Off-Ice Training Resources - fsf, Query, 2-16-2009

[JimStanmore]

Query
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Post Title: Off-ice training resources and techniques
Posted: 02-16-2009, 01:39 PM

I would love to see a seperate sticky thread with resources and techniques for off-ice training

Covering:

1. What kind of exercises help with strength, conditioning, and flexibility, of the types needed for skating?
2. How do you do them?
3. How do specific exercises help specific skating skills?
4. How do you tell what is safe for you? (E.g., when is flexible too flexible?]

I'll contribute five links (the last two are mine).

1. Ice Xtras Practice Exercises On-Ice & Off-Ice Training plans

2. Sk8Strong Off Ice Training Resources for Figure Skaters and Coaches (commercial DVDs, manuals and equipment]

3. Stretching and Flexibility

4. My A Short Treatise on the Art of Falling Gently
(especially for ice skating)
and Other Methods of Injury Prevention

5. My Health and Fitness/Injury Prevention/Anatomy links 

Swizzler
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Posted: 02-16-2009, 06:40 PM

USFSA.ORG has some good articles on strength training and conditioning. http://www.usfigureskating.org/Story.asp?id=40699 

rsk8d
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Post Title: Info from Sk8Strong
Posted: 02-18-2009, 10:08 PM

*Sk8Strong DVDs have received endorsement form the Professional Skaters Association.

Hello. Here is a short answer to 'how do specific exercises help specific skating skills?':

In regards to core strength: To check out of a jump, your body needs to check against the force of rotation of the jump, and also maintain a vertical axis to avoid breaking forward at the waist. Core strength is necessary to accomplish this. Your abdominal and lower back muscles work together to maintain a straight spine, and also resist these rotational forces by contracting against the rotational resistance that your body is fighting to land the jump. Traditional exercises such as a sidebridge or a plank exercise are useful to use these muscles to maintain a hold and build muscular endurance. But as a skater, you also need additional exercises that challenge your body to rotate as you use your abdominals to stop that rotation. Sk8strong has created several exercises that mimic this rotational force which the 'exerciser' tries to maintain either balance or a stable spine. One involves using a sport cord of theraband at chest level, standing on one foot, and pulling the cord across the body while tightening the abdominals and keeping the shoulders and hips square. The abs are working to keep your body square as the cord pulls you laterally. Another can be found in our demo videos on youtube: www.youtube.com/sk8strongLD in the "Adult Training" demo and I think "The Competitive Skater" demo. (sorry if I'm not 100% correct, but I know it is at least one). You stand on one foot, eventually on a 1/2 foam roll, holding a weight or medicine ball in your hand. You challenge your center of balance by reaching diagonally upward, then across your body, then diagonally downward. Each time you reach, you are challenging your balance and core stability by maintaining your center over the foam roll. Your abs and lower back muscles are constantly working to do this, and this trains them to work against the rotation. Sk8Strong is working on some video downloads, and a complete core exercise workout is one of them. More on other exercises later.... I've got 2 kids to tend to!

www.sk8strong.com 

Query
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Posted: 02-20-2009, 11:28 AM

Thanks for the your replies.

I didn't know about the USFSA Spin site - looks quite interesting.

The info rsk8d provides on Sk8Strong looks interesting, but Sk8Strong materials are expensive enough I would want to order only the right thing (sorry).

How skill-specific are your Sk8Strong videos and manuals?

E.g., there are books (e.g., Blandine Calais-Germain, Anatomy of Movement and Anatomy of Movement: Exercises*) that discuss which specific exercises help which specific ballet moves.

Do any of your materials do the same for specific skating moves? Which specific materials for which specific moves?

*(The Calais-Germain books are too technically complex for anyone not familiar with both anatomical and ballet terminology.) 

rsk8d
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Posted: 02-20-2009, 06:33 PM

Thanks for the reply Query. On our pricing: we have kept them consistent with the industry of sport specific training, in which DVDs run from $29.99-$49.99. They are also consistent with the Ultimate Skate instructional DVDs "Physics On Ice" (which are great, by the way!), which are $39.95 apiece.

As for being skill specific, all of the exercises have some direct application to figure skating. The most important things a skater needs are:

1)Single leg stability: Pretty much everything a skater does is on one foot, using the knee biomechanically to bend up and down. The hip stabilizers must be strong to keep the pelvis level and keep the knee tracking properly in line with the toe. The majority of Sk8Strong's lower extremity exercises involves single leg stability work and building strength of the hip stabilizers, quads, and gluts while maintaining correct lower extremity alignment. Improved dynamic muscle control and correct alignment of the hip/knee/ankle will create the proper angle for jump takeoff and landings, and promote a centered spin.

