Jumprope Circuits – Surfing Endurance
Endurance, I need some more of it. This last weekend was really my first time back in the surf (some solid waves too 4-6foot) in about 2.5 months. I had been out of the water with a shoulder injury, and would have liked to have eased it into some smaller surf, but that’s what the ocean delivered, some solid 4-6ft beach break… I can’t really complain.
The shoulder held up quite well, but what was lacking was overall endurance. I was getting gassed way too quickly. So yeah, some of it was lack of specific arm strength/endurance, but a lot of it was that my body didn’t have the work capacity any more, it didn’t have the overall endurance or conditioning.
So what is a surfer to do? Get a damn jump rope. Cheap, easy, simple, old-school,… the jumprope.
Jumprope Intervals, or Jumprope Movement Circuits
Jumprope Intervals- basically, you jumprope at a moderate pace (you could be talking while jump roping, but it’s kind of annoying) for about 3-5minutes. Then you hit the interval for about. 30-60seconds.
The interval is you jumping rope as fast as you possibly can for that shorter time period. Then you go back to the moderate (kind of hold a conversation pace) for 3-5 minutes, then repeat the high intensity interval. Repeat that for 4-10times. It’ll smash you, in a good way.
It’s basically developing an overall capacity to put out energy, and at varying intensities, just like surfing. Sometimes you’re casually paddling, other times you’re paddling your ass off. Train both of those energetic demands…. jumprope intervals.
Jumprope Movement Circuits – This is an easy one, and fun, and is really up to you to play around with. Pick a few basic movement patterns (push, squat, rotation, lunge, etc), and pick an exercise for each, or for just one movement pattern, or maybe 2, or 3, or 4, whatever.
For example sake, let’s use a pushup and squat exercise. I’ll jumprope with some varying intensities (nothing quite as hard as the jumprope intervals, although you could go that hard if you want) for about 2-4 minutes, then I’ll perform nearly as many reps as I can of the chosen exercise…. then right back into jumprope. Continue repeating.
Really, you could use only one exercise between jumping rope, but I usually mix it up with 2 or 3. Play around with it. Your building endurance and work capacity, and then throwing in some quality movement work between the jumping rope. It’s easy, it’s good, it’s fun.
Jumprope intervals are a very simple, and highly efficient way to get in some extra “metabolic conditioning” or endurance work for you lay-persons out there.
Quite often with clients whom are working their way through Surf Training Success, and need a bit more focus on overall conditioning, we throw in some jumprope intervals. Kettlebell swings can be another good way to get in some endurance strength work, but that’s for another post.
-cris
** So that pic of the surfer at the top of the page… it’s my buddy Jy, and another good friend Geoff Swan snapped that. Check geoff out over at Geoff Swan Tumblr
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