Category: Uncategorized

After you become interested in joining a surf camp or becoming a surfer yourself, you might think that all you will need to do is grab a board and run to the water. But, once you try paddling out yourself, you’ll realise something very quickly – surfing is a full-body workout! You use nearly all of your muscle groups when you surf, and not training your body can lead to lots of sore muscles and heaps of fatigue.

Of course, one of the best ways to prepare your body for surfing is to train your muscles. Your muscles may not be at their peak now, but you’ll improve your body if you keep training.

Working your body and preparing yourself to surf can improve your surf camp or surf school experience. When your muscles are ready, you’ll be able to practice for longer and learn more.

What Muscles Are Used When Surfing?

At first, some people may not realise just how physically demanding surfing is. This sport doesn’t have as much running as football, and some people may incorrectly think, ‘I’ll be standing on a board on a wave, so it’ll be easy, right?’

Proper surfing requires a lot of your body to move, making it an unbelievably fantastic way of staying in shape. But, that also means that getting used to the workout can be tough for surf camp beginners who don’t realise just how much movement it requires.

Naturally, different parts of surfing require the use of different muscles. When you lay on your board and start to paddle out to the waves, you’ll primarily be using the muscles on your upper back, the muscles between your shoulders, the muscles of your lower back and the muscles on your upper arms.

Once you reach the waves, you’ll need to pop up and balance on your board while standing. Doing so will require the muscles on your thighs, hips, butt, calves and core muscles.

As you can tell, you’ll be using a lot of muscles as you surf, so you’ll definitely feel the burn when you practice.

Exercises To Prime Your Muscles And Boost Your Endurance

If you want to maximise your chances of succeeding when you head off to surf camp, attend your surfing lessons or have fun with friends, you should strongly consider working out these muscle groups on your own. Readying these muscles can reduce fatigue and boost your surfing power.

Luckily, there are heaps of different exercises that’ll help your body stay fit, and most can easily be done at home or your local gym. Some of the best exercises are:

Chin-Ups. Upper body strength is vital when it’s time to stand up and ride a wave, so it is a great idea to train these muscles. Chin-ups are a relatively simple exercise that can help you build your upper body strength. To do this exercise, you can start out with a chin-up bar. Take hold of the chin-up bar with your hands above your shoulders and hang. Then, lift your body until your chin is right above the bar.

It’s recommended to do sets of six reps each with resting time between them. When you build up your muscles, you’ll be able to do more reps. Always remember to let yourself rest and stay hydrated as you exercise.

Squats. This exercise is great for building your endurance and your posture, two things that’ll help you at surf camp and in life. To do a squat, you should keep your feet hip-width apart as you lower your body to the ground. It can help, with any exercise you want to try, to look up what the correct form looks like so you know you are doing it correctly.

Pushups. Pushups are another fantastic exercise that’ll train quite a few of your muscles. This exercise is simple to understand but isn’t always as easy to execute, especially if you aren’t used to them. Remember to try to keep the right form and let yourself rest in between sets. You will undoubtedly be able to do more if you keep training.

Running. You can regularly go on runs to boost your endurance and prime your stamina. Routinely running is also a great way to centre your mind and stay fit, and it can easily be done anywhere, whether you’re at home or already at surf camp.

Where To Go To Hone Your Surfing Skills In New Zealand

If you want to go from curious beginner to experienced surfer, check out our fantastic lessons and services at Salt Spray Surf School. We have a variety of programmes that’ll help you learn, including beginner’s lessons.

Or, if you are already experienced and know how to surf, we are also happy to offer board and wetsuit rentals. We are centred at Ohope Beach, an absolutely fantastic place to enjoy the ocean and ride the waves.

If you’d like to sign up for a class, or if you want to learn more, please give us a ring at 021 149 1972.

At Salt Spray Surf School, we help people bring out the pro surfer within.

Surfing is a fantastic way to spend time outside, get some exercise and connect with the ocean. This fact is especially prevalent here in New Zealand, where surfing is a popular activity enjoyed by many. If you want to learn how to surf but are still a beginner, your best option is to join a surfing school and learn from experienced coaches.

Why Should I Go To Surfing School When Learning To Surf?

While there are plenty of fun activities that you could teach yourself through internet guides or trial and error, surfing is not one of them. Instead, when learning to surf, you should seek guidance from talented coaches who know what they are doing – like the excellent ones at Salt Spray Surf School. 

Surfing has heaps of wonderful benefits and can improve both your mental and physical health. However, because it is a physical activity that involves swimming and riding the waves, it is vital that you learn how to do it properly. 

By participating in a surfing programme like the ones we offer, you can learn proper form while confiding in friendly coaches. When you start learning from experienced professionals like us, you can know and build good habits that will help you excel and surf like a pro. 

What Should I Keep In Mind When Learning?

Just like with any other activity, starting your first few lessons can be challenging. You will need to learn new forms, memorise new techniques, develop good habits and more. 

So, there are several things that you should keep in mind when you begin your journey to surfing success. Some things that you should know are:

Learn Your Basic Techniques; They’re Important! You should try your best to learn and memorise basic techniques because they will be the foundation of your surfing ability. Therefore, it is absolutely vital that you understand the basics and develop good habits from the start.

Even if you would love to run into the water and start riding like a pro immediately, you have to start small! 

You Will Be Doing A Whole Lot Of Swimming. Naturally, because surfing takes place on the water, you will be doing heaps of swimming. So, it is important that you are comfortable around and in the water. When learning to surf, it’ll help if you are a skilled swimmer. 

