Favorite off-ice training during rink closures

[LunarSkater]

Now that the majority of rinks are closed, how is everyone planning on keeping the skating momentum going? My pairs partner and I have already blocked out - over the phone - next year's program. But aside from the paperwork side of things, what off-ice training are you planning on? Do you have any favorite workouts? Online videos you like? Grateful your gym is still open?

Let's share what we're planning on doing and cheer each other on so we can keep our spirits up in these troublesome times.

[rsk8d]

Hi! Sk8Strong is offering large discounts for skaters and coaches at this time. Code 'sk8strong32030' is valid for 30% off through tomorrow, the 31st, then there will be a 20% off discount in April.

[Query]

Related threads:

http://skatingforums.com/index.php?topic=8517.0

http://skatingforums.com/index.php?topic=8522.0

Hi! Sk8Strong is offering large discounts for skaters and coaches at this time. Code 'sk8strong32030' is valid for 30% off through tomorrow, the 31st, then there will be a 20% off discount in April.

Very Cool! I was quite pleased with the materials and advice Lauren (rsk8d, a licensed physical therapist) provided me some years ago.

[rsk8d]

Thanks you, Query!
I've put Adult Training on sale for everyone for this week:
DVD: https://www.sk8strong.com/catalog/item/7395949/7718851.htm
DVD + download: https://www.sk8strong.com/catalog/item/7395949/7718851.htm
Download: https://www.sk8strong.com/catalog/item/6901858/6864414.htm

[Isk8NYC]

I've been doing daily off-ice workouts for over a year, so I'm staying the course.  It's not for skating, per se, but designed for general strength and fitness.  I augment it with some of the exercises from rsk8d's videos and workout planner.  So far, so good and I'm not stir-crazy.

Almost every training center offers customized workouts and it's a way for personal trainers to get it together.
Most of the skating coaches who also offer off-ice have been offering one-on-one consultations via Zoom or FB Live, etc.

I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) that rsk8d offers online consultation in addition to the items for sale on the website. 

[Isk8NYC]

Coach Michelle Hong is offering multi-day Challenges on TicTok, Facebook and YouTube.  So far, they've all been free videos.

March was a month of stretching challenges. 
April offers daily exercises with a weekly theme: W1-Jump Techniques, W2-Spin Technique, etc.  Starts Monday, 4/6/2020.

https://www.facebook.com/CoachMichelleHong/photos/a.493125507559345/1254552421416646
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQhbga89E7YDoZIzWniz2vg

The downside is that she's on so many platforms, it's hard to keep it all straight.  She's offering off-ice consulting as well.

[Isk8NYC]

Planet Fitness has a daily online "Work In" video exercise sessions on YouTube and FB Live (or on demand) at either 8am or 7pm EST.  (Check the FB page for next FB Live)

The presenters range from PF personal trainers, to Erica Lugo from Biggest Loser to guest "coaches" from NASCAR and NFL.  Some of the sessions are just "let's dance with our families."  Really low-key, but fun.  I've done a number of the workouts - my fav trainer is Joe from Day 2.  His remarks are really cute - "kick like a shark's chasing you!"

https://www.youtube.com/user/planetfitnessnh
https://www.facebook.com/pg/planetfitness/videos

All free and their YouTube channel has other videos that demonstrate exercises that you may want to try on your own.

[Isk8NYC]

"Lutz of Greens" on YouTube has a variety of workouts for skaters at no charge.  No equipment needed other than a mat - it's core work, stretching and strengthening.  I like the way she explains how to do each exercise.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYVL820XL4ekrvvDUTtP7Sg

[Isk8NYC]

There are tons of Yoga videos floating around, but this YouTube user targeted Skaters specifically:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3wnhOpht_0

[Isk8NYC]

My Peak Challenge has a 30-day Self-Distancing Challenge with daily workout lists and videos.  The exercises address core, cardio, weight training, yoga, etc.  There are suggestions on how to improvise if you don't have equipment or if you need a modification for an exercise due to injuries.  The trainer is from Glascow (great accent - "phhhuuhlin"=pulling) and he's very good at explaining how to do the exercises properly so you don't injure yourself and you get the most out of each rep.

