Home workout for surfers: for mornings with far too much wind, for days without waves, for the last two weeks before your surf holiday. Whenever we have to take a break from the beach, it is time for the home workout for surfers! Time to move that beach body off the couch and get it ready for take-off. Time for a little (maybe even a mean) sofa sweat session.
We created “Couch Surfing – the wave-free home workout for surfers” especially for these situations. A couch workout you can easily do at home while you are already dreaming of the first wave. It is 100% FreshSurf approved – we like to work through it from start to finish ourselves whenever wind, waves or weather mess up our plans and we cannot get out surfing for a day (or, worst case, more than two).
The home workout for surfers is a Fresh favourite because…
Take your time – do every exercise in a controlled and calm way.
If you are already properly surf fit, you can increase the difficulty and add more repetitions.
Beginners do three rounds. Beasts go straight for five.
Ready? Go!
You can find the perfect playlist for the home workout for surfers here.
Burpees – home workout for strength endurance and coordination
Yep, they are really hard. But also really effective. The combination of planking and jumping requires strength, endurance and coordination – throughout your whole body. The perfect start to the home workout for surfers.
- Step: Stand upright and move from here into a stable plank position. Ideally bring both hands to the floor and jump back with your feet.
Important: Place your hands shoulder-width apart and brace your abs. Your core has to stay really firm the whole time.
- Step: And back! Jump your feet next to your hands into a deep squat.
Watch out: Align your knees over your toes
- Step: Jump! Take your hands off the floor (in front of your chest or above your head) and jump as high as you can.
Tip: Keep your abs tight and be careful when landing.
Beginner: 10 repetitions, 1 minute rest · Intermediate: 20 repetitions, 1 minute rest
Alternative for muscle monsters: add a push-up in the plank position.
Squats – home workout for leg power and stability
A true classic that never gets boring. The highlight of these ups and downs: they strengthen pretty much every muscle in the lower body, thighs, core, calves, glutes, hamstrings and abs – even without any weights.
- Step: From a shoulder-width stance, bend your knees and slowly lower yourself. Keep your heels on the floor, so only go as low as your heels allow.
The whole time: your knees stay aligned over your feet, your back is straight and your body weight rests on your heels, not on your toes.
- Step: Slowly come back up to standing.
Beginner: 10 repetitions, 1 minute rest · Intermediate: 15 repetitions, 1 minute rest
If you want more, try the Bulgarian split squat. You load and bend only one leg while the other rests on the couch.
Push-ups – home workout to strengthen your upper body for more paddle power
Spice up your push-up: try a diamond push-up (thumbs and index fingers form a diamond), a spider push-up (one knee comes to the elbow) or add a shoulder tap between each repetition. That way you can adapt the home workout for surfers to your abilities at any time. Everyone else with a soft spot for classics can pump up and down as usual.
- Step: Start in a high plank position with arms shoulder-width apart, fingers spread and shoulders away from your ears, aligned directly above your hands. Then slowly bend your arms and bring your chest towards the floor.
Next level: Feet together makes it harder. Feet wide apart makes the exercise easier.
- Step: Stop! Do not put your chest down completely. Now do not sag – stay stable and slowly push back up until your arms are straight again.
Beginner: 10 repetitions, 1 minute rest
As many as possible on your feet, then switch to your knees.
Intermediate: 20 repetitions, 1 minute rest
Mountain climbers – home workout for a strong, stable take-off
Mountain climbers – that means your heart has to work hard, your legs are active, while above all your core and shoulders are strengthened because they have to stay firm and stable. It is best to start very slowly and pick up more speed as soon as the movement feels smooth.
- Step: Start in the plank position with straight arms, shoulder-width apart, a straight back and legs hip-width apart.
- Step: Pull your right knee in, up to your chest if possible, then put your right foot back next to your left. Then repeat with the left.
The golden rule: Your abs stay rock-hard and your hips do not move to the side. (This applies to the entire home workout for surfers, by the way)
Beginner: 30 seconds, 1 minute rest
Intermediate: 60 seconds, 1 minute rest
Dynamic lunge – home workout for legs and hips for more stability and movement control
We present the exercise you should not underestimate. It may look harmless, but done properly it packs a real punch – you usually notice it the day after. Your entire lower body is involved. The front-and-back combo also challenges your coordination.