2)Balance: Many of our exercises are done on one foot and you can challenge yourself by standing on a 1/2 foam roll or balance board. Every time your extremities move away from your center of gravity, your balance receptors are challenged. This has direct carryover to improved balance on the ice

3)Flexibility: Obvious one of course. The warmup DVD will take you through dynamic stretches for all of your lower extremity muscles and torso. Also provided is some static stretches for muscles that are commonly tight in figure skaters, including the hip flexors. A tight hip flrexor (in front of the hip) prevent efficient extension of the freeleg for jump tiakeoffs and landing. If the muscle is tight, a skater will have a high leg kick into flip and lutz, and we all know what that creates!

4) Core strength: as mentioned in previous post

5)Plyometric strength (jump power). Plyometric exercises are the exercises that are the hardest for the quads and gluts to perform. True lower extremity strength is measured in improvement in jump height. But off-ice jumping needs to be done in a manner in which the knee and hip mechanics are done properly, to avoid injury. Doing skating jumps off-ice are not a substitute for true plyometrics, which involve both double and single leg squat jumps, landing in a soft knee, hip, and ankle position. Constant pounding of skating jumps off the ice is actually not beneficial to the body, because you are landing in a manner that causes a torque on the knee. They are fine to do on the ice because of the glide the blade creates. Off of the ice, you land and the upper body creates more of a rotational force on the lower body, hurting the knee.

I hope I have explained some things well. As a physical therapist, I have spent many many hours with a strength and conditioning specialist creating a program specific for skaters.

Enter 'sk8strong350' for a 10% discount 

Query
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Post Title: Cross training: swimming, kayaking, hiking?
Posted: 03-03-2009, 06:19 PM

It is hard for some of us to develop the discipline to continue pure training exercises.

So the goal should be to find other fun activity cross training opportunities. Such as:

1. Swimming

A sequence of several basic strokes:
breast stroke, back crawl, side stroke, back stroke, crawl (including breathing exercises on both sides); repeat(I can't do butterfly) strengthens core and upper torso muscles. Relaxed for endurance, plus sprints for strength.

If you do it in the right place, you can soak in the hot tub afterwords, which feels good, so it must be.

2. Kayaking

Forward and reverse strokes strengthen core muscles.

Standard paddling theory is that you should rotate about the waist, using abdominal and lower back muscles, and to some extant leg muscles (you push legs opposite the arm motion), to avoid injuring or making sore the smaller arm and upper torso muscles.

For skate training, violate that theory. Use upper torso and arm muscles too (using old style punch/pull arm muscles, and torso twisting muscles). Relaxed for endurance, plus sprints for strength.

It is still important to to avoid excess elbow and shoulder motion to avoid repetitive motion syndromes, and because it mirrors the skating standard to of avoid excess arm motion.

It strengthens the same torso muscles as swimming. But can use more strength.

3. Kayak lifting

Kneel directly next to the kayak, use an arm to lift it to the shoulder, and stand, keeping back straight and upright as possible. Reverse to put it down again. Repeat on other side.

This strengthens leg muscles, a little bit of lower core muscles, and a little bit of arm and shoulder muscles. If one can do it on one foot, it strengthens upper and lower torso balancing muscles.

This is NOT fun (and kayaks are a little too bulky and heavy to be ideal), but it can be part of the kayak activity.

4. Kayak rolling

Strengthens torso twisting muscles.

5. Hiking and backpacking

Strengthens leg and torso support muscles.


6. Still needed:

Fun jump and stretch activities. Fun activities that strengthen leg and core in turned out and stretched hip positions.

(Unfortunately for most of us, these other activities require driving time and distance. So simple training still needed.) 

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Posted: 03-20-2009, 10:29 AM

I have a trampoline in my backyard, I use that for my training, and for fun! Not as much in the winter as the cold makes the fabric stressed, but when the weather is above 55 degrees I make a point of jumping for a bit. I have a mister/fogger hose hooked up and in the summer turn it on-makes great fun jumping out there with the water on!

I focus on:
-bending my knees on jump take-off and landings
-pointing my toes
-rotation

I work on the following:
-waltz, loop, toe loop, salchow, flip, and backspins

This summer the focus will be on stabilization by doing spiral positions.

