Boston Globe Article

Susan Wessling, the editor of International Figure Skating Magazine, was nice enough to feature Sk8Strong and I in an article for the Boston Globe. Thank you Susan, for giving people greater insight into my philosophies. To read the article, please click on this link: http://www.boston.com/jobs/healthcare/oncall/articles/2009/01/16/feature/

What kind of off-ice training should figure skaters be doing at this time of year?

Are you a competitive figure skater training for regionals in the fall? Do you have a 'battle plan' for your training until regionals? If not, then you should start now! The key to creating a successful season begins after LAST YEAR'S regionals. After the last big competition, and a few much needed weeks off, you should sit down with your parents and coaches and develop a year-long training program. And yes, that includes off-ice training, as it is a very important key to a figure skater's success. And that training involves periodization, which is a training plan that involves highs and lows of cardiovascular workouts, strength training, plyometrics, program run throughs, and more, at different times of the year.To peak at the appropriate time, it is important to scale you training at the right times to be in your best shape. Over training can tire you out, but under training will leave you tired and breathing heavy at the end of your program. Figure skating and that 'perfect program' takes work, and that work is a combination of strength training, core stability work, dynamic warmups, on-ice repetition, and technique refinement. If you haven't ever investigated periodization, visit the USFS website for some sample schedules. Sk8Strong periodization recommedations are also included in the Sk8Strong "Off-Ice Training For Figure Skaters" Manual. Find out what you've been missing in your training program. The correct off-ice workout program will take you a long way, and it's never too late to start!