The workout week includes an active and a full rest day, so it's not too overwhelming if you're just getting started with fitness training. I incorporate some of the exercises into my planned daily workouts.

https://mypeakchallenge.com/pages/sdc30

[Isk8NYC]

Sean Rabbitt has been leading online workouts via FB video.  They're hard and he uses some equipment (exercise ball, kettlebells) but he does tell you how to improvise if you don't have weights, etc.  He's very entertaining and energetic.

https://www.facebook.com/seanrabbitt/videos_by

[Isk8NYC]

If you like goofiness and risque comments, look up the Kilted Coaches on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.  They're personal trainers from Scotland and yes, they wear kilts when they work out. Sometimes, they wear shirts and jackets, too, but not always.  Their ballet and pilates attempts are hilarious! 

They offer (paid) online consultations, support and workouts for subscribers and they'll even design a workout plan for you. Again, fitness and strength training, not skating. 

They really are knowledgeable, entertaining, and interesting. 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUekEOPMZcH4bYqH0UEZ5Zw

[Isk8NYC]

Flexafit with Signe Ronka has been ahead of the curve since the shutdowns started because she's been running a successful online off-ice training program for years.

Through March and April, the Facebook page has been sharing Figure Skater Fitness magazine exercises for skaters.
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Flexafit/posts

She's also offered a free online workout through Skate Oakville.  Anyone was eligible to participate - just had to sign up through Zoom.

For a fee, there are online group classes Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  (see site for times) and one-on-one online evaluation/training for $80 CAD
https://flexafit.com/classes/#ots

[FigureSpins]

New York Ice Theatre has been sharing exercises from their on-ice edge classes for years.  With the #stayhome orders closing rinks,they're sharing off-ice edge classes now.  Take a look!

https://www.youtube.com/user/icetheatre

[Kat]

If you like goofiness and risque comments, look up the Kilted Coaches on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.  They're personal trainers from Scotland and yes, they wear kilts when they work out. Sometimes, they wear shirts and jackets, too, but not always.  Their ballet and pilates attempts are hilarious! 

They offer (paid) online consultations, support and workouts for subscribers and they'll even design a workout plan for you. Again, fitness and strength training, not skating. 

They really are knowledgeable, entertaining, and interesting. 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUekEOPMZcH4bYqH0UEZ5Zw

Discovered them because of your post, thanks!  Can't believe I'd not heard of them before.  Somehow that accent just makes me feel a lot better about it than I should when they say "Noo stoppin', noo rrrrrest..."

[Isk8NYC]

They are hilarious, but definitely NSFW.  Someone suggested that they tone down their cursing a few years ago.  It didn't go over well.

Their workouts are great and they really are good personal trainers. I have mixed feelings about their service: it would be great to do, but it's another time zone and pricey.  I've done several of their recorded workouts and found they explained the exercises well, addressed safety and kept the workout moving without being overwhelming or boring. 

However, I feel that the kilts and the bad-boy images have outlived their usefulness; they're about to relaunch with a new look, so maybe things will change. At times, it makes me a uncomfortable that they wear kilts to do things like sledding in the snow.  It's like a gimmick that they don't realize is no longer needed.  The kilts are holding them back from being taken seriously as trainers, imo.

[Kat]

Hm.  Nothing I've seen from them so far suggests a "bad boy" image, so maybe there's some older stuff I've not seen.  Sometimes I wish there was a liiiiiitle less talking, and a liiiiittle more just getting down to it, but that's why I do a lot of skipping. 

[supersharp]

Our rink closed for the season a few days ago, with a plan to reopen at the beginning of August. Sigh.

