Surfing

As I get older, I struggle with my pop-ups, mobility, and general conditioning for surfing. Any tips?

Surfing Tips: Boost Your Pop-Ups and Mobility for Better Performance!

Hey so I would recommend the pop-up is most the time people they struggle to get that create enough clearance between the board and their chest for their front leg to come through underneath so for that I would recommend doing push-ups you have enough power in your arms and shoulders to get that pop to create enough distance between your chest and the surfboard that's going to give you that enough space for your front leg to come underneath I'd also recommend working a lot of glutes exercises so I do a lot of stuff focused in on my glutes with with the elastic bands so I put them like around my knees and I do outward motions with my knees work on on the outside of the glutes because that creates a lot of stability and then so that's kind of I guess pre that's like preparation training stuff and then before going into the water make sure you do a proper proper warm-up I mean one of the professional coaches on the world tour that I spoke to he said you want to even generate a light sweat before you paddle out so if your body's warmed up you got your pop-ups in the water going to be so much better so make sure you do a proper proper warm-up where you almost at that point we building a light sweat before you get into the water hope that helps

To help with pop-ups, do push-ups and glute exercises to create enough clearance between the board and chest. Also, make sure to get a proper warm-up before paddle out to generate a light sweat.

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As I age, I find it challenging to perform pop-ups, maintain mobility, and stay in good condition for surfing. Here are some tips to help you out:

To improve your pop-up, focus on creating enough clearance between your chest and the surfboard. This will allow your front leg to come through underneath. I recommend doing push-ups to build strength in your arms and shoulders, which will help generate the power needed for a successful pop-up.

Additionally, work on exercises that target your glutes. Using elastic bands around your knees, perform outward knee motions to strengthen the outer glutes. This will provide stability and support during your surfing movements.

Before hitting the water, make sure to warm up properly. One professional coach from the world tour suggests generating a light sweat before paddling out. This means engaging in a thorough warm-up routine that gets your body prepared and ready for action.

By incorporating these tips into your routine, you can enhance your pop-ups, improve mobility, and maintain better conditioning for surfing.

Are you training for anything in particular at the moment?

Preparing for the Ultimate Big Wave Surfing Challenge

Am I training for anything in particular? Yes, I have just been invited to the Jaws big wave Invitational so it's the top 20, for big wave Surfers in the world and its northern hemisphere winter. Now it's prime time for big waves and Hawaii. Jaws is the ultimate big wave and surfing especially for paddling surfing which is what I love to do. So I've been training. Super hard, doing a lot of laps in the pool, Sprints in the pool game, my heart race. Icing and then swimming underwater for as long as I can mimic being held under by with my my heart racing. So to mimic that adrenaline being held under by a big wave, doing that over and over again with breathing and between. So yeah, I'd be, I was training super hard like in the last six months and I've started to taper down a little because any moment now is going to be a big saw headed to jaws, and I'm going to book my ticket fly over and be a part of the Test really, really excited. Feeling, good and strong, you

Yes, I am training for the Jaws big wave Invitational which is a competition for the top 20 big wave surfers in the world. I have been doing a lot of swimming and sprints in the pool to prepare my body and mind for the adrenaline rush of being held underwater by a large wave. I am now tapering down my training as I am about to book my ticket and fly over for the event.

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Yes, I am currently training for something specific. I have been invited to participate in the Jaws Big Wave Invitational, which is a prestigious event for the top 20 big wave surfers in the world. Since it is the northern hemisphere winter, it's prime time for big waves in Hawaii. Jaws is known as the ultimate big wave spot, especially for paddling surfing, which is my preferred style.

I have been training rigorously for this event. My training routine includes intense pool sessions, doing sprints to elevate my heart rate, and practicing holding my breath underwater to simulate the feeling of being held under by a big wave. I repeat these exercises multiple times, incorporating breathing intervals.

For the past six months, I have been pushing myself hard in training. However, I have started to taper down a bit as the event approaches. I am eagerly anticipating the moment when I will book my ticket, fly over to Hawaii, and be a part of this incredible experience. I feel confident, strong, and excited for what lies ahead.

