Heavenly Bodies: The Roller Girls

PHILADELPHIA, PA - Their regimen: Three two-to-three-hour practices each week, which include everything from speed and footwork drills to balance-perfecting ab exercises, like crunches and planks.

Then endurance training: “We skate pretty much nonstop for 30 to 40 minutes,” says Grindem, co-manager of the team. “It’s a great lower-body workout.” Once a month, they compete in an all-out 60-minute battle.

Why they love roller derby: “It’s pretty much the hardest athletic activity I’ve ever done,” says Grindem. “There’s a level of athleticism and competition that I don’t think is widely available to women in any other sport.” Plus, the hits release pent-up tension: “It’s a great stress-reliever. You’re using your own body to knock somebody to the ground. It’s pretty cool.”

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