Tendon Stretching for Surfers

Foam Rolling for Surfers

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 Thank You
…for purchasing this surf fitness program!
This surfing fitness program was created using our experience with personal training of
over hundreds of people wanting to improve their fitness levels to enjoy longer surf
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Disclaimer
This program is designed for fit and healthy individuals over the age of 18 only.

Do not perform any of the exercises in this program until you have been shown proper
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Tendon Stretching for Surfers
Making sure that your tendons are nice and loose is an important component to your surfing fitness
program. Whether you are surfing or performing an intense workout, your tendons can be at risk to injury
every day. Surfing requires a great deal of explosive movements and this is where tendon stretching comes
into play. It is a great insurance to your body that you are doing everything you can to prevent injury.

Blowing out Achilles tendon or injuring other tendons is a common injury to surfers and athletes alike who
perform explosive movements. Many of these injuries can be prevented with a proper tendon stretching
routine. You want to get in the habit of stretching your tendons before you perform explosive movements.
A tendon is at a much higher risk of injury if it is not properly stretched and warmed up.

The most important tendons and ligaments to get loose before your surfing session or a workout are:

• tendons in your lower ankle/Achilles

• knee tendons
• elbow ligaments
• IT band
• hip flexors

These tendons are constantly at risk to injury since they are engaged throughout many of your surfing
movements. If you have surfed at a frequency level for years, chances are that you have injured or
tweaked some of the tendons in your ankles, feet, and/or Achilles. While a few minor injuries are likely to
happen over the years of intense surfing, daily tendon stretching will prevent that injury which could keep
you out for weeks or months.

Watch the video of Troy guiding you through the tendon stretching routine here.

Achilles tendon
Your Achilles tendon is especially prone to injury during surfing; Achilles tendonitis and Achilles tendon
ruptures are common. If not properly warmed up, tendons become weak from fatigue or overuse. Tight
calf muscles may also be more prone to injury from overuse and explosive movements.

There are many different ways to stretch your Achilles tendon, but here is a simple 2-step stretch you can
do while standing:

First, stand on one leg and rotate your toes back and forth so that your ankle, Achilles and toes ligaments
feel loose, as seen on the video. Do it twice, 10 seconds per each leg, or as long as you need. Once loose,
find and stand next to a sturdy object or a wall, lean forward and place your hands on it (on the video,
Troy’s just using a BOSU, but you can find a bigger object or a wall). To get a deep Achilles stretch, extend

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one foot behind you. Unlike when stretching your calves, you will actually bend at the knee. Your heel
should be on the ground.

• Lean slightly until you feel a stretch in the back of the lower leg, just above the heel.
• Sink down slowly with your hips to deepen the stretch.
• Perform this stretch for about 20-25 seconds (in 5-second intervals where you go a bit deeper each
time) and switch sides.
• After that, do another round of one-leg standing ankle rotations as shown on the video.

Knee tendons
Standing with one leg in front, slowly move around your knee cap while emphasizing your knee ligaments
for about 10 seconds to get blood circulating throughout your knee. It may look simple, but it is very
effective.

Then lean forward and bend your knee 3 times while feeling the stretch in your knee. (Stop and visit your
doctor if you feel any pain doing this.) Then switch legs and perform the same steps on the other knee.

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Elbow Ligaments
Stretch out your arms to your sides and rotate them as shown on both the photo and video. You will feel a
stretch in your elbow ligaments.

Your hip tendons and elbow tendons are also crucial to warm up and engage before performing any kind of
surfing or explosive movement.

IT Band
One of the best ways to get these tendons warmed up is to foam roll your IT band. This is the band located
on the side of your leg from your knee cap to your hip flexor. This will help to get your legs nice and loose
as well as warm up the ligaments and tendons in your knees. All you need is a foam roller and consistency,
so make sure you perform this before every workout or surf session.

Alternatively, lie on your back on a mat with both legs extended. Bend your right knee and pull it in
towards your chest. Put your left hand on the outside of your right knee and pull it across your body over
to the left side.

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Keep both shoulders on the mat and look to the right. Pull your right knee down toward the floor on the
left side. Hold this for 20 seconds and then switch sides. Perform this stretch twice on both sides.

