If you feel exhausted after paddle boarding, you are not alone.
Many people complain of feeling completely beat after one or two hours of SUP adventure. To some extent, it is okay to feel this.
Just as in fitness exercises, sometimes, you experience post workout soreness, which sets in after 24 hours. Most SUP enthusiasts report the same thing.
You spend hours pushing and pulling the SUP paddle, and when you go home, you don’t feel a thing. But the following day, you can hardly find the energy to do anything.
Reasons for feeling exhausted after paddle boarding
Here are the most likely reasons for feeling bushed after a hard days work on your solid or inflatable SUP:
You outdid yourself on the first day after some time
Okay, you are an experienced SUP guy, but it has been sometime since you went onto the water. Let’s say it is spring.
After cleaning your SUP board for storage in the early days of last fall, you have not been engaging much in workouts that target all muscle groups.
Then comes Spring and you take out your inflatable SUP and hit the water. It is going to task your body a lot.
You have not taken the time to warm up, to get your body ready for the vigorous task that’s ahead. On the board, you won’t feel a thing. But wait until you get home and take a nap, and you hardly find the energy to lift your hand.
The sun sapped out your energy
Mostly, we love to SUP when it is sunny. That’s the whole point of doing water sports. However, the sun dies have that effect of beating you down until there is no energy left in you.
Remember, stand up paddle boarding also burns many calories. The sun on the other hand dehydrates you. But the thing is … many people complain of serious fatigue even when they hydrate very well when stand paddle boarding.
Remember to wear the best waterproof sunscreen when paddle boarding on the lake. It will not prevent fatigue and soreness, but it will protect your skin.
Balancing on the SUP takes a lot of energy
Using the SUP paddle is not the only energy take when you are having fun on the water. Even balancing on the SUP board itself takes a lot of energy.
This is one of the reasons why paddle boarding burns more calories than kayaking or most other water sports. Everything you do on the board requires energy and burns calories.
There is a certain way you have to keep your knees, a certain way to turn, to stand up on the board and so on. All of these things use energy. Even the constant worry that you could fall into the water takes a lot of energy.
You are a paddle boarding beginner
In our article on what to expect for the first time paddle boarding, we said you are going to get tired, and wet!
In fact, no one can overemphasize just how tired you are going to feel. This sport requires you to use all of your muscle groups, including the core muscles when turning.
As a first timer, you are going to feel the crunch. Unfortunately, there is nothing to do about this, apart from taking more SUP sessions, until your body gets used to it.
There are so many things to learn on the first day. There is also so much to be anxious about such that you will over-exert yourself. This is going to consume a lot of energy.
It is recommended that you take it slow on the first two days as your body gets used to it. However, if you are a fitness freak, you could enjoy stand up paddle boarding longer and not feel the debilitating fatigue later.
You went for white water paddling
Stand up paddle boarding in the river can take more energy than when you are enjoying SUP adventure on flat water.
It requires more action to dodge debris, rocks and keep the board going in the desired direction.
You also need to keep moving your head around to check on things, lest a log pops up out of nowhere.
Overall, stand up paddle boarding in the river is going to take more energy than flat water. It is also very rewarding, and we only recommend it for advanced SUP enthusiasts.
Does paddle boarding hurt your back?
Ideally, it is okay to feel exhausted after paddle boarding. But it should not hurt your back.
Actually, paddle boarding should make your back better. But if you do it wrong, you could cause serious harm to your back.
Paddle boarding is a low impact exercise. That is why even people with bad knees can enjoy it. When you are turning and balancing on the SUP board, you engage your core muscles fully, including your lower back.
If you bend forward too much on the board, this could end up hurting your back. This is why you need to learn, and exercise the best posture when you are having fun on your SUP board.
To avoid hurting your back, you need to do paddle boarding the right way. The first few days are going to be a bit hard on your back.
As you get used to adopting the right stance, positioning your knees correctly and avoiding falling in water, you will stop exerting undue pressure on your back.
Is paddle boarding good for your back?
Because a paddle board gives you a low impact workout that benefits all muscles, it is also good for the back.
In fact, the upper as well as lower back muscles benefit from this workout. When you are turning on the board, you cannot turn with your legs.
You engage the core muscles fully to be able to turn your body without shifting the legs. Remember, shifting the legs is going to tip the board into the water and you could fall off.
If you have had a knee, back or hip injury some time in the past, perhaps you should ask your doctor whether you are ready to engage in workouts such as paddle boarding.
While paddle boarding is great for your back, it could also cause it to hurt if you do not do it right. To reiterate, bending forward too much can hurt your back.
Exhausted after paddle boarding FAQ
It is okay to feel exhausted after engaging in any type of physical activity. But what degree of exhaustion is too much after paddle boarding? The frequently asked questions and their answers below might help you.
Is paddle boarding dangerous?
Paddle boarding is neither dangerous to your health nor your life. That said, you still need to adhere to precautions.
For instance, when you have been in the water for an hour or more without snacking, start moving closer to the shore.
Exhaustion can creep on your fast and it is quite possible to lack the energy to paddle back to the shore.
This can be dangerous!
Generally, paddle boarding is gentler than surfing, wake boarding and most other water sports. If you do it in the areas designated for swimming, bathing or surfing, you’ll be very safe.
If you will do it outside this zone, please have a life vest for paddle boarding on the SUP. That way, you can wear it if you start feeling exhausted.
Is SUP boarding good exercise?
It is the best. In fact, between kayaking vs paddle boarding, go for the latter if you want to workout your entire muscle groups.
Stand up paddle boarding works out all parts of your body. Even the core gets a good workout when you steering the board or paddling from either side.
The paddle board exercise benefits are many. You can even engage in SUP yoga to work out your mind as well.
If you want to burn calories with paddle boarding, it is the right sport for you. It can burn more calories per hour than swimming, running or kayaking.
Does paddle boarding make you tired?
This is the whole point about paddle boarding. It will make you crazy exhausted. In fact, during the first few days, you will wonder what you were thinking getting started.
As you get more used to the hard work, you will experience less fatigue. But when you don’t experience any fatigue, increase the time you spend on the water or raise your speed. If you hit a plateau stage, there is need for more effort.
Conclusion: Exhausted after paddle boarding
You have been having fun on your 4 inch or 6 inch paddle board from 9.00AM to 1.00PM. But the following day, you can hardly lift your legs to get off the bed.
You feel very exhausted after paddle boarding.
This is normal, especially if it has been some time since you last had a great time on your paddle board for extended hours.
Please note that it is okay to feel this way for the first two to three days as you get fully into the stand up paddle boarding season.
However, if you are still feeling that way a week after getting started, you could be doing something wrong. Revisit your SUP style.