Exercise: Mountain Climbers and Spidermans For Mountain Climbers, bring your knees straight in towards your chest without touching your front foot to the floor; for Spidermans, bring your front foot to the outside of your hand and transfer your weight to it. Do: Place wrists directly below shoulders Don’t: allow hips to rise up Easier: go […]

Exercise: Frog Jumps Do: Jump for distance, not height, try to minimize the number of hops backward you need to get back to your starting point

Exercise: Chair Step-Ups & Step-Up / Cross-Under Combos* Do: Drive through your heel, all the way up Don’t: Get only halfway up Easier: Standard step up Harder: Double-time, Up and Over variations *check out the Cross-Under squat video for more tutorial on the combo movement.

Exercise: Heismans Do: Keep feet fast and light; use your abs to tuck and crunch toward your knee Don’t: look for height – the movements should be lateral Easier: go slower and more deliberately Harder: faster feet!

Exercise: Thrusters Do: Drive up powerfully with legs and hips Don’t: separate the movement into a slow squat and a slow overhead press. Easier: Use lighter weight. Harder: Lift heavier weight (in the video I have 15 lb dumbbells in each hand) See also: Squats, Burpees & Variations Back to all How-To Videos, in alphabetical order…

Exercise: Weighted Long Jumps Do: Swing the weight out in front of you, imagine it dragging you forward. Take it slow as you get used to the feeling. Don’t: look for height, or swing the weight above shoulder height. Easier: eliminate the weight Harder: heavier weight, more reps. See also: Long Jump + Tuck Jump Back to all How-To […]

Exercise: Tuck Jumps Do: Get your knees UP! Land with soft knees Don’t: try these before being well warmed up Easier: take small stutter jumps in between each tuck jump Harder: jump higher, go faster   Click here to see all the How-To Videos…

Exercise: Sideways Stairs Do: Use “outside” and “inside” leg equally, & remember to swap sides every flight of stairs or two. Don’t: forget to get low and attack the stairs like a speed skater

Exercise: Crossover Twists with a Ball Do: Keep your shoulders in contact with the mat Don’t: rush, or twist further than you can with control   Click here to see all the How-To Videos…

Exercise: Planks with Single Knee Tucks on a Ball (HOB) Do: Try to keep as still as possible in your upper body and trunk Modification: do this from the ground, or with your elbows on the ball if you have wrist pain   Click here to see all the How-To Videos…

Exercise: Chair Squats Do: Lower with control, keep your supporting knee pointed straight forward over your toe Don’t: Drop heavily into the chair; allow your supporting knee to cave inward Easier: use a higher platform (bed, arm of a couch), or do with both legs Harder: use a lower platform   Click here to see […]

Exercise: Reverse Leg-Lifts on a Ball Do: engage your back and glutes throughout; keep your neck in a neutral position Don’t: overextend your legs, arch your back Easier: One leg at a time   Click here to see all the How-To Videos…

Exercise: Push-Ups Do: Place hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart, point elbows about 45 degrees away from your torso, get to a 90 degree bend in your elbows at the bottom position Don’t: allow your hips to rise up or sag Easier: do push-ups from your knees Harder: place feet close together (works stability); elevate […]

Exercise: Engage your Transverse Abdominis (TVA) Do: Hold for a count of eight, and repeat three times. This is a good beginning to any on-skate time or an agility or plyo workout, to get your core working for you. Do: Start easy and increase the force of your contraction in set 2 & 3. Don’t:  Easier: n/a Harder: push […]

Exercise: Split Squat with Raised Back Leg Do: Place about 70% of your weight on the front foot. Drive through the heel of the front foot to rise up. Don’t: allow front knee to cave inward. Easier: Do standard split squats instead Harder: lift heavier weight See also: Split Squats, Lunges Back to all How-To Videos, in alphabetical order…

Exercise: Prisoner Get-Ups Do: take your time, and hit all the “Stops”: 1) lie down 2) sit up 3) tuck your knee under 4) rise to kneeling 5) stand up Easier: Use your hands to support Harder: Add weight   Click here to see all the How-To Videos…

Exercise: Single Leg Dead Lift, aka SLDL or 1LDL Do: Engage your core, hinge your torso and leg as a unit, send your hips backward and weight over your heel Don’t: use the same forward arm as your supporting leg!  Easier: n/a Harder: Add a dumbbell or kettlebell See also: Deadlifts, Good Mornings Back to all How-To Videos, in alphabetical […]

