We all know that SUP is a calming and somewhat spiritual experience. There is something about just being on the water that I just can’t get enough of. There is also plenty of anecdotal evidence of the physical health benefits of SUP but recently there was a detailed scientific study of the muscle groups used by various sup activities published by a US website suplogix. In this study they used the EMG(Electromyography) technique to measure the muscle activity of the elite SUP racer Travis Grant.
The results very interesting and supported that SUP is a full body workout.
In summary
“SUP paddling involves using the core and large muscles of the trunk”.
During SUPing the obliques, abdominals, pecs and lats are engaged.
“The lower trapezium muscle , which depresses and pulls the shoulder blades down and in towards the spine, was also working a lot.”
“The stand out information is the considerable amount of triceps activity he produced.”
“As the intensity increased, Travis’s quadriceps showed the most EMG activity in the lower body protocol.”
“The glutes, calves and hamstring muscle groups were all activated at moderate levels”
What this all means is we can now get a better understanding of the muscles needed to be both a successful SUP athlete and what gym work my support your non SUP training. Yes SUP is a full body workout and the science now proves it!
Full link and video here