with Personal Trainer Denver Lundstrom
Skating demands a unique combination of strength, mobility, balance, and power—qualities that aren’t just built on the ice but developed through targeted training off it. Whether you’re an aspiring figure skater, hockey player, or recreational skater, incorporating specialized lower-body exercises into your routine can enhance performance and reduce the risk of injury. In this article, we’ll explore five dynamic exercises designed to improve skating mechanics, boost strength, and ensure your muscles are prepared for the rigors of the sport. From stability-focused movements to power-packed drills, these exercises are your ticket to stronger, more efficient skating strides.
1. Copenhagen Plank (Strengthening)
During the recovery phase of the skating stride, there is a considerable amount of stress placed on the adductor muscles when the leg comes off the ice and pulls towards the body. The adductor muscles, which are located on the inside of the leg, are responsible for this movement. When moving at high speeds on the ice, the stress placed on these muscles becomes greater as the leg has to recover at a greater rate to start the next push. If the adductor muscles are not sufficiently strengthened, they are at an increased risk for strain and injury. The Copenhagen plank is a great exercise for skaters to strengthen the adductor muscles, better equipping them to handle these forces on the ice. When doing this exercise, make sure that the chest is out, and the shoulders are stacked and even with the hips. The goal here is to hold this position as long as you can without dropping the hips and losing proper form. Aim to hold this position for 20 – 60 seconds for a total of 2 to 3 sets per leg. This exercise is meant to “bulletproof” the adductor muscles of the leg to avoid injury to the area.
If the more advanced version of this exercise is too strenuous on the leg, start with the less advanced version with your knee on the bench. This version has a shorter moment arm, which will put less stress on the adductor muscles.
2. Band Resisted Leg Abduction (Strengthening/Mobility)
Hip mobility is a huge part of skating. Skaters that can open up their hips with ease will be better equipped to transition from forwards to backwards or to move laterally along the ice with fluidity. This exercise will help to strengthen the abductor muscles, which are located on the outside of the leg and are used to move the leg away from the body. For this exercise, place a looped band around both legs just above the knees. (A) With a slight bend in both knees, push one leg out and back, going as far as you can with a 2-second hold at the deepest range of motion. (B) Finish the movement by returning the leg to the starting position slowly as you fight the resistance of the band. Since we are adding in an isometric hold at the deepest range of motion, the exercise will become more strenuous, so less repetitions will be needed. Aim for 3 – 4 sets of 8 repetitions per leg.
When it comes to mobility, stretching will only get you so far, so it is important to train these areas as well. If you focus on moving through your full range of motion with each repetition, you’ll be able to maintain and slowly increase your total range of motion.
3. Band Resisted Lateral Jumps (Power)
When training for sport, it is important to try and mimic the movements done during your sport to be able to get the most out of your training. These resisted lateral jumps will mimic the explosiveness needed to get the most power out of every stride and train your nervous system to recruit all necessary muscles to create that power.
Before each jump, (A) load all your body weight into the jumping leg with a slight bend in the knee, and make sure both hands are positioned on the outside of the jumping leg away from the direction you will be jumping. When the jump starts, (B) quickly shoot both hands to the other side of the body and land on the opposite foot. This creates rotational power in the torso to add more distance to the jump. When you land, (C) do the best you can to cushion the landing by sinking into the knee. (D) To reset the jump, slowly hop back to the starting position on the landing leg. As you hop back, take advantage of the band’s resistance pulling you back. Doing this offers the added bonus of training the ankle joint and associated musculature to better handle dynamic forces. Since the goal here is power, 4 sets of 4 – 5 repetitions per leg is all that is necessary to avoid fatigue and focus on generating as much power as possible for each repetition.
4. Landmine Single Leg Curtsy Squat (Strengthening/Mobility/Power)
Unlike the past few movements, this exercise will combine strength, mobility, and power. This movement is all about training to handle the stresses of sinking down into one leg as low as possible while extending the free leg as far as you can. This squat variation will mimic the same motion that is used on the ice during a crossover. (A) Maintain control and lower yourself slowly to the lowest point you can while reaching laterally with the free leg as far as you can without touching the ground. Then, on the way back up, (B) explode and drive the free leg up towards the chest to complete the rep. Since power is involved in this exercise, we will be again going for 4 sets of 4 – 5 repetitions per side for this exercise as fatigue is not the goal.
This exercise will improve your endurance while holding these low positions on one leg as well as your ability to explode out of those low positions, making you stronger and more powerful in the deepest range of motion.
5. Pistol Squat (Strengthening/Mobility/Balance)
Known as “shooting the duck” on the ice, this movement is most commonly seen in figure skating but is a great training tool for all skating athletes to develop better ankle and hip mobility as well as total balance. Unlike the previous movement, the free leg will move forward here to help with balance. This exercise puts the hip flexors and quadriceps of your free leg under high stress as it requires keeping your free leg straight without touching the ground. Strengthening these muscles will help prevent injury to the areas which handle the recovery phase of the stride, where the leg is brought back towards the body. On the working leg, the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and the tibialis anterior will all be involved in sitting back and driving back up.
During this movement, (A) slowly start to bend the knee of the standing leg, reaching forward with both hands and your free leg to balance. (B) Try to control the squat all the way down to the box, making sure not to drop during the descent. If you are unable to lower to the box under control, your box may be too low. Once in the seated position, drive back up to standing. The sets and reps for this exercise can differ greatly depending on the degree of difficulty. If you are trying to build up strength in the single leg with the higher boxes, aim for 4 sets of 10 – 12 repetitions per leg. If you are feeling the high boxes are too easy, opt for taking a box off or using a bench and go for 3 – 4 sets of 6 – 8 repetitions. If you then progress to using no boxes and want to try going through the full range of motion, try to go for 2 – 3 sets of 3 – 5 reps as this will be the highest degree of difficulty.
When starting out with this exercise, it is recommended to start with plyo boxes as they can be easily stacked to increase or decrease the range of motion. If you do not have access to plyo boxes, you can use a bench, chair, couch, or step-up box instead.
