Best Surf Paddle Workout To Catch More Waves

NO PADDLE, NO SURF.

Let’s face the cold-hard facts.  The reason we need a surf paddle workout is because the act known as “surfing” actually consists of very little actual surfing.  Maybe it should be called “paddling with occasional wave riding.”  The really good part, standing up and riding a wave, is a very small part of the practice of surfing.  I would go as far as saying 10% is wave riding, 90% is paddling.  So if you want to enjoy the practice of surfing, you better learn to enjoy paddling because you’ll be doing lots of it.  How do you enjoy paddling? Getting good at it through surf paddle workouts and lots of practice in the water.  

Put it this way, the practice of surfing according to Jaimal Yogis in Saltwater Buddha is a great metaphor for life.  

“The extremely good stuff – chocolate and great sex and weddings and hilarious jokes – fills a minute portion of an adult lifespan.  The rest is like paddling: work, paying bills, flossing, getting sick, dying. Sure it (paddling) wasn’t always as fun as riding a wave.  But it was part of it. They were the same – interdependent. No paddle, no surf.”

In this article, you’ll learn how to build paddle strength for surfing through practical tips, workouts, and even some simple equipment you can use to build paddle strength. Surf paddle workouts and lots of paddling will lead to better endurance, quicker paddling, and more effective wave-catching.  Paddling is a skill for life that you can learn to love instead of lamenting! But don’t forget that paddling is only a component of surf fitness and surfer exercise routines in general.

Surf Paddle Workouts to Improve Strength

Swimming Workouts 

If you’re a surfer and you’re not already a strong swimmer, this is one of the easiest ways to improve paddle fitness is through swimming workouts. Obviously, swimming, especially freestyle, is a lot like paddling. You use your shoulders, arms, and core. Long-distance swims help build endurance, while interval training with sprints builds power and speed. Swimming also improves cardiovascular fitness and breathing for dealing with big sets and hold downs. 

Resistance Band Exercises for Surfing 

Get yourself a resistance band, they cost next to nothing and travel well for an easy workout anywhere you go.  Resistance bands are a versatile and portable way to simulate the paddling motion, helping to build strength in the shoulders, arms, and back. Basic pull a parts with a resistance band are a great way to get started.  From there, performing band rows can target the lats and traps, while overhead presses mimic the shoulder movement needed during paddling. You can also perform rotational exercises  with bands to engage your lats, core and improve torso rotation, which is key for effective paddling.  The best part?  These exercises can be done anywhere, making them convenient for surfers looking to enhance paddle strength without the need for a gym or pool.

Bodyweight Exercises to Improve Paddle Fitness

Surfers should be big fans of bodyweight exercises like push-ups, planks, and burpees  because they are highly effective for building paddle strength and don’t turn you into a meathead. Push-ups help develop shoulder and arm strength, while planks engage the core, helping to improve overall stability during paddling. Surf burpees, which combine explosive movement with core engagement, are great for building full-body power and endurance. Pull ups and or pull bar hangs (I can do about 4 pull ups so I do more hanging) are also excellent for strengthening the back and arms, enabling you to paddle with more force and endurance. You can get a lot done in terms of surf fitness with very basic or no gym equipment, learn how to get fit like your favourite pro-surfers.  

Surf Paddle Training At-Home or at the Gym: How to Build Paddle Strength Without the Ocean

My favourite classes at the Surfer’s Gym here in Sydney involve little or no equipment.  In Matt Grainger’s movement classes, we do animal flows, bodyweight exercises, and stretches.  When I was doing these workouts 3 days a week I was more fit for surfing than I’d ever been.  

If you’re not in Sydney or don’t live near a surf specific gym or personal trainer, don’t fret, you can put together your own surf paddle workout to do at home or in the gym.  The only surf paddle training equipment you’ll need is a resistance band, exercise ball, and foam roller. 

Here’s a sample surf paddle exercise routine you can try today to build paddle strength for surfing:

1. Resistance bands – do each exercise 10 reps for 3 sets
   1. Banded rows 
   2. Overhead presses
   3. Pull a parts 
2. Movement
   1. Shoulder clock
   2. Lizard
   3. Dive bomber 
3. Agility Drills
   1. Lateral Skaters 
   2. Single leg hops 
   3. Jump rope 

Like I said before, one of the best tools for training at home are resistance bands, which mimic the paddling motion and engage the same muscles used in surfing. By performing exercises like band rows to target the back and shoulders or overhead presses to strengthen the arms, you can simulate key paddling movements. Did I mention I love resistance bands? They are affordable, portable, and easy to incorporate into your workout routine, making them ideal for you looking to improve paddle strength without access to the ocean.