How do people tend to sabotage themselves from finding their goals or succeeding?

Fear of Failure: The Major Roadblock to Achieving Goals

I think people sabotage themselves and limit themselves from achieving their goals by... One of the major things is their approach to failure. And I think when people fail sometimes, it just makes them feel worthless. It increases their doubt and their fear. And they maybe have such a bad experience with the failure that they don't want to experience it again. I had that when I was younger. When I used to fail, I hated it. So I used to surf very conservatively and I'd surf not to lose instead of surfing to win. And I thought that was one of the biggest mistakes when I was younger. Was surfing conservatively, surfing not to lose instead of surfing to win. So I think the way that we view failure and the way that we handle it, the way that we move through it and grow from it, it's really important. And I think this is a major area where people get stuck and they want to pull out of their sports or step back from being competitive.

People sabotage themselves and limit their goals by having a negative approach to failure. People will often fear failure so much they become overly conservative in their actions, leading to them not achieving as much as they could. It is important to view failure positively and use it as an opportunity to grow and learn.

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People often sabotage themselves and hinder their success by their approach to failure. When individuals experience failure, it can make them feel worthless and increase their doubt and fear. This negative experience with failure can create a strong aversion to experiencing it again. For example, in my own experience, when I used to fail, I would feel a strong dislike for it. This led me to adopt a conservative approach and focus on not losing rather than striving to win. Looking back, I realize that this mindset was one of my biggest mistakes.

The way we view failure and how we handle it is crucial. It's important to move through failure, learn from it, and grow. Unfortunately, many people get stuck in this area and may even withdraw from their pursuits or step back from being competitive.

By shifting our perspective on failure and embracing it as an opportunity for growth, we can avoid self-sabotage and increase our chances of achieving our goals.

What does a week of training look like for you?

Big Wave Surfer's Intense Training: Swimming, Gym, and Surfing

So when I'm training hard for big storms and for big season ahead, I will try swim three times a week and I will gym two to three times a week and I'll try also include on top of that three to four surf sessions. So the swimming for me because I'm in the big wave surfing it's the most relevant, it's the closest I can get to mimicking the big wave environment. So I do a lot of underwater training which involves getting my heart rate up, getting my heart racing, doing a few deep breaths and then swimming under the water for pretty much as long as I can. That mimics being held under by a big wave with the adrenaline. And then with regards to the gym work, I do a lot of high-intensity training, a lot of stuff using a bozu ball or pilates ball. So for instance if I'm going to do push-ups I'll either do my push-ups with my hands on the bozu ball or I'll put my ankles on the pilates ball. So I try at with every exercise I do I try to add instability and then obviously surfing at least three to four times a week just to keep me sharp and eating a lot of food in between to keep up with all the calories.

To train for big waves, I swim three times a week, jump two to three times a week, and surf three to four times a week. In addition, I do high intensity training using a bosu ball and pilate ball to add instability. Lastly, I make sure to eat a lot of food to keep up with my caloric needs.

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During a week of intense training for big storms and the upcoming season, my schedule typically includes swimming three times a week, hitting the gym two to three times a week, and having three to four surf sessions. Swimming plays a crucial role for me as a big wave surfer since it closely mimics the conditions I face. Underwater training is a key component, which involves getting my heart rate up and practicing holding my breath while swimming underwater for as long as possible. This helps simulate the experience of being held under by a big wave and keeps my adrenaline in check. In terms of gym workouts, I focus on high-intensity training using equipment like bozu balls or pilates balls. For example, if I'm doing push-ups, I add instability by placing my hands on the bozu ball or resting my ankles on the pilates ball. The goal is to challenge my stability with every exercise. Of course, I also make sure to surf at least three to four times a week to stay sharp. And let's not forget the importance of fueling up with plenty of food to keep up with all the calories burned during training.

