Are you ready to sparkle on the ice? So many of you ask me for great off ice workout ideas and aren’t sure where to start. You are probably overthinking it. So let me help! 

It's time to put on your cutest leggings, grab your yoga mat, and get ready to sweat glitter with these fantastic off-ice workout routines!

Really - if you just start with ONE - I have a feeling the rest will feel lest scary (I mean less scary than the first time you tried a salchow…)

Let's start with yoga, the ancient practice that's perfect for improving your flexibility, strength, and balance. Strike a pose with downward dog, pigeon, or warrior II to stretch out those hamstrings, hips, and quads, all while feeling like a graceful yogi on the ice! I especially think Yoga is helpful for MIF, spiral patterns, and if you get advanced - spin variation positions. 

Yoga has always been hard for me because of my terrible shoulder flexibility. So let me remind you that a little a day goes a long way. Having a video or a class with a modifier also is helpful.

Newsflash - you don’t have to be as good as the trainer on the 1st day OR the 100th day. You just have to be better than yourself eventually and that comes with doing yoga frequently.

Now, let's talk about barre, inspired by ballet and designed to give you those long, lean muscles. Pliés, relevés, and leg lifts are the perfect exercises to strengthen your legs and core for jumps, spins, and when we do something like my favorite Barre Blend or the Flow in Fire & Flow, it does a lot of upper body spine movement too which is so awesome for your choreography and flow in your all over skating. Extension, extension, extension is highlighted to the max in Barre when we have to hold up our arms the whole time, too. Plus, who doesn't love feeling like a prima ballerina with some added sparkly leg warmers?

I like to do barre at home where I can feel as graceful as I want without judgement. Truth - I also sometimes do it in my jammies because I’m too lazy to change into the cute leggings. Though I am pretty sure my legs lift higher in shiny spandex. (Right? Ha!)

Last but not least, let's give a shoutout to Pilates! This low-impact exercise is all about building core strength, which is vital for maintaining balance and control on the ice. Get ready to rock the hundred, plank, and single-leg stretch to feel like a champion on the ice. What I love most is that we can build that strength, but not have our legs feel like jello the next day for our ice time like we do for a traditional “leg day” workout with weights.

Pilates can be so hard but I really do think this is the one that helps us avoid injury when falling the most. It can also be really fun. I always think the pilates classes go by so fast! If you can get yourself to a gym on the Reformer, it’s so good - but it’s also speedy - so I stick to my home videos to save my money for ice time.

Now, how can you stay motivated and consistent with your off-ice workout routine? Well, grab your fellow figure skater friend, and make a date for a yoga, barre, or Pilates class. Having a workout buddy to hold you accountable and cheer you on is the perfect way to sparkle together. We do it in online accountability groups (I call it my fit-club) which totally helps with crazy schedules!

Also, don't forget to set a goal for yourself! Whether it's holding a yoga pose for a full minute or doing ten relevés in a row, write it down and put it somewhere you'll see it every day. This will remind you why you're working hard and help you stay on track, all while feeling like an ice princess with some added glitter. We share our goals in the FitClub and it’s so fun as we reach them and cheer on our friends as they do the same.

So what are you waiting for? It's time to take your skating skills to the next level with some glitter-tastic off-ice workouts!

Here’s a Free PDF with my favorites to get you started! Freeworkout.coachhollythompson.com