Surf’s Up! Trying a SURFSET Class at Chelsea Piers with RipSurferX
Surfs up with SURFSET Instructor Diana Garrett.
If you are one of those ABC-TV Shark Tank fans (OMG, what a great show!) then you might have seen SURFSET Fitness in action. Or maybe you saw it mentioned here on FBG. If you have no idea what I am talking about, allow me to explain. The SURFSET board is the creation of founder and CEO Mark Hartwick who wanted a way to take his love of surfing indoors (when he wasn’t playing pro hockey!).
SURFSET is an indoor surfing/paddleboarding class that has been getting tons of media attention lately. It’s a fun activity that will give you an overall body-conditioning workout on a strapped-down surf board—without the hassle of finding a beach (or even the need for decent weather). I decided to check out a class at Chelsea Piers and see what all the excitement was about for all of you Fit Bottomed Girls’ readers.
The moment you step onto a SURFSET board your sense of balance will be challenged, to say the least. Even the arm-paddling exercises (which you perform lying on your stomach) will make you grab the sides of the board to ensure you won’t roll off. I can’t claim to understand the technology all that well, but, in essence, the SURFSET board is strapped into a contraption that mimics the water and will constantly put your back and abs into “active mode.”
Instructor Diana Garrett is a tiny dynamo who gave excellent instructions throughout the class and even took the time to show off a few yoga poses on her board when we were done. Almost from the start, the group was performing “pop ups” on the board, which is just about the toughest thing I have ever attempted physically. First you need the strength and agility to jump up to a standing position, and then you need the balance to stay up there. Yeah, it’s not easy.
The class also features a cardio portion (hopping over the surf board), and then an abs section that really tested my entire core. I could feel the workout in my arms and legs for days afterward! Overall, it was an incredible time, and I may even now have the guts to try a surf class on the water one day! (Well, maybe…)
Have you ever tried surfing or paddle boarding? What new kinds of workouts are you dying to try out? —Margo