The Shoulder Stability Exercise Every Surfer Should Be Doing

If you’ve ever felt shoulder pain or tightness after a surf, or noticed one side of your paddling feels weaker or clunkier than the other, there’s a good chance your shoulder stability might be off. One of the best exercises I use both for my own shoulder health and with the surfers I work with, especially around Ocean Grove and Torquay, is the seated shoulder external rotation.

This is one of the most underrated but important surf prehab and rehab tools in the kit. It’s simple, effective and directly targets one of the key rotator cuff muscles that helps you paddle stronger and protect your shoulders in the surf.

Why shoulder stability matters for surfers

When we’re paddling out, duck diving or pushing up into our pop up, our shoulders are doing a lot of work. But if we don’t have the strength or control through the smaller stabilising muscles, like the rotator cuff, things can start to break down.

Specifically, we’re talking about the infraspinatus here. This muscle is one of your four rotator cuff muscles and it’s responsible for externally rotating the shoulder and helping to centre the head of the humerus (your upper arm bone) in the shoulder joint. In a well-functioning shoulder, everything moves smoothly and in the right direction. But if the infraspinatus isn’t doing its job, we often see compensations and unwanted movement patterns. A common one is the shoulder rolling forward or upward during the paddle stroke.

This is where people often start to feel that tightness or burning at the front of the shoulder, through the neck, or even into the upper back. That’s your body telling you it’s working harder in the wrong areas to make up for a lack of stability and control where it actually counts.

The exercise: Seated shoulder external rotations

This one’s super simple but really effective. You can do it seated with a light dumbbell or resistance band. The key is slow, controlled movement and staying strict with your form. You’re not trying to power through it. It’s more about control, activation and building that local endurance.

Focus on feeling the muscle at the back of the shoulder working. It should feel like a solid but low-level burn. Over time, this builds strength where you need it most, improves your paddling mechanics and reduces stress on the front of the shoulder and neck.

How this fits into your surf prep or rehab

If you're based in Ocean Grove, Torquay or anywhere along the Surf Coast, this is exactly the kind of targeted exercise I program in for surfers I work with. Whether it’s for injury rehab, shoulder pain, or just surf performance and longevity, it’s a key part of shoulder care for surfers.

This type of work helps prevent issues before they become real problems. It’s especially useful if:

• You get sore shoulders after longer sessions

• You’ve had a previous shoulder injury or impingement

• You’re returning to surfing after time off

• You want to improve your paddling power and efficiency

Final thoughts

If you’re not already including some type of rotator cuff work in your surf training or rehab, now’s the time. It doesn’t have to be complicated. It just has to be consistent and well targeted.

I work with surfers across the Surf Coast including Ocean Grove, Barwon Heads and Torquay, helping them get out of pain and back into the water stronger and more confident. Whether you’re dealing with an ongoing shoulder issue, coming back from injury or just looking to bulletproof your paddling, feel free to reach out. I’m always happy to chat about where you’re at and how we can work together to get your shoulders working the way they should.

You can check out more resources and book in for surf physio consults through my site, or shoot me a message if you’ve got any questions.

Ben