While everybody agrees that great cardiovascular endurance
is key to race day performance, few realize how important
flexibility and strength are to achieving the most powerful
stroke possible. Flexible joints deliver increased stroke
length, and a regular stretching routine can help prevent
joint injuries and reduce muscle soreness. Strong legs
allow you to sprint away from a pack or climb a long
hill without using up all of your resources. Such benefits
do not come from skate training alone: they result from
specific and consistently-performed off-skate training
activities. Our MarathonSkating.com
Stretching and Strengthening program sharpens your
race-day edge through a series of lessons designed
to progressively improve your flexibility; build strength,
endurance and power in your limbs; and show you how
to integrate core strength and balance work into your
training. In fact, we will address balance in every
sense of the word: coordination on skates, in opposing
muscle groups and in the mind/body connection that
helps put you into your “skating zone”,
an attitude that makes the miles roll painlessly by.
The Stretching and Strengthening
program presents the following components in three
six-week programs to marathon participants: stretching
(through traditional, Yoga, Active Isolated stretching,
and massage), strength and endurance training (overall,
core/Pilates, upper body work, lower body work), physical
balance (Yoga, wobble boards and other aids), and
mental balance (breath awareness, centering, meditation).
You can choose to register for either
the Novice, Intermediate, or Advanced program levels
in the Strength & Stretching content area. This
will depend on your existing knowledge and exercise
program.
A side benefit to adding a
consistent program of strength, flexibility and balance
training into your lifestyle through both traditional
and non-traditional methods is that the subtle benefits
of the Eastern influenced disciplines really do lead
to a more peaceful and aware mind for daily living.
And who doesn’t need that?
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