Water sports are exhilarating and the perfect excuse to spend time in nature. Stand-up paddleboarding is a casual and exciting sport, but many don’t understand if a certain fitness level is needed to enjoy it. This article explains who in their fitness journey is best for this sport, the muscles you’ll engage, and how you can challenge yourself more.
What Fitness Level Is Best?
One of the best components of stand-up paddle boarding is that all levels of fitness and body sizes are welcome to try this watersport. It is not limited to a specific fitness level, making the sport beginner-friendly and easy to learn. As you become more comfortable with this activity, you can intensify the difficulty to challenge yourself and improve your skills.
What Types of Muscles Will You Be Engaging?
Who doesn’t want to perform a cardio and strength workout in nature? You won’t even realize you’re working your core, chest, back, arms, and legs during this activity because you’ll have a ton of fun. Blow-up SUP boards encourage you to work on your balance because you’re standing on the board while it’s floating on water. It is important to note that if you keep up with your fitness, paddle boarding will get easier—it can even help you stay in shape!
How Can You Make SUP More Difficult for Amateurs?
The quickest way to increase the difficulty for amateur SUP boarders is to stay on the water longer. At the beginning of your journey, you might have paddled for a half hour and taken a short break before heading back to shore. The longer you engage with the sport, the longer you can paddle—did you know that an hour of vigorous paddling can equate to an hour of running?
Furthermore, create challenges for yourself or goals to accomplish. Maybe at the beginning of a season, it took you an hour and a half to paddle across a lake. Over several months or weeks, you can work on cutting down that time and crossing the lake more quickly; this will sharpen and strengthen your paddle boarding skills.
All in all, the fitness level needed to go stand-up paddle boarding is not limited to a specific group. Any age, body size, or fitness level can enjoy this watersport casually or competitively. Consider trying this popular and relaxing water sport; you might love it!