After last weeks column, I hope that I opened your eyes to the incredible coastline of surfbreaks that are hitting Ireland’s west coast every weekend, how easy it can be to start surfing with just one lesson and just how easy it is to progress your surfing once you have managed the basics. Think six packs, think toned arms and firm legs, think healthy glowing skin, radiating health from all that fresh air . Surfing in many respects is one of the ultimate sports for health, ticking every box. But what if you want to take your surf to the next level, what are the best exercises? Are there any foods that will help your energy levels?The first answer to this is practice! Surfing takes lots and lots of practice, no matter what exercises you do, if you don’t get out on the waves then your not going to improve, intensive surfing will dramatically change technique and strength, no question about it! But of course there are lots of other variables that will make a big difference too, the first being nutrition. The morning of your surf, load up on some slow release carbohydrates, such as bran flakes, all bran, granola, wholegrain toast and of course the surfing favourite, porridge which has made a dramatic return to the breakfast table in recent years. As well as this ,aim to have some fruit which will give you some natural sugars to inject some energy before you go out. If your surf is longer than 1 hour then ideally you need to bring some form of fuel with you, after an hour the body will begin to get quite depleted so try to bring something out with you such as a carbogel or cereal bar, many wetsuits have pockets in them that you can put these in,just remember to put the wrapper back in afterwards!!Post surf you have 2 windows of nutritional importance, the first 20 minutes and the first 40 minutes. Ideally within the first 20 mins you need to be getting some for of sugar into the body, fruit will give you the perfect fix here. Then within the first 40 minutes you need to get a more substantial meal in , containing proteins too ,such as chicken, turkey or ham. There are lots of sports drinks on the market which will help you get the nutrients back in straight away, but commercial milk based drinks such as yazoo or chocolate milk will also do the trick too. Remember to fuel up before you surf, during your surf and after your surf to help get the best out of the body! Thats the food sorted, so what exercises can you do to improve your pop up or your paddling? Let’s start with the latter, one of the easiest ways to work the shoulders and improve your paddle is to get out there and paddle on the water, and not walk around with your board, now I know it can be a lot easier to walk with your board, but if you are looking to challenge yourself then just stop the walking about! Remember when your paddling to keep your chest up off the board, head tall and try to concentrate on getting a full stroke in the water! There are 3 simple exercises that can transform your body , try 3 sets of 15 reps of these and see how you get on: Press ups/ clap press ups: We all know the basis press up and the girlie press up. Here is a new one for you, the clap press up !Begin just like your normal press up, as you come up then press the body off the floor, clap the hands and return to the floor. Its hard, really hard, but will improve your pop no end!! Bridge/ side bridge: The classic core experience, improving your strength, balance and power. Start with your feet on the floor, now place your elbows on the floor and raise your back parallel to the floor, hold for 1 minute, ensuring to keep your back high, never letting it dip. Now for the side bridge, place your left elbow on the floor, and your left foot too. Raise your body off the floor, keeping your joints in one line,hold for 30 seconds and change sides! Jump squats: These will build your explosive leg power, they are tough but sure nothing comes easy! Start nice and wide on your feet ,back straight and hands by your side. Bend the knees and bring your hands/bum as low to the ground as you can, now jump as high as you possibly can , on landing go straight into your next jump squat. So there you have it, in these 2 articles you have all you need to start surfing and improve your surfing , no excuse now!!Grab your board, get out the wax and I’ll see you out on the waves!