Boost Your Pop-Up: Explosive Power and Stability Tips

Yeah, so the pop-up is something that for me is second nature because I do it so much. But for many people it's a place where they struggle. And I would suggest you really want to do something that helps you to have explosive power in your arms. So things like burpees or push-ups, they help you to create explosive power in your arms and that in turn gives you enough space between your chest and the deck of your surfboard for your front leg to come underneath you. Because if you don't create enough space between your chest and your surfboard when popping up your front leg will get stuck, it will drag and you'll probably end up standing too close together. So yeah, simple things like burpees, push-ups, explosive things that help to generate enough power to create space between your chest and the deck of your board. And something to remember, when you do your pop-up and when you land, stay super crouched because the more crouched you are the more stable you're going to be on the board. Keep your hands in front of you, low center of gravity, your hands direct your movement and look forward. Hope that helps.

To help with pop-ups, do explosive exercises like burpees and push-ups to generate power. When popping up, keep your hands in front of you, stay crouched, and look forward.

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To improve your pop-up technique, it's important to focus on developing explosive power in your arms. This will create enough space between your chest and the surfboard for your front leg to smoothly come underneath you. Exercises like burpees and push-ups are great for building this explosive power.

By incorporating these exercises into your training routine, you'll generate the necessary power to create that space during your pop-up. This will prevent your front leg from getting stuck or dragging, ultimately helping you achieve a more balanced and effective pop-up.

Additionally, it's crucial to maintain a crouched position when you land after the pop-up. The lower and more stable you are on the board, the better. Keep your hands in front of you, as they direct your movement, and maintain a low center of gravity. Finally, remember to look forward, as this will help you maintain balance and control.

By following these tips and incorporating explosive exercises into your training, you can improve your pop-up technique and enhance your overall surfing performance.

Are there any particular stretches that are best for surfers before they surf?

Dynamic Warm-Up: The Best Pre-Surf Routine for Surfers

Okay, so before surf session, I actually don't like to stretch. I like to do a dynamic warm up. I think stretching for me, I don't like stretching cold muscles. I would prefer to do a dynamic warm up with lots of movement. Moving, my joints, my shoulder, particularly in my shoulders, my hips, and activating like my legs and glutes. So yeah, I spoke to back in the day, I spoke to Taj burrow strainer Taj was like one of the best Surfers in the world and he says, as he gets ties to build up a light sweat even before he paddles out. Okay, so I like to do these ones. So kind of a bit of balance, Go activate the core and loosen up the hip. This is really nice because it loosens up the whole hip and also stretches out the hamstring. So I'll do these a bunch of these on either side or so, like to Jumping squats. For that kind of explosive power. And then also, for the shoulders warm up, shoulders, this get them going. Opening up sides. I'll just do a couple reps of that really get the heart beating fast, warm up, all the muscles, almost building up a light switch that from my very first wave. I'm ready to go all our time at warming up my first way, but I'm ready to Surf it. My top performance. Hope that helps

I prefer to do a dynamic warm up with lots of movement before a surf session instead of stretching. This includes things like balance exercises, jumping squats for explosive power and shoulder warm ups to get the heart rate up and muscles ready for the first wave.

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Before a surf session, I prefer to do a dynamic warm-up rather than static stretching. I find that stretching cold muscles is not ideal, so I focus on movements that warm up my joints, particularly my shoulders and hips, and activate my legs and glutes.

One exercise I like to do is a balance exercise that activates the core and loosens up the hips. It also stretches the hamstrings. I perform several reps on each side. Additionally, I incorporate jumping squats for explosive power and warm up my shoulders with exercises that open up the sides.

The goal is to build up a light sweat and warm up all the muscles, so that from my very first wave, I'm ready to perform at my best. I prioritize warming up before catching my first wave to ensure optimal performance.

Remember, everyone's body is different, so it's important to find a warm-up routine that works best for you.

Matt Bromley answers your Surfing questions. See all the advice Matt Bromley has and get answers to your own Surfing questions.

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Matt started surfing when he was 6 years old, in Cape Town, South Africa. He grew to become one of the best big-wave surfers in the world. He watches the globe for large storms, and when all the elements come together, books a ticket and chases the energy across the world. He documents the big waves these storms create and produces high-quality content that is distributed through various global media platforms. Matt's other passion is sharing his experiences to inspire and empower people to ride their "big waves".