I don't spend a lot of time working out, we do a variety of activities and mix it up so we (my son and I-we are workout buddies) don't get bored. We do short burst cardio intervals for aerobic conditioning.
-warmup with a walk/jog for 2-3 minutes; sprint 30 seconds; slow jog/walk 1-2 minutes; continue for about 8-10 minutes

We do a variety of bodyweight exercises that challenge the large muscle groups-this was a necessity since my surgery and the "no lifting weights" ruling from my ortho doc.
-pushups (incline/decline/wall, etc on you knees, whatever it takes)
-planks; front, side etc
-body weight squats using proper form (either 2 or 1-leg)
-lunges; standing or walking, front or backwards

And we do yoga moves to stretch & elongate the muscles and further build the core
-warrior pose
-tree
-frog/bound angle (my son is awesome at this)
-child pose (really releases the lower back)
-side-to-side twists (this also releases the lower back, great if you sit alot)
-downward dog (you can bend your knees a bit if you are really tight, it's ok to progress on this one, as with all of them)

If anyone has ? go ahead and ask or pm me. I have been working out since 1980, when I first broke out on the weight lifting scene (got into powerlifting way back then) but I am smarter about it now . 

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Post Title: Adult off-ice training
Posted: 04-22-2009, 03:13 PM

Sk8Strong has posted a blog topic at www.sk8strong.blogspot.com specifically about adult off-ice training in honor of Adult Nationals week. 

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Posted: 06-03-2009, 08:54 AM

Quote:
Originally Posted by Skate@Delaware 
I have a trampoline in my backyard, I use that for my training, and for fun! Not as much in the winter as the cold makes the fabric stressed, but when the weather is above 55 degrees I make a point of jumping for a bit. I have a mister/fogger hose hooked up and in the summer turn it on-makes great fun jumping out there with the water on!

I focus on:
-bending my knees on jump take-off and landings
-pointing my toes
-rotation

I work on the following:
-waltz, loop, toe loop, salchow, flip, and backspins



I also use a trampoline in my yard. Need to set it up for the season. I do aerobics on it and work on rotation, and positions for splits and stags in the air. I do Basic splits, side splits, russians, and pikes. It helps me to lift my legs into position against gravity. Flexibility is one thing, but you need strength and quickness to get these positions in the air when skating.

Kay 

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Posted: 06-03-2009, 09:29 AM

My husband will NEVER allow a trampoline in the yard. We know someone who was injured severely and is now a paraplegic because he broke his neck on the trampoline.

There's a "bounce house" at a rink not too far from our house, so we take the kids there to jump around. 

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Posted: 06-03-2009, 02:23 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by Isk8NYC 
My husband will NEVER allow a trampoline in the yard. We know someone who was injured severely and is now a paraplegic because he broke his neck on the trampoline.


How awful! I wonder what s/he was trying. The trampoline I bought came w a warning not to try flips and such. Some ppl around here also have a net cage around the edges of the tramp so kids don't accidentally fall out. Still scary. I never use the trampoline when it is wet from rain. It feel slippery.

Kay 

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Posted: 06-03-2009, 03:05 PM

He wasn't trying anything fancy like a flip. His wife said the husband was bouncing on his feet, then on his butt/back. Somehow, he leaned back too far back and landed on his neck/shoulders. I can only imagine how terrified the kid must have been with the father laying there so badly injured. *shudders*

My twins learned that mom's rule of "only one person at a time on the trampoline" makes sense. A friend cannonballed onto her own trampoline while my daughter was trying to get off. My daughter was bounced UP! and DOWN! really hard and she suffered from whiplash for about two weeks. Had to take her to the clinic because she couldn't lift or turn her head.

We don't go there for playdates any more. The lack of supervision on the trampoline was the last straw. (The other strikes were the parents' smoking, junk food, sodas, and smart-mouthing me like their friends smart-mouth their parents.) 

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Posted: 06-04-2009, 11:21 AM

I have a cage around mine and the kids are supervised as well. As with anything, you have to be cautious until you know how you react to it. I don't like to bounce very high but I like to get a good workout. It's great for getting me to remember to b-e-n-d my knees...I like to see if I can land without much bounce.

Now that my rink is almost shut down for the summer, I plan on using it more, probably once a week. 

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Post Title: Off-Ice Training resources for skaters
Posted: 06-20-2009, 03:28 PM

In addition to the book put out by Poe, I've also looked around the internet and found the following:

This site gives detailed plyometric & speed drill exercises for skaters (ice & roller):
http://www.bont.com/news/featurearti...ndtraining.htm


If you want to develop your own all-around program, this site outlines what needs (or should be) included in such a program, although it doesn't mention how many days/week etc to do each item (for that either use common sense or refer to the Poe book):
http://www.bluestreakst.com/programs...re-skating.php

The following outlines specific drills for each discipline:
http://www.iceskatingworld.com/libra..._96julaug.html

Hope this helps! 

