7 Watersports That Will Help You Develop Your Physical Abilities

If you want to improve both your cardiovascular strength and muscle tone, you should never constrain yourself to just one type of sport or workout. You should branch out to as many types of physical activities as possible.

Watersports are a great form of physical activity because you will constantly strive against the sea or river currents. This takes a great deal of strength and endurance, and they will help develop your overall physique. Here are 7 watersports that will help develop your physique:

1. Kayaking

Kayaking is the activity of using a kayak for moving through bodies of water. This form of rafting originated from the Inuit tribes and it entails kayakers to traverse through long distances and through various bodies of water. Due to the long-distance quality of the activity, you will have to exert a great deal of effort and stamina. This activity will help you develop your endurance and muscle tone. This is especially true for your arms because the long hours of paddling will help them develop in the long run.

2. Rafting

Rafting has a lot of similarities with kayaking. The only difference is that rafting is somewhat less strenuous because there are more people that can be involved in the activity. Whereas in kayaking, the participants are usually limited to one or two people. The main difference though is the equipment.

Kayaks usually have covered decks, whereas rafts have open decks to accommodate more people. The paddles used in kayaking are double-ended, because the vessel is smaller, and you will need to paddle both sides of the boat to propel it effectively. Rafts on the other hand use one ended paddles, and you are supposed to work as a team. The body parts that you will develop while rafting are technically the same as in kayaking, which is the shoulders, arms, and abdominals.

3. Surfing

Surfing is by far the most popular water sport in the world, and a lot of famous surfers have very well-developed physiques. Surfing is a very extreme sport and expects you to stay on top of your board, no matter how tall or strong the waves are. Surfing is a great full-body workout because it entails you to pull yourself up from the water on top of your board.

You are also expected to steer your board through the sea currents, and use your core muscles to keep the surfboard stable despite the rocking motions of the sea. You will also be able to hone your hand-eye-coordination because it takes split-second timing to get up from the prone position to the standing position while riding a wave.

4. Bodyboarding

Bodyboarding has many similarities to surfing. The only difference is that instead of using the very long surfboards, bodyboarders use smaller size boards. The techniques used by bodyboarders are quite similar to surfing, so you will also be honing the same muscle types. By rowing away from the shore, you’ll develop your arm muscles such as your biceps and triceps. By getting up on the bodyboard, you’ll strengthen your legs muscles, and by steering the bodyboard, you’ll also strengthen your core muscles.

5. Windsurfing

Windsurfing could be described as a combination of sailing and surfing, and it is quite extreme. It puts together the agility of surfing, with the speed and power of sailing. To participate in windsurfing, you’ll have to learn how to ride the waves, while using the wind to propel your sails. The experience of windsurfing is quite a rush, but it could also be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing.

However, if you’ve mastered most of the windsurfing techniques, your physique will develop as well. Due to its dynamic nature, you’ll be using every part of your body to control and stay on top of your board, This makes it a perfect full-body workout.

6. Kitesurfing

Kitesurfing shares some similarities to windsurfing, because like the latter, kitesurfing uses the power of the wind. However, windsurfing used sails, while kitesurfing uses large and powerful kites to propel the kitesurfer to greater speeds. As a workout, kitesurfing helps develop the shoulders and the arms. The abdominals are also developed because you will need to tighten your core a lot while kitesurfing. Of all the watersports, Kitesurfing is by far one of the most dynamic and unpredictable, so it pays that you hone your body as much as possible.

7. Paddleboarding

Paddleboarding entails you to use a board that is almost similar to a surfboard. However, while your main intent in surfing is to ride the tallest waves, paddle boarding on the other hand is a lot more relaxing and less dangerous. This does not mean that you won’t get a great workout though. As its name implies, you will be paddling your board through the water. Paddleboarding is usually done in the open seas, and it can still be dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing. Remember that the open seas have very strong currents, and if you don’t know how to maneuver your board, you could get swept away by the currents.

If you are a beginner, it is always a good idea to set up a floating dock system as a precaution. Click here for more info These types of docks are very stable and can provide you with a reliable platform from where you can launch and secure your paddleboard. If you take up paddleboarding and do it on a regular basis, you’ll develop endurance in most of your body parts, because it is a full-body workout.

Conclusion

If you want to develop your overall physical abilities, you should make sure that your day to day activities will enable you to work out every muscle in your body. Watersports are a great way to improve your workouts. By taking up these watersports, you’ll be able to reach your fitness goals, and have great adventures while at it.