Time and time again, I take extremely fit people who train every day and put them through their first week of surfing – and completely destroy them!

Getting to grips with surfing is all about the key muscle groups used in surfing, and training these extensively BEFORE starting to surf in order to get the best out of them!

So, we have now covered the muscles required for paddling the board, popping up on the board and the basic stand position. You will really be getting into it and enjoying the feel of the waves underneath you.

We are now moving on to some more advanced surfing moves, starting with the Bottom Turnand exploring the muscle groups that will complete the maneuver with maximum efficiency and power.

Bottom Turn

What is it?

A Bottom Turn is what the surfer performs after he/she has caught the wave, ridden to the bottom and then wants to turn out along the green face of the wave.

What is its function and importance?

At its most basic level, a Bottom Turn exists to allow the surfer to change ion so that he/she doesn’t just go straight towards the beach in the foam. The surfer can turn out along the wave onto the faster “green face” of the wave, thus prolonging the ride and adding some more “thrill factor”.

At a more advanced level, the surfer is looking to get “spring” out of his bottom turn to create speed and angle to then perform his/her next manoeuvre. Whilst not necessarily a point scoring move on its own, the Bottom Turn is universally regarded as the back bone to good surfing.

What can we work in the gym to better our efficiency and power for performing our Bottom Turn?

In the following sequence of photos, we can see a basic Bottom Turn performed:

Muscle Groups

The following muscle groups are all called into play to execute this move, and as usual I have listed a whole load of exercises to strengthen and tone them, some with the aid of colleagues from Famouslyfit.com. You don’t need to go to a gym to do many of these.

Trapezius (upper back)

• Weighted Shoulder shrugs
• Upright rows with dumbbells or bars
• Upright row using the cable
• Clean and Jerk (also known as Clean and Press)

Latisimus Dorsi

• Chin ups
• Lat pull downs
• Bent over Barbell rows
• Bent over Dumbbell rows
• Straight arm pulldown
• Abdominal barbell roll outs

Quadriceps

• Squats
• Leg extensions
• Lunges
• Leg press
• Step Ups

Hamstrings

• Barbell lunges
• Dumbbell lunges
• Lying hamstring curls
• Dumbbell deadlifts
• Barbell deadlifts
• Exercise Ball Curls
• Seated curls

Glutes

• Glute kickbacks
• Cable kickbacks
• Walking dumbbell lunges
• Reverse dumbbell lunges
• Exercise ball butt lifts
• Elastic band kickbacks
• Exercise ball leg lifts

Oblique Abdominals

• Side plank
• Exercise ball oblique crunches
• Oblique crunches
• Side crunches
• Russian Twists
• Pilates Hip Rolls

Gastrocnemius

• Standing Calf raises
• Walking lunges
• Step ups
• Seated calf raises

However, we must still be training the other couple of muscles that are required to maintain the standing position as outlined in my previous feature:

Rectus Abdominis (abdominals)
Erector Spinae (back muscles)