Armrest

Here Sandy Gregory soaks up tiredness in her arms with forearms resting on thighs, not unlike Chad Hedrick does when using an energy-intensive method of propulsion such as the double push (see Chad's version) Dan Burger practices a variation of this technique by resting his hands on his knees, which become raw from chafing by the end of a race.

My TWINCAM teammate Dan Burger skates so much with his hands on his knees that after every race he's rubbed them raw -- literally.

Dan uses his arms and shoulders to lend extra support to his bad back -- he broke it years ago -- but most skaters use their hands to help tired legs recover.

It's a bit like sitting in a chair to take a breather. Don't be afraid to skate like Chad Hedrick and lay your forearms down the length of your thigh to prop you up when gliding or to help push. They detach momentarily when you extend fully.

This method is particularly effective as a way to save energy in long races and as a way to skate up hills. As long as it works to help tired muscles recover while actively skating, who cares that most people consider skating with hands on knees as a sign of weakness?

Practice this by holding onto a static squat until you scream "uncle!". Then take off, up a hill, preferably, and see what a relief it is!

Beware. Your upper body will be sore the next day if you haven't ever done this!!!