Surf Fitness Exercises: 6-Week Pre-Surf-Camp Workout

Why surf fitness exercises pay off before your first surf camp

On social media surfing looks like a few seconds of gliding. In reality a beginner lesson is mostly paddling, getting through the whitewater, walking the board back out and trying to stand up. By day two, most newcomers feel it in their shoulders, neck and lower back. That's normal, but it costs you waves: if your arms are gone after 40 minutes, you miss the second half of the session.

Our guide on how long it takes to learn to surf explains where fitness fits into the learning curve. In short, fitness doesn't replace lessons, but it lets you get full value from them.

What surfing actually demands from your body

How do you build paddle endurance?

Paddling is a long, rhythmic pulling movement with your chest slightly raised. You train it best in the water, or with pulling exercises on land.

Swimming: the closest thing to paddling

Front crawl is the best match. Start with two easy lengths, then 4–8 × 50 m at a brisk pace with 30 seconds' rest. Don't go flat out every time. The goal for week six is 15–20 minutes of relaxed, continuous crawl. If you can't crawl yet, breaststroke with your head above water still helps, because it prepares your neck and back for the paddling position.

There's a bonus: feeling at home in the water keeps you calmer after a wipeout.

Band rows and other pulling exercises

No pool nearby? A resistance band does the job:

1. Band row: loop the band round a post or a closed door handle, pull your elbows back close to your body and squeeze your shoulder blades. 3 × 15.
2. Kneeling lat pulldown: anchor the band high and pull straight arms down to your hips – almost exactly the underwater phase of a paddle stroke. 3 × 12.
3. Prone Y-T-W: lie face down, forehead on a towel, lift your arms into a Y, then a T, then a W. 2–3 rounds of 8 each.
4. Paddle simulation: lie on a bench or gym ball, chest slightly lifted, and "paddle" with alternating arms. Start at 30 seconds and build to 90.

Pop-up drills: practising the stand-up on land

The pop-up takes you from lying down to your surf stance in one movement. Your instructor will teach the exact technique, which varies slightly between schools. On land the aim is to make it smooth and powerful.

1. Lie on a mat with your hands beside your lower ribs and toes tucked under.
2. Push your chest up explosively, as if starting a press-up.
3. Bring your legs under you in one go: back foot lands sideways, front foot slightly angled forward between your hands.
4. Rise into a low, wide stance: knees bent, eyes forward, arms relaxed at hip height.
5. Hold for two seconds, lie back down and repeat.

Common mistakes: going onto your knees, looking down, feet too close together, standing too upright. Filming yourself on your phone reveals these errors instantly. Whether you stand left or right foot forward (regular or goofy) is covered in our beginner's guide to learning to surf.

Support exercises for a faster pop-up

• Press-ups (on your knees or against a wall if needed): 3 × 8–15
• Slow mountain climbers: knees to chest with control, 3 × 20 seconds
• Pause squats: 3 × 12, hold the bottom for two seconds
• Hip flexor stretch: half-kneeling lunge, 45 seconds per side

Core training for board and wave

A strong midsection keeps you steady when whitewater shoves you from behind, and it takes load off your lower back while paddling. Endless crunches aren't required.

Prioritise clean form over longer holds. As soon as your lower back starts to arch, the set is over.

Mobility and balance: staying loose and stable

Mobility for hips, shoulders and upper back

When you paddle, you hold your head and chest up for minutes at a time. A mobile thoracic spine makes that far easier. For the pop-up, open hips let your front foot come through. Five exercises, ten minutes, ideally daily or after each session:

1. Open book: lie on your side, knees bent, and open your top arm behind you like turning a page. 8 per side.
2. Cobra or upward dog: face down, hands under shoulders, gently lift your chest. 5 × 5 breaths.
3. 90/90 sit: both legs at right angles, torso tall, then switch sides. 6–8 switches.
4. Band dislocates: wide grip, straight arms over your head and behind you, then back. 10–12 slow reps.
5. Deep squat hold: heels down, elbows gently pushing knees out. 3 × 30 seconds.

Many surf camps include beach yoga, ours in Louro among them. Knowing the basic poses beforehand helps you get more out of it.

