Rollergirls work it out

My cousin was a Rollergirl. She's not anymore but in her day, "Dirty Deeds" tore up the Texas track -- or so I've heard. I'm impressed by what she accomplished during her reign, especially after hitting the roller rink with my kids the other day. I haven't skated much since those long-ago high school Friday nights and so I was a bit rusty. After an hour or so, I got the hang of it -- sort of -- but it's clear that I'm a long way from a knock-down-drag-out skating experience. How ever do Rollergirls do it? According to former Texas Rollergirl Melissa "Melicious" Joulwan, cross training is key.

"There's been a focus on cross-training since it's gotten more competitive," Joulwan tells Austin Fit magazine. "Different injuries show up over and over. There's a lot of off-the-track conditioning: squats, lunges, pushups; basic resistance-training exercises. Some girls focus on running because it builds up their endurance. Swimming is a good one because it's nice to get in the water after being bashed around on the track. Some girls also do yoga because it is helps with injury prevention."

That's not all.

There's also CrossFit Central. It's a national franchise thing focusing on circuit and interval training. Apparently, you never do the same thing twice. It's pretty taxing, says Joulwan. Just like Roller Derby.

Intrigued by what these women on wheels do? Joulwan has a book where she tells her tales. Take a peek right here.