SUP Workouts – Can You Get Fit Paddleboarding?

Do paddleboarding workouts really help people lose weight, build muscle and get fit?

The short answer is yes – in a variety of different ways.

First of all, people engage all of their large muscle groups in a stand up paddleboarding workout.

The arm and back muscles are of course used to paddle, but less noticeably, the legs muscles are constantly active helping the body maintain balance on the board. Similarly, the core muscles need to stay engaged in order to keep the body balanced and upright on the board. In short, it’s a whole body workout.

You can benefit from both cardio and muscle-building exercises all in a single workout. The muscles you build can also help you burn fat long after your workout.

Secondly, there are lots of variables that affect the workout.

Wind, waves, current and even your own movements can trigger muscles in your body to maintain balance during your entire excursion. In fact, areas like your core that are constantly engaged may be less noticeable while you are out on the water. However, over time, you can definitely see and feel a difference in your midsection.

Compare a workout where you are doing squats while standing on solid ground – to doing squats on a moving bosu ball. You definitely get more of a workout when trying to balance on an unstable platform because more muscles are being activated to maintain balance while the body is moving. This is a big benefit that an SUP workout has over other types of exercises.

Third, people are not limited to just paddling on a board.

Now there is paddleboard yoga, which incorporates the stretching and strength-building routine on an SUP. You guessed it – you instantly increased your workout simply by performing it on an unstable platform.

Carrying on with that idea, you take all sorts of floor exercises and do them on a paddleboard for more enhanced muscle-building. Some examples are push ups, sit ups, back bends and even headstands. It’s probably beast to try these out on calm water, since they are challenging enough without adding waves to the equation.

Tower Inflatable 14' SUPFourth, start racing!

Yes, there are events that you can sign up for and train for speed. There are hard and inflatable boards designed for just this. Take your paddleboarding workout to a whole new level with interval training and distance sup workouts. Besides helping people lose weight and get stronger, this makes working out a lot more fun – especially if you have friends to do it with.

So what do you think now? Is an SUP a good workout?

SALE

Bluefin SUP and Kayak Package

Save Money on the #1 SUP-Kayak Package

High-Performance SUP, Removable Kayak Seat, SUP & Kayak Paddles, Extra Fast Pump, Long Warranty, Kid & Adult Sizes

BUY