Before you skate, warm up with movement rather than long, still stretches: a few minutes of easy marching or jogging, then leg swings, lunges and arm circles. Save the slow, held stretches for after your session, when your muscles are warm. Stretching regularly can help you move more freely and feel less stiff, and over time it can help with spirals and spin positions, but it isn't a proven way to prevent injuries.
Key takeaways
- Warm up before you skate by getting warm and moving. Long, still stretches on cold muscles aren't a warm-up.
- Stretch after skating, or later at home, while you're warm. Ease in until you feel a gentle pull, breathe, and never bounce.
- Stretching helps you move more freely and feel less stiff. It isn't a proven way to avoid injuries, so warming up, strength work and listening to your body matter too.
- Spirals, sit spins and camel spins are good reasons to work on flexibility. Go at your body's pace, and leave oversplits and Biellmann positions out of your plans.
- Sharp pain, swelling, numbness or pain that doesn't settle with rest is a reason to stop and see a doctor or physio.
Most of us rush to the rink after work, lace up in the lobby and step straight onto cold ice. Then we wonder why the start of the session feels so stiff, or why our hips complain the next morning. A short warm-up before you skate and a few gentle stretches afterward can make skating feel a lot more comfortable.
This page covers a simple warm-up, an easy stretching routine for after you skate, and the flexibility goals worth working toward as an adult. It doesn't give hold times or a daily schedule, because the right amount depends on your body. Strength and balance exercises are on our off-ice training page, so this one sticks to warming up and stretching.
What stretching can and can't do
Stretching regularly helps your joints move through a fuller range, and many skaters find it simply makes them feel less stiff, especially after a cold session or a day at a desk. Over time, that can make positions like a spiral or a sit spin easier to reach. It also feels good, and a few quiet minutes after skating are a nice way to finish.
What stretching hasn't been shown to do is reliably prevent injuries. You'll see claims that it stops sprains and knee problems, but the evidence for that is weak. Warming up, building strength, learning to fall safely and not pushing through pain are all part of looking after yourself too. So stretch because it helps you move, not as a shield against getting hurt.
Warming up before you skate
A warm-up is about getting your body warm and moving before you ask it to skate. Start with a few minutes of easy movement off the ice, like marching on the spot, gentle jogging or stepping side to side, until you feel a little warmer and your breathing picks up. Rinks are cold, so keep your jacket on while you do it.
Then move your joints through the ranges skating uses, with smooth movements rather than held stretches. Leg swings forward and back and side to side, holding a wall, loosen up your hips. Walking lunges, side lunges and a few easy squats get your legs working, and arm circles and gentle turns of your upper body wake up your shoulders and back. Finish with some ankle circles before you put your skates on.
Keep every movement within a comfortable range, and let it get a little bigger as you warm up. Long, still stretches on cold muscles aren't a good way to start, and stretching isn't a warm-up on its own. If you only have a few minutes, spend them getting warm and moving.
Once you're on the ice
Your warm-up carries on for the first few minutes on the ice. Start with easy stroking at a comfortable pace, then swizzles, simple edges and crossovers if you have them, before you try anything big. Our guide to inside and outside edges has easy patterns that make a good on-ice warm-up. Save jumps and spins until your legs feel ready.
If you arrive late or the session is short, it's tempting to skip all of this. A shorter warm-up is still far better than none, and the rest of your session will feel friendlier for it.
Stretching after skating
The end of a session is a good time for slow, held stretches, because your muscles are warm. Stretch soon after you come off the ice, before you cool down, somewhere warm like the lobby or the locker room. Put a layer on first, and take your skates off so you can sit and lie down comfortably.
Ease into each stretch slowly until you feel a gentle pull in the muscle, not pain. Hold it still while you breathe slowly and normally, and let it ease a little further if it wants to. Never bounce, because bouncing can strain the muscle you're trying to loosen. Come out of each stretch as slowly as you went in.
