Surfing is a solid full-body workout. In this post, we’ll explain the different muscle groups used in surfing, how they impact your abilities in the water, and how you can train these muscles to improve your surfing.

Surfing is not just about physical strength on its own. It requires a bit of endurance to stay in the water, balance and stability, mobility and flexibility, and a mind-body connection. It’s important if you’re taking surfing seriously to really connect with your body and what it needs.

To start, let’s talk about the different muscles used in surfing. There are countless small muscles used that are also worked, but here are the major muscles used in surfing:

Shoulder muscles (deltoids, rotator cuffs)
Chest muscles (pectoralis major and minor)
Arm muscles (triceps especially)
Core muscles (abdominals, obliques, spinal erectors)
Back muscles (latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids)
Butt muscles (glutes)
Leg muscles (Quads, Hamstrings)

This may seem like a lot of muscles, but we already warned you that surfing is a full body workout! So let’s get into it. We all include some workout equipment we use for surfing, and a few mobility techniques to keep your muscles limber.

Paddling Muscles - Triceps and Shoulders

Paddling is one of the most basic thing any surfer needs to know how to do. A fair amount of time/energy in surfing is often spent paddling. In addition to the paddling strength needed, we also need some endurance to be able to continue paddling out to the next wave. Paddle technique will certainly help with this. As we learn to paddle more efficiently and train the correct muscles, we actually exert less energy and increase endurance. I’ve included a video at the bottom of this section that I often share with people about learning the correct way to paddle.

We need strong triceps and shoulders to paddle, especially out to some of the more difficult breaks. Training the triceps, deltoids, and rotator cuffs will help you be able to paddle with more force and more endurance, keeping you in the water surfing for longer. However, we also recommend spending some serious time working on mobility of these muscles, especially the rotator cuff and deltoids. As you grow more mobile, your muscles are far less likely to get injured.

Shoulder Exercises for Surfers

Really any way you can work your shoulders will be helpful for your surfing. More strength in your muscles means more force. However, huge shoulder boulders that have no mobility aren’t going to be super useful. My favorite exercise for shoulder strengthening specifically for surfing is the Shoulder Clocks from Surf Strength Coach. You can find the video here. If you don’t have a bench (we don’t), you can try them on a bed, or flat on the ground with pillows underneath your chest.

Mobility for Shoulders

In addition to any shoulder or tricep strengthening exercises for surfing, you should also incorporate some shoulder mobility exercises. Dr. Allison Brown of Rutgers School of Health Professions shares some thoughts and mobility exercises here that we really like. The ones that have made the biggest difference for us are the Shoulder Controlled Articular Rotation and the Sleeper Stretch. Really get those shoulders loose and strong so you can have the range of motion to paddle hard.

Pop-Up Muscles - Chest, Triceps, Abs, and Hips

After we paddle, before we ride a wave, we do the popup! This is one of the sticking points for beginners, and one thing they really work with students on in surf camps. Although individuals may start with slow popups and using the knees, it’s ideal to really pop up with authority and get it done all in one motion. Without the proper muscles and mobility, this is much easier said than done.

In order to pop up effectively, we need several different muscle groups to work together. We of course need the chest and triceps to push the upper body off the board, much like a pushup. We need the abs and lower back to keep our core lifted to make space for our legs, and we need the hips to have the mobility to get our legs underneath us. This combination of muscles allows us to popup with ease and get on to the actual surfing!

Chest Exercises for Surfers

When it comes to building the right chest muscles for surfing, we have to go with the classic pushup. It will mainly work your chest, but also hit triceps and shoulders and a bit of your upper back. It’s also incredibly functional. The pushup is super similar to the pushup we do during the popup. Make sure your pushup form is correct so you take care of your body and are targeting the right muscles.

Mobility Exercises for the Chest

In my personal experience, the key to taking care of the chest rests more in stretching than actual mobility. The chest doesn’t have a huge range of motion, nor is a big range of motion required from the chest muscles to surf. Instead, we can make sure to stretch the chest muscles and the tendons and ligaments around them to keep them safe while surfing.

My favorite stretch that seems to get my chest the best is the Doorway Pectoral Stretch. Using a door frame, you can raise your arms up at 90 degree angles and put your hands on the frame. You can step forward slightly, or even lean to get the chest at a different angle. I hold mine for 15 seconds and do 3 rounds with 10 second rests in between.

