My friend, Annie, was my personal trainer in Phoenix. We would meet at the gym two or three times a week and she'd plan our workouts. When I started to get chatty, she'd see right through it and make me start doing her signature "killer crunches". In killer crunches, you lift a balance ball with your legs while bringing a medicine ball up over your head so the balls "kiss". (Oww.)
In Houston, I've been on my own, so I've tried a lot of DVDs and read a lot of books. My current favorite workout is Tony Horton's "Power 90" workout. Skip the promises that if you do this for 90 days, you'll have a beach perfect body. What I really like is that so many of the exercises translate directly into what I'm doing in my skating lessons.
- Touch your knee to opposite elbow: this is essentially the same position you use for a back spin or loop jump
- Right-cross: this boxing movement is pretty much the same torso and arm movement as spins. Do this in your socks to get the whole spin movement down.
- Throw in 1/2 jumps (or full jumps if you can) to the cardio and kicking sections to practice your jumping skills.
I believe that especially as an adult, it's incredibly important to cross-train. It prevents injury, makes you fitter all-around, and keeps things fresh avoiding workout blahs and boredom. Pilates and ballet are used frequently by skaters for off-ice training. Yoga can help with balance, strength, and flexibility. I've read that riding a bicycle helps protect your knees against some of the muscular imbalances that are common in skaters. Working with weights can help because spirals require not only balance and flexibility but tremendous strength as well. Proper extension in all of your moves requires strength.
ReplyDeleteSomething you may never have considered is tai chi. When I was being taught the entrance to a basic spin from backwards crossovers I was really struggling because changing feet from that position was tricky. Practicing at home, I realized that that step sequence was almost identical to a tai chi move of changing weight and balance from one foot to the other. Practicing it that way at home, the next time I tried it on the ice it was dramatically cleaner and easier for me. A good bellydance workout not only helps strengthen your core but can do amazing things for your posture in your upper body and aid you in the graceful movement of your arms. Nancy Kerrigan goes into great detail about working out in a pool to improve your conditioning and your jumps in her book Artistry on Ice. Any co-ordination you develop in dance or another sport will help your skating because it will give you greater connection to, and control of, your body. Hope this helps! Have fun!
Thanks Melanie. Right now, my husband and I are doing a little bit of hiking at one of the parks near our house. It's not terribly strenuous, but being outside now that the weather has cooled off is a nice change.
ReplyDeleteNever thought of belly dance as cross training. Hubby will like that
So, what do you do personally? Or is it all of that?
First, I'm so glad I discovered your blog! I've been having a blast digging around here. I hope you don't mind me adding you to my blogroll, your stuff is too good not to share!
ReplyDeleteRegarding off-ice: I saw in one of your posts you mentioned Sk8Strong. I've been mixing their adult program with some crosstraining programs a trainer put together for me a couple years ago -- weights, bodyweight stuff. It's convenient because I can do everything at home. Plus, it mixes cardio and lifting in a way that doesn't let me get bored. One thing that's definitely changed about my workouts since I started skating is that I stretch more. I know there's some debate among fitness professionals about the benefits of stretching, but whether it really helps or not, it just feels so good to stretch after skating.
Looking forward to more great posts!
MER11,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! Of course, I don't mind being added to your blog roll. In fact, I'm flattered.
Thanks for sharing about Sk8Strong. It's always helpful to hear from someone who has actually used it.
Also, thanks for the idea . . . I think I'll start working on a post about the stretching controversy.
-hdm