Dynamic Warmup for Surfers
Research is clear that a dynamic warm-up (vs. static stretching) is best to prepare for sport ️ and to prevent injuries. A sport-specific warm-up is specially designed to move the body through the necessary range of motion and activate the neuromuscular system in ways that simulate the sport.
Surfing is a high demand sport with significant injury risk. Up to ⅓ of surfers sustain an injury each year requiring medical attention, missed work, or time off from surfing, and 91% of surfers have sustained an injury surfing in their lifetime.
We see lots of injured surfers at Elevate. Most often we hear that they don’t warm-up at all,🤭 and don’t have an exercise regimen to get their bodies strong for the great demands of surfing.
A surf-specific dynamic warm-up will go a long way to help mitigate the risks and prevent injury (especially when combined with our surf-specific strength exercises coming next week).
We know the waves are like a Siron song calling you the minute you feel the sand in your toes, but put earplugs in for just 5 minutes and prepare your body for the awesome intensity of surfing!
- What a surf-specific dynamic warm-up can do for YOU:
- Increase core temperature
- Increase blood flow to muscles
- Increase stimulation to mechanoreceptors in joints
- Increase stimulation to the central nervous system
- Increase musculoskeletal control
- Increase confidence for performance
- Increase movement through the range of motion demands for the upcoming activities
- Improve exercise / sport performance
- Reduce risk for injury
Scap Strength for Surfers
Surfers, swimmers, water polo players and other water sport athletes who present with shoulder pain often have weakness in / poor control of posterior chain shoulder girdle musculature including the infraspinatus of the rotator cuff and the trapezius scapular muscles.
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Elevate Founder Dr. Meredith Soelberg PT, DPT, MBA demonstrates a few simple exercises to address the common deficits. All you need is a Theraband to help get these specific muscles doing their job better for top SPORT PERFORMANCE and to PREVENT INJURY.
Shoulder external rotation with Theraband – this is a TWO STEP exercise, to emphasize the scapula stabilizers and the infraspinatus cuff muscle.
- Squeeze shoulder blades together and down to stabilize. 2. With elbows at 90 degrees and at your sides, AND shoulder blades squeezed together and down, PULL the band apart. Hold 3 seconds. Slowly release. Repeat 10x. 3 sets…
Cheerleader Series’ Ts and diagonals with Theraband – stand tall, shoulders away from ears. T – will emphasize the middle trapezius fibers.
Elbows straight, shoulders at 90 degrees, pull band apart to make a T shape. Give a squeeze to your shoulder blades at opening of the T. Then slowly release back to start position. Alternating Diagonals – will emphasize numerous important scapular muscles reciprocally. Start in the same start position as the T exercise. Pull band apart with one arm pulling up, the other pulling down. Palms face forward, the band is in a diagonal, elbows straight. Give a squeeze to your shoulder blades Meet back in the start position. Then do the opposite diagonal. .
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What’s great about the diagonals is the reciprocal movement pattern it trains – very functional for the movement in these sports!. 1 T + 1 diagonal each direction = 1 rep. Repeat 10x. 3 sets. ❗️KEEP ELBOWS STRAIGHT. ❗️
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If you’re having shoulder pain, come in and our Doctors of Physical Therapy can evaluate it, get you out of pain, and started on an injury and sport specific program. Need a Theraband? We’ve got all colors!
Strengthen your Serratus Anterior for Surfing
The Serratus Anterior does so much for the surfer! It wears a lot of hats as a protractor / abductor, posterior tilter, upward rotator and stabilizer of the shoulder blade!
It’s particularly important in the intricate biomechanics of reaching overhead in the paddle, and for a strong pop-up. …
Lack of control, strength, or activation of this important muscle is believed to be associated with painful shoulder conditions found in surfers and other water sport and “overhead” athletes.
Here’s a progression of “scapula pushups” with a Theraband for added resistance to isolate that serratus anterior, and at the same time, work your core muscles that are also critical for surfers and water sport athletes!
Try 3 sets of 15 of level 1. When that gets easy, try the next level!.