Ab Workouts for Surfing

When working with the core muscles in regards to surfing, we have to consider what movements are being done. During the popup we are lifting the hips up with our lower back and abs, during the actual surfing we are using the abs to balance, and while turning we are using the core to keep us stable and give force to our turns.

One of my favorite exercises for that popup motion is using a TRX Band or exercise ball (I prefer TRX bands personally). The exercise is the pike up. The video to the right is a super short demonstration of this workout, simply moving the hips up and contracting the abs, working the core (and upper body) in a way that is applicable to the popup in surfing. You can also do side pikes, getting a little bit of a different range of motion as you bend your knees and pull your legs in to one side.

For the movement and stability during the actual surfing, some sort of dumbbell or kettlebell swing is a solid option to target the oblique muscles. Standing upright with legs at least shoulder width apart (or even in surf stance if you want), you can rotate your hips and move a dumbbell across to smack your other hand. This rotating movement is replicating the movement we do of turning a surfboard, and will build those oblique muscles to allow you to turn with more force.

Core Mobility for Surfing

I do a lot of core mobility for my surfing and skateboarding, so I have a few exercises here. When I say core, I’m not just referring to the abs in front, but the obliques and lower back muscles that also make up our cores. First, there are the simple movements of down dog and cobra. I often work these two movements back and forth to get a really good stretch on both sides of my torso.

For the oblique muscles and rotating movements for turning, I have two other mobility exercises I do regularly for my surfing. The first is a rotation from squat (video to the left). I honestly don’t know what exercises that guy is talking about, but this is a great one to train for surfing! Similarly, I also do the same movement from a lunge, just to hit the core at a slightly different angle.

Hip Exercises for Surfing

Everyone is different, but my experience with my hips and surfing has been that I mostly lack mobility rather than strength in my muscles. However, there is one exercise I do regularly to strengthen my psoas muscle (so-AZ). I lay flat on my back with a short resistance band wrapped around each foot. Keeping one foot and leg on the ground, I bring my other knee to my chest. The band adds some resistance and this helps work the psoas, the muscle that helps us bring the leg/knee up (like when we are popping up).

Mobility for the Hips

I could start an entire new blog on hip mobility especially as it relates to surfing. It’s something I’ve struggled with quite a bit, and I work pretty hard to keep my hips healthy through stretches and mobility exercises. The first one is a simple deep squat. If you have to lift your heels off the ground, that’s okay. Once you’re into a deep squat, use your elbows or forearms to push your knees backward. You should feel a stretch down in your groin.

You also may try a simple wide deep squat. Put your legs as wide as you need, probably slightly more than shoulder width, and squat down as low as you can. Don’t hold onto anything. Work to find a place that is stable. Like many mobility exercises, this is a really active stretch and you may feel some burning.

Finally, and this is a bit more of a leg stretch, we have the standing pancake stretch. This one was a struggle for me, so don’t be discouraged. It takes some time to really get a good range of motion. Check out the video below, and give it a try to stretch the inside and backs for your legs.

If you want a training program to practice your popups, we recommend the 4 Week Perfect Pop-Up Challenge from Hydromind. That’s not an affiliate link nor an ad; it is legitimately just a solid way to practice your popups. Especially useful for people who can’t go surfing every week or during summer months, you’ll learn a ton of useful stuff to help pop up confidently and cleanly. You’ll also really focus on building the muscles needed to surf.

Riding the Wave - Legs and Core

On to the leg muscles! We already covered the core a bit as we were talking about the popup, so we’re going to focus on the legs a bit. From the ankles all the way up to the hips, we use our legs quite a bit during the popup and riding the surfboard. Any long surfing session will likely leave you feeling it in your legs! Of all the muscles used in surfing, it’s often my legs that are the most sore after a heavy session.

Leg Exercises for Surfers

Most of my favorite leg exercises for surfing are versions of a squat, as these target the muscles we’re using. My favorite leg exercises to strengthen the surfing muscles are:

Pistol Squats
Bulgarian Squats
Single Leg Squats with TRX
Skater Squats with TRX

The Surf Strength Coach has a great page on leg exercises for surfing to strengthen the quads and hamstrings that we recommend checking out. I usually rotate through my leg exercises, doing some one day and some another day to make sure im targeting all the different parts of my leg muscles.

Mobility for Legs

For the flexibility and mobility in my legs, I have to do quite a bit to keep them healthy for surfing. I won’t go through my entire routine here, but I will share a few of my favorites and a few weirder ones.