- Step: From a hip-width upright stance, take a big step forward with your right leg. Do not cross your feet and – you guessed it – keep your abs tight and your back straight as always.
For orientation: When positioned correctly, both knees should form a right angle.
- Step: Push yourself back up to standing with your right leg, BUT do not put your foot down. Before your right foot touches the floor, go straight back into a back lunge – that means taking a big step backwards with your right foot. From here, push back up and forward again. After ten repetitions (or 20), repeat the same on the left.
Beginner: 20 repetitions (10 per leg), 1 minute rest · Intermediate: 40 repetitions (20 per leg), 1 minute rest
Plank walk – home workout for stability, movement control and shoulder strength
Trust us, you will think back to this exercise during your next tough paddle session. Above all, it challenges your core and shoulders. After every home workout for surfers, your board will glide through the water more easily and carry you forward faster.
- Step: This time start in a low plank or forearm plank, supported on shoulder-width forearms, hands flat on the floor, shoulders away from your ears, back straight, feet hip-width apart and your core? Bingo! It is tight.
For all plank positions: Your neck always stays straight as an extension of your back, not bent backwards or forwards.
- Step: Up you go into a high plank. First place your right hand directly under your right shoulder. Keep your whole body firm and stable and push yourself up with your right arm. As soon as your arm is straight, place your left hand next to it at shoulder width.
The challenge: Keep your hips still and do not let them swing to either side or up and down.
- Step: Go back down with the same arm. So first lower your right forearm, then follow with the left. Then make sure to switch sides and push up with the left, so both sides alternately complete the full repetition.
Beginner: 10 repetitions, 1 minute rest
Intermediate: 20 repetitions, 1 minute rest
More on this topic: Core training to prepare for surfing – 10 exercises for at home
High knees – home workout to get you sweating
Time to get your pulse up. And we do not even have to move away from the couch. Just before the end of the first round, the home workout for surfers gets us really sweating once more.
- Step: With both feet firmly on the floor and your toes facing the couch, first shift your weight onto the balls of your feet – and stay there. Throughout the exercise we try not to put our heels down.
- Step: Lift your right leg without tilting to the side or bending at the hip, and tap the couch with your toes. From here, jump straight into the mirrored position: right leg on the floor, left toes on the couch. And back. And again.
Coordination tip: Raise your left arm at the same time as your right leg. With the left leg, the right arm moves along.
Beginner: 30 seconds, 1 minute rest
Intermediate: 60 seconds, 1 minute rest
Lateral walk – home workout for strength endurance in the legs and core stability
No, it is not what it looks like – we are not sitting down yet. But the first round is almost done. The lateral walk makes our legs burn once more, while also challenging the abs.
- Step: Let us just pretend we are going to sit down on the couch. But wait – just before your bottom touches the longed-for cushions, stop and get into position: feet hip-width apart and parallel, knees bent and aligned directly above them, abs tight, back straight and arms bent in front of your chest.
- Step: Off you go: without raising or lowering your hips, take a step to the right. Shift your weight onto your right foot and follow with the left. This way you glide along the entire length of the couch, your bottom hovering just a few centimetres above the cushions. And back again.
Beginner: 30 seconds, 1 minute rest
Intermediate: 60 seconds, 1 minute rest
Couch dips – home workout for stability, movement control and shoulder strength
One more! Even if dips now make us think more of guacamole and co. We have hidden one more treat for your triceps in the home workout for surfers. The triceps gives the paddle stroke its decisive punch. We need it for the final push to finish the stroke all the way to the hip. The less power finishes the stroke, the more strokes we have to make. So, let us go: dip it low!
- Step: Yes, now you really can sit down for a moment – but slide to the edge of the sofa, place your hands on either side of your hips, stretch your legs out parallel and rest your feet on your heels. Push off from here so that your hips are in the air while your weight rests on your hands and heels.
- Step: Bend your arms and hips and slowly lower your bottom towards the floor.
Important: Your elbows point straight back – never outwards!
A little easier: with bent knees.
- Step: Push your body back up to the starting position using your arms. The less your legs help, the better
Beginner: 20 repetitions, 1 minute rest · Intermediate: 40 repetitions, 1 minute rest
Finished the first round? · Then do two more right away.
Good job, couch surfer! Now you can look forward to your next session even more. · To get in the mood, scroll through the most beautiful pictures of our lovely El Cotillo.
Do not forget to stretch afterwards.