{"id":29887,"date":"2014-07-10T11:15:08","date_gmt":"2014-07-10T15:15:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=29887"},"modified":"2021-08-18T15:04:56","modified_gmt":"2021-08-18T19:04:56","slug":"sup-sport-workout-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/sup-sport-workout-competition\/","title":{"rendered":"The Sport of SUP: Breaking Down the Competition"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Stand
Photo: Sperry Top-Sider<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you live near any body of water there\u2019s a good chance you\u2019ve heard of \u2014 and maybe even tried \u2014 stand up paddleboarding (SUP). People all around the world have been flocking to lakes, oceans and rivers in record numbers<\/a> over the last few years to get in on the SUP action. It has inspired spinoffs<\/a> like SUP yoga<\/a> and SUP bootcamps<\/a>, and even fishermen are catching on<\/a> (pun intended).<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s certainly popular among the fitness and leisure crowd, what you may not know is that SUP is a full-on professional sport, complete with grueling competitions<\/a> and world-class sponsored athletes. Learn everything you need to know about this growing sport and how you, too, can build a SUP-ready body.<\/p>\n

Hang Ten: A Pro SUP Primer<\/b><\/h3>\n

Growing up in Florida, Slater Trout<\/a> started stand up paddleboarding at the ripe old age of 11, right before his family relocated to Hawaii. The move was perfect timing for Trout, now 19 and a professional SUP athlete and member of the Sperry Top-Sider team<\/a> of performance athletes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started when I was so young and the sport was also so young, so I feel like we grew up together,\u201d says Trout. \u201cIt\u2019s been a journey to see the sport spread around the world and see the joy it brings people.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he puts it, stand up paddleboarding is still in its infancy and continues to rapidly grow every year. Just four years ago in 2010, the World Paddle Association<\/a> launched to help guide the sport\u2019s growth and create guidelines for competitive events, ensuring consistency and safety.<\/p>\n

Competitions, which are usually two-day events, are held all over the world on rivers, lakes and oceans. Day one<\/b> is typically a distance race, ranging anywhere from six to 32 miles, and taking athletes anywhere from 4.5 to 7 hours. To put that into perspective, last year Trout paddled 29 miles around Manhattan in 4 hours and 45 minutes.<\/p>\n

Day two<\/b> is a sprint<\/a> race, which can range from two to five miles. Featuring lots of turns and sometimes a little bit of man on man combat, these races are a chance for SUP-ers to really show off their technical skills. Think snowboard cross minus the snow. \u201cI love the carnage and close contact,\u201d says Trout. \u201cThat\u2019s kind of my forte.\u201d<\/p>\n

To win it all, a competitor has to earn top marks on both days, meaning these athletes can\u2019t specialize like those in other racing sports.<\/p>\n

“That\u2019s what attracts people to it. It\u2019s a great workout, but you don\u2019t know you\u2019re getting a workout while you\u2019re doing it.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What\u2019s Up With SUP?<\/b><\/h3>\n

While stand up paddleboarding is growing as a competitive sport, it\u2019s also booming on the recreational level. In 2012, 1.5 million people tried it, up from 1.1 million participants in 2010, according to The Outdoor Foundation’s\u00a02013 Special Report on Paddlesports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A big draw of SUP is that it\u2019s super accessible. With a range of boards for people of all shapes and sizes, it\u2019s a sport anyone can do. Plus, it gives people a taste of water sport adventure, even if they don\u2019t live in Southern California.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor those who have never had the opportunity to go to the ocean or live the dream of the surfer lifestyle, they can go to a lake and paddle around and still feel like a surfer,\u201d says Trout.<\/p>\n

People are sometimes surprised after their first SUP outing to realize it\u2019s a killer workout, strengthening the ligaments and muscles in your toes all the way to your neck and fingertips, says Trout. The entire body is firing while you try to stay balanced on the board; meanwhile, you\u2019re trying to move the board forward and paddle.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s what attracts people to it,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s a great workout, but you don\u2019t know you\u2019re getting a workout while you\u2019re doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The SUP Endurance and Speed Workout<\/b><\/h3>\n
\"Slater
Photo: Sperry Top-Sider<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

SUP pros have to train to compete in a distance race one day, get a good night\u2019s sleep, then compete in a sprint race the next day. That means it\u2019s important to have a strong body and good endurance base, says Trout. Adding these exercises into your weekly routine will get you SUP-ready \u2014 whether you\u2019re competing in a race between Hawaiian islands or heading out for a leisurely afternoon on the lake.<\/p>\n

1. Plank
\n<\/b>In SUP, \u201ceverything is generated from the core,\u201d says Trout. The plank<\/a> is the least complicated way to build core strength, and can be used as a warm-up before heading out on the water.
\nHow to: <\/b>Get into push-up position on the floor, with your elbows bent 90 degrees so your forearms are resting on the ground. Make sure your shoulders are directly over your elbows, and that your body is in a straight line from head to foot (a<\/b>). Hold this position, core tight, without allowing your hips to drop below shoulder height (b<\/b>).
\nHold for 1 minute; Rest for 20 seconds; Repeat for 3 sets<\/i><\/p>\n

2. Indoor Rowing
\n<\/b>Rowing<\/a> is a very similar full-body workout to SUP in that you start from the legs, extend through them, then hit the core and arms, says Trout.
\nHow to: <\/b>Using an indoor rowing machine, start seated with your knees bent, arms extended in front of you holding the handles with an overhand grip (a<\/b>). Pushing through your feet, straighten your legs until they are at full extension (b<\/b>). Bend your elbows and pull the handle in towards your sternum as you lean your upper body slightly back<\/a> (c<\/b>). Reverse the position the same way, first leaning your back upright again while extending your arms past your knees, then bending your knees to pull your bottom up to your feet (d<\/b>). Repeat.
\nWarm up for 500 meters at 60%-70% effort; Rest 2 minutes; Sprint as hard as possible for 1,000 meters<\/i><\/p>\n

3. Hill Running
\n<\/b>It\u2019s easy to forget paddling is a cardio workout<\/a> \u2014 until you get out there and try it. \u201cSometimes in my races I get caught in the wind and I\u2019m paddling upwind for hours at a time,\u201d says Trout. \u201cRunning uphill is the equivalent of going up against similar conditions.\u201d
\nHow to: <\/b>Crank up the incline \u2014 between 5 and 8 percent \u2014 on a treadmill and run at a moderate pace, mimicking jogging straight uphill.
\nRun for 20-30 minutes<\/i><\/p>\n

To learn more about the sport of SUP, visit WorldPaddleAssociation.com<\/a> and follow Slater<\/a> on Twitter to hear about his upcoming competitions.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Stand up paddleboarding isn\u2019t just a leisurely vacation activity. Learn about the growing sport and how its athletes stay in SUP fitness shape. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":29890,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,24,6,14],"tags":[209,141,90,142,341,361,100],"class_list":["post-29887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cardio","category-exercise","category-fitness","category-strength-training","tag-athlete","tag-sports","tag-summer","tag-surfing","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2fitness-trends","tag-workout"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29887","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29887"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29887\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29887"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}