Kristina Anderson is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (CSCS), as well as a Certified Personal Trainer through the American Council on Exercise. She’s been training athletes since 2006, and started her own strength and conditioning business called Blades in Motion, LLC in 2009. Kristina trains at 4-5 different rinks/programs in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.
She has a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology (emphasis on Exercise Science) from the University of Minnesota, where she ran the personal training program and helped to create new comprehensive “Performance Training” classes. Kristina was a figure skater for 19 years, and is currently a member of PSA, USFSA, and ISI. She has been a US Figure Skating STARS Combine Assessor in 3 cities (she was the site’s Anchor Assessor for two of those!). She also is the head coach of the University of Minnesota Hockey Cheerleading Team (figure skating performance team). Kristina’s passion is performance enhancement for skaters through strength and conditioning and education on health/fitness for skaters today and tomorrow.
Most recent video at the top…
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Periodization: Considerations for Training Schedule (Kristina Anderson)
In this short video, figure skating coach and strength and conditioning expert Kristina Anderson discusses important considerations coaches and trainers need to keep in mind when laying out a specific athlete’s off-ice and on-ice training regimen. Ultimately, training should attempt to maximize overall progress to meet specific goals, typically a specific figure skating competition or […] Continue reading →
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Strengthening Hips and Glutes (Kristina Anderson)
Figure skating coach and certified strength and conditioning expert Kristina Anderson demonstrates 3 important exercises for strengthening the hips and glutes. The first exercise focuses on hip strength and stability, and starts in a sitting position with one leg forward and one leg to the side, with both legs bent at ninety degree angles. Keeping […] Continue reading →
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Butt Wink and Figure Skating (Kristina Anderson)
Figure skating coach and certified strength and conditioning expert Kristina Anderson discusses the concept of “butt wink” as it relates to figure skating. Butt wink is the term for when the tailbone tucks underneath the body on a squat. This is observable when the lower back rounds slightly. Kristina demonstrates butt wink and also offers […] Continue reading →
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Foot and Ankle Mobility (Kristina Anderson)
Figure skating coach and certified strength and conditioning expert Kristina Anderson continues where she left off with her previous discussion of strengthening the feet. In this video, she focuses on foot and ankle mobility. Improving this mobility is important for skaters because it can affect the entire kinetic chain from the toes through the feet […] Continue reading →
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Strengthening the Feet (Kristina Anderson)
Figure skating coach and certified strength and conditioning expert Kristina Anderson offers two methods for strengthening the feet. Many skaters suffer from weak foot muscles, sometimes as a result of the extra support provided by the skating boot itself. Kristina begins by noting that many aches, pains, and injuries in the knees and hips are […] Continue reading →
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Foot Massage – Importance and Instruction (Kristina Anderson)
Figure skating coach and certified strength and conditioning expert Kristina Anderson explains the importance of massaging the feet. Skaters (and coaches!) spend a significant amount of time in their skates, which are very restrictive in terms of foot movement. Normal foot strength and mobility can be enhanced using self-massage techniques. Kristina shows how to use […] Continue reading →
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Self Massage for Muscle Recovery – Part 2 (Kristina Anderson)
Figure skating coach and certified strength and conditioning expert Kristina Anderson continues her discussion of self-massage techniques and tools for addressing muscle tightness and soreness. In Part 1, she shared a short routine or flow pattern for using a foam roller on the hamstrings, glutes, IT (iliotibial) bands, quadraceps, and the hip flexors. In this […] Continue reading →
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Using a Foam Roller (Kristina Anderson)
Figure skating coach and certified strength and conditioning expert Kristina Anderson talks about foam rolling as a way for skaters to speed recovery and avoid injuries or chronic tightness. This is the first video in a series on myofascial release and muscle recovery, and Kristina begins by showing a variety of tools she will be […] Continue reading →
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Hip Flexor Stretching (Kristina Anderson)
Figure skating coach and certified strength and conditioning expert Kristina Anderson continues her discussion of hip mobility. In the previous videos (Part 1 and Part 2) she covered warm up, testing, and activation exercises for the hips. Many skaters, however, have very tight hip flexors (or psoas muscle tightness) which require stretching. This is particularly […] Continue reading →
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Testing and Improving Hip Mobility (Kristina Anderson)
Figure skating coach and certified strength and conditioning expert Kristina Anderson continues her discussion of hip mobility. In the previous video, she explained the importance of hip mobility and offered a series of exercises to warm up and engage the necessary muscles. In this video, she shares another powerful exercise which acts as both a […] Continue reading →
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Hip Mobility for Figure Skaters (Kristina Anderson)
