Routine 1 — Building the base

Execution

1. Joint mobility of the whole body: neck, shoulders, scapulae, elbows, wrists, fingers, spine, hips, knees, ankles, toes. 10 repetitions per zone and movement.
2. Figure eights with the knee in front of the body at hip height, drawing the shape of an infinity sign. 8 times in each direction.
3. In external rotation with heels together, knee flexion to the limit just before the heels lift. Hold for 8 seconds; halfway through the count, pronounce the flexion without lifting the heels. 10 repetitions.
4. In goddess pose, side-to-side weight shifts — 12 times in total (6 per side).
5. Return to center and perform slight torso rotations, starting the movement from the shoulder and pronouncing the hip opening at the same time. 6 rotations per side.

What you should feel

The body is perceived as progressively available: the joints gain range, the breathing settles into rhythm and proprioception wakes up. The knee figure eights generate a clear activation of the psoas and the gluteus medius; the external-rotation holds remind the body of the geometry of the stance before demanding it under load.

Breathing

Conscious and steady breathing; exhale in the moments of greatest opening and in the holds.

Common mistakes

• Executing the mobility mechanically, without proprioception.
• Losing the pelvic neutrality in the goddess-pose weight shifts.
• Lifting the heels as the knee flexion is pronounced.

Corrections from Carolina Miranda

• In goddess pose, in the rotation of the torso, pronounce the opening of the hip at the same time.

Execution

1. Standing, legs straight and apart in parallel, arms lengthened alongside the ears.
2. Lower the torso to the tabletop (90°) and hold for 4 seconds.
3. Return to vertical, lowering the arms to horizontal.
4. Externally rotate the hips and flex the knees, holding for 4 seconds.
5. Repeat 8 times per set; perform 3 sets (the first without ankle weights, the second and third with ankle weights and/or resistance band).

What you should feel

The skater perceives a clear activation in the outer part of the hip and in the glute during the external rotation, with the adductors working to hold the pelvis between the legs. The heels feel anchored and advanced relative to the hips, the deep abdomen sustains the posterior tilt and the torso stays aligned right above the pelvis.

Breathing

Inhale on the descent to the tabletop; exhale on the return to vertical with external rotation.

Common mistakes

• Letting the pelvis fall into anterior tilt when pronouncing the external rotation.
• Lifting the heels off the floor to gain apparent range.
• Losing the line of the shoulders by carrying them forward.
• Rotating from the foot or the knee instead of from the hip.

Corrections from Carolina Miranda

• Seek the pelvis in posterior tilt and the heels as far forward as possible.
• The torso placed right above the pelvis, shoulders relaxed, spine lengthened.

Execution

1. Standing with legs together, hold balance on one leg.
2. Lift the other knee toward the chest.
3. Bring the lifted leg crossed behind the supporting leg, slightly flexing the balancing leg.
4. Reach each position in 5 seconds (no less).
5. Repeat 8 times per leg.

What you should feel

The psoas is felt as active on the lift of the knee toward the chest, and the adductors work in the crossing behind. The supporting leg stabilizes from the hip and the glute, and the back stays upright throughout the movement.

Breathing

Exhale on the lift of the knee toward the chest; inhale on the crossed adduction.

Common mistakes

• Losing the vertical of the torso as the leg crosses behind.
• Bouncing into the position instead of reaching it in five seconds.
• Seeking the height of the knee from the torso instead of from the hip.

Corrections from Carolina Miranda

• We are looking for strength in adductors and stability in the knee — the back stays upright.

Execution

1. Seated on small blocks, legs stretched in front, resistance band around the metatarsals.
2. Perform dorsiflexion (bring the foot toward the body).
3. Perform plantar flexion (push the foot outward).
4. Execute foot adduction (bring it inward).
5. Execute foot abduction (take it outward).
6. Reach each position in 4 seconds and hold for 4 seconds.
7. Repeat 8 times per movement.

What you should feel

The work localizes in the foot and the ankle, with the knee completely still. The inner and outer musculature of the foot activates by turns, and a sensation of control appears over segments that in daily life are rarely moved in isolation.

Breathing

Steady breathing; exhale as each held position is pronounced.

Common mistakes

• Involving the knee or the hip during the movement of the foot.
• Executing the movement quickly and losing the isolated sensation.
• Slackening the band and losing the resistance of the exercise.

Corrections from Carolina Miranda

• Only the ankle — the knee doesn't move a hair.
• We are looking for integration of the abduction movement, strength and flexibility in the foot to improve stability.

