Surfing is our passion, for many a lifestyle, and after several days of lockdown we start to miss it more than ever. Giving up personal freedoms has a considerable impact.
Each of us is doing a great job, giving up almost everything for the sake of others, and this will help us to return to our normal life quickly. Detaching with routine and connecting with nature, perhaps, is the part we miss most especially when the days out of the water become so many.
In this post we want to talk about how surfing can help you to deal with difficult situations in other contexts of our life and which workouts you should prefer to come back into the water. Are you ready?
How can surfing help us to face everyday life?
Often the mental aspect and the approach that should be taken towards surfing are underestimated. During our courses we never tire of repeating that before anything else you have to be stubborn, patient, focused on the goal and never give up!
Why? Simply because surfing poses continuous challenges at any level and the element in which we practice reminds us how small we are compared to nature. Wanting to achieve a certain result very quickly without making sacrifices will take you away from the goal itself.
How many times have you tried a new manoeuvre or have you entered in a new spot with powerful waves and have you felt frustrated because maybe you have not succeeded in your intent? Very well, we must remember that feeling. That is the point where we start.
At this stage, a series of conflicting emotions will come into play and, on the one hand, you will tend to make you give up with respect to the goal and, on the other hand, the feeling of bitterness in the mouth will come alive. The trick? There are no tricks but only constancy, obstinacy, patience and concentration on yourself and on what you want to achieve.
If you really want it, you have to believe it, work step by step without ever losing sight of the goal, always try and try again with a smile. The results come and when this happens the satisfaction will be great. This is the arrival point, whose sensations must be remembered continuously almost obsessively because when difficulties come you will have opposite feelings and you need to be guided towards the steps taken to reach the result.
The parallelism with everyday life is quite immediate. Every day we are continually called to face new challenges and often find ourselves “below” as when a series of big waves comes from nowhere and surprise us. At that point, the only thing to do is to keep calm and wait the set passes in order to go back to the line up and try again.
In this historical moment, it is as if we were “under” a big set of waves without seeing the light and with shortness of breath. And it is now that we have to hold on and remember the last positive feeling we experienced and what we did to get there.
Then suddenly the last wave of the series has passed, we take our board and slowly return to the peak. And we are ready to try again.
Which type of workout should I prefer?
Surely this is what you already knew and what you have been doing for a few weeks. Well, staying active and constantly training has a crucial positive impact not only to maintain or improve a certain physical shape, but also to release the tension and disconnect the mind from a scenario that leads us towards a whirlwind of negative thoughts.
At this point, however, the question you probably asked yourself is “what type of workout can help me to stay in shape and be ready to come back in the water?”
Here a premise is a must. We have to start from the consideration that at home we do not have, at least most of us, equipment such as weights, kettbell, trx, bars, elastic bands etc. and therefore we cannot think of following a workout that can count on all the gym equipment. So, there is no doubt that bodyweight work can give us a big hand at this stage.
The StrongFirst organization recently published an article in which the reported scientific evidence highlights how the aerobic component, in addition to a direct beneficial effect on the cardio-vascular and respiratory system, improves the body’s resistance to external harmful factors. It is important to underline that the base of a training program remains strength, a preparatory component to all other physical abilities.
In a nutshell, thanks to the contribution of our reference coach Cristiano Gennaro, SFG I instructor with over twenty years of experience, we report below the types of workouts that we recommend following during this period:
- Strength-focused workouts characterized by an increase in load (also using body weight), a low number of repetitions (from 1 to 5 max) and a recovery between the series and rounds that must never go below 3 ‘;
- Aerobic dynamic workouts in which there are breaks between repetitions with an intensity sufficient to maintain a heart rate greater than 60% -70% of the maximum personal heart rate and a duration of more than 30 minutes;
- Mobility, stretching and yoga. Working on our mobility means reducing the risk of injury and at the same time increasing the effectiveness of our workouts thanks to a greater muscle and joint “range” acquired;
- Breathing exercises. Training breathing means learning to relax body and mind, a priority aspect in surfing. On youtube you will find many useful videos for all levels. For example, we suggest one of the many for those who start from scratch. Here below you find it:
Soon we will launch some specific surf training that have been planned and studied by our coach Cristiano Gennaro. Follow us on our social media for all updates and the latest workouts!
Dry Surf Training.
We have always said that in order to improve your surfing you have to stay in the water as much as possible and give priority to the hours spent at sea but in Coronavirus times you have to adapt and respect the rules.
This is the perfect time to analyse your surf in a critically and constructive way, perhaps by taking out the notes of the latest video analysis, or choosing online surf coaching, or even watching your favourites surfers movies focusing on their technique.
Another key is the simulation of the surf movements on the ground, trying to use the technique of visualizing the known maneuvers, reproducing them, as far as possible.
In this last aspect, it will help us a lot to look in a mirror and observe the posture always trying to correct through the key points intercepted during the analysis phase. You will see that your posture out of the water will be almost identical to the one adopted on surfing.
If you have a Carver Skate and an outdoor area, always respecting the current rules of this emergency, then you will surely have an advantage!
Last, but not least, nutrition care can bring surprising results. Just think that the best personal trainers claim that 70% of the outcomes are obtained with nutrition! If you want to deepen the topic, we suggest you to contact our reference professional Roberto Saponara, who can offer you an online coaching plan that can accompany you at 360 degrees to achieve your results even from a distance.
We are sure that we will come out of this moment stronger than before and we will appreciate even more what we love to do. For any doubt or further information, do not hesitate to contact us by clicking here. See you soon in the water! Stay safe, Stay strong.
