3 Skater Exercises to Help You Stick That Trick

While skateboarding in itself is quite a workout, more skaters are beginning to realize that building muscle off the board can be just as vital. Not only does strength training increase your endurance and maximize pop, it also helps you absorb the impact of landing so you reduce the stress on your joints. This doesn’t mean you have to beef up like the Hulk to be a skater, but keeping up with some regular exercises might help you land that trick sooner than expected.

In general, a skater’s workout should focus on the core and lower body, as these are the primary muscle groups that will affect your balance and strength for skating. But fitting in a quick run or pull-up here and there are still great for your overall fitness. Whatever your strength training routine looks like, we recommend sticking to a schedule that consists of 2-3 workouts a week that gradually increase in difficulty over time. This might mean adding weight to the exercise or switching to a more challenging stance. As long as you’re pushing yourself a little more every week, you’ll continue to build muscle for a better skate sesh.

Recommended by skater and conditioning coach Sebastian Brandon, these three exercises should help you increase strength and reduce pressure on your joints. Keep in mind that these workouts are designed for the regular skater who is not injured. If you have any health issues or have had a recent injury, consult with your doctor before performing any of these exercises.

Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat

Stand with your back to any bench, chair or other stable surface and lift one foot so that the top of it is resting on the surface behind you.
Take a deep breath in to engage your core and slowly lower your back knee toward the ground. Keep your front knee in line with your toes and your torso as straight as possible.
Raise back to your original standing position slowly and repeat to complete one rep.

Hamstring Walkouts

Lay on your back with your knees up and your feet on the floor close to your bottom.
Lift your hips off the ground while balancing on the heels of your feet (your toes should be off the ground).
Press your hips up into the air so that your body is in a straight line from your shoulders to your knees, and slowly walk your legs out, remaining on your heels, until your legs are straight.
Return your feet back to the starting position to complete one rep.

High Plank Walkout

Start in a pushup position.
Engage your core and squeeze your glutes.
While maintaining a straight line throughout your body, walk your feet slowly backwards (away from your hands) as far as you can without dropping your body to the floor.
Slowly walk them back to starting position to complete one rep.