**Today's guest post is brought to you by the always awesome #636, JENOCIDE! Let's give her a round of applause!**
When first reading the
title of this entry, one might question why a roller derby player would ever condone
taking off your skates. Whether you are just starting out in derby or you’re a
seasoned vet, there is one thing that rings true for all levels of skaters: Off-skates training is just as important as on
skates. No, seriously. It is. You may be rolling your eyes right now and
saying to yourself, “I can skate. I am good to go.”
(This might be you right now)
Benefits
of off-skates workouts:
·
Better
balance
·
Core
strength
·
Strength
for hits, derby stance, stopping and holding
·
Confidence
·
Lessens
the likelihood of injury or muscle strains
·
Improved
flexibility
Most
importantly, it makes you feel good!
All of these things sound great, right? Now
maybe you’re reconsidering and saying, “Okay, but what does off-skates training
look like?”
Off-skates training covers a wide variety of
exercises and movements, but doesn’t necessarily mean stepping foot into the
gym. While having access to free weights and machines is helpful (and effing
awesome), it’s not necessary to get in some great work. Many of these can be
performed in the privacy of your own home. (Hint hint: NO EXCUSES!)
Lunges,
sit-ups/crunches, squats, planks, pushups, wall sits, and the always
loveable/hateable BURPEES are great additions to a training regimen and require
no equipment whatsoever.
If you a
have access to free weights and/or kettlebells, even better. Agility/footwork drills
are also a plus.
If you’re struggling with how to put a workout
together, below are some great websites that you can use to assist you in your
off-skates pursuits:
*https://www.fitnessblender.com/ (One of
my personal favorites. FREE workouts, which
can be scaled to meet your needs and ability level.)
*YouTube is also a great resource, as you can
find many videos related specifically to what you want to accomplish. https://www.youtube.com/
If you have some extra money just burning a
hole in your pocket, Roller Derby Athletics offers derby-specific training
programs to meet your needs. http://www.rollerderbyathletics.com/
As you can see, I highly recommend off-skates
training. Off-skates workouts will help you to step up your derby game and become
the player you’ve always dreamed of being.
Happy training!
XO-
Jenocide
