner. Ideally, your training partner will be one of your surf friends and you will be able to motivate each other. If you get bored with the gym, head to the nearest body of water and go paddle and run. This keeps your shoulders and your cardiovascular system in shape as long as you spend at least half an hour of hard paddling on your surfboard, paddleboard or SUP. Do not take the easy way out. Become a discipline.

I think you all should find something that inspires you to keep fit, so when the good waves arrive you will be ready. Personally, my inspiration is thinking about getting in the water with good waves to surf and then surf like a champion. For some of you, your inspiration may be the motivation for competing with your surf buddies and your desire to be better than they are. For others of you, you get your inspiration from watching surf films and imagining riding the waves. Then there are others who just want to make sure they are in good physical condition and that's what they do, they stay in good condition all year round.

Another very important aspect of your surfing success is the food you eat and the sleep you get. Good food and lots of sleep are a must. Healthy eating makes sure you keep your weight under control, keep the fat down and your muscles in good shape. Eight hours of sleep are recommended to give your body a chance to recover from the activities of the previous days and prepare for the next day with hopefully good surf. You need these two things to make sure you are in good physical condition for your surfing fun and success.

A simple recommendation I will give you is to remove sugar, processed foods and wheat from your daily intake of food. Physically, you can perform chest and shoulder exercises along with setups and cardio.

Be aware that your physical condition is a very important, if not the most important, part of surfing. If you ignore that you are in shape, you will not enjoy one of the world's best sports. It gets silly and you will eventually gravitate back to the couch or other activity that is nowhere near the fun you would have if you were surfing.

Whatever sport you participate in, you must be in good physical condition. Another thing is that you also need to be in good mental condition. If you know that you want to surf and that you are exhausted from paddling before surfing, your mental approach to surfing will be poor. You have to be excited every time you surf. Being in good physical condition, having good waves to surf and having a good mental attitude will make your surfing session a great experience. You will be stung!

There are a few other things that need to be addressed that have to do with your physical conditioning. They stretch and hydrate. You have to be snug and everything outstretched. It is important that you stretch your entire body every day, especially