Preparing for a surf camp in Bali begins long before you touch the water, and a consistent surfing workout routine is the best way to start. You do not need a gym membership or expensive equipment. A few exercises each week, focused on building strength, balance, and endurance, will bring benefits you can feel immediately on the board, so every session in the ocean counts for more.
Why Training Outside the Water Improves Your Surfing
Training on land is just as important as training in the water. The right exercises prepare your body for every movement in surfing.
The Physical Demands of Surfing
Surfing demands a lot from your body. Paddling requires shoulder and back strength, the pop-up demands explosive power, and standing on a wave tests your stance and stability. Training all these qualities on land means your body tyres less quickly, and your ability develops faster in the water.
What a Good Surfing Workout Routine Covers
A complete surfing workout routine covers four areas: strength, balance, endurance, and mobility. This surfing routine combines workout training exercises to improve stamina in the water, and each area supports a different part of your surfing, from your first paddle to the last wave of the day.
How to Structure Your Surfing Workout Routine
Before moving on to the exercises, it helps to understand how much and how often you need to train.
Sets, Repetitions, and Rest Periods
Perform 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 15 repetitions per exercise, with 60 to 90 seconds of rest between sets. Control matters more than speed, so slow your movements down and focus on clean technique.
How Often to Train Each Week
Two to three sessions per week is enough. Your body adapts during recovery, not during training, so leave at least one rest day between sessions and prioritise consistency over intensity.
Strength Exercises for Surfers
Strength is the foundation of your paddling and your pop-up. The following four movements build it efficiently.
Push Ups
Push-ups mimic the pushing phase of the pop-up whilst strengthening your chest, shoulders, and core. Keep your body straight from heels to head, lower yourself with control, then push back up. Use the knee-supported variation if you need a lighter option.
Rows
Paddling is a pulling movement, and rows build the paddling strength behind it. Use a resistance band, a TRX, or a dumbbell. Pull with control, squeeze your shoulder blades together, then lower slowly.
Squats
Squats develop the lower-body strength that underpins every manoeuvre and a stable stance. Keep your heels planted on the floor, lower yourself as if you were about to sit until your knees form a right angle, then push back up through your heels.
Flying Superman
Lie face down, then lift your arms and legs a few centimetres off the floor and hold for a few seconds. This exercise strengthens the muscles along your spine and mimics your paddling position on the board.
Balance Exercises for Surfers
Strength gets you to your feet. Balance keeps you there. Our coaches at Mondo, a surf camp in Bali with a structured progression system, use the following surf training exercises because their benefits are felt directly in your surf stance.
Single Leg Deadlifts
Stand on one leg, lean forward from the hips with a flat back, then return upright. This exercise builds stability in your hips and ankles and corrects imbalances that often go unnoticed in two-legged training.
Split Squats
With one foot forward and one behind, lower yourself until both knees form a right angle. Split squats strengthen your legs one at a time, in a position very similar to your stance on a wave.
Balance Board Practice
A balance board recreates the unstable sensation of a surfboard. Begin by finding your centre, then bend your knees and shift your weight from side to side. It is an ideal exercise for days when you cannot get to the ocean.
Pop Up Repetitions
Practise 15-20 pop-ups every day on a mat. This repetition builds muscle memory, so when a wave arrives you rise to your feet without needing to think about the movement.
Endurance and Mobility Work
Strength and balance will not mean much if you are exhausted after twenty minutes. A surfing routine that combines workout training exercises with stamina work keeps you in the water for longer, starting with these three additions.
Swimming
Swimming is the exercise that most closely resembles the paddling motion in surfing. The freestyle stroke targets the same shoulders, back, and core, so even one session per week can make a noticeable difference.
Squat Jumps
From a squat position, jump, then land softly with your knees bent. Squat jumps build the explosive power your pop-up needs and train your knees and ankles to absorb landings safely.
Yoga for Flexibility
Yoga improves flexibility, body awareness, and recovery, which is why it pairs so well with surfing. For that very reason, the beginner Surf and Yoga package at Mondo includes two yoga sessions every day to complement your surf training.
Train and Surf With Us in Bali
Build the foundation at home, then put it to work in the ocean. At Mondo Surf Village, our surf camp in Bali combines structured coaching sessions with daily yoga, so your surfing workout routine continues right where the ocean begins. Ready for real waves? Book your surf experience with Mondo Surf Village.
Frequently Asked Questions About Surf Training
Here are short answers to the questions surfers ask us most often.
How fit do you need to be before learning to surf
You do not need to be an athlete. A basic level of fitness does help, but good coaching matters far more, and anyone can build fitness whilst learning.
Can a surfing workout routine be done at home without equipment
Yes. Push-ups, squats, split squats, pop-up repetitions, and the flying superman all use only your body weight and a little floor space.
How long before a surf trip should you start training
Four to six weeks of consistent training is enough to feel a real difference in your paddling strength and endurance.
Do surf training exercises genuinely improve your surfing
Yes. Nothing replaces time in the water, but strength and balance training helps you paddle for longer, stand up faster, and progress more rapidly.
Is yoga good training for surfing
Yoga is excellent for surfers. It builds flexibility, balance, and breathing control, all of which bring direct benefits when you are on the board.