First, we have ankle pulls with a band. I tie a resistance band to the hurricane gate on my back door and sit on the floor with the other end of the band around the top of my foot. Facing directly toward the door, I pull my toes toward my body as hard as I can. This is strengthening the tibialis anterior, the muscle that pulls the foot upward. This exercise helps with strengthening and mobilizing the ankle joint for those squats and turns while surfing.

Hamstring stretches are also essential for me as my hamstring muscles are often tight. You can do a straight hang down reaching for your toes, or you can lift a leg up onto a chair or bed and reach toward it. Either way, try to keep your knees locked and legs straight, pushing your butt upward or backward to really get the stretch in the hammy.

For the quads, I do a kneeling quad stretch. This is like your typical standing quat stretch, but I find by kneeling I get a much better stretch in both my hip and quad. Give it a shot!

Finally, I do a bit of calf and ankle work to get the mobility in those muscles. If you are finding yourself bending at the knees while surfing but your butt is sticking out, your calves or ankles may be to blame. Check out the ankle push video below, and don’t forget to also stretch your calves!

Building Balance for Surfing

On a related topic, balance in surfing is incredibly important. It’s not just a small part of surfing, it’s kinda the whole thing. In surfing, we use what is called dynamic balance, the ability to remain stable while moving constantly. In order to build balance, we have to build the big and small muscles in our bodies. We can help this by simply working out our muscles, but dedicated balance workouts can also be incredibly useful. You might use TRX bands, exercise balls, a balance board, or incorporate pilates to really target the smaller muscles.

Workout Equipment for Surfers

Okay, time for some stuff we actually use in our training for surfing, and yes these are affiliate links. But we legit use them.

my surfskate training board — My YOW Surfskate

TRX Bands - TRX Bands are relatively cheap, and open up a whole bunch of new workouts. Unlike simply using machines or even lifting weights, you’re forced to use a lot more of the smaller muscles to stabilize your body. There’s a reason so many surfers and athletes are using them. We personally use weights vary sparingly, and most of our conditioning for surfing centers on the TRX.
Exercise Ball - Another super affordable one, everyone should have an exercise ball! You can use it to destabilize yourself and build some smaller muscles that will help with balance and coordination. When we do things like a chest fly, we use the exercise ball to make us work a little harder.
Resistance Bands - The last on this list of must-haves. Resistance bands can be used to stregthen in place of weights, to stretch, or to workout with a partner. With exercise balls and TRX, resistance bands are the last piece of our normal workout/mobility routine for surfing.
Balance Board - There are many differnet types of balance boards that people use. My physiotherapist has an awesome one that goes all directions. We live in Mexico and have one from Kahuna, a local “shaper” that we love. A great way to build balance and work your muscles, and you can also do things like turns and kettlebell swings once you’re comfortable on it.
Surfskate - A bit of a controversial topic, but I think a surfskate is an awesome way to keep the legs and core in shape during flat spells. There are several different big brands. We have a YOW (Your Own Wave) as it is a nice middle ground that can be used to train for surf or just cruise.

My Journey with Training for Surfing

In recent years as I have been surfing more and more, I’ve had quite the journey with the muscles used in surfing. I used to go to the gym quite a bit, using machines and dumbbells to try to grow my muscles. And I was fairly successful. My muscles got bigger, I got stronger, and I was actually getting injured less.

A few years ago, I completely tore a tendon and ligament in my ankle. I had done this before skating when I was a teenager, so it was no surprise I did it again. Going to the physiotherapist and working on mobility and stretching in addition to strengthening, I came to a realization: my flexibility and mobility were more of a hindrance to my sufing than my strength.

Whoa. I was at a point where I was plenty strong for the waves I was surfing, but my mobility was getting in the way. I had the muscles, but lacked the range of motion needed. Specifically, my hip/leg mobility and my ankle mobility. Since then, I started working more regularly on these things to see if I could improve my surfing. And what I’ve found is that it was a piece I really was lacking.

Nowadays, I take my mobility and stretching as serious as my workouts. I do about 20 minutes of mobility work every single morning, and 30 minutes of stretching every single night. Not a huge time commitment, and it took me months and months to get there. I do my exercises in sets just like workouts, and I push myself just like my workouts.

In my experience, this has helped keep my body ready to go surfing and prevented injury. I can use my body with more range of motion, less tightness, and far less soreness after a long session. I share this simply with the intention of helping. When looking at the muscles being worked out during a surf session, it’s important to take care of them beyond just strengthening.

What Muscles Does Surfing Work?