Tag Archives: surfing

SUP Yoga Challenges Your Practice in the Water

SUP Yoga Brendon

There is a not-so-new sport sweeping across the waters of the world and you really need to catch this wave. SUP, or Stand-up Paddle Boarding, in itself has been popular for quite some time but this new twist, is opening the sport to yoga devotees. Yes, there is yoga on a paddle board out in the middle of the water.

Like most fitness classes, there are also certified instructors for SUP Yoga. You know we fitness freaks are always looking for new, different ways to challenge ourselves. I think we finally found one that is the perfect mix of fitness and fun. (more…)

Posted on September 24, 2023 by Brendon Payne

Get Surfer Ripped Without the Waves at Crunch’s SurfSET Fitness Class

Crunch Gym is known for their unique group exercises classes, and their newest offering Surfset is no exception. The class is described as “the world’s first total body surf trainer designed to mimic real surfing.” And after seeing creator and former pro hockey player Mike Hartwick’s pitch it on the hit Fox show Shark Tank, I knew I had to check it out.

All in all, this class is genius. Half of it takes place on a custom-built indoor surfboard called the RipSurfer X. The other half is spent using sandbags, imitating the common movement patterns used in surfing.

crunch surfset

According to the official Surfset website, the RipSurfer X is designed to get participants a surfer body that is “lean without looking weak, and muscular without the bulk” and designed to simulate real life surfing. Think of it as a surfboard balanced on small stability balls. In order to remain standing, you have to find your center of gravity and keep your core muscles (i.e. abs, back, and upper legs) active in order to remain standing. You may not feel it that day, but come tomorrow you will feel sore in muscles you never knew existed! (more…)

Posted on November 5, 2023 by Ben Sweeney

Bethany Hamilton Reveals Her Fitness, Diet, and Lessons from Biggest Loser

Bethany Hamilton was sort of an average Hawaiian surfer girl until a fateful trip to the water when she was 13. She was attacked by a 14-foot tiger shark, which severed her left arm and required multiple surgeries to save her life. Just a short month after the attack, the teen was back on her board, and by the age of 17 had become a world-renowned professional surfer.

Also known as the Soul Surfer, Bethany’s story is one of inspiration, proving that no hurdle is insurmountable.

We recently had a chance to interview the now 22-year-old professional surfer and learn more about how she keeps fit, motivated, and how she enjoyed a recent appearance on NBC’s The Biggest Loser.

Click through to see our interview with Bethany!

Posted on April 12, 2024 by Natalie K

Stand Up Paddling is the Latest Fitness Craze with Serious Benefits

Stand up paddling (SUP) or “Yoloing” is the perfect combination of traditional canoeing, surfing and kayaking, but even better. Stand up paddling offers an incredible core workout with a cadence much like swimming or cycling. Yolo Boards, founded by Tom Losee and Jeff Archer in 2006 in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, is the custom paddleboard of choice. “Yolo” stands for “You Only Live Once”, and when you first try stand up paddling in a lake, ocean, or bay, this name makes perfect sense.

People of any age, from 5 to 85, can do this. While traditional surfboards are 20 inches in width, stand up paddleboards are 32 inches wide. You can learn by starting on your knees and go from there. What is truly great is that it is something the entire family can do together.

Here are 3 new fitness trends in Stand Up Paddling:

1. Stand Up Fitness and Paddle Fit founder Brody Welte, says, “SUP” is one of the greatest forms of exercise that exists. It focuses on upper and lower body and core strength. It is as challenging as running, swimming and biking from a cardio perspective. It has virtually zero impact, is gentle on the body, and improves your balance as well.” SUP is an exercise like no other. Getting out on the water gives you a true serenity, challenge and good time.

2. Stand Up Paddle Yoga is becoming a top yoga trend as well. When I asked Stand Up Paddle Yoga Instructor Gillian Gibree why she thinks this is becoming so popular, she told me, “Stand Up Paddle Yoga takes the workout out of the studio and into nature. Doing a true sun salutation on a floating mat on the water is so refreshing and meditative. Yoga and SUP are two amazing practices that are great for the body, mind, and spirit!”

3. Racing in Stand Up Paddle is becoming a sport as well. You can find the latest information for races around the United States on at SupEvent.com and iTunes.

For more information, you can also see Brody’s innovative Paddle Fit digital guide launched last year, which gives step-by-step digital instruction on getting fit while stand up paddling. He has also launched an entire Paddle Fit certificationof classes, held in different areas of the country. For your next vacation, see if your resort offers SUP like Sandestin and 30A in NW Florida.

Alison Lewis is a nationally known Cookbook Author, Magazine and Internet Food, Travel, Fitness and Health Journalist, Speaker, Travel and Food Photographer and Owner of Ingredients, Inc., a Media Consulting company in Birmingham, Alabama who is on Facebook and Twitter.

Posted on April 5, 2024 by Health Buzz

New Workout Trends Make Fitness Fun

When you think fitness, what comes to mind – fun or drudgery and effort? Do you imagine dragging yourself to the gym, dreading every work out? Do you make up ways to avoid getting it done? Are you tired of using the same equipment over and over?

Fitness doesn’t have to be an effort. You don’t have to dread the cardio equipment and fear the weights. Boredom is one of the top reasons that those who begin a fitness effort stop. If you’ve just begun your fitness journey, take heart. It doesn’t have to be this way. There are plenty of fun activities that do double duty, getting your heart rate up while being enjoyable. A workout that teaches a new skill can build self confidence, and the reality that you are improving in your new area of study makes you more apt to stick with it.

“Exercise doesn’t have to be boring,” says Shawn M. Arent, director of the Human Performance Lab at Rutgers University in New Jersey. “It can be fun and addictive in a good way.”

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Posted on January 5, 2024 by Carmen

Yoga for Surfers

“Om dude” are not two words that you often hear together. But for surfers, the ancient tradition of yoga offers a host of benefits that can complement their love of the waves.

Whether you ride your board every day or once a year, you are familiar with the aches and pains that spending a few hours gliding on the rough and tumbling waves can bring to your body. But surfer-specific yoga moves provide relief to sore and banged up muscles while also improving surfing performance.

Here is what you need to know about yoga for surfers:

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Posted on August 6, 2023 by heather

The Ultimate Surfing Workout

I moved to California a little over a month ago and have picked up the hobby of surfing. Surfing requires an extreme amount of core strength, stability, and balance as well as upper and lower body strength. If you have never been surfing, I totally recommend it. It is a great way to get away from the stresses of the world and to enjoy nature at its best.

Of course, safety is a big issue, but if you take a lesson or play it safe you will be more than fine. I also recommend starting with a long board then upgrading to a shorter one once you get better.

Below is a total body workout that I have put together to strengthen the muscles and parts of the body necessary to concur the sport of surfing. I have incorporated several core movements as well as upper and lower body exercises. (more…)

Posted on July 5, 2023 by Matt