Watersports

Recently Answered

• QWill rowing help reduce my body fat?

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  A National Academy of Sports Medicine answered

  Rowing will help reduce body fat levels if the calories burned during the activity help to put you in a caloric deficit. For example there are 3500 calories in one pound of fat. In order for you to lose one pound of fat you must expend this in calories either through food reduction, exercise, or both. If you burn 500 calories through exercise, and 500 through food reduction this is a total of 1000 calories. Therefore, it will take you approximately 3.5 days to lose one pound of fat..
• QCan rowing improve my endurance?

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  A National Academy of Sports Medicine answered

  Absolutely! However, remember that when the goal is endurance you must introduce the appropriate intensities throughout your training time line. For example if you have 20 minutes to row, I suggest interval training. Beginning on a rower, start at a light level (65% of max heart rate) for five minutes, followed by increasing the speed and/ or incline to a higher level (80% of max heart rate) for 2-3 minutes, finishing at a peak level (85-90% of max heart rate) for one minute then reducing the speed/ resistance back to the starting level. Repeat this rowing circuit for the allotted 20 minutes. Performing these higher intensity levels, along with the lower levels will not only help improve your cardiovascular endurance, it will teach the muscles to go longer without building up unwanted lactic acid. This will all lead to improved performance and increased calorie expenditure. 
  
• QWill rowing help my upper body speed and quickness?

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  A National Academy of Sports Medicine answered

  In order for you to get fast, you must simply train fast. Therefore, if your actual rowing motion is performed at a fast tempo, and the motion you are trying to get fast at looks similar to the rowing motion, then absolutely. I also suggest performing stable strength movements such as a traditional pushup, followed immediately by a similar movement such as an explosive tube chest press (attach resistance tube to a post) as fast as possible. You may perform the strength movement for approximately five reps and the explosive power movement for ten reps. You may perform three to five total sets per combination of exercises. Introducing both modes I have suggested for four to six weeks will undoubtedly leave you with speedy upper body movement.
• QWhat exercises help prevent low back injuries in ice hockey?

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  A National Academy of Sports Medicine answered

  Good choices to help prevent injuries during ice hockey include floor bridges, prone iso-abs (plank), and floor cobra. To prevent lower back injuries specifically, it is important to train the core muscles to have good strength and endurance. Start with 1-3 sets of 12-20 repetitions of core stabilization exercises using a slow tempo. Hold each exercise for 2 seconds at the top position and rest for 30 seconds between sets. These basic core exercises involve little movement of the spine and hips. They are designed to work on building core muscle endurance and to teach you how to activate the core muscles using the drawing-in maneuver and bracing. Drawing-in is done by bringing the belly button in toward the spine or sucking in the stomach. Bracing is contracting the abs, lower back, and butt muscles at the same time. To perform the two-leg bridge, lie on your back with the knees bent and feet flat on the ground about hip-width apart. Start the movement by pushing through the heels and driving the hips up in the air; hold at the top and then slowly return to the ground. To perform the prone-iso abs, or plank, lie on your stomach with the elbows under the shoulders and the forearms on the ground. Lift your body up until you are in a flat back position, hold for 2 seconds, and then return to the ground. To perform the floor cobra, lie face down with the head in a neutral position and bring the arms back. Rotate the hands so that the thumbs are up and then squeeze the butt, lower back, and middle back to lift your chest off the ground. To make the exercises more difficult, you can use single-leg versions or hold for a longer time at the top position.
  
• QHow can I strengthen my paddling for surfing?

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  A National Academy of Sports Medicine answered

  Use strength and power exercises to train the lats (latissimus dorsi), chest, and front shoulders (anterior deltoids) which are used in paddling. To strengthen these muscles, perform a power training workout in which you pair a traditional strength exercise with a power exercise in a superset. For example, your workout can include stiff-arm pull-downs supersetted with medicine ball slams, followed by dumbbell chest presses supersetted with medicine ball chest passes. Perform 5 fast repetitions of the strength exercise using heavy weight and then immediately perform 10 explosive repetitions of the power exercise using a medicine ball that is up to 10% of your body weight; this constitutes one superset. Perform 3 supersets of each grouping with 3 minutes of rest in between. To perform the stiff-arm pull downs, start with a bar attached to a cable. Begin the movement at shoulder-height with the arms straight, palms facing down, and elbows just slightly unlocked. Engage the core by drawing-in the stomach, contracting the abs, and squeezing the glutes. Pull the bar quickly down to the waist and then repeat. For medicine ball slams, start with the ball overhead and then explosively throw the ball down using the arms, lats, and abs. Ensure that the arms follow through the throw and bend the knees at the end of the movement. Catch the ball when it bounces up and repeat the movement. To perform the medicine ball chest passes, hold the ball in the middle of the chest. Engage the core by contracting the glutes and abs and draw-in the stomach. Explosively push the ball using both arms to a partner or against a wall. This workout will develop the strength and power for paddling to catch a wave.
• QHow do I warm-up for surfing?