Exercise: Calf Raises Do: Rise and lower with control; distribute weight evenly across the balls of your feet. Don’t: let your heels splay out to the sides. Easier: hold on to a wall for stabiity Harder: one-leg calf raises; add weight

Exercise: Squats with Weight Do: Keep weight in heels, maintain a slight curve in the lower back at the bottom position, keep chest and head lifted. Don’t: squat lower if you can’t maintain good form. Easier: Use lighter weight; use a Smith Machine at the gym. Harder: Lift heavier weight. See also: Squats & Squat Jumps Back to all […]

Exercise: Lunge Stretch Do: Focus on tilting your pelvis under; keep your knees aligned with your ankles Don’t: let your front knee drive forward past your toes, or cave inward towards your centre line. Easier: Back knee resting on the floor. Back toes can be tucked under, or top of the foot resting on the ground Harder: Rise up to […]

Exercise: Deadlift; Romanian Deadlift Do: Warm up with the bar only. Set up with weight in heels, bar touching shins, chest lifted, shoulders directly above the bar. Pull first, straighten knees second.  To lower, hinge at hips, then bend knees when bar is past them. Don’t: lean forward with weight over toes and shoulders forward of the bar; […]

Exercise: Long Jump + Tuck Jump Combination Do: Spring up into the tuck jump quickly and vertically. Don’t: jump forward on the tuck jump. Easier: Separate the two jumps with a pause. Harder: n/a See also: Long Jump with Weight, Tuck Jumps, Advanced Tuck Jumps Back to all How-To Videos, in alphabetical order…

Exercise: Single Leg Dead Lift, aka SLDL or 1LDL Do: Engage your core, hinge your torso and leg as a unit, send your hips backward and weight over your heel Don’t: use the same forward arm as your supporting leg!  Easier: n/a Harder: Add a dumbbell or kettlebell See also: Deadlifts, Good Mornings Back to all How-To Videos, in alphabetical […]

Exercise: Weighted Lunge Do: Warm up with the bar only. Keep knees over toes. Drive through the heel of the front foot to rise up. Keep chest and head lifted. Don’t: allow front knee to cave inward, or take too large a step forward. Easier: Do split squats instead Harder: lift heavier weight See also: Split Squats, Lunges Back to all How-To […]

Exercise: Praying Mantis Plank Do: Return to good plank form between each rep Easier: Touch outstretched foot to floor near hand, instead of touching hand & foot in the air; or leave both hands in place and just reach your foot out.   Click here to see all the How-To Videos…

Exercise: Burpees Variations:Half Burpees, Squat Thrusts Do: Hit all the ‘stops’ with good form: Squat, plank, push-up, squat-jump Don’t: Rush through it and sacrifice form   Click here to see all the How-To Videos…

Exercise: Triceps Push-Up Do: Keep elbows tucked to your sides, practice good push-up form Don’t: allow hips to sag or rise up into a piked position Easier: From the knees Harder: Elevate your feet on a step, bench or chair   Click here to see all the How-To Videos…

Exercise: Push-Ups on a Ball Variations: FOB Push-ups; FOB single-leg push-ups; HOB push-ups from the knees; HOB push-ups (lowering motion only); HOB full push-ups Do: Practice good standard push-up form Don’t: Allow your shoulders to rise towards your ears Easier / Harder: variations are listed in order of challenge   Click here to see all the […]

Exercise: Skater Strides Do: Stay low throughout, keep head and chest lifted, use arms like a speed skater Don’t: bob up and down, or half-ass it and wind up looking like a tap dancer :)

Exercise: Long Jump + Tuck Jump Combination Do: Spring up into the tuck jump quickly and vertically. Don’t: jump forward on the tuck jump. Easier: Separate the two jumps with a pause. Harder: n/a See also: Long Jump with Weight, Tuck Jumps, Advanced Tuck Jumps Back to all How-To Videos, in alphabetical order…

Exercise: Chair Step-Ups & Step-Up / Cross-Under Combos* Do: Drive through your heel, all the way up Don’t: Get only halfway up Easier: Standard step up Harder: Double-time, Up and Over variations *check out the Cross-Under squat video for more tutorial on the combo movement.

Exercise: Sideways Stairs Do: Use “outside” and “inside” leg equally, & remember to swap sides every flight of stairs or two. Don’t: forget to get low and attack the stairs like a speed skater