Purpose: The downward dog pose stretches the whole back of the body while requiring full body strength. It is especially helpful for stretching the ankles and calves and elongating the spine. Resting on the forearms and dropping the heels to the ground increases the intensity of the stretch in the calves. Skaters tend to have extremely tight calf muscles and should stretch them out after every skating session.

Focus: Calf stretch, hamstring stretch, whole body strength, ankle stretch, spinal elongation, recovery,.