The Ultimate Fitness Guide to Level Up Your Surfing
- Brainz Magazine
- 1 day ago
- 7 min read
Written by Jon Addison, Performance Coach
Jon Addison is a specialist in surf and snow sports performance. As the founder of Mtnwave Fitness, he provides tailored online fitness coaching for ocean and mountain sports, in addition to organizing adventure coaching tours that integrate his rider-focused training with incredible surf and snow experiences.
Being surf fit isn’t just about spending more time in the water. It’s about becoming strong, capable, and pain-free so you can keep performing and progressing in the sport you love for years to come. Surfing demands a unique mix of surf strength training, endurance, mobility, and recovery that few sports can match. It’s not enough to paddle harder or surf more. Your body has to be ready to meet the demands of the ocean day after day, year after year. In the end, it’s about building the kind of physical freedom that lets you surf how you want, when you want, without limits.
Whether you’re chasing waves daily or having weekend sessions with friends, fitness is what gives you the freedom to surf with confidence, catch the maximum number of waves, and progress faster. The fitter you are, the longer you last in the lineup, and the more fun you have doing it.
In this article, we’ll break down exactly how to tackle your fitness for year-round surfing. If you’re heading off on a surf trip and want some quick, practical tips to get paddle-ready, check out my "Surf Trip Fitness Blueprint to Help You Prep Like a Pro." If you’re ready for a complete roadmap to set yourself up for your best year of surfing yet, this guide is for you.
Why surf fitness became non-negotiable for me
Years back, I realised the difference between just surfing and being surf-ready. After long surfs and heavy swells, following long periods out of the water, my body often couldn’t keep up with what the ocean had in store. Shoulder pain, tight hips, and fatigue would creep in every time I got in, all signs that I wasn’t maintaining the fitness needed to perform in the water and enjoy my surfing. I loved the ocean, but I hated feeling like my body was holding me back.
After I moved to Hossegor, France, where the waves are relentless and powerful, I quickly learned that surfing rewards physical preparation. When working away, I’m not always in the ocean, and when I make time to train consistently, building strength, mobility, and surf-specific fitness, I can paddle stronger, pop up smoother, and recover faster. But when I don’t, the ocean reminds me quickly that I’m out of my depth again. That’s when I realised training isn’t separate from surfing, it’s what allows you to keep showing up and performing.
Surf performance, for me, isn’t about embracing the pain or surfing through it. It’s about building and maintaining the athleticism that allows me to keep performing every time I get in the ocean.
Building surf performance for life
Surf fitness isn’t one size fits all. The way you train depends on how often you’re surfing and what your body needs between sessions. When the waves are flat or life gets busy, training on land is where you build the foundation that keeps you strong. When the surf is firing and you’re in the water several times a week, the focus shifts to recovery and maintenance. The key is learning how to switch gears, training smart when it’s flat and recovering smart when it’s firing.
The following two-phase training approach is how I like to structure my fitness year-round so I can stay surf fit and ready whenever the swell hits.
How to train when you’re not surfing much
Flat spells or busy times when you're away from the ocean are your chance to build the foundation that carries over when the surf is pumping. This is when you should focus on surf strength training, endurance, and movement prep. Put the time in here, and every paddle out gets easier, every take-off feels sharper, and every session lasts longer. Think of it as your off-season, the time to rebuild, recharge, and come back stronger.
Upper body power
Surfing begins with paddle power. Use pull-ups, rows, straight-arm band pulls, and Y, T, and W exercises to build the lats, shoulders, and back strength that keep you paddling efficiently. Add push-ups, yoga push-ups, and dumbbell presses to develop the power to drive through duck dives and explode to your feet during your pop-ups. Together, this push-pull balance is what keeps fatigue at bay during long sessions.
Lower body strength
Once you’re on the wave, your legs and hips do the heavy lifting. Include squats, lunge variations, hip hinges, and single-leg drills to build the stability and power to pump down the line, generate speed, and drive through turns. Try adding accessory exercises like glute bridges and adductor planks to strengthen your stabilisers so you stay rooted to your board even in unstable conditions.
Core control
Your core links the upper and lower body into one powerful chain. Focus on planks, rotational band work, and back extensions to train your torso to absorb force, transfer energy, and stay stable when you’re rotating through maneuvers. Think of it as the bridge that connects your paddle posture with your wave riding and board control.
Cardio endurance
Surfing is stop-start by nature, but it demands both stamina and recovery. Use interval training to improve short bursts of effort followed by rest, mimicking the sprint-and-sit rhythm of surfing, so you can recover quickly in the lineup and still have power to go again on the next wave. Then include longer steady-state cardio, like running, rowing, or swimming, to build an aerobic base that prevents you from gassing out halfway through a long paddle. Together, they give you the gears to surf strong from the first wave to the last.
