The answer is NO. While windsurfing is the main focus of your fitness program, most of us cannot windsurf or do not windsurf often enough to improve our windsurfing fitness in a significant way. To improve your performance on your board you need a high level of overall fitness.

And the way to do this is to undertake a specific windsurfing fitness program to:

• Develop the right muscles for windsurfing.
• Decrease the risk of injury.
• Maintain your fitness.

Weight training is also great for maintenance. As windsurfing is a seasonal sport, you often get in shape during the windsurfing-season and most of the gains disappear through the off-season. Weights are a great way to maintain and even improve your fitness.

Windsurfing is great fun, but it’s challenging physically, particularly in strong winds. And to achieve the experience you want, you need to be strong and fit.

You may have experienced some frustration at not being able to continue after more than one, two or three hours of intense windsurfing on your Sunday morning training session. You might have needed to rest regularly or struggled to maintain your technique due to sore muscles or exhaustion.

Windsurfing is a high intensity combination of surfing and sailing. It combines high speed with extreme manoeuvres and a wide repertoire of tricks. And because windsurfing requires handling your equipment whilst blasting along or carving through sometimes rough water, you need a combination of balance, core stability, technical skill and optimum fitness levels just to hang on.

Whether you are a pro windsurfer, a local competitor or just a passionate Sunday windsurfer, if you are keen to improve, to go faster, and feel great flying at max speed on your board, you need to develop your strength and endurance.

Staying upright on the board puts stress on all the major muscles groups.

When you windsurf, your legs are essentially in a half squat position. The continuous switch from an upright position to a half squat or half sitting position as you bend your legs going over chop or when you initiate a gybe, puts tension on your major leg muscles, including the quadriceps and glutes and hamstrings.

Your upper body gets a great workout as well. Trimming the sail will activate muscles in the arms and the back. The muscles of the upper back work alongside your core to keep the sail steady as you bounce over chop.

Windsurfing in strong winds will raise your heart rate fast and you won’t be able to stay on your board for long if your aerobic conditioning is not good enough.

“Learning” windsurfing does not need a high level of physical fitness or strength. Modern equipment is light, stable and easier to manoeuvre than it used to be. But as you progress you’ll need more and more strength and endurance to push the limits and improve your skillset.

Windsurfing at an intermediate or advanced level is a sport that requires a great deal of physical effort. You’ll need to be in good shape physically, with good cardiovascular fitness and the ability to move your entire body from toe to head. Windsurfers are constantly on their feet; there are very few downtimes during a sail, and the demands placed on the body fluctuate as the wind shifts and changes direction.

It has the potential to cause back pain. Lower back strain is one of the most prevalent injuries among windsurfers, according to a study conducted by the University of Chichester. It is also one of the most painful. It can also contribute to poor posture.

Windsurfing helps to strengthen your core muscles since it requires you to maintain your balance on the board. As you sail, you use your entire body to adjust the sail rigging and steer, which means you use your arms, back, and legs. Your core is continually engaged and functioning as a result of the ongoing adjustment of balance to your body.

Cardiovascular: The body is made up of many different muscle groups, and in order for them to function properly, they must be supplied with a constant supply of oxygen and nutrients through the blood stream. As a result, when major muscle groups such as the back and legs are utilized more frequently, the heart has to work harder to keep up with them. Windsurfing is a fantastic cardiovascular exercise since it demands the activation of multiple of your body’s major muscle groups, which makes it an excellent cardiovascular workout.

Increased Cardiovascular Endurance: The more you windsurf, the stronger your cardio endurance gets as a result of the consistent physical activity you receive when participating in this sport. Because your heart is pumping blood to all of these muscle groups, it is putting a severe strain on your cardiovascular system. Most importantly, as your cardiovascular fitness improves, you will be able to windsurf for an increasingly lengthy amount of time.

Windsurfing is a sport that can be enjoyed by individuals of all shapes and sizes, although it is necessary to have a basic degree of conditioning. Windsurfers should be able to swim in severe waves and maintain their balance on the board while holding the gear in place while on the water.

Lower body and core strength are essential for maintaining the necessary balance when windsurfing. When steering, upper body strength is also necessary for managing the sail. It is necessary to have good cardiovascular conditioning and muscular endurance in order to be effective windsurfing.

