SUP with a Twist: Core Workouts to Mimic the Board

Last Updated on October 25, 2022 by Amanda Brooks

New workouts are not only fun, but a great reminder of how much I need to cross train!

During the Oakley retreat they said we would be doing SUP (stand up paddle boarding). I was all ready to be paddling around the bay, but that is not what they had in mind.

OH no this was SUP with a twist…imagine doing your ab work, yoga and so much more from the instability of the board…while fearing falling in because it was cold!
The honest truth is that while I love everything outdoors, I am kind of a weenie.

New things scare me, BUT as adult I’m unwilling to let it hold me back so while my legs were trembling (seriously it was cold I didn’t want to fall in!) I stepped on and pushed off. But this was just the start…after a short paddle it was time to really get down to business.
This workout was created for us by SUP Core Academy to help us see how you can get a serious workout on the water.

We spent 30 minutes doing dive bomb push ups, spiderman push ups, moving table tops, oblique work, squats and so much more while of course attempting to maintain balance and stay out of the chilly water. Yes, you may notice this Florida girl was the only one in a jacket!

The group clips in the board to an anchored, but free floating point and so you are not only moving about but also aware of other boards bumping you occasionally. My quads have been on fire for days since this class simply because I am not used to needing that kind of balance! After the 30 minutes of on water fitness, there was 30 minutes of on water yoga and 30 minutes of yoga on land using the bosu balls.

Since we did this workout in 2012, it’s now become a studio workout all over the US! While I wouldn’t want to do every yoga class this way because it’s not quite as zen when you are falling over, I would love to do it again. My core felt so tight and again my quads were on fire.And yes you may notice every single one of us is sporting our Oakley glasses without a concern for losing them in the water! This is because the Oakley Women styles all have a small rubber piece along the ear that ensures it stays in place no matter how many downward dogs you do on the land or water. The glasses are also polarized which is incredibly important to help prevent headaches from a glare on the water. More glass details soon because I find it fascinating!

SUP LAND WORKOUT

Since I don’t always have a SUP board available, this is a great workout you can do which is going to engage the core and help work on overall stability for better power on the water. Workout moves for core stability and more upper body strength without weights Try adding these few moves to an existing workout or opt to do them as 1 minute each for 5 rounds, you’ll get some great benefits!