How to stay flexible during this enforced downtime, and, get back in the water a better surfer.
Taking the opportunity to relax and lengthen muscles while the body is warm should help you maintain range of motion, and can also increase flexibility over time, which can both contribute to injury prevention.
Remember, it is crucial to start your stretch routine only once warm...Jump up and down in your living room, run on the spot, do some laps of the garden our your balcony.
Lesson 1
Cobra Pose
Benefits: Increases flexibility of the spine while also opening up the shoulders and stretching the chest and abdomen. Will help with getting to your feet more smoothly.
- ・Lie on your front with your legs together, placing your hands alongside your body just below your shoulders.
- ・Keeping your elbows close to your sides, press into the ground through your palms to lift your head and chest off the ground, keeping your neck in line with your spine.
- ・To release, slowly lower your chest and head to the floor.
Lesson 2
Seated hip stretch
and spinal twist
Benefits: Relaxes tight hips and increases mobility of the spine. To help you get into (and out of) those tweaked positions needed for radical turns.
- ・Sit with your legs extended straight out in front of you, then bend your right knee and place your right heel as close to the outside of your left hip as possible.
- ・Hug your knee tight to your chest while keeping a tall upright torso.
- ・To add the twist, reach your right arm behind you and put your fingertips or palm on the floor. Then put your left hand or elbow on your right knee (or thigh) and pull your knee into the left until you feel a stretch in your glutes.
- ・Repeat on the other side.
Lesson 3
Kneeling low lunge
Benefits: A fantastic exercise to stretch the hip flexors, groin and quadriceps. Every movement on a board uses these.
- ・Start in a lunge position: drop your back knee and tuck in your toes so that your lower leg rests on the ground.
- ・If this is enough of a stretch, stay here. Otherwise, lower your hands to the floor and allow yourself to sink deeper into the stretch.
- ・If you are particularly flexible you might be able to put your forearms on the ground.
- ・Repeat on the other side.
Lesson 4
Half-kneeling hip
flexor stretch
Benefits: A great exercises to open up the hips – particularly beneficial if you spend a lot of time sat at a desk. Opening up your hips is probably the essential element to keep your body supple and loose for surfing.
- ・Start in a half-kneeling position with your front knee over your ankle and your back knee resting on the floor beneath your hip.
- ・Squeeze your glutes and push your hips forward for a deep stretch of the hip flexors on the side with your knee on the ground.
- ・Repeat on the other side.
Lesson 5
Dead hang
Benefits: An easy for your lower back and hamstrings, will help to get you super low on that bottom turn.
- ・Stand with your feet hip-width apart with a soft bend in your knees.
- ・Folding your arms slowly, allow yourself to drop forward until you are bent at the waist, hanging forward with a relaxed neck and shoulders.
- ・Make sure your knees are still slightly bent. You can sway gently from side to side, which will stretch different sides of your lower back.
- ・Breathe slowly and deeply for three to six breaths.