Customer Reviews

Surf Flex: Flexibility, Yoga, and Conditioning Exercises for Surfers

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a 35 year old surfer I pride myself in my ability to rip! I keep right up with the younger puppies in the water. Lots of them ask me how I do it? I just smile and say 'surf alot'. Fact is I've been doing yoga for 8 years 4-5 times a week. A couple of years ago I was introduced to working out with a swissball. These two elements changed my conditioning radicaly. I never shared it with anyone, because when I'm 45, I plan to still be ripping while most of the young'un have stopped surfing because of bad backs,and shoulders. It may have been a bit selfish, but I thought it would keep the surf population down. So I could have just as easily given Surf Flex a 0 star rating, more healthy surfers more people in the water, bummer dude! But that would have been bad karma! Seeing that I haven't shared my conditioning secrets with my fellow surfers, I must say this is an excellent book. Its not a book that was published by the big surfing guns, Surfer Mag, or Surfing, so it not slick,thats what great about it. What it lacks in slick, it compensates with heart and passion. Ain't that something! Great swissball workouts, good foundations for yoga, dry land training and comments from world class surfers. I applaud the author, but, if I see him out in the water, he owns me a couple of waves :)

I'm 16 years old,I skate,surf and snowboard . I don't do any other exercise. I hate gyms and the jock mentality. So what do i get for xmas from mommy dearest. SURF FLEX.At first i thought cool cover, then i open it up to discover exercises.BARF! Having nothing else to do one afternoon(no swell,raining) I pick up SURF FLEX and start to read. The first section is on yoga and flexibility, i go thru that real fast cause i don't need it. i can put my heels behind my head! then its like exercises we do in gym. that ok but whats cool is it tells you why and how these relate to surfing. but what really interested me was the swissball workout. Its done on a big inflated ball. Looks kinda funny. But I've seen these balls before, its where my fat P.E teacher sits and barks orders to us. So I ask him if i could use it to try surf flex during class.it was totally cool and it ain't easy! For someone like me who snowboard,skates and surf its like the best workout You need balance,flexibility and strength. And it totally fun, but be ready to SWEAT-A LOT! Be doing it now for about 3 weeks and i can tell how strong i'm getting and how it relating to the sports i love. It was a great surprise. I guess mother knows best.

For anyone who wants to improve their surfing, Surf Flex is a must have book. I incorporated many of the flexibility and dry land workouts into my exercise routine, and my surfing has taken off! Not only did my riding and balance get better, but I felt so much better condiditoned to stay out there as long as I wanted. In rough conditions, I immdediately notice the added strength I've developed through the exercises from Surf Flex. If you want things to do outside the water to optimize your time in the water, BUY THIS BOOK. -- DAS, avid longboarder

As a 28 year old women surfer I'm glad to see someone has finally addressed women surfers as athletes. The yoga stretches are direct and to the point. Surfers don't want to spend a lot of time warming up so the 10 minute yoga routine is great! The Wahine Workout is challenging with lots of good tips. The Surf Flex Workout done on a swissball is without question the best workout a surfer can do outside of the water. "if your going to play on an unstable enviroment doesn't it make sense to train on one?" Makes sense to me. This workout brings all your surfing muscles to the party! See you in the water!

First of all,I'll review the book, then I'll tell you how it saved my life...

As a 31 year old surfer, I knew that I wasn't getting any younger, I also wasn't getting any better at surfing. I needed a lift, one that could help on days I couldn't get to, or it wasn't worth going in the water.This is it. Paul Frediani has written quite possibly the most important single book for surfers, ever published.

The book is a comprehensive training guide on flexibilty, strength, suppleness and balance, written exclusively with surfers in mind. With contributions from top surfers and watersports experts, it is also full of inspiring titbits.

The book is broken into four main training disciplines
, Flex time, the Surf Flex workout, Cardio Conditioning and the Wahine(womens)Workout.

The Flex time ection is a basic yoga guide and a guide to stretching and flexibility exercises. The exercises are accompanied by clear photos, and are a good starting point. (I would heartilty recommend "Yoga-Learn Yoga_Beginners Class 1" video, available from amazon as an excellent beginning companion.)

Cardio conditioning is a section of beach, pool and dry land workouts to get your heart pumping and your body working. I heartily agree with Frediani that all surfers need to swim at least a mile. This will help you het there.

The Wahine workout,(wahine is Hawaiian for women) is specifically designed to help women build their upper body strength and to avoid knee injuries specific to women. Highly commendable, and yes, some of the exercises are good for blokes too.

The piece de resistance is the superb Surf Flex section. This is a section designed exclusively to meet the needs of surfers. You need a Swiss ball to make the most of this section,(imagine a space hopper with no ears.)You can get them from any good sports shop, or Argos, for about $25. Money well spent! You carry out different moves, whilst balanced on the ball, such as sit-ups, knee tucks, and even pratice balancing on the ball, sitting, kneeling and then standing. This all works on the core muscles and improves your neuromuscular system, (your balance in other words.) It is superb.

This will improve your surfing, no question, but it may be more important than that...

Feb 2003 I was surfing with friends in North Devon, and after a good day of surfing, we were coming in to the end of our second session. It was a pretty big day, easily overhead, and with strong offshores. Tired but happy I decided to get out back for one last blast when I was caught in a rip and dragged into the impact zone. Try as I might I couldn't escape. To make matters worse my leash ripped off and I was left stranded with 6 footers dumping on my head and no board. I am convinced that it is only the fact that I had been following this training regime that I am alive to talk about it. The strength, determination, and cardiovascular power I needed that day came as a result of this book. The doctors actually said that if it were not for the fact that I was extremely fit I WOULD have died. Now that is an endorsement!

Surf Flex is the only workout that I have experienced that improved my strength,endurance and balance for surfing. I was doing it all wrong. Standard weight training was making me strong but was not translated into surfing strength. Isolation of muscles is not how we use our bodies in surfing. Surf Flex stimulates the muscles in patterns that simulate surfing.

A great book! Really helpful. I also bought 'fit to surf' which was really terrible. If you're gonna buy one book about getting in shape for surfing. Buy this one!

I am a 47 year old PE teacher, personal trainer, and track coach. I have been teaching people how to train their bodies for over twenty years. I have a BS, MS, and a CSCS. I am considered an expert in the feild. I started surfing again after many years away and inspite of being in good condition I found that I was tight and out of balance. I came across Surf Flex and started to follow the program becase it was unique and I thought the sequencing made sense. I am a firm believer now. I am bringing my self back into balance and becoming more flexible. This allows me to enjoy more activity with less restriction or after pain. I wholeheartedly endorse Paul's book and his philosophy!
Steve Mckanna CSCS

This book is by far the greatest source for surf training avaliable. Living on the beach or miles away, its exercises will put you in fit for all year long. Furthermore, it helped me out to avoid common surfing injuries, such as sore back. The cardio-workout section is the chapter that every surfer should know and do. Buy this book if your are looking for a complete guide for surf conditioning.

I am hoping to learn to surf since my past attempts were not huge successes. It seemed that my balance was a problem so I bought this book and have been following some of the exercises. It is great! I have even trimmed down a few inches so I can look good when I eventually manage to stay atop my board. I found some exercises difficult because I have limited space and hard-wood flooring is less giving than the sand on which the book recommends. I have enjoyed the book so much though and it encourages me to continue my pursuit because even though it is snowing outside, I am at least doing something to prepare myself for this summer's waves.