Ask the Expert: Physical Therapist Lauren Downes of Sk8Strong.com

Great interview! Lots of things I never thought about. My Sk8r Grrl has been doing conditioning training with an instructor works mostly with soccer, basketball and football players…lots of speed and agility drills, core strength and flexibility, ladder drills and quick jumping/takeoff skills. It's 45 minutes of intense high energy work twice a week, and although it's not geared toward skating, I have seen a remarkable difference in her stamina on the ice, as well as in her jumping and quick footwork steps.

That might have happened anyway just with her getting older and stronger naturally, but the improvement coincided with the classes, so…that's my research study of one.

I will say that an added unintended positive effect is that on the first day of class when the other kids were all saying what sport they were involved in, there were a few snickers when my daughter said “figure skating”. However, after a few drills jumping hurdles and then a squat exercise (think extreme sit spin position), there was instant respect. The conditioning class really helped my daughter not only to think of herself more as an athlete, but convinced the other kids as well. Again, not our intention in her joining the class, but a nice bonus outcome.

Hi Jozet. I'm glad you liked the interview. I agree with your comment about other athletes thinking that figure skating isn't a 'real sport' Truthfully, figure skaters can be some of the strongest athletes. All of my students who do the physical fitness tests in gym class are always at the top, some of the girls beating a lot of the boys' levels! Definately gains respect of the gym teachers. When I took a sports PT in college, a strength coach came in for a class to teach us functional exercises, and I was the only one who could do a one-legged squat. His repsonse was, 'Oh, you're the figure skater,' meaning he wasn't surprised. Make sure you're daughter is doing a lot of single leg stability work along with the other things she is doing. That's very important! Keep up the good work!

Thanks for the comment, Jozet! I'm glad/relieved you liked the interview!

You know, even though Ice Girl was so wiped out on Saturday (sleepy couch potato w/ ice packs, heating packs), she says that off-ice training has really helped her skating. She also has a ballet class for 1 1/2 hours each week. I'm totally calling that off-ice, too, because it kicks her butt. She's chosen a more challenging class than she really should have, but she likes to be challenged, so whatever.

I think it's interesting that your skater is in with kids from all sorts of sports. Here, some coaches and parents have organized off-ice on their own and recruited local trainers. Truly, that's how we got involved. If Ice Girl hadn't been invited, I don't think I would have sought it out. She had been doing off-ice with Ice Coach and might continue again, but her little trainer kicks Ice Girl's butt sufficiently that I think training with Ice Coach might just glue Ice Girl's rump to the couch for the entire weekend.

We've organized some conditioning and ballet classes within the rink, but interest sort of waxes and wanes. We really do need to get back into a ballet class, but at this point, I'll take any dance. My daughter needs to mix things up every few months to hold her interest. I'm looking into a flamenco class and switching out conditioning with yoga, sometimes gymnastics.

Honestly, the conditioning class started this past winter when we couldn't get to the rink two afternoons. My daughter was climbing the walls – literally – and I think my husband was about to lose his mind. It was a sanity saving measure for all of us.

Great information and interview. Thanks Lauren and Ice Mom!

This is a question for Lauren. My ice girl, 14, has developed very strong quads. While they are helping her in skating, I don't want her legs to get too big. Skinny jeans and the like already don't fit. Is there a way to maintain the strength but lengthen the muscle? I have heard that Pilates does this. Any thoughts are appreciated.

Great question! Unfortunately, skaters are prone to developing larger quad muscles, as the quad is very dominant in the sport. Most skaters who have the predisposition to develop muscles (by genetics) quickly run into this situation, including myself. I remember hating my thighs and butt when I was a teenager! It didn't take me until after college to love them .

Is your daughter doing an off-ice strengthening program? If so, it is important to focus on lower loads/higher reps with quad exercises such as lunges, single leg squats, etc. Instead of adding heavy weight, a skater should progress these exercises by adding a balance component to them, such as standing on a rocker board, 1/2 foam roll, or lastly, a dynadisc, which is the toughest. With these balance tools, a skater will use the co-contraction of various muscle groups to stabilize the lower extremity. The exercises in our programs follow these types of progressions, to develop lean vs. bulky muscle.