Figure skating coach and certified strength and conditioning expert Kristina Anderson offers exercises and insights regarding hip mobility for figure skaters. She begins by explaining why hip mobility (strength and range of motion) is so important. It helps prevent injury and helps dramatically with alignment, strength, and control for nearly everything that skaters do on […] Continue reading →
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Best Off-Ice Warm-Up for Figure Skaters (Kristina Anderson)
Figure skating strength and conditioning expert Kristina Anderson shares a short off-ice warm-up intended to be used prior to on-ice training. The purpose of this kind of warm-up is to have the skater’s muscles go through a range-of-motion and get their muscles engaged and firing before stepping onto the ice. The warm-up consists of 30 […] Continue reading →
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Off-Ice Warm Up Prior to Skating (Kristina Anderson)
Strength and conditioning specialist and figure skating coach Kristina Anderson shares a complete off-ice warm-up sequence that anyone can do, even with little space and no equipment. Kristina uses “painters tape” to create an “agility ladder” as well as a “line for doing line hops.” The benefit of using painters tape is it pulls up […] Continue reading →
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Off-Ice Training – Important Concepts and Using Cones (Kristina Anderson)
Strength and conditioning specialist and figure skating coach Kristina Anderson discusses specific off-ice training exercises using cones, and then covers some important principles or concepts for all coaches to know regarding off-ice training. To begin the video, Kristina talks about using items like cones and ladders (and tape on the floor, etc) as a way […] Continue reading →
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Off-Ice Training for Younger Skaters (Kristina Anderson)
Strength and conditioning specialist and figure skating coach Kristina Anderson discusses off-ice training for younger skaters. So much of off-ice training has been focused on elite and higher level athletes that coaches are often confused about what off-ice training is appropriate and important for developmental skaters. Kristina cautions that many younger skaters or those at […] Continue reading →
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Off Ice Training for Figure Skaters, Only the Beginning (Kristina Anderson)
Figure skating coach and strength and conditioning specialist Kristina Anderson talks about how off-ice training for figure skaters is really a relatively new thing. Other sports have driven the research in strength and conditioning training, partly because those sports have more funding available for research. But that research has obviously not been directed at specific […] Continue reading →
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Figure Skating Off-Ice Training – Skipping (Kristina Anderson)
In this off-ice training video, strength and conditioning specialist and figure skating coach Kristina Anderson discusses skipping. Skipping is an overlooked training tool for figure skaters. This is probably because it’s simple and everyone already knows how to do it. But skipping is important for skaters because it emphasizes explosive movements off one foot (just […] Continue reading →
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Figure Skating Off-Ice Training – Agility Ladder Part 2 (Kristina Anderson)
NSCA certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and figure skating coach Kristina Anderson shares more information about off-ice agility ladder training. General athleticism, good coordination, and quickness are important for anyone aspiring to be a better figure skater. In this video, Kristina continues with a few exercises she did not cover in Part 1. These include […] Continue reading →
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Figure Skating Off-Ice Training – Agility Ladder (Kristina Anderson)
In this video, NSCA certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist Kristina Anderson shares some agility ladder drills for off-ice training. General athleticism, good coordination, and quickness are important for anyone aspiring to be a better figure skater. Kristina demonstrates several different off-ice drills specific to figure skaters. In the video, she uses an agility ladder, but […] Continue reading →
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Figure Skating Off-Ice Training: Jump Higher – Part 2 (Kristina Anderson)
In this figure skating video, figure skating strength and conditioning coach Kristina Anderson shows some more exercises to help a skater increase vertical jump height. Jump height on the ice is a critical factor for successfully completing double jumps, triple jumps, and quads. It is common for young skaters to reach technical skill levels that […] Continue reading →
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Figure Skating Off-Ice Training: Jump Higher – Part 1 (Kristina Anderson)
In the figure skating video below, figure skating strength and conditioning coach Kristina Anderson shows some exercises to help a skater increase vertical jump height. Jump height on the ice is a critical factor for successfully completing double jumps, triple jumps, and quads. It is common for young skaters to reach technical skill levels that […] Continue reading →
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Figure Skating Off-Ice Training Myths: Bulking Up (Kristina Anderson)
Figure skating strength and conditioning coach Kristina Anderson discusses important concepts related to off-ice strength and conditioning training for figure skaters. In particular, Kristina addresses the myth that off-ice training will “bulk up” female figure skaters or make them appear overly muscular. The simple fact is that the young females have such low levels of […] Continue reading →
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Sit Spin Position and Femur Length (Kristina Anderson)
