Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Surfing On One Leg! : Exercise Tip of the Week

Yes its true, surfing is done on one leg, well actually two but let me explain.  When surfing there is no point of equal balance on both legs, therefore, you are actually surfing on one leg at a time but alternating pressure and stability throughout to counter balance your stance.  So how can surfers improve their stance and strength while surfing??

The answer: when exercising, start to implement single leg squatting exercises into your routine.  By moving from a bilateral (double leg squatting stance) to a single leg squat, subsequently you are improving hip and knee stabilization.  While the total load on double leg squats, ie. weight is heavier, the total load on the legs is actually higher during single leg strengthening exercises.  Many of these simple exercises must be taken in progression, meaning slowly increasing range of the squat as well as weight.  It is recommended for beginners to try using only body weight before advancing.  Remember, micro progression leads to increased outcome.

Keeping things simple, start with this basic exercise during your leg workouts and keep posted for more progressive movements to increase your surfing ability.

Bulgarian Split Squat: