Stretching and Strengthening for Surfing Part 6

Part 6 works everything! Core connection, shoulder stability, strength and endurance. As always do not just do these exercises from cold, warm up with Part 1 and 5 so you are all limbered up! Read through the exercises thoroughly before doing them.

 17. Saw
Abdominal connection, flexibility and spinal articulation

Start position: Sit on a cushion or yoga block, legs wider than hip distance apart, arms wide out to your sides at shoulder height

• INHALE: through your nose, lift up through your spine and rotate your breast bone towards your right leg, lengthening your left arm over your right leg and your right arm out behind you.

• EXHALE: through pursed lips, nod your head, soften your breast bone and articulate the spine from head to tail flexing over your right leg

• INHALE: stay rotated towards your right leg and articulate the spine up tall again from tail to head

• EXHALE: rotate back to centre

• Repeat on the other side.

NOTE: the aim is to deepen your abdominal connection as you flex over your leg, not to touch the leg but hover the arm over it.  Do 10 repetitions alternating form side to side, take your time and remember to BREATHE!

18.  Pike
Flexibility, stretching and strengthening particularly the shoulder girdle and arms

This is another favourite of mine; it works and stretches practically everything!  Start position: 4-point kneeling, fingers spread out, hands under shoulders and knees under hips.

• INHALE: through your nose, prepare.
• EXHALE: through pursed lips, step your feet back behind you and lengthen your legs out sending your bottom up to the ceiling (imagine you want to touch the ceiling with your sit bones) simultaneously pressing into your out-spread fingers drawing your head back between your arms creating an upside down V position with your body.

Stay in this position and take 5 full breaths in and out, then flex your knees and return to your 4-point kneeling position. Repeat 3 times.

NOTE: keep your collar bones wide, chest open, shoulder blades down your back, abs pulled in tight. Your heels might not touch the floor, that’s OK, just keep lengthening through the back of your legs and your spine and remember to BREATHE!

 19. Plank
Whole body strengthening especially core muscles, abdominal muscles, shoulder girdle and back.

 Start position: 4-Point kneeling – as above – make sure your fingers are spread out, your arm pit muscles turned on and your shoulder blades are slid down towards your bottom.

•  INHALE: through your nose, prepare.
• EXHALE: through pursed lips, step your feet back behind you and lengthen your legs out pushing into the ball of your feet and your hands at the same time. Keep lengthening your head away from your heels and vice versa. Tighten your thighs and your bottom and feel your bottom ribs sliding in together.

• Hold the position for 5 full breaths in and out.

NOTE: your bottom should be almost as high as your shoulders and your head is forwards of your hands with your eye line just in front of your fingertips on the floor.
You should feel like everything is working hard – because it is!
Try slowly going from your plank into your pike and then back into your plank without putting your knees down for 5 sets (1 set is 1 plank and 1 pike).

20. Side Plank
Whole body strengthening especially core muscles, abdominal muscles, shoulder girdle and side body.

 The big finale – whoop whoop! This is a challenging exercise and needs concentration and focus.

Start position: in your plank with everything turned on and breathing smoothly.

•  INHALE: through your nose, prepare.
• EXHALE: through pursed lips, turn your head to your left and focus on a spot on the wall simultaneously rotate your legs and hips to your right letting your heels and the outside edge of your right foot and the inside edge of your left foot touch the floor so that your left foot is in front of your right foot. Lift your left arm off the floor and lengthen it up to the ceiling continuing to balance on your right arm and right side.

Keep breathing!
TIP: See if you can stack your left leg on top of your right leg so you are totally balancing on your right side.

•  INHALE: stay.
• EXHALE: push into your right hand, slide your ribs together and float up your left leg .

• INHALE: lower your leg

Can you stay in position and do 5 leg lifts? Carefully come down onto hands and knees and take a mini breather before you do the other side.

Before you finish, try this Plank-Pike-Star Circuit

1. Start on hands and knees
2. Inhale and push up into your pike
3. Exhale and lengthen into your plank
4. Inhale to shift your weight to your right hand and foot, take your side plank
5. Exhale and lengthen your left arm and leg out into your side star
6. Inhale to lower your arm and leg
7. Exhale to return to your plank
8. Inhale to shift your weight back into pike
9. Exhale and lengthen into your plank again
10. Inhale and shift your weight to your left hand and foot, take your side plank
11. Exhale and lengthen your right hand and leg out into your side star
12. Inhale to lower your arm and leg
13. Exhale to return to your plank
14. Inhale to shift your weight back into pike

Repeat as many times as you dare!

Congratulations you have finished! Well done! Review parts 1 to 6 of Stretching and Strengthening for Surfing. Put all 6 parts together and do the whole workout, it should take you about 30 minutes.
Thank you for training with me and I hope you enjoyed the workout 😉