Based on an idea originated thousands of years ago on the African rivers, Stand Up Paddle Boarding became a real sport and gained its popularity starting with the year 2005. If ancient cultures used canoes to stand up and paddle, this new and stimulating sport has developed around stand up paddle boards and has quickly conquered the entire world.
Offering people the chance to burn from 500 to 800 calories in just one hour, stand up paddle boarding is not only a great way of losing weight and staying fit but also an outstanding sport for socializing, making new friends, and upholding a lively lifestyle. Add the serenity and peaceful nature of the water, subtract boring gym rooms and you will unquestionably fall in love with this type of workout in a matter of seconds. But let’s see what the buzz is all about.
The Benefits of Stand Up Paddle Board Workouts
Used by Hawaiians for years, but recently introduced to the world, stand up paddle boarding is by far the most attractive sport that emerged in the past years. And why shouldn’t it be, given the numerous health and fitness benefits that comes with practicing it?
The most important thing when considering practicing a new sport towards improving our health and losing the extra weight is related to the intensity of the workout, and to what the sport can offer us in terms of calorie burning. It seems that, in the case of stand up paddle boarding, everything has lined up for making this one of the best workouts ever. Aside from the fact that it is practiced in a serene environment, it offers great views and a lot of means for making new friends, this particular type of workout is also an intense one. Why? Predominantly, because of the fact that you need to stay on your feet on the board, and make sure that you do not lose your balance during the sessions. This makes your body burn more calories than it would in the case of regular workouts, improves your posture, balance, and strength.
Depending on where you are paddle boarding, the intensity of the workout may vary. For example, if you are going to choose the ocean, because of the waves, you will need to utilize more strength and balance in order to remain standing, so have this aspect in mind when choosing a location, especially if you are just starting out. Yes, you will burn more calories, but you also need to have a previous training on paddle boards.
Health and Fitness Benefits
If you are always on the lookout for workouts that train every muscle in your body than look no further and give stand up paddle boarding a chance. Let’s see what its benefits are:
- Intensively trains your leg muscles
- When maneuvering the paddle your arms, shoulders and back muscle are constantly working, thus helping you accomplish your dreams of having the perfect body in less time than with other sports
- By keeping your balance throughout your workout sessions, you are also training your abdominal muscles; if great abs are on your wish list, grab a paddle and start working
- Given the fact that this particular type of workout has a low impact, you are safe from injuries, especially when it comes to joins or ligaments
- Since you are going to be training all the muscles in your body, you will soon gain strength and be able to perform more complex workouts than before
- When it comes to cardio fitness and improving your health, this workout is one of the best as it can even reduce the risk of heart attacks, if done with regularity
- Burning a lot more calories than usual workouts, thus losing more weight
- Helps you alleviate stress, relaxes your mind and body, and helps you better fight with the day-to-day struggles.
Now that you know all about the marvelous health and fitness benefits of stand up paddle boarding, let’s check out what types of workouts you can engage in during your training sessions.
SUP Pilates
The most popular of all the workouts involving paddle boarding, SUP Pilates is the young and sensational brother of regular Pilates. By combining paddle boarding with Pilates, this type of workout is not only new and attention-grabbing, but it also offers you the best of Pilates and stand up paddle boarding. If you are in love with the peaceful nature of the ocean and the strength of Pilates, this is definitely the right activity for you. Whether you have been doing Plates or not, don’t miss out the opportunity to try something new and amazingly good for your body and sign up for a class as soon as you can. The results will astonish you.
SUP Yoga
Serene and powerful Yoga workouts have just got better with the introduction of stand up paddle boards into the equation. Same as with SUP Pilates, SUP Yoga takes the best of both worlds and offers you the all of the health and fitness benefits of Yoga and stand up paddle boarding, thus becoming an interesting and new activity for you to try. If you are in calm waters, try seated poses. If you’re feeling adventurous, there is no Yoga pose that you cannot do on a paddle board, especially if you use a wider stance for then the small waves kick in.
Towards-the-Beach Twists
Among the exercises that can be practiced on a stand up paddle board, beach rotations are the funniest and most effective when it comes to training your upper body. When you are paddle boarding parallel to the beach, twist your body so that you are orienting your chest or back towards the shore, conditional to what side you are.
Squats and Plank Holds
The purpose of these exercises is to strengthen your body’s resistance while on the paddle board but also to thoroughly work the parts of your body that accumulate fat easier. Plank holds are something you will also find during SUP Yoga except in an easier form. While in a push-up position, lift one arms of the ground in the direction of the sky. This will help you strengthen the core.
As for squats, most people think that this type of workout is not something that you can easily do on a stand up paddle board but the truth is that as long as you are doing it in calm waters, there is no stopping you.
Conclusion
There are of course a lot more exercises that you can practice while on a stand up paddle board, but the important thing to remember is to always think about keeping your balance, and work out solely using high-quality paddle boards and under a trainer’s supervision. As soon as you get the hang of the sport and become more experience, you can take your paddle board and venture into friendly waters by yourself or with friends by your side.