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  A National Academy of Sports Medicine answered

  To warm-up for surfing, use a combination of foam rolling followed by dynamic stretching. Foam rolling is a form of self-massage in which you apply pressure with a foam roller to tight areas of your muscle. This breaks up adhesions, or "knots", in the muscle and relaxes the muscle to allow for greater range of motion. Start your warm-up with foam rolling any tight areas like the side of the thigh between the knee and hip, inner thigh, and calves. Apply pressure on the tender spots in the muscle for 30 seconds. Then, perform dynamic flexibility exercises using 1-3 sets of 10 repetitions and a fast tempo. Dynamic flexibility exercises use the momentum of the movement to take the joint through a full range of motion. This helps prepare the body for the movements used during skiing and raises body temperature. Dynamic flexibility exercises are preferable to static stretching when you need your muscles to achieve a high level of performance soon after your warm-up. Examples of dynamic flexibility stretches include leg swings side-to-side and leg swings front-to-back. Make sure to activate the core by drawing-in the stomach when performing the leg swings .
• QWhat muscles are important to work for surfing?

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  A National Academy of Sports Medicine answered

  A strong core, thighs, and glutes are important for surfing. However, it is important to train all the major muscle groups because the body functions as a unit, and surfing is a total-body sport. To train the core, perform exercises like prone iso-abs, or plank. To perform the prone-iso abs, or plank, lie on your stomach with the elbows under the shoulders and the forearms on the ground. Lift your body up until you are in a flat back position, hold for 2 seconds, and then return to the ground. Complete 1-2 sets of 15 repetitions using a slow tempo. To work the thighs and glutes perform bar squats and lunges for 1-3 sets of 12-20 repetitions using a slow tempo and lighter weights. Rest for 45 seconds between sets.
  
• QWhat are advanced exercises to help with balance in surfing?

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  A National Academy of Sports Medicine answered

  Advanced balance exercises include single-leg box hop-up with stabilization and multiplanar (forward, sideways, and turning) single-leg hop with stabilization. Advanced balance exercises involve hopping and stabilization and are a great way to prepare the body for the demands of surfing. Use the following acute variables to train for improved balance: 2-3 sets of 8-12 repetitions with 45 seconds rest between sets. Perform the exercises with a fast movement followed by landing and holding the landing position for 3-5 seconds. To perform the single-leg box hop-up with stabilization, stand on one leg with the core engaged by drawing-in the stomach. Quickly dip into a half squat and then jump up on to a box. Land softly and hold the balance position. Step down from the box and repeat. You can also perform a side hop and turning hop to train your body in different planes of motion. To perform the multiplanar single-leg hop with stabilization, start on one leg with the core engaged. Next, hop forward landing on the opposite foot and holding the position before hopping back again to the opposite side. You can also perform the hops side-to-side being sure to land on the opposite foot. Another variation is hopping and turning using the same technique as the previous two movements.
  
• QHow can I improve my muscle endurance for surfing?

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  A National Academy of Sports Medicine answered

  Muscle endurance is an important part of surfing, and your resistance training program should consist of high repetitions of each exercise performed at a slow tempo with light weight. An example leg circuit workout includes squats on an unstable surface, single-leg Romanian deadlifts, single-leg squats, and stability ball leg curls. When performing squats on an unstable surface such as a half foam roll, upside down BOSU ball, airex pad, or dyna disc, ensure that you keep your core engaged and complete 20 repetitions of the squat. Immediately follow the squats with 10 repetitions per leg of single-leg Romanian deadlifts. To perform the single-leg Romanian deadlift, stand on one leg with the other foot lifted and floating next to the foot on the ground. Slowly bend at the hip and reach toward the foot on the ground, pause, and slowing return to a standing position. Immediately follow this exercise with 10 repetitions per leg of single-leg squats. To perform single-leg squats, stand on one leg with the other foot lifted and floating next to the foot on the ground. Engage the core by drawing-in the stomach and perform a squat movement with one leg. Be sure to keep the back flat, the foot straight, and the knee over the point of your shoe. If you lose your balance, touch the lifted foot on the ground reestablish your balance. The last exercise in this sample circuit is 20 repetitions of leg curls using a stability ball. To perform stability ball leg curls, lie on the ground on your back with the calves resting on a stability ball and the feet pointing up toward the ceiling. Engage the core and bridge up by lifting the hips off the ground. Pull the ball in toward the glutes, hold this position, and slowly return to the starting position. Be sure to keep the hips up until the set is complete. Rest 1 minute and repeat all four exercises for 2 to 4 circuits. This type of training will build muscle endurance and stabilization which is essential for surfing.
  
• QWhat exercises help with agility for surfing?

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  A National Academy of Sports Medicine answered

  To improve agility, which is essential to surfing, use a speed ladder to perform drills like jumping jacks and side shuffle. Using a half speed ladder, perform 2-6 sets of the speed ladder drills. To perform jumping jacks, first start with both feet to the side of the box and jump inside the speed ladder with both feet, then outside and forward, and back inside again similar to jumping jacks. To perform the side shuffle, stand with both feet in the first box so that the next box is to your right side. Step with the right foot into the next box quickly followed by the left foot. Repeat movement all the way down the ladder and perform in both directions. Rest 30-60 seconds between sets of ladder drills.