Agility drills like Lateral Skaters, Single-Leg Hops, and  Jump Rope enhance your surf fitness and paddling ability by improving balance, coordination, and explosive power.  Lateral Skaters  help strengthen your stabilizing muscles and improve your lateral movement, which is essential for quickly adjusting your position while paddling. The  Single-Leg Hops  build lower body strength and balance, mimicking the quick adjustments surfers must make when navigating through choppy waters or catching waves.  Jump Rope  is a fantastic cardiovascular exercise that boosts foot speed, endurance, and timing, which directly translates to more efficient paddling and quicker responses to wave conditions. Together, these drills help develop the agility needed to react swiftly, maintain a strong, controlled paddle, and navigate the surf with greater ease and power.

I hate yoga for personal reasons. Pilates is ok, but I really love animal movement (check out Holistica Movement or Luke Stedman’s Black Ball workouts).  You do you. Any of these practices emphasize flexibility, core strength, and body control, which help with paddling endurance and preventing injury. Create a consistent surf paddle workout schedule by alternating resistance training, bodyweight exercises, and flexibility workouts throughout the week to build a well-rounded foundation for paddle strength.

Interval Training: Surf Paddle Workouts 

Interval paddle workouts involve performing short, intense bursts of paddling (or other cardiovascular activity like rowing, running, or riding the Assault bike) followed by a recovery period, mimicking the bursts of energy needed when paddling for waves. For example, paddle hard for 30 seconds, followed by a minute of light paddling or rest. Repeat this for 10 to 15 intervals. This type of training improves both your stamina and power, allowing you to paddle harder and longer with less fatigue.

Two interval surf paddle workouts that I enjoy that will improve your paddling include:

1. On dry land – do a tabata of 20 seconds going at about 80-90% intensity on an exercise bike, rower or ski machine. Rest for 10 seconds, but while you are resting hold your breath by blowing out carbon dioxide towards the end of the work, taking a deep breath as you count down to your rest, holding for 10 seconds, then resuming work.  Do it for 8 rounds. This is challenging.
2. On a flat or small day, I’ll take my surfboard to the beach and do this work out before I surf little waves.  You may want googles for this.  Mark about 100 meters or yards from where you are on the beach, run the distance, then run out through the surf and swim past the breakers.  Swim freestyle to where you started, get out and run the distance again, followed by the swim.  Repeat as many times as you can! 

Don’t neglect endurance training. Long-duration paddle sessions are crucial for building overall conditioning and ensuring you can paddle out to catch waves without tiring. For an endurance-focused surf paddle workout, try paddling (or rowing/biking/running/ski/paddle machine) for 30 minutes at a steady pace, incorporating 5-minute bursts of fast paddling every 10 minutes to simulate sprinting through waves. This helps increase your stamina and ability to maintain a consistent pace over long sessions.

Core and flexibility training is also vital for improving paddling efficiency. Engage in ab-focused exercises like planks and leg raises to strengthen your core and improve your posture while paddling. Include rotational movements such as Russian twists to simulate the twisting motion required for paddling. Stretching exercises, particularly for the shoulders, back, and hips, help with flexibility and reduce injury risk. To structure your week, you can combine swimming for cardio and endurance, resistance training with bands or weights for strength, and bodyweight exercises for overall fitness. A sample weekly routine could involve swimming on Monday, resistance training on Tuesday, a yoga session on Wednesday, followed by core exercises on Thursday, and a surf paddle workout on Friday. This balanced approach helps target all the key aspects of paddle fitness.

Why is Paddle Strength so Important?

If you’re a beginner or intermediate surfer and you’ve observed more advanced surfers stroking into waves in what seems like an effortless fashion, you should know intuitively why paddle strength is so important.  If you’ve ever had more sets on the head than you’d like to count while other surfers power past you, you know why surf paddle training makes a difference.  If you’re just learning how to paddle out surfing, you have probably wished your noodle arms have more of that paddle power!

Effective paddling is essential not only for catching waves but also for getting out past the break, navigating the crowds, and positioning yourself in the right spot on the water. Paddling requires endurance, power, and coordination, as it engages multiple muscle groups simultaneously. The primary muscles used when paddling include the shoulders, arms, back, and core—each playing a vital role in propelling you forward and maintaining balance. 

Without sufficient paddle strength, even the most experienced surfer can struggle to get out the back or catch consecutive waves without getting too tired. By building up your paddle strength, you can paddle out more efficiently, reduce fatigue, and increase your chances of catching waves. Whether you’re aiming for better endurance to paddle through larger surf or quicker paddling get yourself into more waves and bigger waves, improving your paddle fitness is essential to improve your surfing.  

Paddling 101: The Basic Tips for Effective Paddling for Surfing

Keep Feet Together: I used to tell kids to pull their legs together like a cobra’s tail and constantly say, “snake legs,” as a reminder.  When your legs are sprawled all over the place, you don’t have very good balance to move the board through the water.

