In this article:
Who hasn't experienced it before: in the middle of a holiday there's a "crash" and surfing is over. One moment of carelessness, a stupid skid or fall and the surfing day is over. There are sport-specific injuries everywhere, even in windsurfing.
The ankle, shoulder and lower back are the most commonly affected areas for windsurfers. In this article, I'll show you how you can reduce your susceptibility to injury with minimal equipment and simple exercises. These exercises are not aimed at large muscle groups, but at improving strength coordination - which is exactly what you need for windsurfing. You already know more exercises for strengthening the spinal muscles from these fitness guides:
You need these simple devices
Most of this "training equipment" can be found in any student's car boot. With utensils such as an old boom, a breadboard, water bottle and plastic canister and a rolled-up neo, you can do lots of useful exercises. If you also have two simple pieces of exercise equipment such as a gymnastics band and a flexi-bar, you are perfectly equipped.
Training and injuries - that's important!
In the first two parts of my series, I showed you exercises that form the basis for stable joints. Do them even if an injury has put you out of action. However, it is important never to train into the pain. Always do the exercises just BEFORE the pain! If you are undergoing medical treatment or have had an operation, ask a doctor about your ability to exercise beforehand!
Problem area: Ankle joints
Jumps and manoeuvres put a lot of strain on the ankle joint. And if it doesn't work out, the foot can get stuck in the loop while the rest of the body ends up in the water. This can result in twists, sprains, ligament injuries or even fractures. Exercises that strengthen the foot muscles in particular provide stability. Especially when training on unstable surfaces, you improve your ability to tense your muscles reflexively in the event of a fall.
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
You already know this exercise from the last issue, but you can also do it without the trapeze.
Strengthen your hips, knees and ankles by balancing and doing one-legged squats on a rolled-up Neo.
Gunnar's tip: The longer you balance, the better. To increase the difficulty, you can also throw and catch a ball or close your eyes.
Exercise 3
Strong shin muscles also contribute to a stable ankle joint.
Problem zone: shoulders & back
The rotator cuff consists of many muscles around the joint that are not trained much when training the large shoulder muscles. However, these muscles are very important for unstable shoulders and after injuries. They are small and therefore do not require such high resistance. An elastic band, a water bottle or a filled canister are sufficient weights.
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3: Strengthening the adductors
Adjust the water filling so that you can do this exercise cleanly 15-20 times. Do three series.
Exercise 4: Extensors
Exercise 5: Flexibar
The Flexibar is a flexible bar that you make swing with small, quick movements. Your shoulder muscles have to constantly work and react in order to fix your joint. This exercise not only stabilises your shoulder, but also your spine.
The most important stretching exercises
After injuries, mobility is often restricted because the muscles want to protect the injured area by increasing muscle tone. Targeted stretching can contribute to the healing process. 30-60 seconds per muscle area is sufficient. These exercises should also be part of your warm-up before surfing!