Chances Are, You Will Be Doing A Lot Of Falling As Well. Surfing involves paddling and standing on surfboards, so unless you have perfect balance, you will probably fall more than a few times as you learn. This is okay, just pick yourself up and start again. 

Everyone falls every once in a while, so you shouldn’t be embarrassed or ashamed if you do. Even the pros occasionally stumble – learn from your mistakes and try again! 

Practice Makes Perfect; Everyone Starts As A Beginner. When you first start to learn, you might get discouraged when you see experienced surfers doing incredible tricks that you can’t currently do. If you start to feel down, just remind yourself that you will get better if you keep at it.

Even the most talented professionals were beginners once. If you get back in the water and keep practising, you will get better.

Trust Your Coaches And Go At Your Own Pace. Everyone has their own inherent abilities and talents, and everyone learns at different rates. So, if you notice that a few of your fellow beginners are picking things up faster than you, you should not let that bring you down.

It is essential that you go at your own pace and learn properly, even if you are faster or slower than other surfers. If you have difficulty with certain things, talk to your friendly coaches and trust their advice. 

Our talented and helpful surfing instructors at Salt Spray Surf School always have your best interests in mind, whether that be learning skills or staying safe. If you have any questions or concerns, all you need to do is speak to one of us, and we will do our absolute best to help you out. 

Where Can I Find A Wonderful Surfing School In New Zealand?

Overall, surfing is a wonderfully fun and exceptionally thrilling activity. Do you want to get your toes wet and try out this fantastic sea sport for yourself? If so, our outstanding team at Salt Spray Surf School is excited to help you get started!

We offer several different services to New Zealanders who wish to surf, including board rentals and surfing lessons. Our activities and classes take place on the gorgeous sands of Ohope Beach, a location that you will surely grow to love!

To speak to our incredible team about our services, or if you would like to sign up for a lesson now, please visit our contact page or call us at 021 149 1972 to get in touch.

So, come down to Ohope Beach and learn how to surf with our friendly team at Salt Spray Surf School!

Surfing is a fantastic experience that many New Zealanders take part in every week. This fun and athletic activity lets people enjoy this country’s breathtaking beaches from a new viewpoint. If you have gone out and observed skilled surfers expertly riding the waves, you may have had the desire to join them.

So, how do you start your surfing adventure? Before you go buy a board and a wetsuit and hop into the water, it would be best if you spoke with professional surf coaches to start off right.

Why Should I Take Surfing Lessons Instead Of Heading Out On My Own?

Even though surfing is a fun and exhilarating sea sport that is a joy to both take part in and watch from the sidelines, it is not as simple as some people may think. To surf correctly, you need to know the proper techniques and methods – not just to perform perfectly but also to remain safe.

When you take surfing lessons taught by a team of helpful instructors, you will experience the following benefits:

You Will Receive Advice And Help, No Matter Your Experience Level. It does not matter if you have gone surfing a few times before or if this is the first time you are stepping in the water; you can always expect fantastic help from your coach. Everyone learns at their own rate, so it would be best if you kept in mind that you should go at your own pace and have fun.

If you are a beginner, you can take a beginner-specific lesson that is specifically designed to start you out right. When you learn the basics from friendly local surfers, you will surely understand why so many people enjoy surfing so much!

You Can Learn The Correct Form And Habits. If you go out on your own and try to surf without being taught first, you could develop incorrect habits that will be hard to correct in the future. It’s not always easy to learn just by seeing how other people do it, and it’s a much better choice to speak to a professional so they can guide you through the beginning steps.

By learning with an experienced instructor from the start, you can create good habits that will stick with you for the rest of your surfing career. With good habits and correct form, you will be riding the waves like a pro before you know it!

Excellent Instructors Will Teach You To Read The Waves And Develop The Correct Timing. Great timing is absolutely essential in surfing. Waves come and go on their own time, and you will need to learn how to work with them to surf expertly. If you miscalculate and take action at the wrong time, you could end up paddling to a wave that will be gone by the time you get there.

Knowledgeable surfing coaches can teach you how to time your actions correctly. Not only that, but they can also explain to you why timing is so important. This way, instead of relying on trial and error to develop your sense of timing, you can learn from the best.

Along With Learning Skills, You Will Also Learn Safety. Surfing is a fun and exciting activity – but just because it’s enjoyable doesn’t mean there are no risks involved. As with any sport, if you go about it recklessly and carelessly, unfortunate things can happen.

However, when you take lessons from people who understand the risks and are well-trained in first aid and surfing safety, you can learn how to have fun while minimising danger.

You Will Learn How To Choose The Right Equipment For You. Not every board is the same, and not every board will be right for you. If you get the wrong board and try to surf on it, you might have a bad time and end up becoming discouraged early on.

Surf coaches who have years of experience will be able to gauge your skills and recommend the correct equipment for you that will ensure you have a great time. Additionally, if you would like to try equipment out before committing and buying some, you can rent out boards or wetsuits to test your skills.

Where Can I Find Talented And Friendly Surfing Instructors To Help Me Out?

Now that you know why you should take lessons over trying to start on your own, are you ready to speak to some wonderful professionals and get your feet in the water? At Saltspray Surf School, our team of surfers is as talented as they are friendly, and we are eager to start surfing with you!

Located on the incredibly stunning Ohope Beach, we are proud to offer New Zealanders engaging surfing programmes that are both fun and educational. If you would like to speak to us for more information, please contact our team at 0211491972.

So don’t go in alone; learn how to ride waves like a pro with Saltspray Surf School!