Cardio and Agility Sports Training/Roller Derby

                “Off Season" is the perfect time to work on your endurance and footwork off skates. Here is a way to work your cardio and agility 3x a week to keep you fit and on your toes during a break.  Take one workout from each category and mix it up. Try to do each day at least once a week to get all types of training in.

               I tried the agility workouts on skates and most can apply. There are a few variations you would need to do in order for them to work, but its still a great way to get your feet moving quicker.

Endurance: On treadmill, elliptical or outdoors running or skating. Each cardio workout should take 20-30 minutes. Make sure to warm up for approximately 5 minutes before hitting the harder intervals.

Day 1: Straight endurance: Keep your heart rate at a steady 68%-82% max heart rate for 20-30 minutes. NO stopping for breaks. Pick a pace that you can work with for a longer period of time.

Day 2: Interval Training: Alternate 2 minute intervals (the longest your jam will be), at 70% max heart rate and 85-90% max heart rate. This is a run/walk interval. You should be able to get at least 6-7 intervals in a 30 minute training session.

Day 3: Power Training: 1:2 minute ratio intervals: Work your 1 minute intervals as hard as you can around 90% of your max, with a 2 minute rest/walk of a 65-70% max heart rate. As your body gets warmer and your adrenaline builds, which it will, your max will get stronger and quicker. Never underestimate your power. Add more resistance to the elliptical, more incline to the treadmill or more speed to your run/skate. Do whatever it takes to work as hard as you can for that 1 minute. You should be able to get at least 8-9 intervals in a 30 minute workout.

Agility/Footwork: These workouts should take no more than 12 minutes. Perform each interval 3-4 times. 

Day 1:

1.      Quick Grapevines/Karaokes back and forth 1 minute intervals.

2.      Quick steps or slides right and left. Go about the length of the track side (inside to outside of track) and back. Keep your hips, knees, feet forward when doing this. 1 minute intervals.

3.      Gallops side. Use your power foot, steering foot theory by keeping your right foot forward while the left foot is facing left (inside line) and gallop to the inside line. Then galloping to the outside line you would turn keep your left foot facing forward and turning your right foot toward the outside line. 1 minute intervals.

Day 2: Ladders: If you don’t have a ladder, imagine one J Repeat each exercise once then repeat rotation 2-3 times. You can increase your time to 1 minute intervals.

1.      1. Run in each square forward, then turn around and run forward again. Both feet should go in each box. Repeat 30 seconds.

2.      2. Run forward to the end, then run backwards. Both feet in each box. Repeat 30 seconds.

3.      3. Facing sideways: Side step each foot into each box to the left, return to the right. Repeat 30 seconds.

4.      4. Facing forward: Side step inside the box with both feet then outside to the right. Repeat going to the left on the next box. Keep moving forward till you hit the end. Turn around and repeat for 30 seconds.

5.      5. Facing sideways: Cross over into each box. One foot per box. Go the right, then repeat going back to the left. Repeat for 30 seconds.

6.     6.  Facing forward starting on the left outside of the ladder: Crossover left leg into the box, right leg out of the box then step left next to right. You should be out of the box at this point. Repeat crossing Right over left into the box, then left out and then right out.  Repeat 30 seconds.

Day 3: Line Drills: Imagine a line or use a crack in the ground. Perform each exercise then repeat rotation 2-3 times.

1.      Side step back and forth over the line. Try to keep your head up and stay in derby low the whole time. Repeat 30 second.

2.      Hop one foot over the line keeping your inside foot up before switching to the other side. Repeat 30 seconds.

3.      Hop both feet over the line back and forth. Repeat 30 seconds.

4.      Face the line: Step on the or over the line Right, left then step back behind the line right left. Repeat 30 seconds. Then Repeat starting with your left foot first.

5.      Crossovers or drunken sailors: Standing beside the line with the line on your right side: Cross step left leg over right passing the line, (you should now have the line on your left side) then cross step right leg over left crossing the line.  Repeat 30 seconds. You can do this slower and work on your deeper crossovers or you can do these quicker and work on your grapevine/karoakes.

Work on form and precision before working on speed. It is better to get the footwork down properly than try to go fast and cut corners.

Stay fit,

Michbehavin’ .5 pint

Written by : Michelle Rotell

Owner/Personal Trainer Sweat Cardio and Yoga

Training Coordinator/ Wine Town Rollers

Prevent Knee Injury in Repetitive Motion Sports-Rolling/Stretching/Training

 We need to train specifically for strength and power in our legs. We can prevent injury by cross training which is working your opposing muscles we work all the time. For example, strengthen  your lower back as well as your abdominal muscles. Twisting and leaning are integral movements in roller derby. Incorporate side lunges and curtsy lunges to strengthen the areas needed.  

Repetitive motion puts high stress on one area and can cause imbalance in your muscular structure as well as your skeletal structure. Tight muscles can pull bones and ligaments in one direction and loosen muscles not being used as frequently. We need to lengthen specific muscles and strengthen others. 

Lengthening your IT band and strengthening your Vastus Medialis and inner thighs are key to knee injury prevention.

First, rolling or lengthening your IT (iliotibial) Band  is key. Here is a great stretch for your IT band as well as how to roll it.

Roll Slow. Make sure to hold it in the areas that you feel pain till the pain lessens. You then move on as you roll the entire side. You should not be rolling consistently up and down your leg.

With your legs crossed and folding forward, lean slightly to the outside of the base foot to create a better stretch on the outside of your hip and down to the back of the knee. 

If your IT band is tight which is caused by repetitive forward motion, there is tension on your knee. The IT Band connects from the hip to the knee, therefore pulling your knee outward and putting unwanted and uneven pressure on your knees and lower extremities.

With a tighter IT Band comes pulling of the inner thighs; primarily your Vastus medialus muscles (inner muscle of your quadriceps) and Gracilis muscles (inner thigh). 

We need to make sure to strengthen all areas of our quadriceps but this muscles is not only neglected but really hard to trigger on its own. 

To strengthen the Vastus medialus and gracilis muscles, here are a few exercises.

Perform a wall squat with or without a ball on your back making sure your legs are at a 90 degree angle. Then take another small ball and place it between your legs and squeeze it slowly. Repeat multiple times till you feel a strong burn. Stand, recover, then repeat set 2 to 3 more times.

Curtsy Lunges. Alternate curtsy lunges from leg to leg. If you can push off with inside of your front foot you will feel more work being done to your medialis. Repeat 10 to 15 repetitions on each side. Rest and repeat 2 to 3 sets.

Side Lunges. Make sure your knees are over your heals when stepping out. When pushing back to center, it is imperative that you place most of your weight on the inside of your power foot in order to get the proper stengthening in your vastus medialus. This will also fire up your glutes, hamstrings and obliques. 

Tradition is to train as we play, but it is important in order to keep balance in our bodies to work out bodies at least once a week in the opposite manner. For example in roller derby, we need to make sure to work our right side as much as our left side. Skate non-derby direction when possible. If  you are a cyclist, make sure to do lateral movements such as skaters and back lunges for your hamstrings. 

Make sure to work at your own pace, but you will see your performance increase in your specific sport or just in your daily lives by making sure your body is aligned properly. 

You may even notice your lower back or neck have less stress as you become more balanced. Your whole body will become more balanced and will reflect on other areas of your body and life. 

Written by: 

Michelle "Michbehavin" Rotell

Owner Sweat Cardio and Yoga

www.sweatcardio.com