Have to do something or I will go insane, so I pulled out my tap shoes and my practice board yesterday for the first time in at least 6 months. Tap dance is really fun and I find it improves my quickness on the ice (I was in a tap class for 5 years until Covid hit), pretty sure the tap gets full credit for getting me through the quick steps in the Paso.  The great thing is that there is some reasonably good online instruction available and a ton of YouTube channels with lessons and fun combinations to try.

Now that I am fully vaccinated (as of 4 weeks ago), I am heading out of Alaska next week for the first time since February 2020.  Going to visit my daughter, watch her in an equestrian show, and I'm taking my skates along. So excited!  I have a coach I work with when I'm in that area and by complete coincidence, when my daughter moved to that part of the world, she chose a barn/training center about 6 minutes away from the rink I go to...and then bought a house that is only 20 minutes away.  Lucky me ...I checked in with the coach down there and set up a lesson and he cleared it with their director that I can skate even though I am from out of state.

Now I'm walking through dance pattens in my living room, making sure I will be on top of whatever he decides I should be working on. Eeeek.

[Bill_S]

That all sounds like fun! Have a good trip, and have a productive skate while there.

Taking trips to other rinks is appealing. You get to see new faces.

[Query]

Supersharp, very cool!

Is it cold enough anywhere near Juneau to find outdoor ice, or create some?

And dance with a polar bear?

P.S. It's so hard to skate now (they mostly want me to book in advance, but DC metro still has traffic jams) that I have been doing more inline skating. Much less fun.

P.P.S. Have synthetic ice rinks in people's homes have become more popular since Covid struck? As far as I can tell you can set up a tiny 8'x16' rink on a smooth flat surface for a few hundred dollars. Maybe about what most of you spend in a month or two on ice time and travel costs.

But synthetic ice users typically spend a lot on skate sharpening and wearing out blades. Besides I don't know of anything as slippery as ice. Synthetic ice wouldn't appeal to me much.

[supersharp]

We had some epic pond ice this winter, smooth as glass. But alas, all good things must come to an end and we have finally had the big thaw. Unfortunately, it extended into the rink.

My daughter somewhat jokingly suggested that I come for the skating and visit her since I'm there.

[supersharp]

Met my ice dance partner at his gym yesterday, which was almost empty (yay!). We are fortunate to have 65% of the total population (75% of the age-eligible population) vaccinated and a fairly isolated location, so things are starting to creep open and seem less threatening.

We both brought our spin boards and worked on spins for quite awhile, figuring out which positions we need to practice for dance spins vs solo spins. Then we worked and worked on twizzles on the spin boards. Partner is very natural at RFI twizzles and can do 8 rotations on the ice, but not as natural when it's clockwise rotation, like LFI. I'm much more remedial, have pulled off the occasional triple on the RFI but generally can only do a double.  LFI single was finally fairly consistent by the end of the season, but I struggle to get past 1.5 rotations on the left when doing twizzles sequentially.  Working on these with the spin board seems to really help identify the balance and body position glitches that are harder to identify when flying across the ice. We only need to be able to do a single for our Silver test, but when we threw one in on our Bronze test, one of the judges commented that both directions were under-rotated.  I am so appreciative of that comment!  It didn't matter on Bronze (we had a lift and a spin already) but it gave us some really valuable feedback. So we are planning a double RFI/single LFI for the Silver test just so we can be sure that the RFI doesn't fall short of full rotation.  Seems simple enough until you add music, speed, being synchronized, and the moves before you go into the twizzles, haha.  Oh, and then there's test stress. 

Next we went through all the lifts we know and are working on, with variations, and tried a couple of simple pairs lifts we had seen online just for fun. Realized that one is illegal for dance (marks supporting arm over his head), which fortunately was the one we were worse at, and had pretty good success with the second pairs lift.  Trying something new felt really good.   

1.5 hours, so much fun, and both of us walked away having identified which muscles need more specific training. I can join him with a guest pass twice a month, so we are planning to do this again in June and twice in July. Meanwhile, I know what I need to work on.