Execution

1. Face down, hands interlaced behind the head, forehead touching the floor.
2. Lift the torso without seeking the arch.
3. Touch the floor with one elbow, then with the other.
4. Perform lateral side bends to both sides.
5. Return to the floor by abdominal force.
6. The entire sequence is one repetition; perform 8 repetitions, executing each movement in 4 seconds.

What you should feel

The spinal erectors sustain the lifting of the torso and the obliques participate in the torsions and side bends. The transverse abdominis activates in the descent phase, allowing a controlled return. No sensation of accentuated lumbar arching should appear.

Breathing

Exhale on the torsions and side bends of the torso (they are short exhalations of one same breath).

Common mistakes

• Seeking an arch in the back when lifting the torso.
• Descending by gravity instead of by abdominal control.
• Losing the line of the head during the twist, pulling on the neck with the hands.

Corrections from Carolina Miranda

• We are seeking control of the body's stabilizing center, beginning with a position intensely affected by gravity.

Execution

1. Standing, legs together, slight external rotation, heels together.
2. Flex the knees to the limit just before the heels lift or the pelvis loses its placement.
3. Straighten the knees and lift the heels off the floor.
4. Descend with straight legs, pronouncing the external rotation even further.
5. Take 4 seconds to reach each position.
6. Repeat 8 times with legs together.
7. Open the compás of the legs and repeat the whole sequence another 8 times.

What you should feel

The external rotators — glutes, deep external rotators — work in a sustained way, and the abdomen keeps the pelvis neutral. The knee is perceived as aligned above the foot throughout the flexion, and there is no sensation of collapse inward.

Breathing

Exhale on straightening the legs and on lowering the heels to the floor.

Common mistakes

• Lifting the heels before reaching the useful limit of the flexion.
• Losing the neutrality of the pelvis when pronouncing the external rotation.
• Letting the knee collapse inward during the flexion.
• Executing the movement without an active abdomen.

Corrections from Carolina Miranda

• The knee, in flexion, must always stay above the feet.
• We are looking for abdominal strength to keep the pelvis neutral.

Execution

1. Legs apart, both in external rotation and knees flexed; one leg stays as the base.
2. The other leg, keeping the separation between calves, lifts and the body tilts on the diagonal.
3. Hold the leg up with the pelvis neutral and the hip in external rotation.
4. The torso seeks the twist toward the raised leg, with spinal extension, and pronounces the movement for 6 seconds.
5. Repeat the twist with extension to the other side, holding for 6 seconds.
6. Lower the foot to the floor and repeat with the other leg.
7. 3 repetitions per leg.

What you should feel

Balance is perceived as an active management of the center: the pelvis stays suspended between the legs while the torso rotates and extends. The supporting knee stabilizes without collapsing, and the obliques clearly participate in the torsion.

Breathing

Exhale on the weight shift and on executing the torsion movement.

Common mistakes

• Losing the neutrality of the pelvis when twisting the torso.
• Executing the twist from the shoulders instead of from the spine.
• Letting the supporting knee collapse inward.

Corrections from Carolina Miranda

• We are looking for stability in the knee and proprioception of weight and torso placement in order to hold the vertical.

Execution

1. Base placement: pelvis neutral between the knees, heels in line with the knees, abdomen active, elbows on the floor, knees on sliders.
2. Circles with the knees moving forward — 8 repetitions per leg.
3. Anterior and posterior pelvic tilt — 8 repetitions.
4. Foot abduction (lift the toes off the floor and lower the heel to the floor) — 8 repetitions per leg.
5. PNF with blocks under the pelvis: push them toward the floor by pelvic strength for 10 seconds and release the push for 10 seconds — 3 repetitions.
6. Place the hands on the floor and lift the torso into a small arch, straightening the elbows and activating the back musculature — 12 repetitions, rising in 3 seconds, holding for 3 seconds, lowering in 5 seconds.

What you should feel

The hip is perceived opening progressively, without sharp pain. The abdominal girdle sustains the placement across the variations, and in the PNF phase a clear activation of the pelvic floor and the deep abdomen appears while pushing the blocks. The spinal erectors are felt working in the final arch.

Breathing

Steady and conscious breathing; exhale as each push or each lift of the torso is pronounced.

Common mistakes

• Losing the neutrality of the pelvis while doing the knee circles.
• Executing the foot abduction by moving the knee instead of the foot.
• Seeking the back arch from the lumbar instead of from the erectors.
• Lowering the torso quickly in the final phase, losing the eccentric work.

Corrections from Carolina Miranda

• Proper placement: pelvis neutral between the knees, heels in line with the knees, abdomen active.
• Push the blocks toward the floor by pelvic strength.