Top 10 Off Ice Exercises for a Figure Skater
ARSI Movement Systems
Using out ARSI Movement System, we suggest these 10 exercises for performance training and injury prevention for a figure skater. We will give you a few more, but these are our favorite and a few reasons why!
Check out our video…
A- Activation
R- Recruitment
S- Stabilization
I- Integration
ACTIVATION/RECRUITMENT Exercises-
Sidelying Abduction-
- Begin lying on your side with your top leg straight and your bottom leg bent.
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- Lift your top leg up toward the ceiling, then slowly lower it back down and repeat.
- ***This is a great way for skaters to warm up their gluts, glut medius especially, to improve mechanics during jumping and landing during their routine
Clamshells-
- Begin by lying on your side with your knees bent 90 degrees, hips and shoulders stacked, and a resistance loop secured around your legs.
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- Raise your top knee away from the bottom one, then slowly return to the starting position.
- ***Great exercise to target the external rotators. The ERs help stabilize the knee during landing as well as assist in maintaining turn out during a fan spiral or a spread eagle.
Side Plank-
- Begin lying on your side, resting on your forearm with your bottom leg bent at a 90 degree angle and your top leg straight.
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- Tighten your abdominals and lift your hips up off of the floor. Then raise your heel so it is at the same level as your hip. Hold briefly, then relax and repeat. (Add the band for increased difficulty)
- ***This is one of the best COMBO exercises, great for glut med and great ore stabilization, both of which figure skaters need for individuals and pairs competition.
Supine Leg Lifts-
- Begin lying on your back with your knees bent and feet resting on the ground.
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- Raise both legs off the floor with your knees bent, then return to starting position and repeat.
- ***Focusing on slow controlled movements of the lower abdominals allows a skater the ability to move their upper and lower body with a stable trunk.
Toe Touches
- Begin lying on your back with your arms out to your sides and your legs flat.
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- Tighten your abdominals, raise one leg and your opposite arm straight toward each other, then lower them back down and repeat.
- ***Figure Skaters need a great deal of core strength and stabilization to control their body during the dynamic movements of their sport.
Keep an eye out for our next blog about our stabilization and integration exercises we use to train figure skaters.
By: Mary Kate Casey, DPT