Balance: training your stance

Balance on a surfboard is less about tightrope tricks and more about a low, stable stance with bent knees. So train leg strength and balance together:

• Single-leg stand: 3 × 30 seconds per side, then with eyes closed or on a folded towel.
• Lunges: 3 × 10 per side, slow and controlled.
• Surf stance hold: pop up and hold your stance for 20 seconds, bouncing gently in your knees and rotating your upper body.
• Balance board: if you have access, five minutes per session. Start barefoot next to a wall on a soft surface.

Your 6-week surf fitness workout plan

The plan assumes three sessions a week, for example Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, with at least one rest day between them. Add the ten-minute mobility routine on other days if you can. For context, the NHS recommends that adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week plus strengthening activities for all major muscle groups on at least two days; this plan covers that.

Example strength circuit (weeks 2–5)

Do the exercises back to back and rest 90 seconds after each round.

1. Band row – 15 reps
2. Press-ups – 8–15
3. Squats – 15
4. Prone Y-T-W – 8 each
5. Plank – 30–60 seconds
6. Pop-up – 5 clean reps

Only two or three weeks to go?

Skip the progression and focus on weeks 2 and 3: swimming or paddle simulation, pop-ups and mobility. Even two weeks make the start easier. What you should avoid is trying brand-new maximal efforts just before you leave – you'll only arrive stiff.

Surf workout without a gym

No gym membership, no pool? These swaps let you do the whole plan in your student room:

A resistance band costs roughly €10–20 in sports shops or supermarkets and is the best single investment for this plan.

Beach warm-up: ten minutes before every session

At surf camp the lesson usually starts with a group warm-up. If you're on the beach early or surfing on your own, use this sequence:

1. Two minutes of easy jogging on the sand, letting your arms swing.
2. Arm circles and shoulder swings: 10 forwards, 10 backwards.
3. Hip circles and lunges with a twist: 8 per side.
4. Cobra to downward dog: 6 slow reps.
5. Inchworms: walk your hands out from standing to a press-up position and back, 5 times.
6. Five pop-ups on your board in the sand, as your instructor showed you.
7. Quick check: leash on your back foot, wetsuit the right way round, conditions and currents clarified with your instructor.

The Atlantic in Galicia stays fresh even in summer, and a warm body paddles much more easily. Our wetsuit thickness guide explains what to wear.

Recovery and safety

Pre-camp training should make you stronger, not send you to camp injured. A few principles:

• Progress gradually. Increase volume or intensity only a little each week. The week-four deload is deliberate.
• Pain is not the goal. Muscle soreness is fine; sharp or lasting joint pain means stop and get it checked.
• Pre-existing conditions. With heart or circulation problems, asthma, shoulder or back issues, or after surgery, talk to your GP or a physiotherapist first.
• Sleep and food. Enough sleep, protein and carbohydrates support your progress more than any supplement.
• At camp. Drink plenty, use sun protection and take a real break between sessions. Five days in a row in the water is a lot for untrained shoulders, even with preparation.

How to behave in the line-up so you don't endanger yourself or others is covered in our surf etiquette guide.

Is surf training worth it for beginners?

Yes, if your expectations are realistic. Six weeks won't make you a pro, but you'll paddle longer, pop up faster and get more from every lesson. On a camp with four lesson days, like ours in Louro, that adds up: every session you don't cut short because of heavy arms moves you forward.

There's a mental benefit too. If you've done 200 pop-ups on land, you think less in the water and can focus on the wave, timing and where you're looking. And if you wear glasses, sort out how you'll see in the water well before you go – our guide to surfing with glasses or contacts covers the options.

Checklist for your final week

• Last hard session three to four days before departure
• Ten minutes of mobility every day
• Ten easy pop-ups a day
• Pack your resistance band and skipping rope – see our surf trip packing list
• Sun cream, water bottle and possibly earplugs
• A full rest day right before you travel

Ready for Galicia: how the plan fits our surf camp

At our surf camp in Louro, Galicia, you get a four-day surf course with Abel Lago Watersports, with board and wetsuit included, plus beach volleyball, beach yoga and a hike up Monte Louro. The six-week plan prepares you well for all of it. Read more about the set-up in our Galicia surf camp guide.

If you start training now, you can browse the 2027 dates at your own pace on our Galicia surf trip page (booking pages are in German). Questions about lessons and equipment are answered in our surf FAQ, also in German.

Last updated: November 2026

Sources

• NHS: Physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64
• WHO: Physical activity fact sheet
• NHS: Strength exercises
• DLRG (German Life Saving Association): Water safety rules