Hip Flexors
Warming up the tendons in your hip flexors is also vital for preparing your surf run and high intensity
workouts. Your hip flexors are engaged in pretty much every movement when you surf so it is vital to get
them warmed up and loose. This is fairly easy to do and you have 2 options to choose from.

1.) Leg swings – a simple and easy way to warm up your hip flexors. Hold onto any object in front of
you while facing forward completely. Keep your toes pointed straight and swing your leg back and
forth across your body. Repeat with the other leg. This is an amazing stretch for your quadriceps
and hip flexors and really challenges your groin area. This is a hard muscle to stretch out, and
because of that it’s often neglected; surfers often injure this muscle group. This is one of the most
important dynamic stretches to perform before a surf session.

2.) Foam rolling – when you foam roll a muscle group you are essentially giving yourself a deep tissue
massage. This will also help to promote increased blood flow to the area and aid in the recovery
process (which is essential to muscle strengthening). As you can see on the picture, you need to lie
down on the foam roller so that your body weight presses your hip flexors against the roller. Start
gently and gradually increase the pressure.

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Foam Rolling for Surfers
Foam rolling is one of the most underrated activities you can do to enhance your fitness, flexibility, and
explosiveness. Foam rolling is a form of myofascial release and will give you the ability to release tight and
troubled muscle groups. Let me get into the science of why it works and is so effective.

Myofascial release is a body technique in which you use gentle, sustained pressure on the soft tissues
while applying traction to the fascia. This technique results in softening and lengthening (release) of the
fascia and breaking down scar tissue or adhesions between skin, muscles and bones. Your muscles become
looser, limber, fresh and ready to go!

The foam roller not only stretches muscles and tendons but it breaks down soft tissue adhesions and scar
tissue. By using your own body weight and a cylindrical foam roller you can perform a self-massage or
myofascial release, break up trigger points, and soothe tight fascia while increasing blood flow and
circulation to the soft tissues.

I have had many intense leg workouts over the years and foam rolling directly before and after these
workouts really has helped to eliminate a lot of the post workout fatigue and soreness.

You can foam roll any muscle group in your body. Some of the most important muscle groups for surfing to
foam roll are the IT band, lower and upper back, hamstrings, quadriceps, lats, and calves. I recommend
that you foam roll all of these muscle groups every day. For optimal results you should foam roll before
and after every workout or surf session. Watch Troy’s video on foam rolling by CLICKING HERE.

Foam rolling has been an incredible tool for my fitness routine and I swear by its amazing benefits. Since I
began foam rolling in high school I have noticed a dramatic difference in how loose and limber I feel. My
muscles recover quicker from workouts and I feel very fresh. It has enhanced my surfing a great deal
because I feel I am more flexible, explosive, and recover quicker from intense workouts.

Some of the benefits of foam rolling are:

• Improved muscle recovery.

• Increased Flexibility.
• Better blood flow.
• Injury prevention.
• Saved money from sports massages.
• Overall enhanced athletic performance.

That is one impressive list of benefits! Not bad for a little piece of foam. You can pick up a foam roller for as
cheap as $30. It will make for an invaluable investment to your fitness and surfing.

Warning:
• People with circulatory problems and chronic pain diseases (e.g. Fibromyalgia) should NOT use
foam rollers.
• Don’t roll over bony prominences or joints.
• Don’t roll on recently injured areas.

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IT band

Calves

Hamstrings

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Quads

Lower, middle and upper back

Triceps

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About Us

Who Are We?

Easy Surfing Fitness (www.easysurfingfitness.com) - a surfing fitness company with a

mission to “help all surfers reach peak levels of energy and fitness”.

Troy – surfing fitness specialist at ESF

Hailing from Florida, US, Troy grew up surfing Atlantic coast. He

attended World Renowned Sports Training Academy during
junior & senior year in High School, where he developed a
passion for exercise science, fitness, and nutrition. He has been
an athlete the entire life. In his work, he specializes in
maximizing human body's genetic potential with a strong
emphasis on proper nutrition and highly effective workout
routines. He is a Certified Health and Nutrition Expert, Fitness
and Health book Author, Fitness Model, Personal Trainer and
Supplement Spokesperson. Passionate surfer and fitness
professional, Troy’s workouts are fun, effective and fast. His
expert knowledge, experience and credentials are a backbone of Easy Surfing Fitness.

© www.easysurfingfitness.com | About Us 13
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