Surf movement
Strength alone won’t make you move like a surfer. Use yoga exercises to improve flexibility, Animal Flow drills to sharpen coordination, and kettlebell exercises to develop hip drive and power. Try adding sport-specific moves like surf-stance push-ups and rotational lunges to help replicate the transitions you face in the water. I like to combine these into movement training sessions, choosing six to eight exercises, working hard on each for 45 seconds, followed by 15 seconds of rest for three to four rounds. These sessions can double as your HIIT workouts. The goal isn’t to look athletic, it’s to feel fluid. The more you train like a surfer on land, the better you’ll move in the water.
Recovery habits
The harder you surf or train, the more recovery matters. Use foam rolling and massage balls to release tight necks, backs, shoulders, and lats. Follow this with long-hold static stretches to restore the tissue to its resting length. Eat balanced meals to refuel and repair, and make sure you sleep well to regenerate for the next session.
Sample “out of water” training week
Two strength sessions, one interval (HIIT) conditioning day, one steady-state cardio, one surf movement, and at least one recovery day. To capture all this within a week's training can be challenging, so if you're short on time, focus on your deficits and train the areas you're lacking most.
How to train when you’re surfing often
When the surf is pumping and you’re in the water several times per week, the ocean becomes your training ground. Your priority now isn’t building big fitness gains but maintaining your strength and staying loose and fresh enough to handle repeated sessions. At this point, it’s all about balance, surf hard, recover harder.
Mobility and recovery first
Regular surf mobility and recovery work keep your shoulders, hips, and spine healthy. Without this, breakdown and fatigue take over quickly. Tailor your recovery sessions to include yoga flows, foam rolling, and long-hold stretches targeting the lats, traps, chest, posterior shoulders, hips, and lower back between sessions to keep your body supple and reduce the risk of paddling pain or stiffness. Even light walks or low-impact activities can help speed up recovery.
Light strength and movement circuits
When you’re surfing often, heavy gym work can leave you burnt out and flat. Keep it simple. Focus on movement-based flows like in the surf movement sessions mentioned above, but without overloading. Include kettlebell work, Animal Flow, yoga, and surf-specific exercises for sharpness. Structured as short circuits, these sessions aid recovery and complement your time in the water instead of competing with it.
Nutrition and sleep
If you’re surfing hard, you need input to match the output. Stay well-hydrated and use nutrition to fuel your athleticism. Focus on replenishing energy with non-processed carbohydrates, repairing muscles with ample protein intake, and supporting recovery with plenty of fruit, vegetables, and healthy fats. Most importantly, prioritise getting seven to nine hours of quality sleep each night so your body can regenerate for back-to-back days in the water. Think of food and sleep as part of your training, not an afterthought.
Sample “surf-rich” training week
Two to four surf sessions, two mobility and recovery flows, one to two light strength or surf movement sessions (only if you're not surfing all week), and one to two full rest days.
Why this two-phase approach works
Surfing is unpredictable. Some weeks you’re in the water daily, others you hardly paddle out. Training like a surfer means matching your fitness plan to your surf frequency, knowing when to push and when to pull back. It’s about having a plan to build your base when you’re out of the water. Then, when the waves arrive, shift gears to surf hard, recover well, and keep your body energised and resilient. Train smart, surf often, and let consistency do the rest.
This flexible approach keeps you surf fit year-round, ready for every swell, enjoying and progressing session after session. It’s how you stay surf-ready for life instead of getting stuck in surf survival mode.
Take the next step in your surfing
The fitter you are, the more freedom you’ll have in the surf. You’ll be able to paddle longer, catch more waves, and keep doing what you love without pain or limits for years to come. Use this two-phase guide to stay surf fit and ready for every swell. The ocean will always test you, but with the right training, you’ll always be ready for it.
If you want a clear path to follow, our new 30 Days/30 Ways Surf Fit Series is now available. It’s designed to give you practical tips and proven strategies to build the strength, endurance, and confidence you need in the surf. No guesswork, just methods that help you catch more waves, recover faster, and surf pain-free.
Click here to join our 30 Days/30 Ways Surf Fit Series.
Read more from Jon Addison
Jon Addison, Performance Coach
Jon Addison is a performance coach, surf and snowboard instructor, and former snowboard athlete specializing in fitness, rehab, and readiness for ocean and mountain sports. As the founder of Mtnwave Fitness, he helps athletes and enthusiasts overcome frustrations, plateaus, and pain through personalized coaching programs designed to elevate their performance. Jon’s own journey of injury recovery and sustainable fitness has fueled his commitment to helping others unlock their potential. With a focus on functional movement and sport-oriented fitness, he is dedicated to helping riders reclaim and enhance their abilities in surf and snow sports.
