Surf Fitness: How to Prepare Your Body for a Surf Trip

When you book a surf trip, you imagine the perfect picture: peeling waves, warm water, sunrise paddles, and that delicious feeling of surfing for hours each day without a care in the world.

But if you’ve been on a surf trip before, you’ll know the truth: by day two or three, most of us are wrecked. Shoulders ache, pop-ups feel sluggish, and the dream of surfing every set that rolls through starts slipping away.

This is where surf fitness comes in — especially when you’re a woman. Surfing itself just isn’t enough to prepare your body for the intensity of multiple surf sessions each day. And because our bodies move differently to men’s, we need a training approach that’s designed for us.

To dive into this, I sat down with Candice Land, founder of The Female Surfer, an accredited exercise physiologist, sports nutritionist, and one of the world’s leading voices in women’s surf performance. With over 20 years of experience in human performance — including work with the World Surf League — Candice has helped everyone from pro surfers to mums in their 40s build strength, endurance, and confidence in the surf.

In this article, you’ll learn:

Candice’s top strategies for getting surf-trip ready
the three pillars of surf fitness every female surfer should focus on
the nutrition and recovery tricks that will keep you surfing stronger, longer
and how to prepare your body for a surf trip (if you need help getting ready, get our surf trip checklist)

Get surf fitness tips to prepare for your next surf trip from Candice Land, sports physiologist for the World Surf League.

You can listen to our conversation on Spotify.

Why Surfing Alone Isn’t Enough

Many of us think we can prepare for a surf trip just by surfing more. But Candice explains why that approach often fails.

“There’s a threshold,” she said. “Even elite surfers, who are incredibly efficient, reach a point where their bodies tap out. For everyday surfers, that threshold is much lower. That’s why people get to the first day of their surf trip and their shoulders are already done.”

Surfing is repetitive. Lying on the board, paddling for waves, arching through the back, snapping into pop-ups — those same movements are repeated hundreds of times in a single session. Without proper land-based conditioning, it’s no wonder most of us struggle by the second day.

And for female surfers, the risks are higher. “We’re more prone to shoulder injuries because of the shape of our joint capsules,” Candice explained. “We’re also at higher risk of ACL injuries in the knees. Surfing alone doesn’t protect against that.”

Candice Land demonstrates stability surf fitness exercises for women.

The Three Pillars of Surf Fitness for Women

Through years of screening surfers of all levels, Candice identified three common areas female surfers need to work on most. These became the foundation of her surf fitness system.

Core Stability

Forget crunches — surf fitness for women is about pelvic alignment and deep core stability. “Your pelvis is the real driver of stability in surfing,” Candice said. “If you only focus on abs, you’re missing the foundation.”

Training your core properly means fewer lower-back niggles, better balance, and stronger turns.

Upper Body Strength

Most of us know the pain of paddling fatigue. For women, shoulder resilience is particularly important. “We have different ligament laxity and joint mechanics,” Candice explained. “That makes us more vulnerable to paddling-related injuries.”

High-rep resistance work and shoulder stability exercises are key here.

Lower Body Mechanics

Strong legs are what let us hold our line, compress through turns, and recover after wipeouts. But women surfers are at greater risk of knee injuries. Training the glutes and hips — with proper eccentric loading — helps prevent ACL tears and builds confidence on steeper waves.

“These three pillars give women a solid base,” Candice said. “From there we can layer on agility, speed, and power.”

How to Train for a Surf Trip

So, how do you actually prepare your body for surfing multiple sessions a day?

Candice recommends starting at least 12 weeks before your trip. Her Complete Female Surfer Program follows a periodised structure that builds endurance first, then strength, then performance.

Here’s how she breaks it down:

Phase 1: Baseline Testing

Check range of motion, balance, general fitness. Identify weaknesses before they become injuries.

Phase 2: Endurance Foundation

Cardiovascular training (swimming, paddling drills, circuit training). High-rep resistance training for paddling and pop-up muscles. Building muscular endurance is key — think 15–20 reps rather than heavy lifting.

