I just reviewed the Surfinshape Model O board and decided to share it here as well as a Facebook group that I’ve just setup where fans of the board can share their thoughts, experiences and workouts.
Below is my review!
Game changer – review by masters swimmer, water polo player and landlocked surfer!
Fate has made my home Regina, Saskatchewan. This is about as landlocked as you can get!
I swim with the masters swim club here and since moving from the UK the trips I’ve taken have been preceded by a lot of swim training but doing workouts in the prone position on the Surfinshape board has been a game changer.
Before I bought the board I decided to take my shortboard to the pool to workout on just to see if I felt a difference before busting out the credit card. After a trip to Panama that followed some training on my shortboard I found a big difference compared to just swimming so I decided that getting the Model O would be worth the risk (I’m 230lbs which is above the recommendation) but I did a good stint of training on it before another trip to Mexico and the difference in paddle power for the last few critical strokes was noticeable. It also made it possible to paddle out and paddle in instantly rather than waiting to catch my breath!
I’ve now begun to develop some new sets for training based on the masters swimming I do. So some paddle warm-ups, easy/fast speed work by 50m and 25m, some sculling and also some work with hand paddles. I head to Tofino on Monday and am excited.
I’ve also found that both on a surfboard and on the Surfingshape board as you have to turn every 25m it really helps my turn for a wave. To practice the quick whip round of the legs and back onto the board is great. I saw some comments suggesting that this would be annoying but I think it can only be another plus.
The other area the board has helped with is my butterfly, breaststroke and head up front crawl for water polo. This is primarily because from strengthening my back in the prone position so my whip kick and dolphin kick is improved too.
The board is worth every penny! I will use it for years to come and it will significantly increase the number of waves I get on every trip!