Exercises to strengthen my left leg.

[londonicechamp]

Hi all

Had my group lesson again last night. Coach said that I could not really do the backspin yet, as the left leg is not strong enough for balance etc. So does anybody have any idea about exercises that I can do, to strengthen my left leg.

Any suggestions are welcome. :)

londonicechamp

[rsk8d]

There are many different exercises out there to improve single leg stability and balance. It's a matter of doing them consistently to improve your center of balance and hip strength.

[icedancer2]

Power Pulls.

Figures.

[Skate@Delaware]

Depending on your fitness level, off-ice training might be:

-wall squats, pay attention to your alignment and do these slowly (count 3 down, 3 up)
-walking lunges (or if you are a beginner, standing lunges) paying strict attention to alignment
-bridges, beginning with both legs and progressing to one leg
-stability ball leg curls, these can be done using just one leg but I would start using both legs
-there is a ballet exercise, where you lift the leg in front, to the side, and to the back, then across the front of the other leg; you don't swing it or use momentum you lift it. It's a great one!

If you are really in good shape, you can add pistol/one-legged squats, bulgarian split squats and there are more. You can also exercise using a bike, stair stepper (or go up/down stairs), jump rope, etc.

It's hard because I don't know how fit you are but these can all be graded based on fitness level.

[blue111moon]

Uhm, it might not have anything to do with the actual muscular strength of your leg. Everybody has a strong side and a weak side.Maybe you just need more practice to learn HOW to get your weight over your left side to get your balance.

[Skate@Delaware]

Uhm, it might not have anything to do with the actual muscular strength of your leg. Everybody has a strong side and a weak side.Maybe you just need more practice to learn HOW to get your weight over your left side to get your balance.

yeah, forgot about that one-I should have said that. This has been an issue for me since my injury (back injury reflected in nerve damage and muscular weakness).

What you might be having an issue with is not getting over on that edge enough, which is common. Outside back edges will help as will the exercise AudryB gave me for the loop jump (look under last week's practice thread). I found by doing that exercise I was able to backspin better than I normally do.

Are you able to stand on one leg strongly? If not, you might need to strengthen your core as well.

[londonicechamp]

Hi skate@Delaware

Yes, my right leg is pretty strong, whereas my left leg is a bit weak.

Hi icedancer2

How do you do a power pull?

londonicechamp

[SkatEn]

I think it's not a power pull that will fix it.

If I didn't interpret your question wrongly, you meant to say that you can't lift up your left leg long enough or high enough to get a decent back spin right? That you'll end up with both feet on the ice and that you'll step out?

I had, and still have, a problem with lifting my leg high enough. What I do is to lift my leg up in the open back spin position. Simply put, lift it up by the side, turned out, and hold it there. I did that brushing my teeth, doing dishes, waiting for bus (okay more subtlely) etc.

My coach has something to fix my backspin - i used to use the swing to start the spin instead of using my hips!

[Skate@Delaware]

I think it would be most helpful if you could put up a video so we could see what actually happens when you try a backspin...all of us could come up with different suggestions but without actually seeing what is going on, we are just shooting in the dark.

[kayskate]

You have rec'd lots of good advice, so I will just throw in trying the leg press machine, if you have one at the gym. I do single-leg presses on it. I also do plies.

BTW, I once knew an adult skater whose left leg was noticeably larger and more muscular than her rt from doing sit spins. At the time, she could only do forward sits (CCW on left leg). She had to build up strength in her rt leg for the back sit. Don't remember how she did it.

Kay