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Training for windsurfersFunctional training with the sling trainer

SURF Redaktion

 · 27.02.2023

Training for windsurfers: Functional training with the sling trainerPhoto: Alexander Zachen/Balance Photography
Caro Weber lives in Hamburg and can be found on the North and Baltic Seas every spare minute. She has also competed in the World Cup several times.
Simple, cheap, effective - holistic training gets windsurfers fit for the start of the season without having to go to the gym or lift weights. Windsurfer Caro Weber shows you her best exercises to copy.

In this article: Exercises for...

Windsurfing is versatile - you not only need strength, body tension and stamina, but also good coordination. Everyone knows the problem of having to "get back into it" after a long period without surfing. This is annoying and can shorten one or two days of surfing as your strength quickly wanes. Ever since Marc Verstegen, fitness coach of the German national football team at the time, established this training concept before the summer fairytale, functional training has become increasingly popular in Germany.

The principle is based on the fact that individual muscles are not used in isolation, but always integrate entire muscle groups, as is the case when performing complex movements such as windsurfing. Further advantages: You can train anywhere, you don't have to invest money and time in gyms and you can already train your entire body with a sling trainer (e.g. from TRX or a home-made one made from sawn-off fork beams and tension belts). So the next surfing season can come.

Exercise tips for sling training

  • The ropes should always be kept under tension and worked with body tension.
  • A clean execution of the exercises with good body tension is more important than quantity.
  • The handles should be set at about knee height.
  • The intensity and force used can be varied by the standing position: The more the body is brought into a horizontal position, the harder the exercise becomes

Muscle group: legs

This exercise provides power for wave riding and edge loading when jibing.

Pull the sling trainer with both arms and lean back slightly. The supporting leg is extended.
Photo: Alexander Zachen/Balance Photography

Tip: If you find the exercise too difficult on one leg, you can also do it on both legs.

Shoulder and chest area

Stabilises the "problem zone shoulder".

Grip the sling trainer with both hands, straighten your arms and build up body tension
Photo: Alexander Zachen/Balance Photography

Tip: Longer straps make the exercise more challenging, shorter ones easier!

Back and arms

THE exercise for maximum power when pumping and riding waves!

Grasp the handles with both hands, straighten your body and straighten your arms
Photo: Alexander Zachen/Balance Photography

Tip: This exercise also becomes more challenging the more horizontal your body is (long straps).

Arms, legs & core stability

Perfect for full-body exercise and coordination training!

Grasp both handles with one hand and bring the sling trainer to tension by slightly reclining it
Photo: Alexander Zachen/Balance Photography

Shoulders, chest, arms & core stability

Step into both slings with your feet and assume the push-up position
Photo: Alexander Zachen/Balance Photography

Tip: Keep your back straight! If you find the exercise too strenuous, you can skip the push-ups at the beginning.

Text: Caro Weber

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