Surfing Strength Studied

A new study led by Oliver Farley from Auckland University of Technology (AUT) and published in the August issue of The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research looks at professional surfers to analyze the physical demands of the sport of surfing. In what was one of the first studies of its kind, researchers studied 12 nationally-ranked surfers in New Zealand. The athletes were outfitted with GPS units and heart rate monitors and were filmed during a contest. During a 20-minute heat, the surfers covered an average distance of about one mile. “The surfers were actually paddling almost .62 miles per heat, up to three heats a day,” Farley said.