Slide Board Workouts

A slide board is a slippery mat that has bumpers at each end, which are used for stopping and pushing off. Booties made of a slick material fit over your shoes to allow you to slide across the mat. Slide boards are an excellent way to tone hip stabilizer muscles and to gain strength and endurance. It is also an excellent cardiovascular exercise. Slide boards are an effective off-season tool for skaters or an everyday activity for anyone who needs to work on lateral movement and hip stability.

Benefits of a Slide Board Workout

The benefits to a slide board workout include increased hip strength and stability. By strengthening the hips there is reduced risk of a hip injury. Another benefit is improving balance. Slide board workouts are intense and can burn a lot of calories. The workout can improve the endurance of hips, which can translate to better distance running and the ability to play hockey longer or skate longer.

Basic Technique and Workout

The movement on a slide board is the push and glide motion that would be similar to someone skating on ice. Standing on a slide board at one end, you push the inside leg from one side to the other by pushing off with the outside leg and sliding down to the other end of the board.

Working out on a slide board is an interval workout, meaning it is divided between work and rest intervals. Begin with short work, or sliding intervals followed by rest intervals that are twice as long as the work intervals. For example, slide back and forth for 20 seconds, then rest for 40 seconds. Put three or four intervals together and then rest. In the next interval, add more time to the work interval, or add more time to the total workout.

Other Benefits to a Slide Board Workout

Placed in front of a mirror, a slide board can offer immediate feedback on skating technique. It is a viable alternative to filming skaters. Athletes can also self-correct their form, as they can see the bend in their knees and the placement of ankles and feet as they slide across the board.

Slide boards are also a fairly inexpensive piece of equipment and quite portable. They can be rolled up and stored away, or taken from one location to another. More than one athlete can share a slide board if they stagger their work and rest intervals.

References

• Momentum Media: Sliding Through
• Ultra Slide: The Only Slide That Matters