Surfing is an exciting and physically demanding sport. It combines strength, balance, endurance, and coordination. Whether you’re catching small waves at the beach or challenging larger swells, surfing offers a full-body workout. But how many calories do you burn while surfing? This article will break down the different factors that influence calorie burn, including the type of surfing you do, your body size, and the intensity of your session.
Factors That Influence Calorie Burn While Surfing
The number of calories burned during surfing depends on several factors. These include the intensity of the surfing session, the type of waves, your body weight, and your level of skill. Let’s dive deeper into each factor.
1. Intensity of the Surfing Session
The intensity of your surf session plays a huge role in how many calories you burn. Surfing in more challenging conditions, such as strong waves or high winds, can make your workout more intense. On the other hand, surfing in calm, small waves might not burn as many calories.
If you’re paddling a lot, getting up on the board, and riding the waves, the intensity of the session will increase your calorie burn. If you’re just sitting on the board and waiting for waves, your calorie burn will be much lower.
2. Type of Surfing You Do
Different types of surfing can burn different amounts of calories. Here are a few common types of surfing:
Traditional Surfing (Longboarding or Shortboarding): This is the most common form of surfing, where surfers paddle out to the waves, catch them, and ride them. Traditional surfing requires a lot of paddling and balance, which engages the upper body, core, and legs. Surfers typically burn more calories while catching and riding waves than they do while waiting for the next wave.
Big Wave Surfing: Surfing big waves requires even more effort, as the waves are larger and more powerful. The paddling involved in big wave surfing is intense, and riding the waves demands strength and endurance. This form of surfing can burn more calories than smaller wave surfing.
Stand-Up Paddleboarding (SUP): SUP is a popular variation of surfing where you stand on a large board and paddle through the water. It can also be a great workout. While SUP can be easier on the upper body compared to traditional surfing, it still burns a lot of calories, particularly when paddling through rough waters.
Bodyboarding: This involves riding a smaller board while lying on your stomach. It requires less effort than traditional surfing, but it still burns calories, especially if you’re paddling or riding waves consistently.
3. Body Weight
Your body weight is one of the biggest factors in determining how many calories you burn while surfing. People with a higher body weight will burn more calories during the same activity than someone who weighs less. This is because it requires more energy to move a heavier body, especially when paddling through water or balancing on a surfboard.
4. Skill Level
Your skill level also affects how many calories you burn. A beginner surfer will spend a lot of time paddling and struggling to get up on the board, which can increase the overall calorie burn. More experienced surfers can glide through waves with less effort and can therefore burn fewer calories over the same time. However, expert surfers who take on challenging waves can still burn a lot of calories due to the high intensity of their activity.
5. Duration of the Session
The longer your surfing session, the more calories you will burn. A short session of 30 minutes will naturally burn fewer calories than an extended session that lasts 2 hours. Longer sessions allow your body to remain in motion for a longer period of time, leading to more calories burned.
Calories Burned During Surfing
Now that we’ve covered the factors that affect calorie burn, let’s look at how many calories you can burn while surfing.
Calories Burned in 1 Hour of Surfing
The average person burns between 400 and 700 calories per hour of surfing, depending on the intensity and type of surfing. A more intense session, such as big wave surfing, will push your calorie burn to the higher end of that range. If you’re just casually paddling and waiting for waves, you will likely burn fewer calories. Here’s a breakdown of the average calories burned based on your body weight and the intensity of your session:
Light Surfing (Casual): 200-400 calories per hour. This is typical for someone who is learning to surf or just paddling around on calm water.
Moderate Surfing: 400-600 calories per hour. This is the average for a typical surfing session where you’re paddling out, catching waves, and riding them.
Intense Surfing (Big Waves or Experienced Surfers): 600-900 calories per hour. This applies to experienced surfers who are paddling vigorously, catching large waves, and riding for long periods.
Calories Burned by Weight
Your weight also plays a key role in determining your calorie burn. The more you weigh, the more energy your body uses for each movement. Here’s a general estimate of calories burned per hour of surfing based on your body weight:
125-Pound Person: Burns around 360-480 calories per hour of moderate surfing.
155-Pound Person: Burns around 450-600 calories per hour of moderate surfing.
185-Pound Person: Burns around 540-720 calories per hour of moderate surfing.
For intense surfing, these numbers can increase by 20-30%, especially for individuals who weigh more.
Other Benefits of Surfing
While burning calories is a major benefit of surfing, it also provides other advantages for your physical and mental health. Let’s explore some of the benefits:
1. Full-Body Workout
Surfing engages almost every muscle group in your body. Paddling strengthens your arms, shoulders, and back, while balancing on the board works your core and legs. Riding the waves requires agility and coordination, which helps improve overall body strength and flexibility.
2. Cardiovascular Health
Surfing is great for your heart. The constant paddling and movement work your cardiovascular system, helping to improve endurance and overall heart health. Engaging in regular surfing sessions can lower your risk of heart disease and help maintain healthy blood circulation.
3. Mental Health Benefits
Surfing isn’t just a physical activity; it’s also great for your mental health. Spending time in nature and being in the water can reduce stress and increase feelings of relaxation and well-being. The rhythm of the ocean and the act of focusing on catching waves can also serve as a form of meditation, helping to clear your mind and improve mood.
4. Improves Balance and Coordination
Surfing requires good balance and coordination. By practicing regularly, you can improve your overall balance and body control, which can also help you in other sports and daily activities.
How to Maximize Calorie Burn While Surfing
To get the most out of your surfing session and burn more calories, try these tips:
Paddle Harder: Focus on paddling as hard as you can to engage your arms, shoulders, and back muscles.
Catch More Waves: The more waves you catch, the more calories you burn. Practice your timing and positioning to catch as many waves as possible.
Increase Intensity: If you’re comfortable with your skill level, try challenging yourself by surfing in more difficult conditions or attempting larger waves.
Extend Your Session: The longer you surf, the more calories you’ll burn. If you have the stamina, aim for longer sessions.
Conclusion
Surfing is not only fun but also an excellent way to burn calories and improve overall fitness. Depending on factors like body weight, session intensity, and surfing style, you can burn anywhere from 400 to 900 calories per hour. With its full-body workout, cardiovascular benefits, and positive effects on mental health, surfing offers much more than just calorie burn. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced surfer, the sport provides a dynamic and rewarding workout for both your body and mind.