After all these years working in massage in Raglan, I can usually tell who's been in the water before they've said a word. Tight upper back, stiff hips, shoulders that don't want to go overhead. Different people, same story.
The good news is it doesn't take an hour of yoga to sort it. These are the five moves I give almost everyone who climbs onto my table. No gear needed, and you can do them on the beach before you paddle out or on the lounge floor after dinner.
1. Open book (for your upper back)
Lie on your side with your knees bent and stacked, arms straight out in front, palms together. Slowly lift the top arm up and over, following your hand with your eyes, and let your chest open toward the sky. Pause, breathe out, come back. Eight each side.
Paddling rounds you forward all day. Your mid-back stops rotating, so your lower back and shoulders end up doing the twisting for it. Turning is half of surfing, so give that movement back to the part of you that's meant to do it.
2. Half-kneeling hip opener
Kneel on one knee with the other foot out in front. Tuck your tailbone under, squeeze the glute on the back leg, and gently shift forward until you feel the front of that hip open up. Don't arch your back to get there. Hold 30 to 40 seconds a side.
Lying on a board, then sitting in the car, shortens the front of your hips. That tugs on your lower back and makes your pop-up feel heavy.
3. Slow press-ups
Lie face down with your hands under your shoulders. Press up through your arms, keep your hips heavy on the floor, and let your lower back relax. Ease up, ease down. Ten slow ones.
You spend your session with your chest lifted and your head up. This teaches your spine to move through that range smoothly, instead of crunching at one sore spot. If it pinches or sends pain down a leg, stop.
4. 90/90 hip switch
Sit on the floor with one shin in front of you and the other out to the side, both knees roughly at right angles. Sit tall, then slowly rotate your knees across to switch sides, using your hands as little as you can. Ten each way.
Your stance asks your hips to rotate in and out under load. This is the thing I find most limited in surfers. When the hips are stiff, your knees and lower back take the hit on every turn.
5. Wall slides (for your shoulders)
Stand with your back, head and hips against a wall. Bend your elbows and put the backs of your hands on the wall. Slide your arms up overhead and back down without your ribs flaring or your lower back arching. Ten slow ones. It's harder than it looks.
Paddling hammers the front of your shoulders and the muscles holding them in place. Plenty of surfers come in saying "sore shoulders" when the real issue is a rounded upper back making the shoulders work overtime. This shows you what range you've actually got.
How I'd use them
Little and often beats big and rarely. Pick two or three, do them most days, and rotate the rest in. Breathe out on the hard part of each move and don't force anything. You're after "I can feel that", not "ow".
None of this replaces rest, or getting something properly checked if pain is sharp, sudden or hanging around.
But if you've been doing these for a few weeks and still feel locked up in the same spots, that's where hands-on work earns its place. That's exactly what my Surf Release Massage is for!
Check out the Surf Release Massage Raglan → https://www.truelifebodywork.co.nz/surf-release-massage
