SURFER'S HEALTH

What Works, What Doesn’t, and How to Identify Trendy Misinformation Dave sent me a link to an Instagram video yesterday and wanted to know what I thought about it. It starts with Jack Robinson doing aggressive breathing exercises on the beach before one of his heats, then goes into an explanation of why he is doing these exercises, how to do them, and the purported benefits of doing so. Dave knows that I have done a lot of breathwork, pranayama, and apnea training over the years, and wanted to know if this so-called “piston” training was legit, and if it...

The knees is one of the most important joints in the body, and knees are particularly important for surfers, since most of our movements on a wave are powered by our core and upper legs. Importance of Healthy Knees for Surfing Surfing is a dynamic sport that involves a lot of twisting and torquing movements, which means that the knees are put through a lot of stress during every session. In order to ensure that we are surfing at our best—and to help reduce the risk of injury—it is important to maintain healthy, flexible knees that are ready for anything....

We often think about upper body strength and mobility when it comes to surfing, but sometimes we forget how important lower body flexibility and power is when it comes to the fundamentals of wave riding. Everything from popping up on a board to pumping down the line and linking together maneuvers requires precise coordination of the lower body, which is only possible if all of your muscles and joints are firing together. One area that a lot of surfers struggle with is hip strength and mobility. I know I definitely do! This has been a bit challenge for me as I have...

Feet First Under Waves The other day, I was watching a life surf cam broadcast from Pipe. It was solid 6- to 8-foot—big enough for the heavy hitters to be out there, especially at a place as gnarly as Pipeline. While I was watching, I started to notice that many of the best guys out there all took a similar approach when getting caught by big sets. Instead of standing on their boards and diving under the waves, as we often see people do in old videos, the simply pushed themselves underwater feet first, let the waves pass over them,...

Happy Baby Pose, also known as Ananda Balasana is a popular yoga pose that is great for beginners. It is an excellent way to stretch the hips, hamstrings, and lower back while also promoting relaxation. This pose targets the hip joints, which can become tight due to prolonged sitting or standing, and helps to stretch the hip flexors, outer hips, and thighs, improving flexibility and mobility in the hip area To perform the Happy Baby Pose, you can follow these steps:   Lie on your back and exhale, bringing both knees in and hugging them into the chest. Separate the...

This Solves My SCIATICA As I’ve talked about previously, I have struggled with sciatica and related knee pain for years. A lot of physical therapists have suggested doing stretching and rolling, but this actually aggravates the nerve that causes the sciatica (which we have covered in a previous article). Recently, I found a doctor in El Paso, Texas, who hosts a video on YouTube about effective sciatica therapy. Instead of stretching and rolling, he has people do exercises that shift the pelvis to relieve the pressure on the nerve. Two exercises in particular are super helpful for me.    ...

An acquaintance of mine recently went into a running store in a landlocked state on the mainland to have his gait evaluated and get some recommendations on shoes. After putting him on a treadmill and filming his gait, the professional at the store asked, “Are you a surfer? You run like someone who has spent years on a surfboard, with your feet pointing slightly away from each other and more weight on your back foot.” My acquaintance found this pretty amazing. Not only had he been surfing his entire life, but the runner who recognized this lived 1000 miles from...

Exercises to Prevent and Rehab Shoulder Injuries Like many surfers, I suffer from shoulder issues—both chronic crepitus and a more recent acute injury the causes cross-body pain. I am still able to paddle and surf, but certain movements are painful and the shoulder doesn’t feel 100% strong and stable. Shoulder injuries are common among surfers and other athletes such as swimmers, kayakers, climbers, and ball players who all perform the same arm motions over and over. Both acute shoulder injuries and repetitive use injuries can be quite debilitating. A lot of times, they result in time out of the water,...

