For surfers who want to paddle longer, pop up faster, and take a hold-down without losing a shoulder. The first phase is a cold water warm-up of shoulder circles, around the world, gentle external rotations, and scapular activation, then the second builds paddle endurance through lat pulls, high to low diagonal pulls, the external rotation series, scapular wall slides, and postural endurance work. The last phase covers pop-up power and wipeout resilience with explosive overhead press, power pull-downs, overhead position holds, internal rotations, and face pulls.
Get blood into a cold shoulder before you paddle out. Shoulder circles, around the world, gentle external rotations, and scapular activation take about five minutes on the sand and bring the cuff up to temperature. A cold first paddle in a dawn session is where a lot of surf shoulders get hurt.
Universal mobility exercise for comprehensive shoulder movement. Adaptable to all programs and populations.
Targeted shoulder mobility and stabilization exercise. Focuses heavily on the lateral and posterior deltoids, rotator cuff, and scapular control along the lateral plane of the body. Excellent for building shoulder endurance, improving overhead range of motion, and correcting forward-rolling shoulder posture.
Universal recovery exercise with light external rotation. Promotes blood flow and gentle activation.
General scapular activation for multiple programs. Excellent for rehab and postural training.
Build a shoulder that still pulls on the last wave of the session. Lat pulls, high to low diagonal pulls, the external rotation series, scapular wall slides, and postural endurance work train the paddle stroke and the serratus anterior that keeps the shoulder blade flat on the ribs. Most surfers run out of shoulder well before they run out of waves.
Activates lats for swimming and overhead athletics. Excellent for thoracic extension and lat engagement.
Functional diagonal movement. Excellent for tackling motions, golf, and general function.
Comprehensive external rotation training at multiple angles. Excellent for endurance and rotator cuff health.
Promotes optimal scapular mechanics and addresses dyskinesis. Excellent for postural correction.
Builds endurance for sustained postural demands. Excellent for occupational and postural training.
Train the fast push off the board and the crash that sometimes follows it. Explosive overhead press and power pull-downs build the triceps and anterior deltoid drive behind a quick pop-up, while overhead position holds, internal rotations, and face pulls prepare the shoulder for an arm getting thrown overhead in the whitewater. The wipeout is the part of surfing you cannot control, so the shoulder should be ready for it.
Develops overhead power and strength. Adjust tempo from explosive (sports) to controlled (rehab).
Explosive pulling for sport performance. Builds lat strength and overhead pulling power.
Builds isometric overhead strength and stability. Critical for overhead athletes and blocking sports.
Balances rotator cuff strength. Critical for americana defense in combat sports.
Premier corrective exercise for the upper back and shoulder complex. Combines scapular retraction with shoulder external rotation to heavily target the posterior deltoids, infraspinatus, teres minor, and mid-to-lower trapezius. Vital for reversing rounded shoulder posture and building rotator cuff resilience.
Cloth wrapped bands with graduated resistance and a door anchor for high, mid, and low setups. Everything this program calls for, in one kit.
We call for an effort level instead of a specific weight, because the right resistance depends on you, the movement, and where you are in your training. For the sets and reps listed on each exercise, pick the resistance that makes the last few reps feel like the level shown.
You finish the set with several clean reps still in the tank. The work stays easy and fully controlled from the first rep to the last.
You could manage a few more reps at the end, but not many. The final reps take real effort while your form holds.
You reach the last prescribed rep with little or nothing left. Completing every rep with good form is genuinely hard.
These are starting points, not rules. Everyone is built differently, so adjust to fit you: size down if your form breaks before the final rep or a movement aggravates a symptom, and only size up once every rep feels smooth and pain free. When you are unsure, choose the lighter option.
