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Why Warming Up and Stretching Is Important Before Skating

Author: Coach Stephanie Siclari

Often times we rush to the rink from school or work, get our skates on, and take the ice, all without giving a thought to making sure that our muscles have adequate blood flow for exercise.

Taking 5-20 min to warm up and stretch (dynamic) before lacing up your skates can help prevent injury as well as help you mentally prepare for your skating session. 

“A good warm-up will raise your body temperature, which is particularly helpful to your muscles."

“As your muscle temperature increases, oxygen becomes more available to your muscles, allowing them to contract and relax more easily – so you’ll be able to perform more strenuous tasks with ease. Your heart is also given a chance to prepare, meaning it won’t be too strained during your workout.”

– Fitathletic.com

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By increasing muscle temperature, your body is ensuring that you can move in certain ways and perform skating skills without causing too much strain.

As the body’s temperature increases, our muscles are adapting to performing while under stress and the oxygen requirements that come from skating. 

Another reason to include a light warmup into your routine is to mentally prepare you for your practice session. How often have you arrived to the rink with 100 other things on your mind and then rushed straight to the ice? Taking the time to warm up can help get your head in the right space for an efficient practice session.

It is recommended that you utilize your entire body when warming up, targeting multiple large muscle groups. Warming up will slowly get your cardiovascular system motivated resulting in less pressure and stress on the heart to pump blood throughout your entire body suddenly. It is also important to be sure you do not jump from a resting state to a heavy warmup. 

What Does a Warmup Do For Your Body?

The benefits of warming up before a workout can provide many positive outcomes such as:

  • Increased blood and oxygen to the muscles that are in use
  • Dilated blood vessels to pump blood easier
  • Less strain on the heart to pump blood throughout the system
  • Increased body temperature increases elasticity in the muscles
  • Increased muscle temperature which can lead to less muscle injury and strain
  • Activation of cooling methods so the body won’t overheat (sweating)
  • Hormones are released which allow fatty acids and carbohydrates to be converted into energy (source)

Now that we know we should warmup before skating, here are some examples of warmup and dynamic stretching exercises you can do before taking the ice:

  • Warmup: 5- 10 minutes

    • Jump rope 
    • Light Jogging
    • Skipping
    • Butt Kickers
    • High Knees
    • Grapevine

  • Dynamic Stretching: 5-10 minutes

    • Walking Lunges
    • Walking Hip Openers
    • Arm Swings
    • Side Lunges
    • Leg Swings Side to Side
    • Trunk Rotation- Back Twists
    • Ankle Range of Motion
    • Calf Stretch
    • Quadriceps Stretch
    • Hamstring Stretch
    • Straight Leg Kicks
To view my downloadable warmup guide, please click here.

If you need assistance with designing a warmup routine or off ice training, I would love to help!

You can visit my website, www.coachstephaniesiclari.com to learn more about my online training programs. 

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about the author

Coach Stephanie

I am a 2x national champion and former Team USA synchronized team member and have been coaching figure skating and power skating for 20 years. I am a life-long fitness enthusiast and marathon runner and have combined my competitive, coaching, and fitness experiences to create my SKATERFIT Training Method.

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