Nobody can deny that surfing is among the most strenuous of the extreme sports. Spend 20 mins in the water trying to surf and you will soon realise just how fit the surfers are who choose to ride waves each and every day. Not only is it a struggle getting out to the waves but riding itself is very draining as their as lots of different muscles working to keep you upright. So which muscle groups have the greatest demand put on them and so need more training?

Deltoids – These are basically the shoulder muscles and they will take an absolute pounding during any surf session. Because of the angle at which you are lying on the board when you paddle out, you shoulder muscles do around 85% of the work to move you forwards. If you imagine you are paddling out 20 times or so in a session, those muscles better be ready

Trapezius – These muscles make up those of the upper back and the neck. They are also involved with the surfboards progressive movement when you are paddling out, but are called into action more when you are ‘popping’ up on the board. Explosive strength is needed in this action so with this in mind, the work you do in the gym should be with high weights and at a fast pace

Abs and core muscles – Your stabilising muscles need to be in peak condition otherwise you might as well just not get in the water. When popping up and riding the board, it is all very well having balance but you need conditioned abs and core muscles to make the necessary balance adjustments. There is not really any element of surfing that does not called upon these muscles so they should be your primary focus. Pilates is great for developing core strength, but you can also use a swiss ball to work all core-muscles.

Cardiovascular fitness should also be included in your surf training and there are plenty of second hand bikes that you can pick up and use to ride to the beach to help with this