Paddleboard Exercises

If you are new to the sport, using paddleboard exercises to get in shape will be like nothing you have experienced before. After you becoming accustomed to it, however, you will find that you can get into better shape and grow stronger through paddleboarding than you can through most other exercise routines.

1. Select a Proper Paddleboard. If you are new to paddleboarding for exercise, you will likely experience better results (and, let's face it, fall off fewer times) with a longer paddleboard. You should start out by renting various brands and styles of boards until you know which are the most comfortable for you, before you actually buy one of your own.
2. Balance Your Exercises. You will probably find proper paddleboard stance, in particular, to be exhausting and painful when you first begin paddleboarding exercise. Even if the fun, beautiful scenery, and excitement tempt you to keep paddling farther than you originally intended, you are pretty much guaranteed to find yourself more sore in more places the next day than you could have imagined. So temper your early enthusiasm until your body adjusts to the new strains you place upon it.
3. Stretch Extensively. The strain of maintaining a proper stance while paddleboarding can become agonizing on your back, thighs, and legs. This is not merely from the strain on your body's muscles, but also that on your tendons and ligaments. Stretching your entire body, and particularly your hamstrings and lower back, on a regular basis will help ease your transition.
4. Techniques for Better Results from Paddleboard Exercises. Initially, merely paddleboarding at all—even for a short distance—will be all the workout a beginner can handle. But, after you have grown accustomed to the stance and motion of the exercise, you will begin to seek ways to make the workout more challenging. Increasing the distance you paddle, of course, will be the first added challenge, but the fact is that longer distances (after you have learned to relax and move smoothly and easily) should not be nearly as challenging as short distances were early on. For even more challenge, paddle board upriver against a current, or into a stiff breeze. If you are used to calm conditions and tranquil water, the added resistance will feel like you are brand new to paddleboarding all over again. The tremendous total body workout you get from paddleboard exercises, though, will strengthen your muscles, trim any extra weight from your frame, and send your cardio through the roof.