Best Exercises for Surfing: A Bodyweight Surf Fitness Plan

The best exercises for surfing train five things: paddling endurance, an explosive pop-up, balance, core strength and mobility. You can cover all of them at home with bodyweight moves like prone Y-raises, pop-up burpees, surf squats, planks and hip stretches. About 20 minutes, three or four times a week, is enough to feel a difference in the water.

What surfing actually demands

Surfing is mostly paddling with short bursts of high effort. A typical session looks like this: paddle out, sit, paddle for waves, sprint into one, jump to your feet, ride for a few seconds, then paddle back. Your training should mirror that.

• Paddling endurance: your shoulders, upper back and arms work for most of the session.
• Explosive pop-up: you go from lying flat to standing in about a second.
• Balance: you stand on a moving, tilting platform.
• Core strength: your trunk links your upper and lower body and keeps you stable through turns.
• Mobility: open hips, a mobile upper back and healthy shoulders make the pop-up and paddling posture easier.

Safety first

This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice.

• Warm up for a few minutes before each session with light movement, such as marching on the spot, arm circles and a few slow squats.
• Stop if anything hurts. Muscle effort is normal; sharp or joint pain is not.
• Start easy and add reps or sets gradually.
• If you have an injury, a medical condition, or you are returning after time off, check with a doctor or physiotherapist before you start.

Bodyweight exercises by goal

Use the sets and reps as a starting point. If you can finish every set with good form and a couple of reps to spare, add a few more next time.

Paddling strength and endurance

Prone Y-raises - 3 sets of 10-12 Lie face down with arms overhead in a Y shape, thumbs up. Lift your arms and chest slightly, squeeze your shoulder blades, pause for a second, then lower. Keep your neck long.

Superman - 3 sets of 10, holding 2-3 seconds at the top Lie face down with arms extended. Lift arms, chest and legs off the floor together, then lower with control.

Prone swimmers - 3 sets of 8-10 slow reps From the Y position, sweep your arms down to your sides and back up without touching the floor. It mimics the paddling stroke.

Pop-up power

Pop-up push-ups - 3 sets of 6-10 Do a push-up with hands under your lower ribs, as you would on a board. Press up explosively. Drop to your knees if you need to.

Pop-up burpees - 3 sets of 5-8 Lie flat, hands by your chest. Push up and jump your feet straight into a surf stance, front foot between your hands, knees bent, eyes forward. Lie back down and repeat. Focus on landing quietly and balanced. For the full technique, see how to pop up on a surfboard.

Legs and balance

Surf squats - 3 sets of 10-12 Stand in your surf stance, side-on, feet a little wider than shoulder-width. Sink into a low squat, keeping your chest up and weight centred, then rise. Switch to your other stance for the last set.

Reverse lunges - 3 sets of 8 per leg Step back, lower until both knees are around 90 degrees, then drive back up. Add a pause at the bottom for extra balance work.

Single-leg balance - 3 rounds of 30 seconds per leg Stand on one leg with a soft knee. Once that is easy, close your eyes or turn your head slowly side to side.

Core

Plank - 3 sets of 20-45 seconds Forearms under shoulders, body in a straight line. Squeeze your glutes and brace as if expecting a light punch.

Bird dogs - 3 sets of 8 per side On hands and knees, extend one arm and the opposite leg, hold for two seconds, then switch. Keep your hips level.

Side plank - 2 sets of 20-30 seconds per side Builds the side of your trunk, which helps with rotation and turns.

Mobility

Hip flexor stretch - 2 rounds of 30-45 seconds per side Kneel in a half-lunge, tuck your pelvis slightly and shift forward until you feel a stretch at the front of the back hip. Long paddling sessions tend to leave these tight.

World’s greatest stretch - 2 rounds of 5 per side Step into a deep lunge, place the opposite hand on the floor, rotate your other arm up to the ceiling, then return. It opens the hips, hamstrings and upper back in one move.

Cobra or sphinx - 2 rounds of 30 seconds Lie face down and press up onto your forearms or hands. This gently trains the arched position you hold while paddling. Keep it comfortable.

A simple 20-minute weekly plan

Each session starts with a few minutes of warm-up and fits in roughly 20 minutes. Rest about 30-60 seconds between sets.

Day	Focus	Exercises
Monday	Paddle strength	Prone Y-raises, superman, prone swimmers, plank
Tuesday	Rest or surf	Easy walk or a session in the water
Wednesday	Pop-up power	Pop-up push-ups, pop-up burpees, surf squats, bird dogs
Thursday	Mobility	Hip flexor stretch, world’s greatest stretch, cobra, single-leg balance
Friday	Legs and core	Surf squats, reverse lunges, side plank, plank
Weekend	Surf	Put it into practice; if it is flat, repeat any session

If you surf a lot, swap a strength day for an extra mobility day so you recover well. If the surf is flat for weeks, keep all four sessions and add a set to each.

Tips to get more from your training

• Quality over speed. Slow, controlled reps build better strength than rushed ones.
• Practise the pop-up often. A few clean pop-ups a day on the floor builds the pattern. Surfast’s free coach mode uses your phone camera to count pop-up reps and give real-time feedback, which helps keep those reps honest.
• Train both stances now and then to keep your body balanced.
• Do not train hard right before a big surf. Save tough sessions for flat days.
• Track how you feel in the water. Easier paddle-outs and quicker pop-ups are the best sign it is working.

Fitness also helps with safety. A stronger paddle gets you out of trouble faster and helps you stay calm if you get caught in a current, so it is worth reading up on rip currents. And the right board makes every paddle easier, so check our beginner surfboard guide if you are still on something small.