I’m sure you know by now that bodysurfing is a very physically demanding sport and your performance can suffer if your fitness is not up to par. So if you don’t feel like paying for a gym membership or you are new to working out, bodyweight exercises are an excellent alternative.

What are the best bodyweight exercises for bodysurfing?

• front squats
• lunges
• pistol squats
• jump squats
• wall sits
• bounding
• pull-ups
• burpees
• push ups
• planks
• supermans

When you stop and think about the physical actions you are performing as a bodysurfer, you will notice there is a lot of pushing, pulling, and kicking. You need a strong back and shoulders to paddle out with your arms.

Also, kicking power is necessary to propel yourself into a breaking wave. You also need a strong core to lift your body up while riding your handboard.

bodysurfing exercises without weights

It is important to have a fitness program that targets your upper body, lower body, and core to meet the physical demands of bodysurfing. The exercises mentioned in this post will help you become stronger than Poseidon and improve your cardiovascular endurance.

#1 the squat

The squat is one of the best movements you can do as an athlete because it incorporates just about every muscle in your body. You will receive increased leg strength, which will improve your kicking power. Your core will also become stronger to help maintain your balance while handboarding.

How to perform a bodyweight squat? – Start by standing shoulder-width apart or hip-width apart, whichever is more comfortable. Point your toes outwards slightly at a 45-degree angle. Then slowly start to stick your bottom out behind you as you lower yourself down.

This movement is similar to sitting in a chair. Continue lowering your body down until your thighs are parallel with the ground and then use your leg muscles to raise yourself back up to the beginning position.

A few key things to remember here to prevent injury are to keep your feet flat on the ground and to not let your knees cave inwards or move over your toes.

To increase the difficulty of this exercise, pause for 5 seconds at the bottom before returning to the starting position.

#2 the jump squat

The jump squat is similar to the squat exercise mentioned previously. The only difference is adding a jump at the top of the movement.

This exercise is excellent for adding explosiveness and power behind your legs. This will give you the kicking thrust and endurance needed for bodysurfing.

How to perform a jump squat? Start with both feet hip-width apart. Slowly descend into a squat until your thighs become parallel with the ground. Then explosively move your body upwards and swing your arm up as you ascend into your jump. Make sure to land softly in the same position you started to protect your knees and hips.

A good variation to make this exercise more advanced is to pause at the bottom when your knees are at 90 degrees. Hold this lowered squat position for 5 seconds before jumping.

#3 the split lunge

Lunges are another great leg exercise to increase power and strength for your kicking motion. I like doing lunges because it fully isolates one leg at a time and challenges your balance. The easiest lunge to perform is the split lunge.

How do you perform a split lunge? Begin with both feet shoulder-width or hip-width apart and then take a long step forward. Now sink your body straight down until your back knee is about 3 inches from the ground. Your front leg should form a 90-degree angle. From there push your body back up to the top of your stance and then repeat.

A few good variations to make this exercise more challenging is to perform walking lunges or jump-switch lunges. For walking lunges, you simply take large steps forward or backward. Make sure you get deep into your lunge stance each time to feel the burn.

For jump-switch lunges, you will remain in one place. Start in a forward lunge position then jump upwards and switch your legs while in the air so you land with your opposite leg in front. You want to repeat these alternating leg switches as fast as you can for a specified period of time.

#4 the pistol squat

Pistol squats (also known as “one-legged squats”) are my favorite. This movement requires a good deal of balance and core strength in addition to leg power. This exercise will help develop those quads and glutes for turbo kicking power so you never miss a wave.

How do you perform a pistol squat? If it is your first time doing this exercise, I recommend standing on a box that measures about 24 inches tall. This will allow you enough clearance as you descend.

Start with your strong leg so your body can get accustomed to this awkward movement. If your dominant leg is the right one, take your right foot and place it on the edge of the box, about ½ inch from the inside sole of your foot.

Makes sure your toes are about ½ inch from the top edge of the box as well. This foot placement will give your left leg clearance as you lower your body in case you are not strong enough or flexible enough to keep it straight out in front of you.

Now that you have your foot aligned correctly on the box, start to slowly lower your body while balancing on your foot. Stick your arms and opposite leg straight out in front of you to help counterbalance your weight.

As you lower your body, think about pushing your bottom behind you like you are sitting down. Once your knee forms a 90-degree angle reverse your motion by pushing yourself back up through the middle of our foot to your beginning position.

If this movement is too easy, try pausing at the bottom of this exercise for 5 seconds and then return to your starting position. This will give you a great isometric hold at the bottom to really burn your quads!

#5 the wall sit

Are you ready to really burn your quads? This isometric exercise is a great way to build up your thighs, which will have a huge benefit on your kicking strength. In my experience, I have found isometric exercises to be more difficult than normal contraction exercises.

How to perform a wall sit? Stand with your back up against a wall or hard surface. Now walk your feet out about a foot from the wall. Slide your body down along the wall until your thighs become parallel with the ground and hold for a specific period of time. This will begin to burn after about 15 seconds.

To make this more challenging try holding for more than 1 minute. If that is too easy, try doing a one-legged wall sit by lifting one of your legs off the ground.

