6 Ways to Get Fit with a Paddle Board

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Stand Up paddle is a fantastic new craze that is taking the world of Watersport by storm. It can offer a fun and relaxing activity that mostly anyone can do, it is also one of the best workouts out there. And bonus, you get to be outdoors, enjoying the elements instead of attempting to get fit in a stinky, sweaty Gym. If you mix up your workout routine with eat healthy, get enough sleep and drink loads of fluids daily, you’d be on your way to maintaining an awesome summer and having a bit more fun with your workout routine! Below we have outlined 5 fun ways to get in shape with a paddle board.

SUP Yoga

In recent years, the popularity of sup yoga has soared. It’s an exhilarating mind-body workout that combines strengthening and muscle toning. An energetic yoga flow can burn around 500 calories in an hour. While yoga is one of the best ways you can get exercise, doing yoga on a paddle board adds a whole other layer to this exercise routine. Compared to traditional studio yoga, doing yoga on the paddle adds an element of balance. In addition, it allow you to be in nature while doing yoga, that’s one of the reason why people love it. This provides an element of peace and serenity that you don’t normally get in the studio.

SUP Surfing

If you want a more intense exercise, you could try SUP surfing. This is probably not something you’d consider as a beginner, but as your confidence grows on your board, you can get a bit more adventurous. 

Paddle surfing is a great workout because of all the paddling you will do to catch waves. it is actually easier than traditional surfing also because you are already standing up on the board so you don’t have to stand up as you catch the wave. On average, you can burn around 700 calories in an active one-hour surf session. The bigger the waves and longer you are out on the water, the more intense your workout is and the more calories you burn.

SUP Racing

SUP racing provides a high intensity workout that helps you burn calories fast. Your calorie burn can vary greatly depending on stroke intensity, stroke form, wind speed, and water conditions. According to the supworldmag article, your calorie burn in a stand up paddle race can easily average 713-1,125 calories in about an hour of racing. Furthermore, if you are in the open ocean, expect even more high-intensity conditions because of the side breeze and cross swell that force you to work extra hard to stabilize the paddle board. This adds to your calorie burn overall.

Anyone who learns to paddle board could essentially start racing paddleboards within 10 minutes of learning how to paddle as a beginner. Yes, it means that most of you can sign up for events, let's burn calories together! 

SUP Touring

SUP touring allows you to cover long distances to build strength and endurance. These advanced SUP workouts are a great way to challenge yourself, compete with others, and get into shape. A full paddle board workout will activate your back, shoulders, arms, and ab muscles providing an extensive upper body workout. It entails paddling for a long distance at a moderate pace without stopping in-between. An hour of touring with an average speed of 3 mph, could burn average 615-708 calories. To get an exhaustive workout we recommend paddling for at least 40 minutes. 

Touring standup paddling is done on bodies of calm flat water, where the objective is to have a good time outside on the water with a light workout thrown in. No wonder this category of SUP workout attracts individuals in their 20s to 40s and even 50s.

SUP Core Workout

Everyone wants to show off their figure in summer, a grueling core workout on an iSUP will do just that for you. Different from typical land workouts, You will no longer have the steady earth to help you stay grounded on SUP, unstable platform forces your body to engage core muscles. By engaging the muscular energy in your core, you'll not only tone your muscles but will develop a lean body and strengthen your muscles.

Expect to engage your core! You can easily do a variety of core exercises on your SUP. Whether it is sit ups, plank, side plank, or leg lifts, there are so many ways you can workout your core on a paddle board to maximize your fitness. Consistent practice will in no time give you the body of a fit swimmer.

SUP Recreational

The most common type of stand up paddle boarding is recreational use which is an easy paddle with calm water, light winds at a slow walking type pace. If it’s a nice day, why not make a day of it by spending a whole day paddling along the water.

Believe it or not, a casual paddle will still burn over 400 calories and help you get toned. This means it is about double the calories you can expect to burn on a moderate paced walk at around 2.5 mph. Be assured that you will still break a “sweat” though.

Not much can beat being able to engage in all kinds of fitness activities, and then simply sit down and enjoy stretching and relaxing as you glide peacefully along the water. For any beginner in a water activity, we recommend you find a partner to go out with you, maybe someone with more experience, to coach you on using a paddle board. A good news is that customers who purchase a Goosehill SUP board can get a one-hour free SUP lesson from our coaches who are professional SUP instructors. What are you waiting for? It’s time to start your SUP fitness journey!