A friend of mine posted on Facebook that she was teaching a Surf Fit class and I jokingly commented that I should drop in and see what it was all about. She replied that I most definitely should try it and I thought to myself why not, after all I was terrible at regular surfing – what could possibly go wrong!?
I’ve tried actual surfing before and it consisted of me getting smacked in the face with waves and falling down a lot. Or falling down then getting smacked in the face with waves. I assumed that waves in the face wouldn’t be an issue here so the only other challenge would be my somewhat shaky balance.
The novelty of Surf Fit is that you perform a variety of instructor led exercises all while trying to balance on a 5′-10′ surfboard which is placed on top of a several rubber spheres set on a platform about a foot off the ground.
Having skateboarded for many years when I was younger it’s not like my balance is terrible. But……let’s just say when I stand on one leg I’m no Karate Kid. I knew zero about Surf Fit but figured if it was anything like real surfing I’d get a decent workout. There was the chance I’d look ridiculous for the entire 45 minutes of the class but I was prepared to pay that price.
Surf Fit is taught on Surfset boards and it’s a fitness program inspired by (duh) surfing. The class focuses on cardio, lean muscle building and core strengthening exercises sometimes mimicking the same sorts of motions you’d make while shredding some waves, brah.
The result is an overall full body workout which hits all major muscle groups depending on the what the instructor has planned.
A person can supposedly burn between 400-900 calories in a 45 minute session. I was glad to hear this as I’d consumed a banana nut muffin and a coffee about ten minutes before arriving at Turn Cardio Jam Studio in Scott’s Addition where I’d be taking the class.
I walked through a modest entrance and into a nicely lit and wide open studio area where the Surfset boards were lined up and waiting. There were a few women already there – every one of them much more suitably attired for a workout than I.
A few more women show up, and then a few more. Suddenly two things are very clear:
- I am the only male in the class and;
- I’m decidedly the most ridiculously dressed person in the room.
My appearance could only have been made more ridiculous had I myself been wearing yoga pants.
Our instructor Shannon introduced herself and went over the basics of the class. One thing she’s very clear on is that if you feel you might fall you should “bail”, meaning jump off safely, and not come crashing to the floor in a heap. I’m definitely trying to avoid that.
As I begin musing how to look smooth if I take a spill the sounds of Miami’s favorite son come blasting over the sound system and we’re off and surfing to Pitbull!
After the first ten minutes or so I’m thinking this is going to be a breeze. The exercises haven’t been that hard and the board is less difficult to balance on than I thought. This is when we’re told that the warm up is over and it’s time to turn it up a notch. It was time for “the first set of waves”. Uh oh.
We did planks with extensions. We did squats. We did some sort of hybrid between downward dog and a push up. As our positively perky instructor guided us through additional sets of exercises I noticed that I was starting to sweat. This whole surfing thing was starting to look and feel like a real workout.
As beads of sweat peppered the top of my surfboard suddenly my Karate Kid inspired bandanna wearing didn’t seem so silly.
What does seem silly is actually how difficult some of the exercises were. I’m no stranger to the gym and I’m in moderately decent shape but Shannon threw some twists into the workout that were tough. This is more of a core workout than anything and I hoped I wouldn’t feel it too badly the next day..
Surf Fit classes definitely seem planned out as a fun way to get in some good cardio and core exercises. I’ve participated in a variety of group workout classes in an effort reduce the damage from consuming too much delicious craft beer. Of all of the classes I’ve taken, Surf Fit has been the most unique.
The class was less intense than I thought it was going to be however it was still tough enough to feel challenging.
Despite the fact that I was the only male in the studio, Surf Fit classes don’t seem geared towards gender and I’m sure the instructor could definitely make this into a workout that even most guys who hit the gym regularly would be challenged by.
I walked out of the class feeling successfully warmed up for the day and ready to tackle brunch. After all I hung ten with the best of them and only wiped out once!
Surf Fit was definitely a fun class. For anyone who wants a playful low impact workout you can’t go wrong giving it a try. I’ve felt more worn out after other workouts but I left the studio with enough energy to continue my day while still feeling like I got in some decent exercise. I don’t know of other places in town which teach Surf Fit, but if you’re curious you can check the schedule at Turn Cardio Jam Studio for when the next class takes place.