How Sugar Causes Inflammation and Messes With Our Bodies Photo by Valeria Boltneva  As many of you know from my blogs and newsletters, I’ve been struggling with some joint pain over the past few years, mostly from injuries that I’ve picked up from surfing and other activities. I actually have a number of friends who are in the same situation, and we often chat about our injuries and pain and how to do away with it. The other day I was chatting with a friend in the water, and he mentioned that his acupuncturist told him that one way to reduce...

How Surfing Can Mess Up Our Hips and Butts—and How We Can Deal With It An acquaintance of mine recently went into a running store in a landlocked state on the mainland to have his gait evaluated and get some recommendations on shoes. After putting him on a treadmill and filming his gait, the professional at the store asked, “Are you a surfer? You run like someone who has spent years on a surfboard, with your feet pointing slightly away from each other and more weight on your back foot.” My acquaintance found this pretty amazing. Not only had he...

Surfer’s Eye—Treating and Preventing Pterygium   Photo Credit to commons.wikimedia.org   Recently I’ve noticed that my eyes are irritated and red after surf sessions, and I eventually decided to go see my ophthalmologist about it. After checking out my eyes, they told me that I have something that is very common in surfers—so common, in fact, that it’s been nicknamed “surfer’s eye.” My eye doctor diagnosed me with a pterygium, which is a growth of pink, fleshy tissue on the conjunctiva, which is the clear tissue that coats your eyeball. Sounds pretty gnarly, huh?! As crazy as it sounds, it’s likely...

 Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide - Legged Forward Bend) While we like to call ourselves surfers, the reality is that we spend the majority of our time paddling, not riding waves. And paddling surfboard is hard work. Particularly with shortboards—but even on longboards as well—we spend hours flexing our lower backs and upper legs in order to support a more efficient streamline through the water so that we can paddle faster and catch more waves. All of this flexing can lead to strained, tight muscles in our upper legs and lower backs—basically our entire core. And of course, our core is the...

15-MINUTE FITNESS ROUTINE FOR SURFERS   While being a surfer has long been associated with being fit and tan, we don’t exactly have a celebrated history of training. Unlike other athletes who cross-train and do cardio workouts to improve their performance on the court or in the field; surfers were better known for partying than for running, stretching, and lifting weights. Surfing was quite the counter-culture, and the beach lifestyle lent itself more to drinking and smoking herb than it did eating a macrobiotic diet and practicing yoga. As far as we were concerned, the best training for surfing was...

Understanding the Relationship Between Depression and Exercise Recent research and awareness campaigns have revealed that far more people suffer from depression than many of us might think. For years, many people with depression have believed that they were alone in their struggle, but it turns out the challenge is both common and widespread. It is also quite dangerous, particularly if people attempt to deal with their depression themselves. The sad loss of some of our greatest heroes—even within the sport of surfing—is a testament to how devastating depression can be. Fortunately, there are ways to treat depression and break the...

Three Great Ways to Keep Your Stoke and Train for Surfing at Home   As you probably know, a lot of people around the world spent the past month on lockdown at home, and not all of them were as fortunate as we were here in Hawaii. While we were able to surf as part of our exercise here in the islands, many other surfers were landlocked for weeks and even months. They had to find creative ways to stay stoked and in shape for surfing—something that many of us have had to do at some point in our lives,...

Yoga Poses That WillHelp you Surf Better During challenging times, sometimes the best thing to do is to look for the silver lining. The months of March and April were hard for a lot of people, due to illness, lost jobs, financial difficulties, and the global pandemic/economic shutdown as a whole. To make matters worse, in many places around the world, surfers were restricted from paddling out and enjoying the natural healing that the ocean provides to our bodies, minds, and souls. But during times like this, when our daily routines are upset and we are unable to do the...

The SEVEN Forms of REST and Why They Are Important As athletes who tend to pursue their sport on a daily basis, surfers have a number of recovery needs, including proper nutrition and rest. But do you ever feel like no mater how much sleep you get, you are still exhausted? That’s because there are actually seven different types of rest that people need. The first is obvious—and one that we talk about a lot. Physical rest is just as important as physical activity, even for professional-level athletes who do endurance sports and other activities that require a lot of...

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