For the skating novice, some beginning exercises would prove to be helpful, because during the first time out on skating, the body is not accustomed yet to the upper and lower extremity movements.
Just like in any other strenuous activity, warm up and cool down exercises are necessary.
\"keep Fit\"
Some low intensity exercises at the start are good for warm up. These exercises are easy to do and remember and can be done alone. Why do warm ups? Well, taking time to exercise a bit before continuous skating will help prevent injuries and boost performance. It can be as simple as a walk with an increasing level of intensity, jogging in place without skates for a few minutes, or some activities that mimic the activity you are about to perform, which, in this case, is skating. Thus, use of the lower extremities would be very beneficial for conditioning. During warm ups, you are actually increasing body temperature and the supply of blood to the muscles being used, improving contractility and pliability, and consequently reducing the risk for strained muscles or other injuries. With warm ups, your strength is also considerably improved, and this can manifest in the number of hours you are able to last while skating, doing swizzles, crossovers, and Mohawks. Not having the time to do warm ups should never be an excuse for skipping it, for the benefits far outweigh the very little time, which is only about 5 to 10 minutes, necessary to do it.
After warm ups, the stretching period follows. Like warm ups, stretching increases performance, improves flexibility as well as range of motion. You can stretch already with your ice skates on using the rink railings or walls, but you can also do the exercise with the skates off. Regardless of the stretching exercises you choose, the important thing to remember is that muscle stretching should be done at a gradually increasing intensity. You cannot just stretch a muscle to its maximum, because overstretching is not only painful, but it can damage ligaments, tendons, and even the muscle itself.
When you are through with your skating session for the day, a cooling down period should be observed, where one continues to skate but is of considerably lower intensity just to normalize your heart rate and bloody circulation. Stretching exercises should follow as well, to reduce muscle soreness and stiffness. Just like the warm ups, these stretching exercises should be of mild intensity also.
With frequent practice, you really do not need additional exercises than those already mentioned, because skating itself is a form of an exercise. You just need to do it as often as you can.
Ice Skating Exercises For the Beginner
Drew Mers is a marketing consultant to City Ice Pavilion in World Ice Arena.
Tags : The stress no more