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Posted: 07-31-2009, 05:41 PM

For those of you without summer ice, I hope you have kept up with some sort of off-season sports training. Now is the time to kick it up a notch (or start if you have taken the summer off) and get in shape for the upcoming season.

If you have taken the summer off, make sure you are in good shape-get your doctor's approval to start things rolling. This is a good time to get that yearly exam, blood work, eyes, etc. and all that before your health plan year runs out.

Start slowly when you begin working out again. About 3 times per week is a good start and don't overdo it. Eat a nutritious healthy way-you can't out-train a bad diet. Be sure you consume enough calories and water for your frame/build.

If you have been working out all along, evaluate your current state of fitness and see if you are ok with your current plan and tweak it where it needs it.

Make a list of goals for the upcoming skating season: short term (monthly goals); 3-month goals, and a list of goals for the season. Remember, goals must be realistic and reasonable ("I will land my loop on one foot" is realistic for me but "making the Olympic team" is not ); it must be personable and mean something for ME not anyone else; and, most important it must be attainable (landing a loop consistently on one foot is very attainable but landing an axel is not).

Last, take inventory on your equipment. Determine what you need, what you must have and go from there. 

[JimStanmore]

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Post Title: Off ice training with Pic skates
Posted: 10-07-2009, 04:51 PM

Pic skates provide a way to skate indoors or out.
Finding a venue is still a challange.

Pic skates are floor friendly; made of the same materials as most sport shoes.

Hooking up with a good venue could lead to both trainning and teaching opportunities.

Types of venues that are under-utilized.

1. Dance studios. Every town has one.

2.Parks and recreation departments. Many have access to a floor.

3.School departments. Lets face it they could use the income.

4. Y.M.C.A. s

5. Church halls.

6. Grange halls.

7. Ballrooms.

8. Inline hockey rinks.

9. Inline skate parks. (most are out doors)

10. Indoor soccer facilities. They often host inline hockey.

11. Ice rinks that ice down in the summer.

It's all about haveing a chance to play and have fun.
If skating brings you joy, find a way. 

Skate@Delaware
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Posted: 10-07-2009, 10:23 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by picskate 
Pic skates are provide a way to skate indoors or out.
Finding a venue is still a challange.
Pic skates are floor friendly; made of the same materials as most sport shoes.
Hooking up with a good venue could lead to both trainning and teaching opportunities.
Types of venues that are under-utilized.
1. Dance studios. Every town has one.
2.Parks and recreation departments. Many have access to a floor.
3.School departments. Lets face it they could use the income.
4. Y.M.C.A. s
5. Church halls.
6. Grange halls.
7. Ballrooms.
8. Inline hockey rinks.
9. Inline skate parks. (most are out doors)
10. Indoor soccer facilities. They often host inline hockey.
11. Ice rinks that ice down in the summer.
It's all about haveing a chance to play and have fun.
If skating brings you joy, find a way.


Just because most towns have these places doesn't mean that pic skates will be welcome there...i encountered a most unwelcome attitude with mine even at a roller rink so I had to give them up. Due to the nature of my very rural roads vs. the composition of the wheels-I went through 2 sets of wheels, countless horns honking, several trucks pulling over, many rude comments and other things I can't get into here...
I can't imagine my dance studio letting wheels onto their dance floor (they don't even let socks let alone shoes!). Many of the other places you suggest could not afford the liability insurance. But, I'm in a small town, your mileage may vary in larger towns. 

Skate@Delaware
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Post Title: Kettlebells & Weighted Hula Hoops
Posted: 10-09-2009, 08:50 AM

KETTLEBELLS
For the uninitiated, kettlebells are weights that look like cannonballs with handles. They are popular in Europe and in UFC gyms. I have been using them for about 1 year and find them-interesting, challenging, and somewhat harder to use but easier because I can knock out a very efficient workout in a shorter amount of time.

If you are interested, I would recommend some one-on-one training from a certified trainer (they have some unique features than can cause injury if not used properly). Here are some websites for more information:
www.dragondoor.com
Pavel introduced them to the US, he also is sort of the "father" of the one-leg squat (i.e. pistol squat) and working out without any weights.
http://www.kettlebellathleticsblog.com/

I bought my kettlebells at Target and they included a dvd.

WEIGHTED HULA HOOPS
I never could hula hoop as a child-I failed miserably. Fast forward to last year at the rink....one of the girls (teenager) brought hers in and had me try it. It weighed 2 lbs and I was able to successfully swing it! I did for one minute and the next day my abs were so sore! So I bought one.

