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Coach Liz"Supplement your skating with off-skate workouts to become more balanced in every sense of the word."

Liz Miller

Few people realize how important flexibility and strength are to achieving the most powerful stroke possible. Flexible joints give you increased stroke length, while a regular stretching routine can help prevent joint injuries and reduce muscle soreness. Strong legs allow you to sprint away from a pack or climb a long hill without using up all of your resources. A solid core means better agility and balance. Proper breathing and a quiet mind keep you alert and composed in dicey situations. These aptitudes do not come from skate training alone: they result from specific and consistently-performed off-skate training activities.

Disclaimer: I am not a certified personal trainer. But I am a longtime "fitness nerd" and every week I do workouts very similar to these. If these progams seem alien to you, consider engaging your own personal trainer. And if you have a chronic illness or skeletal problems, do talk to your family doctor before stepping up your activity level.

Adding a consistent program of strength, flexibility and balance training into your lifestyle through both traditional and non-traditional methods offers the subtle benefits of the Eastern influenced disciplines: it really does lead to a more peaceful and aware mind for daily living. And who doesn’t need that?

Planning Your Program

Of course, you are already getting your aerobic workouts on skates, right?. If you don't own one of my books, see the Orbit article, Skate "With Purpose" for the Best Fitness Benefits for tips on inline training and performance nutrition.

Off-Skate Training for Fitness Skaters is a series of increasingly harder activities designed to gradually enhance your fitness and capabilities. Start with the Beginner level activities of each training component and stick with these for several weeks. After two or three months, try the next level.

Couch spud weighing inMost of these training sessions can be done at home. The Beginner level activities are appropriate as an entry level for any skater or beginning exerciser. Some of the Intermediate-and Advanced-level activities are optimal with a gym membership and access to local Yoga or Pilates classes.

Sample Workout Weeks

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Sample Beginner-Level Week

Every day

Monday, Wednesday, Friday

Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday

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Sample Intermediate-Level Week

Every day

Monday, Wednesday, Friday

Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday

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Sample Advanced-Level Week

Every day

Monday, Wednesday, Friday

Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday

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Liz is not a Personal Trainer

While I am fully certified to teach skating, these off-skate programs were crafted from the perspective of my own personal experience and research over almost 25 years. Anybody who is interested in pursuing a strenuous fitness lifestyle as described here should engage a certified personal trainer on a regular basis to prevent injury or over training.

As for my fitness background, I started "pumping iron" in 1980 to get stronger for lugging around the heavy scuba gear I needed for diving in California's chilly Pacific ocean. As my ability to lift progressively heavier weights increased, so did a buff new look—I was hooked! In the early years, my focus on bodybuilding brought home three minor trophies and the eventual realization that competition was anything but holistic. In order to look and feel like an elite athlete every day, I modified my goal to building a foundation of power and lean mass I could rely on when skiing, backpacking and, in 1991, learning to inline skate.

After 20+ years of lifting heavy weights, I discovered Yoga in 2000. I was attracted to overall flexibility and more ways to reduce the chance of joint injuries caused by my active lifestyle. Before long, the physical and unexpected mind/body benefits had converted me. I have a steady home practice that incorporates traditional Hatha, Ashtanga and Iyengar poses.

Core strength goes beyond 6-pak absWhen my strength began to decrease due to my passion for Yoga, I took up Pilates. This new work taught me how to engage core muscles while on the Pilates and Yoga mats as well as when lifting light weights. The results were newfound strength in my torso and upper body as well as better spinal, pelvis and hip stability for my favorite sports.

I am very excited about this opportunity to share the fitness benefits of my multi-faceted fitness lifestyle with you!

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