There’s a reason why majority of the population, specifically surfers, should stop doing crunches or sit-ups on the floor. Shape staff writer Jay Cardiello even lists five alternative (not to mention effective) movements for these somewhat old fashioned core exercises. The partial range of motion of basic abdominal crunches has the propensity to mess up various parts of the upper body, including the head carriage, the upper shoulders, and the lower back. To alleviate this problem, surfers, or any water sport fanatic for that matter, should rely on a simple yet often overlooked piece of gym equipment: the Swiss ball.
First off, this isn’t to trash some of the most – if not the most – popular exercises to achieve the perfect beach body; it’s a way of showing everyone that there are plenty of options out there to strengthen the core safer and more efficiently. The Swiss ball is a versatile surf-performance and abdominal conditioning gym equipment.
For beginners, Theragear of Swiss Ball’s main website suggests 6 tips on how to properly make the most of it. Some key takeaways from the aforementioned article are toning the body, which in turn, helps improve balance and core strength – all important factors in a surfer’s skill set.
When it comes to a Swiss ball’s size, as a rule of thumb states the bigger a person is, the bigger the equipment he or she will need. For men, the average dimension should be around 65 centimetres to 75 centimetres. Women, on the other hand, should look for something between 55 centimetres to 65 centimetres. In terms of the actual workouts for surfers, everything revolves around functional movements using a Swiss ball. It’s best to take advantage of this gym equipment to mimic most of the movements essential in surfing. This comprises of squats, lunges, and bends, as well as twists, pulls, and pushes.
SBS Boards highlights a handful of exercises using Swiss balls that are extremely beneficial to surfers. The idea is to modify certain movements; exercises that people have been accustomed to, and incorporate said gym equipment to attain maximum performance. These routines range from Swiss ball dumbbell rows and dumbbell rotations, to kneeling Swiss ball presses and back extensions, to even Swiss ball
push-ups and jackknives.
There’s no denying how popular surfing is around the globe. This is clearly evident through the water sport’s wide-reaching acceptance and its integration into something as contrasting as digital platforms. Some developers saw this gaming venture as a chance to not just showcase its mechanics in a different method, but also to spread its popularity to a diverse audience. From the Commodore 64’s California Games, to Kelly Slaters Pro Surfer on the PlayStation 2, to even an online slots variant on Spin Genie called Wipeout, the sport has been used in video games for a good four decades. It’s a testament to its international prominence, which is why it’s no surprise that more and more people take up surfing either from a gaming or a real life standpoint.
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