Power Lifting for Ass Kicking
Roller derby has advanced so much in the last 5 years. A game that used to be focused on speed and landing crowd pleasing hits has now transitioned to control, focus, and strength. This requires a much higher level of dedication from skaters: taking care of our bodies outside of practice. I can tell you with absolute conviction, you WILL NOT progress with your skills if you do not cross train your body. One of the most beneficial workouts a skater can do is power lifting.
Why it is important to lift HEAVY?
Burns Calories
Your body burns energy to lift weights. The heavier the weights, the higher the intensity and the more calories you burn. Especially if you do compound exercises like Squats and Deadlifts. This is why lifters can eat more than average people without gaining fat. Nutrition will be covered in another post, so stay tuned!
Boosts Metabolism
You burn more calories the hours after you’re done lifting weights; this is call the “afterburn”. It helps you lose fat and gives you energy so you can make it through that tough 3 hour practice!
Builds Muscle
Cardio and low calorie diets do not build muscle, only lifting does. Muscle is important when anchoring a wall, keeping stable when a jammer is running on you, and pushing through those difficult walls.
Prevents Muscle Loss
Low calorie diets and excess cardio BURN muscle. Lifting weights prevents muscle loss from dieting, aging, and excess cardio. This is great news for those of us who want to play our sport into advanced age 🙂
Burn Body Fat
Our muscles need lots of energy to function and one way they do that is by “eating” fat cells. Now, you might not see much of a difference on the scale because muscle is more dense than fat, but let’s face it, I’d rather be healthy and strong than see the numbers fall on the scale!
Think about this…….If you do 5 sets of 5 reps of 3 different lifts per workout. That is just like getting 75 reps of a total body muscle workout in about 45 minutes. You develop more muscle – which burns more calories – which burns fat – which boosts metabolism – which helps you become LEAN!
Increasing strength allows you to use less energy because each movement has greater power. You’ll be able to give and take a hit with less effort and provide a solid base for your teammates when working in a wall. And once you see all of this come together on the track, you’ll be confident you can take on anything!
Are you just beginning? Don’t be intimidated! We all have to start somewhere and it’s super easy to begin. To learn more about a specific program and step-by-step instructions, I suggest visiting http://stronglifts.com/5×5/.
Contributor:
Author: BeBe
Burns Calories
Your body burns energy to lift weights. The heavier the weights, the higher the intensity and the more calories you burn. Especially if you do compound exercises like Squats and Deadlifts. This is why lifters can eat more than average people without gaining fat. Nutrition will be covered in another post, so stay tuned!
Boosts Metabolism
You burn more calories the hours after you’re done lifting weights; this is call the “afterburn”. It helps you lose fat and gives you energy so you can make it through that tough 3 hour practice!
Builds Muscle
Cardio and low calorie diets do not build muscle, only lifting does. Muscle is important when anchoring a wall, keeping stable when a jammer is running on you, and pushing through those difficult walls.
Prevents Muscle Loss
Low calorie diets and excess cardio BURN muscle. Lifting weights prevents muscle loss from dieting, aging, and excess cardio. This is great news for those of us who want to play our sport into advanced age 🙂
Burn Body Fat
Our muscles need lots of energy to function and one way they do that is by “eating” fat cells. Now, you might not see much of a difference on the scale because muscle is more dense than fat, but let’s face it, I’d rather be healthy and strong than see the numbers fall on the scale!
Think about this…….If you do 5 sets of 5 reps of 3 different lifts per workout. That is just like getting 75 reps of a total body muscle workout in about 45 minutes. You develop more muscle – which burns more calories – which burns fat – which boosts metabolism – which helps you become LEAN!
Increasing strength allows you to use less energy because each movement has greater power. You’ll be able to give and take a hit with less effort and provide a solid base for your teammates when working in a wall. And once you see all of this come together on the track, you’ll be confident you can take on anything!
Are you just beginning? Don’t be intimidated! We all have to start somewhere and it’s super easy to begin. To learn more about a specific program and step-by-step instructions, I suggest visiting http://stronglifts.com/5×5/.
Contributor:
Author: BeBe
