If you're looking for a fun, full-body workout that gets you outdoors and is easier than a treadmill workout, look no further than Stand Up Paddle Board (SUP). Here are 10 SUP workouts that will effectively activate your muscles and burn calories.

Long, steady paddles at a moderate pace build endurance and burn a ton of calories. If you keep up a strong pace for 60-90 minutes, you can easily burn 500-700 calories, depending on the wind and your intensity.

Sprints on a inflatable SUP board are no joke! Paddle hard for 30 seconds, then rest for a minute. Repeat 10-15 times. This high-intensity interval training (HIIT) burns up to 750 calories per hour and is effective in strengthening your arms, back, and core muscles.

Combining yoga and balance training on an inflatable stand up paddle board adds an extra challenge. Moves like Warrior II, Downward Dog, and Boat Pose work your stabilizer muscles in a way that land-based yoga can’t. Expect to burn around 300-450 calories with 60 minutes of Flow.

Create a mini circuit on your iSUP paddleboard:

20 squats

10 push-ups

30-second planks

15 sit-ups

20 lunges (10 on each side)

Repeat this circuit 3-5 times. It’s surprisingly tough! This combo burns calories and builds total-body strength while having fun on the water.

Paddling against the current, or wind, is like nature’s own resistance training. It forces you to engage all of your major muscle groups, from your legs to your lats. Even a 30-minute upstream challenge can burn 400-600 calories!

Double the fun, double the effort. Paddle with a friend (or kid) on a blow up paddle board, and the added weight means more resistance. You'll work harder to maintain balance and rhythm, and before you know it, you can turn an easy paddling session into a calorie-burning workout.

Set a distance goal: 5K, 10K, or even a half marathon. Keep a steady pace and stick with it to build endurance and cardio. These longer paddleboard sessions can burn up to 800 calories, especially if you catch some waves along the way.

Challenge yourself with a single-leg stand, squat, or dynamic lunge. The more you move and balance, the more your core muscles are engaged. Balance-focused drills may burn fewer calories per hour than sprints, but they lay the foundation for longer, faster paddle sessions.

If you’re lucky enough to live near good surfing waves like Vancouver Island or the Great Lakes, SUP surfing can be an intense, full-body workout. Balance, paddle, float—expect to burn 600-800 calories per hour in dynamic, unpredictable conditions.

Even if you’re not planning on competing in a SUP race, training like you’re competing can up your training intensity. Combine sprints, long distances, buoy turns, and quick rests. It’s one of the best ways to burn calories—and if you can find a local SUP group to train with, it can be a lot of fun!

You don’t have to buy an expensive inflatable SUP board—at Funwater, you can get a high-performance board for just CAD $200. All you have to do is pick up an inflatable paddle board and paddle out into the water.