Stretch both sides, even if one is much tighter, and don't measure yourself against the skater next to you. Bodies are built differently, and some people are naturally bendier than others. If you're one of them, you may need strength more than extra stretching, and a physio can help you work out the balance.
A gentle routine you can actually do
You don't need a long session or a mat full of yoga poses. These stretches cover the areas skaters usually feel most: calves, thighs, hips, lower back and shoulders. Pick the ones that feel useful, do them after skating or later in the day when you're warm, and skip anything that hurts.
| Stretch | Where you feel it | How to do it gently |
|---|---|---|
| Calf stretch | Back of the lower leg | Face a wall with one foot back, heel down and back knee straight, then lean in. Bend the back knee a little to feel it lower down. |
| Standing thigh stretch | Front of the thigh | Hold a wall, bend one knee and hold that foot behind you with your knees close together. Loop a towel around your foot if you can't reach it. |
| Kneeling hip stretch | Front of the hip | Kneel on one knee on a cushion, with the other foot flat in front. Keep your body upright, tuck your hips under slightly and shift forward. |
| Lying hamstring stretch | Back of the thigh | Lie on your back with one knee bent. Loop a towel or strap around the other foot and raise that leg, with a soft bend in the knee if you need it. |
| Butterfly | Inner thighs and hips | Sit tall with the soles of your feet together and let your knees drop out on their own. Don't push them down with your hands. |
| Figure-four | Buttocks and outer hip | Lie on your back, cross one ankle over the other knee and gently draw both legs toward you. |
| Knees to chest | Lower back | Lie on your back and hug both knees in. A small rock from side to side feels nice. |
| Across-the-chest stretch | Back of the shoulder | Bring one arm across your chest and hold it with the other arm, above or below the elbow. |
Move slowly between stretches, and get up from the floor carefully, because standing up fast after lying down can leave you a bit light-headed. If getting down to the floor is hard, most of these have a standing or seated version, and a physio or qualified trainer can show you ones that suit your body. Flexibility builds slowly, so a short routine you'll actually do is worth more than a long one you never get to.
Flexibility goals that make sense for adults
Skating gives you some lovely reasons to work on flexibility. A spiral is a glide on one foot with your free leg lifted behind you, and it uses the front of your hips, your hamstrings and your back. A sit spin has you sitting low on one bent leg with the other stretched out in front, which takes flexible hips and hamstrings and an ankle that bends well. A camel spin holds a spiral-like position while you turn.
Treat these as directions to work in, not deadlines. Flexibility usually comes slowly for adults, and how far you get depends on your body, your history and how often you stretch. A spiral with your leg at hip height and a long, steady line looks lovely, and if your leg creeps higher over the months, that's a bonus. Our skating terms guide explains each position.
You'll see skaters online pulling a foot over their head in a Biellmann spin, or sliding into oversplits. Those positions take exceptional flexibility, and they aren't something an adult routine needs to aim for. Pushing hard toward them before your body is ready is a quick way to strain something. If you're curious about what's realistic for you, ask your coach.
Flexibility is only half of a good position. Holding a camel or a spiral steady on a moving blade also takes strength and balance, so your leg stays up because you're holding it there. The strength and balance exercises on the off-ice page help with that, and our guide to first spins covers the spins that come before sit and camel spins.
When to see a doctor or physio
A stretch should feel like a gentle pull, never sharp. Stop and see a doctor or physio if you feel sharp or shooting pain, if a muscle or joint swells, if you get numbness or tingling, or if pain doesn't settle with rest. The same goes for a pop or a sudden pain while you're skating, which can mean a strain rather than ordinary tightness.
Check with your doctor or a physio before you start if you've had a joint replacement or recent surgery, are coming back from an injury, are pregnant, or have a condition that affects your bones or joints. Some stretches aren't right for everyone, and they can show you versions that are. Tightness that keeps coming back in the same spot, however much you stretch, is worth getting looked at too.
This is general advice from adult skaters, not medical advice. If something here doesn't suit your body, go with what your doctor, physio or coach tells you.