#6 bounding

Have you ever seen track and field athletes perform the triple jump? Bounding is very similar to that. Instead of sprinting, you will be hopping on your legs for a certain distance. You can perform one-legged bounding or alternate legs.

How to perform one-legged bounding? Start by standing on your dominant leg. From there, slightly lower your body and then explode upward and forward as far as you can.

As soon as you land on the same leg, repeat the motion quickly until you surpass a distance of about 25 feet. Remember to land softly to protect your knees, hips, and back.

How to perform alternate leg bounding? Start by standing on one foot. Jump as high and far as you can in front of you but land on your opposite foot. Repeat this motion as soon as you land. Keep alternating the leg you land on for about 25 feet.

To make bounding more challenging, try increasing the distance you travel. Instead of 25 feet increase it to 50 feet. You will notice it is more taxing on your cardiovascular system and should feel a nice burn in your legs and core.

#7 the pull-up

Pull-ups are by far one of my favorite upper body exercises for strength and power. This works a variety of back muscles and your biceps. This will help with paddling yourself out past gnarly waves and holding yourself up on your handboard.

How to perform a pull-up? Grip a straight bar above your head shoulder-width apart. Retract your shoulder blades down and back. Next, pull your chest to the bar while keeping the rest of your body straight. I even recommend making a slight “C” shape with your body to work the core.

If this movement is too easy for you, try holding your legs straight out in front of you as you perform the pull-up. This adds a whole new dimension to the exercise.

#8 the push-up

Push-ups are amazing exercises for developing upper body and core strength. You will need strong shoulders, chest, and core in order to push yourself up on your board and remain steady. Pushups are the perfect way to help prepare your body for this action.

How to perform a pushup? Start by placing your hands shoulder-width on the ground in front of you. Extend both legs back behind so your back and legs form a straight line from your heels to the top of your head. Place your shoulders over your wrists.

Now, slowly lower your body to the ground while keeping your elbows close to your rib cage. Once your body comes close to 2 inches from the ground, push yourself back up to the starting position. Remember to keep your body straight and core tight during the entire movement.

To make it more challenging, try exploding off the ground as you ascend to the starting position. Your hands should come off of the ground and then softly catch yourself as your return to the floor into another pushup.

#9 the burpee

This movement is an amazing full-body workout. It’s an excellent exercise to improve endurance, strength, flexibility, and power. As a bodysurfer, you need endurance, so make sure to include the burpee in your workout regimen.

How to perform a burpee? From a standing position, squat down and place your hand shoulder-width apart on the floor. They should be positioned outside of your feet.

Next, kick your feet back into the top part of a pushup position.

Now jump your feet back up between your hands. From there, explode upwards jumping as high as you can. As soon as you land, repeat the motion. Try doing 10 of these in a row.

To make this exercise more difficult, add a push-up at the bottom.

#10 the plank

If you want a stronger core then do some planks. While bodysurfing, you will rely on your core to keep your body stable on your handboard.

The water is constantly in motion so your core will constantly be working to keep your body upright and in a straight line. Planks will help with overall body stability and core strength.

How to perform a plank? From the top part of a pushup position, drop down to your elbows, which should remain shoulder-width apart. Your body should form a straight line from your heels to the top of your head. Suck in your stomach and keep your quads tight. Hold this position for about 30 seconds.

To make this exercise more challenging, you can extend the length of time you hold this isometric position or you can alternate lifting your legs off the ground by squeezing your glutes.

#11 the superman

Supermans are a great way to develop more stabilization in your back and increase shoulder mobility. This exercise will ultimately help improve your swimming motion and prevent your neck from fatiguing quickly.

How to perform supermans? Start by lying face down on the floor in a prone position. Stretch your arms and hands in front of you so your elbows are near your ears. Make sure your legs are fully extended behind you as well.

Now, lift your arms, head, and legs up off the ground as if you were flying. Suck your stomach inwards through your spine to engage your core. Make sure to engage your hamstrings, lower, back, and glutes. You should feel this all throughout your posterior chain.

Hold this position for 30 seconds and then release your limbs back to the ground. 

You can increase the difficulty of this exercise by extending the length of time you hold this isometric position.

How many and how long?

Now that you know the types of bodyweight exercises you should be performing, let’s discuss how many times you should be doing each exercise and for how long. I’ll break this down into the number of repetitions, sets, and rest to help guide you through your workout.

Reps

Repetitions or “reps” is the number of times you can perform an exercise repetitively. Reps can also be substituted for time under tension.

*I recommend performing between 8 – 12 reps of any exercise for beginners and 10 – 20 reps for more advanced athletes. In regards to time under tension, aim for 30 – 60 seconds.

Sets

Sets refer to the number of times you complete a certain amount of reps. For example, 3 sets of 10 jump squats means you perform 10 jump squats 3 times.

*I recommend 2-3 sets for beginners and 3 – 5 sets for more experienced athletes.

Rest

How much rest should you get between each set? This depends on your fitness goals. If your goal is to gain more strength then allow yourself to rest longer than if your goal was to improve endurance.

For strength gains, I recommend resting anywhere between 1 – 2 minutes between sets.

For endurance improvement, rest no more than 30 – 60 seconds.

If you want a rest time that satisfies both strength and endurance improvements, aim to keep it under 60 seconds.