Hi

Yesterday my coach showed me how to do a lunge and I think it is required as one of our skate Uk elements. The only thing that troubles me is I dont know if I will ever be able to do this.

Im in my 30s, been skating 8 weeks and come from a background of hardly any physical activity. Since starting skating I am toning and losing weight rapidly, the muscles in my calves have toned up lovely but I still do not think I have anywhere near the strength in my thighs or stretch in the hamstrings to pull this move off. I cant do it off ice, let alone on ice.

I find it very hard to get right down as it creases my knee and really hurts the back of the extended leg and then I find I simply do not have enough lung capacity (lol thats how it seems) or strength in my legs to pull myself back up. I just cant do this let alone worry about keeping my balance on my blades.

Can anyone suggest anything I can do that will help with this? I know I am becomming slowly fitter but 8 weeks and a lunge? I feel really frustrated with myself that I cant lift my own weight from that position.

Andrea xx

Well Andrea, I am in my 50's, over-weight, a smoker, and had been physically inactive for decades but over the last 6 months I have seen a lot of changes so don't give up hope!

I picked up a book called "Off-Ice Conditioning for Figure Skaters" and found that the exercises in there REALLY helped me improve every area of strength and condition.

Don't give up!

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Dianne
(A.O.S.S.? Got it BAD! )

The warrior pose in yoga is perfect for lunges.

http://www.sissel.ch/images/ch/exerc...begwarr2_1.jpg

This example is a little extreme, but it's the basic lunge position. Start facing forward, then reach straight back with one leg (don't turn out your foot). Keep your arms stretched straight in front of you (like a zombie ), keep your weight centered over your forward hip, and stretch your back heel to the ground. Hold for 5 seconds, then bring your feet together and repeat 4x on the same leg. Then do the same on the other side.

When you get better at holding this, while you're in the zombie pose, you can do the twisting part. Open up your back leg's arm (left leg back, left arm open) to the pose in the picture. Your foot should turn out too. Keep your head forward. Hold there for 5 seconds, then go back to the zombie pose for 5 seconds.

You don't have to go back too far - work up to a bigger stance. This move will help strengthen your quads, inner thighs and hips. The twisting part especially works your inner thighs.

To practice a simple dipping motion, do a chair pose. Basically you go from standing straight to this position:
http://img.timeinc.net/golfonline/im...4/06/yoga3.jpg
and hold for 5 seconds. The chair pose is a good warm up for the warrior pose.

Dianne, you and I have a lot in common - except I haven't quite hit 50 yet - I'm 46.

Andrea, I hadn't been active for decades either until about 8 months ago. Just before my recent injury which put me off ice for a few weeks, I was doing lunges. Heck I was even doing a half decent sit spin and I mean half - half-way down

The message is that your muscles will develop, stretch and you will do this if you take it gently and don't ask too much of your body to begin with.
(Yeah I know, I should take my own advice)

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Karen

I skate - therefore I am

Hi Andrea

30-ish is no age at all with or without excercise, just keep working on it, it is a very useful move for programmes such as Pirates of the Carribean, Hook, Zoro, combined with a thrusting sword arm movement its great for interpretation of the music.

Keep at it, you can do it!!!

Strength in the core is also essential for lunges. Keep working the abs, lower back, and ribcage area.

I started skating at 27 and I was similar to you I had no physical activity till i started this sport. After months of training with a quality coach and off ice training I can do all the stuff that the litte kiddies can do, and yes you can do all the stuff at 30, I just recently landed 4 axels 4 days ago and am learning double jumps, its basically how bad you want to do all the stuff in figure skating

[QUOTE=Rusty Blades]Well Andrea, I am in my 50's, over-weight, a smoker, and had been physically inactive for decades but over the last 6 months I have seen a lot of changes so don't give up hope!

QUOTE]

He he, I'm also over weight, over 30, and under fit, but I can do lunges, and I can do an ok drag.

Andrea, I find that the forward motion of the drag gives you enough impetus to get up again, no problem, and you are doubtless smaller than me! just have a go its not far to fall either!!!!

Hey,

I just wanted to say I've got that book, and I think its brilliant!

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The hardest thing about ice skating is the ice.

jeez, don't be discouraged!! i have a guy friend who's in his ......uh, better not say.. ... who can do great lunges!! he was hesitant at first,,, seems you gotta get past the 'lowering'.. settle down to a good 90degree angle and just ride it out! keep your arms oppossed or both straight out and back a little.
stretch your hip flexors alot,, also the lower back. you could also just do static standing lunges at home.... mimic the move.
stand both feet together [ it's better on a wood/lino. floor with socks on]....slide on leg forward,, slide on to the rear,,WITH YOU TOES POINTED OUT---NOT DOWN,,, your arch should be resting on the floor. practice 'sliding' back up to a standing position... this will help strengthen your thigh.

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JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE ELSE GETS TO YOU FIRST..

DOES 'THAT' MAKE THEM 'RIGHT'?

You can do it, Andrea I started at the age of 32 and could do drags on both feet, backwards drags AND turning drags. It takes time and a bit of courage. Start by doing what you can and gradually building up.