I do 5 minutes of hooping every other day. 2.5 minutes in each direction. I vary my stance and swing in order to hit my muscles to different degrees.

Here is a hooping resource (click on the video-it's neat to watch):
http://www.customhoop.com/

Remember to vary your workouts, I switch mine every 6-8 weeks or when I do not feel any progress being made, or am bored with my current workout. 

picskate
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Posted: 10-14-2009, 09:42 AM

Quote:
Originally Posted by Skate@Delaware 
Just because most towns have these places doesn't mean that pic skates will be welcome there...i encountered a most unwelcome attitude with mine even at a roller rink so I had to give them up. Due to the nature of my very rural roads vs. the composition of the wheels-I went through 2 sets of wheels, countless horns honking, several trucks pulling over, many rude comments and other things I can't get into here...
I can't imagine my dance studio letting wheels onto their dance floor (they don't even let socks let alone shoes!). Many of the other places you suggest could not afford the liability insurance. But, I'm in a small town, your mileage may vary in larger towns.


Skate Delaware has had a tough go and I'm sure many others share his/her experience. However, these obstacles are being overcome.

The Pic skate wheels and pick are as foor friendly as any pair of shoes. Most dance studios are just not aware of how graceful and fun this form of skating is and how it is associated with dance. They need to see it.

Liability insurance is a standard part of operating a roller rink and is not increased due to Pic skates. Pic skates have been proven to be 2.8 times easier to use than conventional inline skates.(see survey at www.picskate.com)

Pic inline figure skating continues to grow.
Drill down for new web site established in the summer of 2007
www.picskate.com
September 2007 thru August 2009
Website hits
940,509
Individual Sessions
91,100
Average Session
2:51

Additionally there are 3 international inline figure skating open competetions.
The 5th annual 'Paris Open' is scheduled for January 30, 31, 2010. www.skateparis.com

Inline figure skating is a sport! 

Query
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Posted: 02-17-2010, 06:26 PM

I've put some of the most basic strengthening exercises in another thread:

http://skatingforums.com/showpost.ph...8&postcount=13

and will add them to my falling document here: http://mgrunes.com/falling.html#stren 

phoenix
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Posted: 02-17-2010, 07:27 PM

I had started jogging last summer & joined a gym in Dec. to keep up w/ it through the cold weather.

I signed up for 8 weeks of sessions w/ a personal trainer to learn how to use the weight machines.....boy, what an eye opener!! I am now a confirmed believer in weight lifting to augment skating. She kicked my butt for 8 weeks, and if I could afford it I'd keep working w/ her. I've noticed the difference in almost all aspects of my skating--I had plateau'd a bit, and now I realize it was because I lacked the brute strength required to do the things I was attempting. Now some of those things feel easy!

I'm going to keep up the weight lifting, twice a week, and will hopefully be able to push myself hard enough now that I'll be on my own w/o the trainer. 

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Posted: 03-15-2010, 12:39 PM

Say,I'm going to ask this here. But can anyone please me advice on the BEST way to do my off-ice-trainning? I am doing 2 days to start. But what I'd like to know is when SHOULD I be doing it? Or is it all up to me? I'm doing it in the morning. Also,I do 20 each of my leg-lifts (laying on my back and stomage). I do 20 Push-ups,and 20 sit-ups. I find myself getting tired after I do 10 of my Push-ups. Is that natual? Should I be breaking in between after 10, and THEN continue (only be doing 20 if I can)? Or should I get used to DOING 10,and then increase on ANYTHING I get tired on? Also should I be resting in the middle of my 10min. on my Bike? 

icestalker
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Posted: 08-24-2010, 02:42 PM

One word (or actually two): Exercise balls!

Yeah, those big bouncy things that you sit on and do crunches. You can get them from Target for $9. It comes with the ball, a foot pump, the necessary hoses and plugs for the pump, and a small instruction paper with some exercises on it. Great deal if you ask me- name brand balls are like $30.

It makes any core exercise 10x harder because you have to balance. Just sitting on it is a workout. It's great for loosening up your back- sit with the ball behind you, then roll up on it, letting the ball fill the natural curve of your back.

There's tons of ball exercises out there on the Internet for core, back, glutes, quads, etc. It's hard to find exercises that are actually challenging, since most fitness sites are geared toward people who need easy, beginner exercises, but just search something like "ball core exercises advanced."

And it's fun, so you're motivated to do your workout! Just be in an open space, with non slippy flooring