About Clayton Beatty & Total Surfing Fitness x My name is Clayton Beatty and I specialize in functional fitness training programs for extreme sport athletes. I am a Certified Fitness Trainer with a BSc Human Movement Degree from the University of Western Australia. I am also an Exercise Scientist Member of the Australian Association for Exercise and Sports Science (MAAESS). Like yourself, I have a passion for surfing and I am using my expertise to help other surfers perform at their peak. Total Surfing Fitness is your complete functional training guide to help get your body in the best physical condition to hit the surf. Please email me your feedback on how Total Surfing Fitness improves your surfing. See you in the surf Clayton Beatty BSc CPT The Extreme Sport Fitness Coach Disclaimer Before you start this exercise program you must get your doctor/physicians approval. This product is for informational purposes only and is not meant as medical advice, nor is it a substitute for medical advice. This program is designed for fit and healthy individuals over the age of 18 only. Performing exercise of all types can pose a risk to the exerciser. We advise that you should take full responsibility for your own health and safety. Before exercising make certain your equipment is in good condition and be sure to know your own physical limits. Adequate warm up and cool downs should be undertaken before and after any exercise. Do not perform any of the exercises in this program until you have been shown proper technique by a qualified fitness professional. If you experience any pain, discomfort, lightheadedness, dizziness or you become short of breath, stop exercising immediately and consult your doctor/physician.
By Clayton Beatty BSc TotalSurfingFitness.com Don t you sometimes wish you could just surf all day every day? Unfortunately most of the time, this is simply not possible. However just because you aren t out on in the surf, doesn t mean you can t be proactive about improving your surfing. Whilst you are stuck on dry land there are a number of practical things you can do. Perhaps the most important of these is developing your physical condition. Do you think you could surf harder and longer, have greater control, land better tricks and recover faster if you had a stronger, fitter body? No doubt about it. Surfing is an extremely athletic sport and therefore requires an equally athletic training program to improve your performance. Most fitness programs created by fitness trainers are designed for bodybuilders not athletes. Generally these programs are generic in nature and do not tailor to the specific needs of the athlete. The latest scientific training techniques point to functional training as the key to boosting your body s strength and conditioning when working out for a specific sport. Functional Training Functional training uses exercises that have movements similar to that used in the sport. It is basically training for a specific purpose. There are benefits of this from both a performance and injury prevention point of view. From a performance perspective, it overloads your body whilst you are doing the same movements you would use out in the surf. This means when you are actually surfing, your body will have adapted to the training and will find those movements easier to perform. From an injury prevention view point, most injuries occur because of weaknesses in the body s smaller stabilizing muscles. When the stabilizers are weak, the stress is transferred to another muscle and an injury occurs. Functional training helps overcome this by simultaneously training the weaker stabilizer muscles and larger muscle groups at the same time. Incorporating functional training into your weekly schedule means your body will be trained to withstand the extreme physical conditions that it is exposed to whilst you are surfing. This includes paddling, rotating, squatting and landing to name a few. The result for you the ability to surf harder and longer, recover faster, perform superior maneuvers and basically have more fun in the surf! The following exercise program is designed for surfers to improve their core strength, balance, upper body strength and lower body strength. You can do this program at your local playground. Make sure you do an adequate warmup before attempting the workout and always stretch tight muscle groups after to promote recovery and increase flexibility.
Outdoor Bootcamp for Surfers Do the following 6 exercises in a circuit, completing the circuit 3 times through. Ensure you do an adequate warmup first. Do this workout 2-3 times per week for 4 weeks (with a rest day between each workout) and see how your surfing improves. Squat Twist Do 10 repetitions each side Instructions - Stand with feet shoulder width apart and arms straight out in front. Squat down and twist from your core to the side. Repeat twisting the other way. Progression Before you attempt this exercise, make sure you are competent at performing a traditional bodyweight squat. To increase the intensity of the squat twist, simply hold some weight in your hands (eg. medicine ball or weight plate). Inverted Row Do 15 repetitions Instructions - Find two bars; one to hang of and one to hook your feet on. Starting with your arms fully extended, pull your chest up towards the bar and then return to the start position. Progression To make it harder try wide grip chin-ups (Beware: they are just plain tough!).
Lunge Twist Do 10 repetitions each side Instructions - Stand with your feet together and arms out straight, then take a big step forward. Drop your back knee down towards the ground, whilst twisting from your core to one side. Push back up to the starting position and repeat on the other side. Progression - Before you attempt this exercise, make sure you are competent at performing a traditional bodyweight lunge. To increase the intensity of the lunge twist, simply hold some weight in your hands (eg. medicine ball or weight plate). Pushup Rotation Do 10 repetitions each side. Instructions - Starting in a pushup position, push up and rotate to one side straightening both arms. You should end up on your side as shown in the picture. Return to the start position and repeat rotating to the opposite side. Progression To increase the intensity, do 20 repetitions each side.
Jump & Stick Do 10 repetitions each leg Instructions - Find something to jump onto about knee height (eg. wall or bench). Squat down and do a two foot jump up onto the wall landing on one leg. Make sure you stick the landing (your body should be motionless within one second of your foot hitting the step). Step down and repeat on the other leg. Progression Before you attempt this exercise, make sure you are competent at jumping onto the step landing on two feet. To make the jump & stick harder, hold some weight in your hands (eg. medicine ball or weight plate). Bent Plank Hold for 1 minute Instructions - Prop your body on your elbows, forearms and toes. The rest of your body should make a straight line (or plank). Make sure you hold your stomach in for the entire exercise. Hold this position for 15 seconds, then move your hips out to one side and hold for 15 seconds. Next move your hips out to the other side for 15 seconds and finally 15 seconds in the original position (total of one minute). Progression Before you attempt this exercise make sure you can perform a traditional plank for one minute. To increase the intensity of the bent plank, hold for intervals of 30 seconds instead of 15 seconds.
Once you have completed the circuit 3 times through, make sure you do a full body stretch to help increase your flexibility and promote a faster recovery. For best results you should also incorporate 20-30 minutes of cardiovascular activity on the alternate days (eg running or swimming). For the complete strength and conditioning program designed specifically for surfers, which includes training for strength, balance, flexibility, core stability and cardiovascular fitness, visit www.totalsurfingfitness.com.