Six Packs and Surfing: The Best Places On The Planet To Surf And Workout

Get fit. get barreled and fall off the grid at these idyllic surf destinations.

Ben Mondy
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surfer.com
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December 28, 2025

Out with the Bintangs, in with abs. There was a time when surfers did two types of training: surfing when there was surf, and drinking when there was no surf. But times have changed, and sessions like gym, cardio, cross-fit, yoga, cycling, or swimming are now vital tools in a surfer’s well-being quiver. The good news is you now don’t have to quit those good routines when you hit the road. With extra surf sessions, it’s possible to return fitter and stronger than when you left. These locations offer the perfect combo of sun, beach, waves, and facilities to get the best of both worlds. And look good on the socials.

Sydney

If you want to see just how much physical exercise is ingrained into Sydney’s psyche, we advise you to head to Bondi at 5.30am on a summer morning. Instead of the pre-dawn stillness you get at most city beaches, it is a thriving mass of human movement. The Bondi Icebergs’ pool is a churning mass of swimmers doing laps, the promenade a seething swarm of runners, the outside gyms a pump and dump of chin-ups and flat abs. It’s indicative of a city that works hard, surfs hard, trains hard, and plays hard. In the city, there’s a mix of boutique fitness studios, world-class, mega-gyms, and spit and sawdust boxing centres. Four out of five people you meet are yoga instructors; the odd one out is usually a black belt in jujitsu. With protected outdoor pools at every beach, usually with a quality wave breaking off the corner, there are a few places on earth where you can surf and train as hard as Sydney.

Bali

Chat GPT calls Bali’s Canngu Bali’s “beach break and fitness capital.” Surfers were first attracted to the quality reef and beachbreaks, but around a decade ago, it also became the rapid beating heart of the CrossFit craze. The gyms open way before daybreak, and you can get a dawn surf in after you’ve nailed your first yoga session. The other hotspot is Ubud, which has attracted the world’s best holistic trainers, therapists, and nutrition experts who operate in everything from luxury hotels and boutique studios to affordable jungle gyms. In Bali, you can surf your brains out, eat incredible, healthy food, and come back well on the path to better health and wellbeing. Or so I’ve been told.

Brazil

Without leaning too heavily on stereotypes, Brazilians tend to take the time to look their best. Maybe that’s why the average beachwear resembles dental floss. Fitness fanatics tend to congregate at the cheap gyms that are widely available in the wave-rich locations of Rio, Florianopolis, and Santa Catarina, with many located next to the sandy beaches. The popular outdoor workout stations spread around Rio are also legendary, and provide not just great locations to flex, but also to meet like-minded, core-crunching locals. In the north-east, Bahia, known as the coconut coast of Brazil, has quality reefbreaks and a reputation as a hub for massage, yoga, fitness, and relaxation retreats. Add the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academies and Capoeira clinics, if you can stay off the caipirinhas and Class A’s, Brazil can be a cleansing tonic of good waves and wellbeing.

The Canaries

Known for its slabby reefs, big wave bombies, and fun beaches, the Canary Islands of Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Tenerife, and Lanzarote all offer world-class waves. But it’s not just surfers who flee the harsh European winter to get their fix. The islands are also famed for the mix of elite sporting facilities and infrastructure. Within a few miles of Lanzarote’s best waves, which include El Queamo and The Slab is Club La Santa (self-titled as “the no. 1 sports resort in the world!”), whose elite facilities include swimming, cycling, climbing, and football. On Tenerife, the 4000 metre high Mt Tiede is a magnet for Europe’s best road cyclists and runners. And below sea level, the Apnea Freediving Centre also offers some of the best freediving conditions and courses in the world.