Windsurfing necessitates the usage of the primary muscles listed below:

• Upper-leg and hip muscles, such as the gluteals, hamstrings, and quadriceps, are included in this category.
• The gastrocnemius, soleus, and anterior tibialis are the muscles of the lower leg, and they are all involved in walking.
• The abdominal muscles (rectus abdominus, obliques, and spinal erectors) are the core muscles.
• The latissimus dorsi, the teres major, and the deltoids are the three muscles that make up the shoulder girdle.

Whilst windsurfing is a relatively injury-free sport, since it’s low-contact, performed solo and based on water, there are inherent risks of injury involved as it’s considered an “extreme” sport even if the term extreme exists on a spectrum. Like any sport, injuries can be reduced by good physical conditioning, preparation and warmup. The Get Windsurf Fit program is designed specifically with injury prevention in mind, focusing on the muscle groups that are most active for windsurfers..

Windsurfing is a reasonably safe sport when done with correct safety equipment, although accidents can happen sometimes. The following are some of the most common injuries linked with windsurfing:

• Injuries include as concussions (typically caused by collision with the board);
• Bruises and contusions of the muscles;
• Back ache in the lower back;
• An injury to the shoulder, such as a dislocated shoulder or a rotator cuff tear or strain;
• Meniscus tears and sprains of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL) are among the most common types of knee injuries.
• Foot and ankle injuries, such as ankle sprains and fractures, as well as Lisfranc damage, are common (fracture or dislocation of the bones in the mid-foot).

Drowning is always a worry while participating in any water sport. In addition to this potential, high-wind windsurfing can result in additional water-related ailments such as aspiration of water and eardrum ruptures. Traumatic, or acute, injuries account for the vast majority of windsurfing injuries, however chronic injuries are also possible in some instances.

Using proper equipment, maintaining general fitness, and taking lessons to master the sport before getting started are all critical preventative measures that should be followed by all windsurfers to avoid injury. Also, there’s…

• Prepare your muscles for swimming by warming them up and stretching them out before entering the water. Cold muscles are more prone to damage. The Get Windsurf Fit program includes a dynamic warm up routine for this reason.
• After you’ve finished windsurfing, make sure to cool down properly and stretch gently.
• Cardiovascular training should be included to assist prevent tiredness and other overuse issues from occurring.

The Get Windsurf Fit training program is designed to help teach your body to protect joints and also aid in the prevention of many of the severe injuries that can occur when windsurfing or sailing. A complete series of dynamic warmup stretches for windsurfing is included, with additional training for the lower back and hamstrings, can assist the windsurfer in avoiding many of the ailments that can occur while participating in their sport.

Taking frequent rests and changing postures when windsurfing for extended periods of time will assist to keep the muscles from becoming tense and creating discomfort. Being able to swim well in rough surf will keep the windsurfer safe while also giving a solid foundation of general conditioning.

Don’t ever go windsurfing by yourself or in an uncontrolled location. Know your limitations and stay away from situations that are too huge or too tough for you to handle. Never dive into shallow water because there is a substantial danger of neck and back injuries, which may be permanently disabled.

Protection from concussion and drowning can be achieved by the use of appropriate equipment and clothing, such as personal flotation devices and protective helmets, among other things. In addition, proper size of the equipment for the activity and ensuring that the foot can quickly release from the strap will help to prevent some lower extremity injuries.

What is the Get Windsurf Fit program?

You get two complete 12-week progressive training programs designed and tested by Sean O’Brien and specifically designed for windsurfers of all levels. The program includes both a HOME and GYM program, so you can train wherever you are, even if you don’t have access to a gym.

As an added bonus, you will also receive the Stretching & Dynamic Warm-up section, with warm-up exercises specific to each strength program (gym or home).

Home Program

Home Program – Phase 1
Home Program – Phase 2
Home Program – Phase 3
Home Program – Phase 4

Gym Program

Gym Program – Phase 1
Gym Program – Phase 2
Gym Program – Phase 3

Stretching & Dynamic Warm-up Program

The MUST-HAVE stretching & dynamic warm-up program. A fast but active warm-up routine before you start any workout (or windsurf session!).

The program comes as an 84-page downloadable PDF eBook, which can be viewed in Adobe Acrobat on PC and Mac, as well as compatible mobile devices such as iPad, Playbook & Android.

After you make an order, you will get INSTANT ACCESS to download the eBook from our secure servers via email and through your account on this website. You can re-download the book at any time from your account.

To purchase the GetWindsurfFit Training Program designed specifically for Windsurfers, simply click on the “download now” button and make a payment.

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The only option we don’t offer is PayPal, which is a terrible money platform.