Surf Athlete Training Program

I am going on week 4 of the surf strength program and am starting to get to know the work outs better. I can definitely feel the difference getting out of bed in the morning moving in and out of ranges of movement that I am usually stiff in. Although I’m struggling a little trying to keep a daily workout regime going, I’m sneaking in little snippets of movements and stretches from the workouts within my day.

I guess more than anything this program has taught me how out of shape I really am. With this crazy pandemic we are in, I’ve lost all of my jobs and sources of income left to do what the rest of us are going through, raising a 13-year-old son, hunting work down, staying healthy, and trying to figure out how to get some free time to myself. So, when my last paycheck came through I asked myself how I could make positive out the situation I found myself in? After seeing your add pop up on Surfline, and watching all of your free workouts online, I decided to spend my money wisely and invest it into The betterment of myself. Looking forward to checking back in with you in a month to see how much I’ve improved, especially when I can get some time to apply everything to my surfing.

A fantastic program that I am only half way through yet feel the results from already. I would have paid the same amount of money for the recovery videos alone! They have changed my body and released years of chronic tension enabling me to finally move again in a liberating way. As someone who has struggled with chronic illness and toxic fitness culture, this program has felt very accessible and inclusive.

The Surf Athlete training programme has kept me going throughout the Corona lockdown. Getting involved is the best decision i’ve made.

I am a 30 year-old intermediate weekend warrior who has spent almost no time in the water over the last two years. About a month before lockdown I just started getting back into surfing having bought a new wetsuit suitable for the cold water here in Cornwall, UK. My paddling has never been strong and is particularly bad at the moment due to lack of going surfing altogether and lack of exercise that actually translates to surfing and paddling technique. Not having decent paddling strength/shoulder flexibility has lead to poor confidence and fear when the surf gets any bigger than 4-5ft. It massively limits the amount of times I can go surfing, as the conditions here are so changeable and I only get a small window of opportunity on the weekends. I have slowly come to the realisation that I won’t ever build good paddling strength and general confidence from merely surfing on some weekends at best. Therefore I have finally decided to actually do something about it with Chris’s app.

I am in week 4 of the first phase and am already noticing huge improvements to my general strength, posture, flexibility, health, mind and the all important stoke! Everything Chris says is legit. I feel confident following this programme knowing i’ll get good results through constant evidence of his passion and knowledge for surfing and fitness. Most importantly I’m noticing fast improvement in my shoulder endurance and paddling strength which is my main goal, but i’m also noticing improvements in hip movement/flexibility, leg strength and all those other areas I would have probably neglected. All of this has also lead to a huge cut down in the amount I drink and the amount of crap food I used to eat. I feel so much better for all of it.

Unlike with other mailing lists, I enjoy receiving Chris’s regular emails that really motivate you to do the next workout or try other things such as breathing technique, tissue release and nutrition advice etc. It always keeps me motivated and reminds me why i’m doing it. His ‘Coaches and Coffee’ episodes and other regular videos also offer the best entertaining advice and keep the stoke alive every-time.

Although I haven’t been been able to do any real surfing during the lockdown, I am 100% sure my first time back in will be a stronger, more confident and enjoyable experience thanks to Chris and the Athlete programme. This may sound cheesy, but thank you for improving my outlook on life, health and surfing! Surfing and fitness is now becoming a priority in my life, and I look forward to continuing with it from here on out. I only wish I did this 5-10 years ago! Sorry to ramble on, there is a lot to be said…

It’s simple and effective advice, well delivered and packaged in a user friendly format. What more could you ask for?
You do need to set some time aside to watch and understand the video tutorials before starting them and to ensure the correct movement is achieved, but so far, it’s been a great program and has certainly improved my hip and shoulder mobility already.

The content and layout of this program are incredible. I am on week 2 and what I have noticed so far is that Chris is someone who cares deeply about precision and is able to demonstrate and articulate not only how to train the human body, but also why it’s important to do certain movements/stretches/exercises as it relates to surfing. The hidden gem in my opinion is the recovery section. It is so thorough that at first I was intimidated by it and felt like it was a bit over my head. But after spending an hour going through it one by one, I realized how simple he made it for an untrained guy like me to understand the anatomy and the movement needed to execute a solid recovery session. I was mostly excited for the strength aspect of this program but was not prepared for how awesome the stretching and tissue release segment would be.
I have no real complaints – but I think there is room to make the user interface a little easier to use and see, for example making the reps text larger and to add a back button in case you accidentally click “next” while going through the workouts. All in all, I am 100% stoked on this program and I think the value is through the roof!

Since Ive been doing your training and the 12 wk Surf Athlete Prog I have definitely felt better overall. Im a reasonably fit 49 yr old weekend warrior and I think you have helped me find what was missing from my training. I gotta say, your stretching and explanations and the way you’ve packaged into an app has provided me more benefit than any physio Ive ever seen. Hey, I’m a vey critical fella and don’t give good feedback lightly!
Cheers,
Dave.