Pilates is great for a skater, but most likely won't do too much to lengthen the quads. It focuses more on core strengthening, but can be beneficial to lengthening other muscle groups.

It is difficult to avoid the muscular quads and gluts, with the sport that we do, yet by doing the above, you can keep the muscles strong and as lean as possible. On a side note, I have always found that Express pants fit great with muscular legs! Feel free to contact me with any more questions about our programs.

Mom, you might look into Gyrotonic. It's also a core building exercise system often compared to Pilates, but entirely different. It's great for skaters and dancers because it works in more than one plane at a time. It focuses on core strength while moving freely in circles and spirals. Benefits include core strength, muscular strength, more flexibility, alignment, proper core support during flexion and extension of the spine (great for protecting backs while doing laybacks and Beilmans). Joint mobility etc etc. LOL, and I can attest to the lengthening and re-shaping of the quadriceps muscle along with other muscles of the leg.

No, it won't be a cure all, there is genetics involved, learning to love those shapely quads is probably the best solution, but you might take a look and see if it appeals. Good luck!

Great interview! Sorry so late, hey, IceMom, IG doesn't have to be that sore after a workout for it to be beneficial. There are too many trainers out there that don't understand that old school is not necessarily best school. If she is that sore, then it's too much. I agree with Lauren's guidelines on pain. Two days. I also want to be blunt and say that there are too many kids out there that are being over worked, and over trained and it is not necessary.

One of my concerns is that when someone is that sore, it probably means that they have done too many repetitions, or too much weight, or both and the danger in that is that their form usually suffers. That's when injuries happen. Okay, off my soap box. Ha. Sorry, I hate to hear of children suffering. Exercise doesn't have to kill to build, and it's no fun when you're that sore!

Epsom salt baths are another good thing for delayed onset muscle soreness. Oh, and something called Topricin is an over the counter cream that has been recommended by a couple of different sources including a doctor and a massage therapist. It works nicely! Traumeel does too.

Thanks for the suggestion. We will definitely look into it.

Thank you for this detailed reply. Great information!

Great comment. Remember that off-ice training is done to improve a skater's performance, and also to PREVENT injury. Overtraining is common in many sports. As a PT, I always know that I will see a rush of new soccer and field hockey players in mid-September at my clinic. They have done minimal conditioning all summer, and the coach finds it necessary to run double sessions for a week straight! This is why it is important to work with qualified professionals, in any sport.

I recently dislocated my left knee cap, due to weak muscles holding it in place. Will this dislocation affect my skating?

I recently dislocated my left knee cap, due to weak muscles holding it in place. Will this dislocation affect my skating?

Hi Grace. It will affect your skating if it is not rehabilitated properly. The soft tissue that holds the kneecap in place was overstretched during the dislocation, and if it stressed too soon without healing, it may give you pain with deep knee bends, such as jump landings and takeoffs, and sit spins. A good physical therapist will give you a home exercise program, which is important to continue after rehab. I also may recommend kinesiotaping your knee to give it extra support, or wear a patellar stabilizer brace as you return to skating. If you rehab the knee properly, you shouldn’t have lasting effects on you skating.

Hi Grace. It will affect your skating if it is not rehabilitated properly. The soft tissue that holds the kneecap in place was overstretched during the dislocation, and if it stressed too soon without healing, it may give you pain with deep knee bends, such as jump landings and takeoffs, and sit spins. A good physical therapist will give you a home exercise program, which is important to continue after rehab. I also may recommend kinesiotaping your knee to give it extra support, or wear a patellar stabilizer brace as you return to skating. If you rehab the knee properly, you shouldn't have lasting effects on you skating.

[...] of Sk8Strong this question in my audio interview with her in May. You can listen to the whole thing here, but below is a short excerpt: Don’t swim right before skating because the warm water relaxes [...]

ouch that was hurt! but i suggest you to try foam rollers for your weak muscles. You can skate again as soon as your knee dislocation be back to normal.

ouch that was hurt! but i suggest you to try foam rollers for your weak muscles. You can skate again as soon as your knee dislocation be back to normal.