Phase 3: Stability and Surf-Specific Movements

Rotational drills, compression/extension exercises, and balance work. Foot-driven stability drills to mimic turning and rail control.

Phase 4: Adding Power and Speed

Short explosive movements layered on top of endurance. Agility drills and plyometrics once your base is solid.

“The flashy stuff like speed and power is the sprinkle on top,” Candice said. “But if you don’t have endurance first, you’ll never survive a week of three-hour surfs.”

A woman surfing a barrelling wave who has done lots of surf training and surf fitness to prepare.

Recovery: The Missing Piece of Surf Fitness

On surf trips, most of us think recovery is lying in a hammock between surfs. But Candice teaches active recovery, or what she calls “decompression.”

“The repetitive postures of surfing grind your joints. You need to unwind that,” she explained. Her methods combine breathwork, mobility drills, and postural resets to realign the body and calm the nervous system.

This not only reduces soreness but helps you paddle out fresh the next morning.

Nutrition and Supplements for Female Surfers

Fuel is often overlooked on surf trips. Candice sees many women under-eating or focusing on the wrong nutrients.

“Everyone bangs on about protein, but surfing is predominantly powered by carbs and fats,” she said. “Don’t be afraid to increase your energy intake on a surf trip.”

Her top tips:

Carbs and electrolytes during the day — coconut water, fruit, hydration salts
Magnesium (oral or spray) for muscle recovery and better sleep
Snacks — muesli bars, nuts, or dried fruit for in-between surfs
Protein after your afternoon surf to support overnight recovery

And yes — she admits one beer after a surf can actually help.

“Because of the carbs, one Bintang can be decent recovery. Just stop at one!”

Favourite Surf Destinations

Surf fitness is about preparing your body for the conditions you’ll face. Candice’s own trips prove the point.

She’s surfed everywhere from Portugal to Ireland, but her current top pick is the Maldives. “I loved being on a boat — no distractions, just surfing. It slowed everything down,” she said.

She’s also preparing for a trip to Rote, Indonesia, and admits that Western Australia pushed her fear threshold like nowhere else. “That place is next-level. I was vomiting with fear at times,” she laughed.

Her advice? Train specifically for your chosen destination. Paddling endurance for reef passes, pop-up speed for beach breaks, or heavy leg strength for powerful point waves.

Why Female-Specific Surf Training Matters

Candice’s bigger mission is to change how the surf world supports women.

“For too long, female surfers have trained like men. We’re different beings,” she said. “Imagine what Tyler Wright or Molly Picklum could achieve with programs built for women’s biology — tailored nutrition, injury prevention, recovery strategies.”

For everyday women, the benefits are just as big: less injury, more confidence, and the joy of surfing into midlife with strength.

How to Start Your Surf Fitness Journey

If you’ve got a surf trip coming up, or you simply want to feel stronger at your local break, here’s Candice’s advice:

Start 8–12 weeks out. Build endurance before adding power.
Check your core stability. Focus on pelvic alignment, not just abs.
Protect your shoulders. Add high-rep paddling strength work.
Train movements, not just muscles. Rotations, compressions, and balance drills mimic surfing.
Plan your recovery. Breathwork, decompression, and proper nutrition keep you surfing longer.

Candice’s flagship 12-Week Complete Female Surfer Program offers exactly this — a periodised, online program designed to fit busy lifestyles. It’s already helped hundreds of women prepare for surf trips, contests, and everyday surfing goals.

Final Thoughts

A surf trip should be the highlight of your year, not something that leaves you broken after two days. With the right surf fitness program, you can surf longer, recover faster, and actually enjoy every wave you’ve travelled so far to catch.

As Candice says: “I get excited every time someone tells me they’re going on a surf trip. With the right preparation, it’s one of the most empowering things you can do as a woman.”

So if you’ve got a trip booked — start now. Your future self in Indo will thank you.

Find Candice Land and the Female Surfer on her website and Instagram @thefemalesurfer

Go with Candice to Rote in October 2025.

Surf Fitness for Women: How to Prepare Your Body for a Surf Trip