Unfortunately work blocks photobucket etc so I can't post a piccie of what I eventually achieved up here but if you go HERE you'll see a piccie of one of my drags or that doesn't work THIS is the site though bits of it are missing now because I've not had the time to keep up with it

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The best whisper is a click

NEVER say "never"! You'll be surprised at how quickly your muscles will respond once you start doing exercises specific to those movements. Do lunges off the ice, "walking" with huge steps to alternate legs (it's easier once you get some momentum going). You might want to start out with squats first, then do lunges off-ice, then try the lunge on the ice. Make sure you tape the instep area of the boot that's going to drag, or you'll scrape off the leather.

Fantastic! I'm 31, and have been skating about once per week for the past six months, as a new to the ice beginner. Fortunately, I'm armed with years of physical activity- highlighted by cycling about 8 miles per day. I would never have believed that its possible to do what you now do, at our ages!
I've only just passed level 2, but there's so much I'd love to do real bad! The sticky part though, is confidence - a lack of. I've always been petrified of ice, so these past six months have finally broken down some of that fear.
I can finally forward stroke on edges with loads of confidence, but backwards strokes, stopping, and swizzles still make me very nervous!

The best thing to do is to practice being able to get out of the lunge/drag by doing one foot squats off ice with your leg out in the drag position.

Be careful doing them on the ice as I was doing one and hit a rut, which twisted my knee and I now have a torn meniscus. It is healing though.

Ouch, kiwibabe! I hope your knee feels better soon.

AndreaUK, in addition to the suggested exercises the other posters have mentioned, you could also try wall squats to build up quad and core strength. There's information here and here.

Important things to note if you're doing wall squats:
Feet should be pointing straight ahead, and knees should be aligned with the feet, not going to the outside or the inside of the knees.

Don't squat further than a 90 degree bend in your knees (you may have to adjust how far your feet are from the wall for these). (Some web sites suggest a much shallower bend than this.)

Form is the key here, not speed.

Your lower back should be in contact with the wall (no gap, as that places stress on the lowar back) and you should feel your stomach muscles being used during this exercise.

You can vary the exercise by varying the amount of time you spend going down into position and how much time is spent in position--the focus can either be holding the low position OR the focus can be on going down and up--slowly.

Another good exercise for core strength is seated bent leg raises. Sit on the edge of a bed or on a chair. If you can face a mirror, you can watch your form as well as feel it. Feet begin flat on the floor, with your knees hip width apart. Arms should be in your lap (they are not used for support in this exercise). Without moving any other part of your body, slowly raise one leg (with the knee bent) several inches and then lower it back down. The goal is to do this movement with no other movement in your torso, shoulders, etc. Height of the raised does not matter here.

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You may be talking about some one else, CFP, but I'll take it as my complement. I don't know why it felt so hard, 'cause now it seems easy.

I do know that a couple of years ago when you first started to try and get me to lunge, I was still on hockey skates. Without a tail on the blade, it seemed near impossible.

Another issue I had, even when I moved up to figure skates, was that I wasn't dragging the boot. I kept trying to drag the blade. Now I think about the boot side as the contact area.

As far as strength is concerned, Andrea, just keep excersising and skating regularly. Don't be too concerned if you can't lunge right now. I suggest that you move on to some other skill practice and come back to lunging later. In the future you'll be in better shape, both physically and mentally.

Now for a quick hi-jack of the thread. I do think it's near an end anyway.

CFP, as for my age, really! My profile even has my birthday listed, so don't think for a moment I'd have any issue with THAT. I'm 51, and definetly proud that I immersed myself into learning to skate at a point in life when many people are so sedentary. >BUT< I try not to take myself too seriously.

Bear witness: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tguanpTq_Ww

You're 51?!? You certainly don't look it, it that's you in the video (which is a hoot)

Nobody ever guesses my age either--they come closer once they realize I have a 23 year old daughter.

Good thing it's a low resolution video!

oh man,,, don't encourage him!!
he already thinks of himself as some chick magnet.

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JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE ELSE GETS TO YOU FIRST..

DOES 'THAT' MAKE THEM 'RIGHT'?

What, are you jealous?

Hey, if so, can I get *guy* magnet lessons since I am soon to be single?

You need to break the barrier and hang out with the hockey guys (coaches or the adult hockey league players). I can say (from the experiences I know about at my rink) a lot are single guys, fairly decent (if you can look past the spitting), and already good skaters (if you let them keep their hockey skates). Since you are there a lot anyway......

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

Yeah, but. . . the SMELL. . . .

What, are you jealous?
am I jealous?? uh,,, no, i'm a girl....
but yeah,, hockey guys would be a good first 'option'..........and yeah, maybe stinky, but it's stinky from being athletic. if you're athletic, wouldn't you WANT someone that breaks a sweat too?

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JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE ELSE GETS TO YOU FIRST..

DOES 'THAT' MAKE THEM 'RIGHT'?

Believe me when i say....you do get used to it and they do shower; AND if he is hot enough...well, enough said, eh?

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!