We firmly believe the best workout for watermen or women should be done in the water preferably with a heavy dash of salt. There are many workouts that one might tolerate just for the sake of exercise, but why not make those workouts rewarding and enjoyable. Below is just a scratch on the surface of water-based workouts that will get your skin salty and your blood pumping.
What do all these workouts have in common? Beside the salt? Extensive action in saltwater can leave you stinging like a jellyfish swam through your shorts. Save yourself the agony by gearing up with our compression shorts through it all.
- Surfing
You may have heard the phrase “I need to get back into surfing shape”. A great workout can be found in any surf conditions, even when it’s piddly and soft. In a crowded or mediocre beach break, try paddling from peak to peak down the beach. At a crowded point break? Keep a sharp eye for sets but try and pick off a few inside swingers. You will always have more fun when you keep moving. When it’s pumping and consistent there are very few workouts that can compare. The feeling of full body exhaustion you experience when it’s peaking, and your paddling to make it over the set just to turn-and-grind into a bomb to give your legs and core a good burn, just to kick out and sprint-paddle until your arms go numb to the outside to get another and avoid taking a few on the head. Just paddling out in big beach break is a workout in itself, albeit sometimes frustrating. Still, it’s way better than sitting under florescent lights at the gym. There’s no feeling quite like being surfed out after scoring good waves all day.
- Down swell/wind paddling
If you’re lucky enough to have a spot where you can do this on the regular, you should make it a routine. It’s quite a mental workout not to mention a physical one. Windy and 15kts onshore? Try taking the blinding spray to the face on the way out with a workout mindset. Then, when you just can’t take the abuse anymore turn around and navigate those wind swell whitecaps as you plow back toward shore. Whether you do standup paddling or prone, try experimenting with longer cruiser-type shaped boards that can catch every little ripple downwind, and glide so effortlessly down a big rolling ground swell. You will find yourself racing to catch the next trough in the swell for those few moments of relief.
- Body surfing
Take a beating in the shore break. Get whomped in big closeouts until your ears, nose and eyes are full of sand. Your sense of wave energy will greatly improve your abilities in other ocean activities. You become more in-tune with a wave when it’s just you and the ocean and no other floatation. You have to swim yourself to the perfect spot where you can get yourself up on plane and let the wave do the rest of the work. Swim fins help but if you don’t have the right pair, they can become blister machines when the sand gets wedged in the foot pockets; but that’s all part of the fun. Getting tossed around in the surf will also help your board surfing by knowing how to get under waves and shoot out between the vortices in the whitewater.
- Kayak fishing or spearfishing
Ocean kayaking through caves is a blast, but why not bring a rod or speargun along to get some taco meat to nourish those noodle arms you’re guaranteed to have after a full day out fishing. Want to step up your workout on the way out to the fishing grounds? Try paddling on your knees and you’ll get a solid leg and core addition.
- Windsurfing and Kite boarding
It’s no easy task to control all that surface area in the wind and surf. You’ll get forearms like Pop Eye the sailor in no time, not to mention all the other muscles you burn trying to steer your course. This is a great activity when it’s howling side shore and everyone else left the beach. You engage your entire body to power though sections and over foamy closeouts that would otherwise be impossible to make on any other human-powered craft.
To compliment the above workouts or as an alternative on days you can’t make it to the water or the weather is bad, try these cross-training workouts that improve your balance, core and shoulders.
Wear the Watermen compression shorts under your wetsuit or boardshorts or even on their own! They’ll help you stay out longer whether you body surf, kite board or go fishing. Our compression shorts keep you warm and protect you from getting sand in places it should never go.
Meant to last and never rash all while being made from recycled fish nets.
