Rotate This: Isometric Force Production in Figure Skating
The quadruple jump—simply called "the quad"—is figure skating’s ultimate test of power, timing, and control. Executed in less than 0.7 seconds, it requires a skater to generate enough vertical lift to leave the ice, rotate four full times in the air, and land cleanly on a single leg, all while maintaining perfect balance and body control. But beneath its elegance lies a brutal truth: the quad is one of the most force-dense movements in all of sport, and it begins with something that’s almost invisible to the eye—isometric muscle contraction.
To initiate the jump, a skater must preload their body with force—contracting the quadriceps, glutes, spinal stabilizers, and trunk muscles without movement. This isometric preload builds the structural integrity required to convert stored potential energy into explosive motion. From the moment the skate edges dig into the ice to the instant the body leaves the surface, the skater must create and withstand forces upwards of 8–10 times their body weight, primarily through the lower limb and spine.
And that’s just takeoff. Upon landing, those same systems must absorb those forces again—this time, while decelerating from 300–400 degrees per second of rotational velocity, all on one leg. It’s no surprise that the quad has become synonymous with injury risk. Labral tears, hip impingements, lumbar disc issues, pelvic instability, and overuse injuries are now routine consequences of chasing performance without adequately training the body to handle these extreme loads.
Enter isometric strength training.
While most training still emphasizes dynamic movement, the truth is that dynamic expression of force is entirely dependent on isometric force capacity. That’s why skaters who lack isometric strength often struggle with control, stability, and injury.
Even Kurt Browning—who landed the first-ever quad in professional competition—eventually came back to this foundational principle. At 54 years old, long after his competitive peak, Kurt turned to isometric training to help prolong his professional skating career. Faced with the physical realities of aging and accumulated wear and tear, he needed a smarter, safer way to maintain strength, protect his joints, and continue performing at a high level. Isometrics gave him the ability to reinforce the structural foundation of his movement—without the cost of high-impact or high-volume dynamic training.
That same approach lives at the core of Isophit.
Isophit was engineered to help athletes safely and efficiently improve force generation, force tolerance, force transference, and force expression—all through isometric muscle actions. For skaters, it means building the exact positional strength needed for takeoffs, rotations, and landings—without the repetitive joint strain or risk of overuse. And because isometric training doesn’t leave athletes with the same levels of muscle stiffness or post-exercise soreness that follow eccentric or plyometric work, they can train more frequently without compromising fluidity on the ice.
The quad will always be a defining milestone in figure skating. But to master it—and more importantly, to survive it—athletes need more than rotation drills and plyometric jumps. They need the strength to hold their body together when everything is pulling it apart.
At Isophit, we help the world’s strongest, fastest, and most dominant athletes to win more, hurt less, and age stronger!
Join Team Isophit at www.isophit.com