The Effect of Environmental Conditions on the Physiological Response during a Stand-Up Paddle Surfing Session

Abstract

Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) surfing entails riding breaking waves and maneuvering the board on the wave face in a similar manner to traditional surfing. Despite some scientific investigations on SUP, little is known about SUP surfing. The aim of this study was to investigate the physiological response during SUP surfing sessions and to determine how various environmental conditions can influence this response. Heart rate (HR) of an experienced male SUP surfer aged 43 was recorded for 14.9 h during ten surfing sessions and synced with on board video footage to enable the examination of the effect of different surfing modes and weather conditions on exercise intensity. Results indicated that the SUP surfer’s HR was above 70% of HRmax during 85% of each session, with the greatest heart rates found during falls off the board (~85% HRmax) and while paddling back to the peak (~83% HRmax). Total time surfing a wave was less than 5%, with the majority of time spent paddling back into position. Wind speed positively correlated with HR (r = 0.75, p < 0.05) and wave height negatively correlated with wave caching frequency (r = 0.73, p < 0.05). The results highlight the aerobic fitness for SUP surfing, where wave riding, paddling back to the peak, and falls appear to be associated with the greatest cardiovascular demand and demonstrate that environmental conditions can have an effect on the physiological response during SUP surfing sessions.

Electromyography Analysis of Muscle Activation During Stand-Up Paddle Boarding: A Comparison of Paddling in Kneeling and Standing Positions

“…Although SUP is also generally regarded as an effective full-body workout, few studies are in progress, and little scientific evidence can confirm these benefits. Studies related to SUP have included only research on topics such as sports injury epidemiology [6][7][8], body composition analysis, and respiratory metabolism [9][10][11][12]. Other studies have analyzed the effectiveness of exercise training intervention [13,14].…”

A 30-min test applied to stand-up paddleboarding: A pilot study

“…Therefore, as the stroke rate was maintained constant throughout the all-out test, it could be suggested that intensity and effort level was constant, as presented by the heart rate values. The fact that the wind was insignificant also helps to these results, otherwise, the effort level would change and heart rate accordingly (Castañeda-Babarro et al, 2020;Suari et al, 2018;Yukawa et al, 2015). So, despite higher-level athletes benefit from lower distance per stroke and more powerful strokes, this will require additional energy expenditure throughout the effort.…”

“…This is a sport that is easily accessible and learned and, beyond competition purposes, it allows easy recreational aquatic activity and potentially causing health benefits in the short and long term (Schram et al, 2015). In this activity, the athlete paddles while standing on board larger than that of traditional surfing (Ruess et al, 2013a;Schram et al, 2015), providing better buoyancy, stability, and increasing power per stroke (Suari et al, 2018). The larger board also facilitates learning among beginners' paddlers of all ages (Ruess et al, 2013b;Schram et al, 2015).…”

Preparação Física No Surfe: Um Estudo De Revisão

“…Estudos recentes demonstraram que as condições do mar ou maré vão influenciar diretamente na performance do atleta no surfe e isso irá determinar alguns exercícios básicos que permitem a divisão dessa prática em fases e características; fatores esses que podem condicionar a duração e a intensidade de cada fase, a exemplo de: tipo, tamanho e frequência das ondas; tempo de duração delas, corrente e geografia do local (Barlow, 2014;Farley, 2017;Suari, 2018).…”

“…Dessa forma, conformeSuari (2018);Peirão, Tirloni e Reis (2008), existem alguns movimentos/exercícios que os indivíduos atletas executam para realizarem as manobras no surfe:-A remada para transpor a arrebentação e deslocamento para o local onde o surfista espera as ondas; -Fase estacionária: caracterizada pela ausência de deslocamento do surfista e sua prancha, de modo que o atleta permanece sentado ou deitado na prancha; -Remada para entrar na onda e subida na prancha: momento em que o surfista realiza movimentos já na onda; os pés entram em contato com a superfície da prancha, realizando manobras, até o momento em que o atleta perde o contato com a prancha e a onda não é mais surfada.…”