Purpose: This reverse lunge variation builds strength in the lower body and stability in the standing leg, and is especially helpful for building strength for the flip and lutz reach back.

Focus: Lower body strength, reverse lunge variation, flip reach back, lutz reach back, quads, hamstrings, ...

Purpose: This drill helps skaters build their hip adductors, or inner thigh muscles, so that they can pull into a tight air position for more rotation

Focus: Tight air position, hip adductors, h position

Purpose: This side lunge variation allows skaters to work on their inner thigh muscles, or hip adduction, which is needed for a tight air position. Skaters should press down into the floor when pulling the slider back to create more resistance for the hip adductors. The side lunge also is good fo...

Purpose: This exercise is a progression of a double leg glute bridge and a regression of single leg glute bridges

Focus: Pelvic floor engagement, unilateral strength, glutes, hip flexors, hamstrings

Purpose: This exercise is a progression of a side plank and and a side lying leg lift.

Focus: Hip abductors, obliques, transversus abdominus, TFL, glutes, back injury prevention

Purpose: Increase the difficulty of the glute bridge and build strength unilaterally with this variation.

Focus: Glute strength, hamstring strength, core strength, unilateral

Purpose: This challenging exercise can help skaters work on their balance and strength in their standing leg, the leg strength for the reach back in the free leg, and overall core strength and stability to maintain the position.

Focus: Balance, stability, injury prevention, ankle strength, flip...

Purpose: This is a great exercise for building hip strength and stability, which is especially important for figure skaters on their jump landings, and to prevent injuries such as hip tears. This variation works on building hip strength in an externally rotated position.

Focus: Hip strength, hi...

Purpose: This squat pulse activates both your quads and your calves, which makes it a great exercise for a warm-up.

Focus: Calf activation, quad activation, muscle toning, stability, injury prevention, knee injury prevention.

Purpose: This single leg Romanian deadlift challenges a skater's balance and stability while engaging their posterior lower body strength

Focus: Balance, stabiltiy, hip extension, hamstrings, glutes, erector spinae, core strength

Purpose: This hamstring press is a more difficult version of a glute bridge that engages more of the hamstrings and needs more explosive power to lift all the way up

Focus: Single leg strength, hamstrings, glutes, core, explosive power

Purpose: This exercise is a great muscle activation and can be used as a warm-up. The hamstrings are often under-used by figure skaters as they tend to be more quad dominant, which can cause issues. This exercise helps them feel how to contract the hamstrings.
Focus: Muscle activation, hamstring...

Purpose: This exercise is great for skaters to work on their hamstring strength and stability at different angles. This helps skaters with their overall balance and control on the ice.

Focus: Hamstring strength, injury prevention, balance, stability, spinal rotation

Purpose: This exercise uses a pressing force to work the glutes and hamstrings. Doing it single legged helps skaters work on unilateral strength to help balance out a weaker leg.

Focus: Hamstring strength, hamstring press, glute strength, unilateral strength

Purpose: Clamshells are a great way for skaters to work on learning glute and hip activation and building strength and mobility

Focus: Hip strength, glute strength, glute activation, hip flexor activation, hip abduction, external rotation, back injury prevention, hip injury prevention

Purpose: This glute bridge variation is a more challenging version of the basic exercise and it includes single leg stability and during the lateral leg extension the skaters need to work extra hard to keep their hips lifted; something that is necessary during single leg skills on the ice

Focus:...

Level: Advanced
Exercise: Single leg on med ball glute bridge raises
Purpose: Single leg glute raises are a great exercise to have skaters develop unilateral strength for jump take-offs, stroking, and other hip extension type movements. Having a foot on a med ball adds a difficulty with the chal...

Level: Foundation
Base exercise: Clamshells
Variation: Resistance band around the knees for added difficulty
Muscles worked: Gluteus Medius and gluteus maximus.
Purpose: Injury prevention, stability.
Range: Muscle isolation--lower body.
Contraction type: Isotonic.
Movement: Hip Abduction a...

Purpose: This circuit will help improve your strength in the glute medius, minimus and maximus muscles in order to help better align your axel take-off and activate the muscles needed to perform a stable jump.

Focus: Glute activation, gluteus minimus, gluteus maximus, axel take-off, axel follow-...

Purpose: The single leg squat is an essential skating exercise, but its incredibly hard to do off the ice. They also are a good test of general alignment and strength and an indicator for potential injuries. Skaters should work on maintaining good alignment of the knee with the foot and watch tha...

Using a band around your knees, ankles, or feet during a crab walk is a great way to increase the difficulty of the exercise and add additional resistance training.

Purpose: This exercise intensely works the quads in the lunge and the hamstrings on the step up. Using a weight helps overload the muscle for strength gain. This exercise can be used to improve strength of the take-off leg of an axel.

Focus: Strength gain, lower body strength, hamstrings, glutes...

This variation of a mountain climber targets your glutes as well as your core, including the obliques with the kick out. It's also a good cardio exercise when added into a high intensity interval.

Level: Advanced
Base exercise: Single leg Romanian deadlift
Variation: Bicep curl with weight
Primary muscles worked: Hamstring, biceps
Purpose: Strength building, stability
Range: Muscle isolations
Contraction: Isotonic
Skating skills associated: Spirals, camel spins
Equipment: Weights