Having worked with several physiotherapists and personal trainers for strength training, I have one thing that really puzzles me. PTs will tell you, on any exercise involving bent knees, that your knees should not go past your toes. This means that to get into the bent knee position, your butt sticks out and you have to bend your body forward to maintain balance. "Don't put strain on the knees," they would say.
BUT, we all know that in skating, we are constantly pushing our knees over our toes, our bodies are upright, our butts are over our heels. The ideal posture for PTs is diametrically opposite of that for skating.
I've asked the PTs why they demand one posture whereas skating demands another, but none of them have given me a very compelling explanation.
- "You bend differently, so the strain on the knees is different." (Well ok... that's still super vague)
- "You skate on their toes all the time." (Huh?!?)
They are probably too polite to say it, but I wonder if they really think that skaters are destroying their knees.
So... am I missing something here? Why can't we strength train the posture we actually use for skating?
I respect the knowledge that PTs bring and understand the value of strength training for skating. It's just this one contradiction that I'm having difficulty reconciling.
BUT, we all know that in skating, we are constantly pushing our knees over our toes, our bodies are upright, our butts are over our heels. The ideal posture for PTs is diametrically opposite of that for skating.
I've asked the PTs why they demand one posture whereas skating demands another, but none of them have given me a very compelling explanation.
- "You bend differently, so the strain on the knees is different." (Well ok... that's still super vague)
- "You skate on their toes all the time." (Huh?!?)
They are probably too polite to say it, but I wonder if they really think that skaters are destroying their knees.
So... am I missing something here? Why can't we strength train the posture we actually use for skating?
I respect the knowledge that PTs bring and understand the value of strength training for skating. It's just this one contradiction that I'm having difficulty reconciling.