Surfing is one of the world’s most popular water sports, allowing you to connect with nature and ride the sparkling aqua waves under golden sunlight. The distinctive culture and lifestyle of surfing is another reason for its far-reaching appeal.
There are plenty of benefits. Surfing pretty much works muscles in your whole body, including your back and shoulders, arms, core, legs, and glutes. You’ll also activate the muscles in your feet and ankles to provide balance and control on the board, particularly for the pop-up and riding maneuvers. You’ll build strength, stamina, balance, and stability.
Researchers have found that surfing could even reduce depression, so if you’re feeling blue, it’s worth getting on that surfboard and riding those frothy, blue waves. If you want fewer wipeouts and better performance while staying shoulder injury-free in the ocean, studies have revealed how to do just that. Let’s check out the research.
Shoulder injuries and chronic shoulder pain
A number of studies have focused on the kinematics and kinetics of surfing in relation to commonly reported injuries. Researchers found that the repetitive internal shoulder rotation during the paddling phase of surfing can lead to muscle imbalances and even chronic shoulder pain. They reviewed studies that reported on kinesiology analysis, including nerve conduction studies, and studies on 3D motion analysis of the shoulder during paddling.
Paddling and shoulder complaints
Shoulder injuries are among the most common. While paddling, surfers complete an overhead motion with their arms to make their way further out into the ocean. Surfers lie on their front on the surfboard and use big arm strokes to help move the surfboard through the water into the perfect position to catch those waves. Internal rotators and muscles involved in shoulder flexion are primarily activated.
To help prevent subacromial pain, tendinitis, and other shoulder-related injuries and complaints, most experts recommend strengthening the external rotators, stretching the internal rotators, and improving overall flexibility in the shoulder muscles and joints. It’s also a good idea to strengthen the shoulder deltoids, the lats, and the other major back muscles that support and stabilize your shoulders.
Strength training for surfers
To help prevent these common shoulder injuries, researchers recommend incorporating strength training exercises into your routine. The exercises should focus on developing the upper body’s strength and endurance for paddling, as well as the core and lower body’s strength and endurance for surfing maneuvers and stability on the board.
For example, in one study of recreational and competitive male surfers, the individuals who performed five weeks of maximal strength training in the pull-up and dip displayed superior endurance and paddling performance and increased their speed. This is compared to the control group, who didn’t do any strength training and actually became a little slower. The researchers concluded that even short-term maximal strength training could improve paddling performance.