Figure skating strength and conditioning coach Kristina Anderson talks about how the relative dimensions of a skater’s body affect the ability of a skater to attain a “nice looking” sit spin position. In particular, the length of the femur is particularly important because it helps define how far the hips must sit behind the skate […] Continue reading →
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Off-ice Figure Skating Training To Lower Sit Spins – Part 2 (Kristina Anderson)
Figure skating strength and conditioning coach Kristina Anderson continues her discussion about the strength, flexibility, and control issues associated with making a sit spin lower. In the previous video, Kristina taught us the proper form for a squat. In the video below, she continues her discussion with additional insights and exercises to help skaters lower […] Continue reading →
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Off-ice Figure Skating Training To Lower Sit Spins (Kristina Anderson)
Figure skating strength and conditioning coach Kristina Anderson talks about the strength, flexibility, and control issues associated with making a sit spin lower. The primary tool used to lower a sit spin is the squat and Kristina describes and demonstrates how to teach a beginner squat. She says, “The squat is a really basic exercise […] Continue reading →
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Developing Hip Turn-Out – Stretching for Figure Skaters (Kristina Anderson)
Figure skating strength and conditioning coach Kristina Anderson discusses how to develop hip flexibility and improved hip turn-out. This is extremely important in figure skating and applies to T-stops, spirals, lunges, camel spins, Ina Bauers, spread eagles, jump landing positions, mohawks, and choctaws, just to name some obvious ones. This set of exercises and stretches […] Continue reading →
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Figure Skating Spiral – Off-Ice Training for Strength and Flexibility (Kristina Anderson)
Figure skating strength and conditioning coach Kristina Anderson explains how to properly train the spiral position off the ice. This is an outstanding video, both for the detail of the instruction and for the quality of the demonstrated positions. For low level skaters struggling with the spiral position or the position of a camel spin, […] Continue reading →
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Kettlebell Training For Advanced Figure Skaters (Kristina Hefty Anderson)
Strength and conditioning coach Kristina Anderson continues her discussion and demonstration of kettlebell training for figure skaters. In this video, Kristina shares a couple more advanced kettlebell exercises. Before beginning this level of kettlebell training, Kristina says, “Please make sure your skater has been doing some conditioning already. They should have a strength base to their body […] Continue reading →
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Kettlebells In Figure Skating – Deadlift And Core Twist (Kristina Hefty Anderson)
Strength and conditioning coach Kristina Anderson continues her discussion and demonstration of kettlebell training for figure skaters. In this video, Kristina explains the deadlift with a set of core twists at the top. She covers the exercise in detail and comments on the demonstration provided. To do this properly, there’s a small release of the kettlebell at […] Continue reading →
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Kettlebell Training Tips – Combination for Cardio and Strength (Kristina Hefty Anderson)
Strength and conditioning coach Kristina Anderson continues her discussion and demonstration of kettlebell training for figure skaters. In this video, Kristina covers the kettlebell combination of a half-burpee with a deadlift which offers a complete body workout. The purpose of the exercise is to get the heart rate up for some cardio benefit as well as building […] Continue reading →
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Kettlebell for Figure Skaters – Rows (Kristina Hefty Anderson)
Strength and conditioning coach Kristina Anderson continues her discussion and demonstration of kettlebell training for figure skaters. In this video, Kristina covers kettlebell rows for building upper body strength, particularly for the back. Strong back muscles are important for figure skaters because they are used to pull the arms in during jumps and spins. These same back […] Continue reading →
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Kettlebell Training for Figure Skaters – Combination Swings (Kristina Hefty Anderson)
Kristina Anderson continues her discussion and demonstration of kettlebell training for figure skaters. In this video, Kristina builds a short combination of swings. She has the demonstrator show the standard swing, multiple one-handed swings, and then alternating one-handed swings. The hand-switch is always done at the top or on the way up to the top to […] Continue reading →
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Off Ice Workouts For Figure Skaters: The Kettlebell Swing – Part 2 (Kristina Hefty Anderson)
Kristina Anderson explains why kettlebell training can be so effective for figure skaters. Historically, figure skating has been slow to adopt non-skating training methods to improve on-ice performance, especially those methods often used by bulky weightlifters and football players. But kettlebell training offers a number of advantages for skaters. Kristina says, “Kettlebell training is specifically meant […] Continue reading →
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Off Ice Workouts For Figure Skaters: The Kettlebell Swing – Part 1 (Kristina Hefty Anderson)
Kristina Anderson provides an introduction to kettlebell training for figure skaters. Kristina notes that safety is the first priority when working with kettlebells and then she takes a moment to describe and show a kettlebell. Then Kristina has the demonstrator show how to properly pick up the kettlebell and do a basic warm-up drill consisting of […] Continue reading →