Body Position:  Every board is different but you must find the “sweet spot” where you can paddle with ease: not too far forward so that the nose of your board is plowing water and not too far back that your ass is dragging. The stringer of your board should be down the midline of your body to avoid tipping over from rail to rail. 

Knowledge Actually is Power:  Have you ever noticed a surfer that easily catches all the best waves with very few, graceful strokes?  He or she isn’t necessarily a faster or stronger paddler than you.  Position often dictates who gets the wave.  Wave selection and being in the right place to catch that wave is crucial to effective paddling.   Plus a person with local knowledge of currents, rips, swell direction and shallow spots will out paddle someone without such knowledge.  

Warm-up and Stretching: This is a no-brainer but if your shoulders, chest and lats are tight, paddling will be debilitatingly more difficult.  You may be able to paddle for a while but fatigue will set in and end your session quickly.  Get a tennis ball and a foam roller. Check out these shoulder stretches for surfers using only the aforementioned foam roller and tennis ball.

Paddling is a Marathon, not a Sprint:  You want to save your energy for the actual wave riding so it is important to use paddling as a form of active recovery.  Try to slow your breath down and use the right technique so that you can be explosive and full of energy when you do catch a wave!

The Muscles You Use for Paddling While Surfing 

To build paddle strength, it’s crucial to focus on the specific muscle groups that are heavily engaged during paddling. First and foremost, you’ll notice how most surfers have some pretty serious shoulders.  Surfing definitely makes you a bit top heavy but that’s ok if you catch more waves than everyone else.  Your shoulder strength determines the power of each stroke, especially the strength of your rotator cuffs and deltoids. These muscles help you rotate and push through the water with power and precision. Strengthening the shoulders not only improves paddling efficiency but also helps prevent injury, a common issue for surfers due to the repetitive motion of paddling. 

The arms—particularly the triceps, biceps, and forearms—are also essential, as they help with both the pulling motion of paddling and maintaining grip when holding onto the surfboard. Strong arms allow you to paddle with more force, which is key when trying to stroke into a monster set.

Many people who start surfing later in life really struggle with their pop-ups and balance.  A lot of this is due to core instability. A strong core, which stabilizes the body and facilitates the torso rotation required for each paddle stroke, will change your game. Being able to hold the prone position, keep your head up while paddling, and leverage the strength of your core, hips, legs makes you a better paddler. 

Finally, your back—especially the lats and traps—contributes to the strength and endurance needed to paddle for extended periods. These muscles are responsible for the pulling motion of the paddle, helping you propel through the water. Building strength in these muscle groups is really how you get better at paddling. When all these muscles work together efficiently, you’ll experience improved stamina, better wave-catching ability, and that superman/superwomen feeling while you’re paddling around your homebreak. 

Parting Tips for Better Paddling

Use correct paddling technique

The proper hand placement is crucial—make sure your hands are positioned just below the water’s surface during each stroke for maximum propulsion. Keep your elbows slightly bent and use a long, smooth stroke that extends from your fingertips to your feet. Maintaining good posture is also key; keep your body aligned and avoid overreaching or arching your back, as this can lead to fatigue and inefficiency.

Breathe! 

Notice your breathing in the surf.  Are you panting like a dog after a run?  Try to switch to nose breathing when you can.  By maintaining a steady rhythm and focusing on deep, controlled breaths, you can keep your energy levels up for longer. 

Position Your Body in the Right PlacE

 Position yourself on your board correctly. Where you actually lay will be different depending on what type of board you ride, but each board has a sweet spot. You don’t want to be too far back on the board. This causes the board to be too high and makes you push through the water. If you are too far forward your nose will pearl into the water. You want to be perfectly centered so when you do start paddling your board is on a nice, even plane.

Use Your Core Strength

As you refine your paddling technique, incorporating your core strength can significantly enhance the power of your stroke. As your arm reaches forward during the stroke, engage your core to slightly rotate and lift your torso with the movement. When you pull your arm back, your torso should follow, using your core muscles to add extra strength and power to the stroke. This coordinated movement helps generate more force with each paddle, allowing you to paddle more efficiently and with greater speed.

Hope this helps all you noodle arms out there understand and enjoy paddling a little more.  After all it’s 90% of any surf session and you gotta put in the work to make it outside on those big days. Stronger paddling not only helps you catch waves more easily but also allows you to conserve energy and navigate challenging conditions. By incorporating exercises like resistance band workouts, core strengthening, and agility drills, you can develop the power and endurance necessary to paddle faster and more effectively. Consistency is key—make these surf paddle workouts a regular part of your routine to see noticeable improvements in your surfing fitness. We’d love to hear about your progress or offer more tips, so feel free to reach out with questions on how to build paddle strength for surfing.