The average person weighing 180 pounds burns approximately 257-1157 calories per hour surfing, depending on the effort and specific surfing activity such as body or board, competitive surfing, standing, kite or windsurfing and windsurfing pumping for speed.
Surfing can be one of the most challenging sports to master. However, learning to surf is a great form of exercise and can burn plenty of calories. Whether you’re a professional surfer or just getting started, read on to find out how many calories you can expect to burn while surfing.
Since surfing involves many different motions with varying degrees of intensity, there’s no wonder that surfing can be one of the most physically demanding sports there is.
Surfing requires significant upper body strength in order to paddle yourself out to the ocean, catch a wave, and ride it as long as possible. The number of calories that you burn while surfing depends on your height, weight, level of intensity, and duration spent surfing. Keep reading to find out how to use the surfing calculator to find out how many calories you’ll burn.
How To Use The Calculator
Using the calculator to determine how many calories you’ll burn while surfing is very straightforward and only requires a few simple steps. In order to calculate the number of calories that you’ll burn, just input your weight and the time that you’ve spent or plan to spend surfing. Then select the type of surfing that you’re doing and hit “CALCULATE”
- Choose your unit of measurement (pounds or kilograms)
- Enter your weight in the corresponding unit of measurement
- Find the type of surfing that you’re doing. You can choose from general surfing, windsurfing, paddle boarding, and more.
- Enter the number of minutes for each selected activity
- Hit “CALCULATE”
How the Calculator Works
Our calculator uses MET values to find out the number of calories that surfing burns.
What is a MET? A MET value is a ratio between the working metabolic rate and the resting metabolic rate [1]. This is the rate of energy that is used relative to the duration of time spent doing the activity.
So a MET value of 1 is the equivalent of the amount of energy you expend while at rest, and a MET value of 5 is expending 5 times as much energy compared to being at rest.
The calculator has different MET values assigned to the different types of surfing that you can do. Each type of surfing activity has different levels of difficulty and intensity, therefore requiring a different amount of energy expenditure. Using this calculator will give you a realistic idea of how many calories you will burn while surfing.
Your active metabolic rate (AMR) determines the calories that you continue to burn throughout the day, while the resting metabolic rate (RMR) measures the number of calories that you are burning when your body is at rest and not actively digesting.
Formula
The formula that our surfing calculator uses to determine the number of calories burned per minute is (MET x bodyweight in Kg x 3.5) ÷ 200.
Examples
A person weighing 145 pounds will burn approximately 210 calories per hour from surfing at a general level of intensity. This activity has a MET of 3, which means that it burns 3 times as many calories as your resting metabolic rate.
This is what the formula for calculating the calories burned while surfing will look like for a 145-pound individual at a general level of intensity:
- Calories burned (per minute) = (body weight in kg x MET x 5) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = ( 65.8 x 3 x 5 ) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = 5 calories x 60
- Calories burned (per hour) = 210 calories per hour
What about windsurfing? This is a type of surfing that is more intense than normal surfing. As you might have guessed, windsurfing involves using the wind with a combination of surfing and sailing to ride waves similar to surfing, but many windsurfers get air off the waves that they surf. The formula for windsurfing at a competitive level, pumping for speed looks like this:
- Calories burned (per minute) = (body weight in kg x MET x 5) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = ( 65.8 x 5 x 3.5 ) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = 5 calories x 60
- Calories burned (per hour) = 930 calories per hour
How many calories are burned while surfing for one hour? (weighing 180 pounds)
| # | Activity Name | Met | Time Spend | Calories Burned |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paddle boarding, standing | 6 | 60 Min | 515 Cal |
| 2 | Surfing, body or board, competitive | 5 | 60 Min | 429 Cal |
| 3 | Surfing, body or board, general | 3 | 60 Min | 257 Cal |
| 4 | Windsurfing or kitesurfing, crossing trial | 11 | 60 Min | 943 Cal |
| 5 | Windsurfing, competition, pumping for speed | 13.5 | 60 Min | 1157 Cal |
| 6 | Windsurfing, not pumping for speed | 5 | 60 Min | 429 Cal |
What is Surfing?
If you’ve been anywhere near a beach in the summer in recent years, you’ve probably seen surfers out in the ocean, paddling around and trying to catch waves to ride.
In the simplest terms, surfing is using a board to catch waves in the ocean or a body of water. However, surfing can also be done using man-made ocean waves, as indoor surfing activities have become very popular in some parts of the developed world.
There are plenty of different techniques that surfers use to surf at the highest levels. While surfing is done competitively and governed by the World Surf League and the International Surfing Association, surfing is one of the most popular watersports that is practiced around the world today.
With all the different variations of surfing, such as windsurfing and paddleboarding, it’s no wonder that surfing is a great sport for beginners and competitors alike.
Surfing is also a great workout and uses plenty of different muscles and burns plenty of calories for those that choose to participate in the sport.
What Muscles Does Surfing Use?
As we touched on previously, surfing can be a very physically demanding sport that uses a variety of muscles in order to surf successfully. In order to be a skillful surfer, you have to be in top shape to perform the needed motions as well as to have exceptional balance to stand on the board while riding waves.
The muscles that surfing uses the most are:
- Deltoids
- Pectorals (pecs)
- Triceps
- Abdominals
- Obliques
While these are just a few of the muscles that are being worked while surfing, it is truly a complete physical sport involving the development of many different muscle groups.
Benefits of Surfing
As we touched on before, surfing is a physically demanding sport that can be great for people who are looking to burn calories while still having fun in the ocean with friends.
Some of the benefits that you can get from starting to surf include:
- Improved health
- Increased endurance
- Better flexibility
- Improved muscle tone
- Ability to lose weight
Equipment
Compared to many other sports, surfing is a sport that doesn’t require a whole lot of specialized equipment in order to do it at a high level.
In order to surf successfully, you will definitely need a quality surfboard for starters. In addition to the surfboard, other equipment that many surfers will use are helmets, wetsuits, traction pads, wax, and leashes so they don’t lose the board while riding waves.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What muscles get sore from surfing?
The muscles that get sore while surfing most often are the back of the neck, upper back, and lower back. The reason for this is because these muscles are constantly contracting which causes tension while performing the usual movements that surfers must do.
What exercises can I do to improve my surfing abilities?
Practicing surfing solely in the water can only get you so far. Improving your physical health outside of the ocean is how you will see the best results from surfing. Some exercises that are known to improve surfing ability are pushups, burpees, pull-ups, squats, deadlifts, and bench press.
Is surfing good cardio?
Yes! Surfing is in fact a great cardio exercise since it involves a combination of paddling, standing up quickly, and also being a great core workout. Practicing surfing will improve your heart health as well as burn enough calories to lose plenty of body fat in the process.
The Bottom Line
By now you know that the benefits of learning to surf go beyond just catching waves and looking cool in front of your friends. The sport of surfing requires significant physical fitness and is a great way to burn calories and stay fit.
Getting good at surfing requires a lot of time and patience, but it can be one of the best feelings in the world once you can catch big waves consistently.
Be sure to check out all the other calculators that we have to offer at Fitness Volt!
References:
- Jetté, M., Sidney, K., & Blümchen, G. (1990). Metabolic equivalents (METS) in exercise testing, exercise prescription, and evaluation of functional capacity. Clinical cardiology, 13(8), 555–565. https://doi.org/10.1002/clc.4960130809
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