Paddleboarding is known to the public mostly as a recreational activity. Few people consider it as a workout because it obviously doesn’t look like one. But regular paddlers should know it to be a good full-body workout. But how good is it actually as a workout? If you want to work out through paddleboarding, here’s what you should know about it being a workout before actually buying a stand up paddle board starting your exercise on it.
Burns Quite Some Calories
To exercise your body with paddleboarding, the key is to put in as much effect as you can. The actual amount of calories you can burn completely relies on how intense you intend to paddle. An hour-long paddling session can burn as much as 430 calories. That is equivalent to running for twice as long. Of course, this is just a casual paddling- if you want a better and more intense workout, try out surfing, touring or even racing.
Can Take Any Amount Of Time
No matter how long you decide to paddle, the instance you hop onto that SUP board, you’re sure to get some kind of exercise. Ten minutes, thirty minutes… it really doesn’t matter. You have the autonomy to decide how much of an exercise you want to perform. Forget the pressure of working out for longer periods to get into shape. All you’ll need is a willingness to set even 15 minutes and you’ll have the same workout as someone in a boot camp doing vigorous cardio-exercises.
Works On The Core
This is a great exercise to engage your abdominal muscles for the entire session. You will be doing heavy exercises in a lighter and more relaxed manner. If you SUP frequently, you might notice you are having better abs. Furthermore, SUP is an exercise that tones the whole body and as you try to find balance, your arms, knees, quadriceps, shoulders are all engaged simultaneously. The good thing is that after a paddleboarding session, you won’t get the same feeling as with anyone who went to the gym.
Low Impact Workout With Less Intensity
Intensity is a great influencer of stress. Our bodies don’t have to go through hours at the gym or running to get in shape. In fact, you can get the same results by doing less intense exercises and that’s where paddle boarding comes in. Just enjoy yourself in the waters and the workout will be almost spontaneous. When you enjoy yourself rather than inflicting stress on your body, the pleasure secretes hormones that spur creativity and gives life meaning.
The Splash ‘n’ Sculpt
Apart from casual paddleboarding, there are a few moves you can do on your SUP while on the water. We like recommending the Splash ‘n’ Sculpt because it is less restrictive and doesn’t have to be done while paddling.
Hop onto the paddleboard and paddle to an area free of bumps and waves. Get out of the board and lower yourself in the water. Make sure you have leashed your leg so you don’t lose your paddleboard. Now, get back to the board using the opposite plank. This will require you to swim underneath the board. Once you’re on top, repeat the same exercise, pacing yourself. You’ll notice that most of your muscles are involved during this drill, especially the upper part. This is a great exercise if you don’t want to paddle for long distances. Another amazing routine that doesn’t require movement is yoga. Trying this meditative technique in a paddleboard helps relax the whole body and mind.