How to Do a Skater Exercise for Functional Fitness Training

Functional fitness training can be used as part of physical therapy or added to your regular fitness routine to improve range of motion and increase both strength and agility. The skater exercise in functional fitness training warms up the muscles while strengthening the legs, and with a few tips you can add it to your regular fitness routine.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Begin with your feet a bit further than shoulder width apart. Bend your knees and lean forward slightly with your arms at your side. While you should bend over slightly, do not hyper-extend your back. This training exercise should work your core muscles and your legs, so keep your abdominal muscles tight and your back straight.
2. Watch your neck throughout the skater exercise as well, keeping your your chin up and your eyes forward. Shift your weight to your left leg in preparation for the exercise.
3. Jump about 3 feet to the right, landing on your right leg. Your left leg should lift and come near your right ankle; however, it should not touch the ground. Jump again, this time to the left and landing on the left foot. As before, bring your right leg near to your left ankle, but do not allow it to touch the floor. Swing your arms to help maintain balance and increase the length of your jumps.
4. Continue the skater training exercise for 1 to 2 minutes before relaxing and moving on to your next functional fitness exercise. If at any point you feel strain or discomfort in your knees, hips or back, slow down your movement and try not bending over quite as far.