Let’s face it, leg day sucks! While compound exercises like squats and deadlifts are great for building muscle and gaining strength, even those who claim to love training their legs secretly hate it!

But what if there was another way you could give your legs a great workout whilst actually enjoying yourself? Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, actually no, as many watersports are great for the lower body, as well as being insanely fun and exciting.

Here, we’ll explain why some watersports are great for the legs, and we’ll also point out the best ones for getting a great lower-body workout.

How Watersports Work The Legs

Watersports offer a dynamic and adrenaline-pumping way to strengthen and tone the legs through a combination of balance, manoeuvre and propulsion techniques. 

Whether you’re riding the waves on a surfboard, gliding across the water on a paddleboard, or being pulled along at speed on a wakeboard, these activities continually engage the leg muscles to maintain stability and control. 

Balancing on the board or skis also works the core as it works in tandem with the legs to keep the body upright and steady against the forces of the water. 

Manoeuvring through the waves and navigating tight turns involves dynamic movements that activate the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, glutes, and even some of the upper body’s main muscle groups for a thorough workout.

So while the main attraction of watersports is the fun and excitement it offers, don't underestimate its ability to work your muscles and offer a refreshing alternative to traditional workouts.

Best Watersports For  Working Legs

If you’re looking for a water-based activity to work the legs, these are four that should do the trick:

Surfing: 

Surfing is one of the most exciting watersports you can participate in, and it’s also one of the best for your legs. Surfing requires leg strength to stand up and balance on the board while riding waves, engaging multiple muscles for stability and control in the water.

Water Skiing: 

This sport challenges the legs to maintain balance and stability while being pulled along the waves behind a boat. Once you’re done, those quads are sure to be burning, but the fun will all be worth it!

Wakeboarding: 

This involves dynamic movements and jumps that activate pretty much all of the leg muscles, particularly the quadriceps, hamstrings and calves, which should be bulging once you’re done!

Kayaking: 

While kayaking is more of an upper-body/core workout, you will still utilise leg muscles for bracing and propulsion while paddling through the water, especially during rapid movements and turns.

So that’s why watersports make a great lower-body workout. As you can see, there’s more than just endless fun to be had here – you can strengthen your leg muscles, which offers a range of health benefits while having the time of your life. It doesn’t get much better than that, does it?

If you need any watersports equipment to participate in any of the activities mentioned in this article, check out our stock.