Any exercises to do outside of ice rink?

Question

just wondering is there any exercices to do to improve my ice hockey skills, but exercises off of the ice.. and best exercises i could do everynight and how many should i do get good abs.. im gettin abit chubby lol. cheers.

Answer 1

Skating of all types (ie, figure, ice, roller, hockey, speed etc) has one thing in common and that's balance. There are two ways that I know to improve your balance.

1) improve your core strength. That's those "abs" you were talking about. The absolute best way to improve your core strength is Pilates (pronounced pill-AH-tease). You can generally find Pilates classes at your local gym, but be prepared for a room full of women. The second way you can improve core strength, and it's a LOT less effective than Pilates, is to do crunches--lots of crunches. You're looking at a couple hundred a day. Make sure to also work opposing muscles groups in the back so that you don't give yourself back problems in the process. Those tight, hard muscles in the front need something to pull against in the back.

2) the second is to improve your ankle's response to stimuli. I got this from my physical therapist after an ankle sprain. In bare/sock feet, stand on one foot. At first, keep your "up" foot beside your leg and your arms out. Feel your ankle adjusting to changes in your balance? Exactly. Try to hold this position for three to five minutes. Then, put your arms down. You can also move your "up" foot either in front or behind you. For the toughest exercise of this sort, close your eyes. The idea is to allow your body to adjust to minute changes in your balance which strengthens the ankle.

good luck!

Answer 2

I'd recommend Pilates as a way of improving core strength which will help with balance and it will also help to tighten saggy bits and hopefully make stiff muscles more supple.