Getting ‘Whipped’ Into Shape

The first thing Amy Dinn learned about roller derby was that competitors slam into people. “I was sold. I thought, this sounds so fun.”

Ms. Dinn, a 36-year-old civil trial attorney with the law firm Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP in Houston, had been working out one to two times a week when she could find the time. But roller derby demanded more. “Suddenly I was working out five times a week and really pushing myself. I had no idea how hard it was going to be physically,” Ms. Dinn says. To accommodate her evening workouts, she comes into the office earlier and works weekends.

Ms. Din says roller derby suits the nature of her job. “Litigation is a high-stress profession,” she says. “Sometimes you have to be aggressive and stand your ground on your position.”

Many people’s most recent memory of roller derby was the 2009 film “Whip It” starring Drew Barrymore. “Derby is a sport and that sometimes seems forgotten in the snippets seen in the movies and TV shows,” says Ms. Dinn. “The roller derby of today is not the same as it was in the ’70s. It is an empowering sport for female athletes. It’s also a sisterhood.”

Game play consists of a series of short matchups (called jams) in which both five-member teams designate a scoring player (the jammer). The team scores points by lapping members of the opposing team. The teams attempt to assist their own jammer in staying ahead while hindering the opposing jammer—in effect playing offense and defense simultaneously.

Ms. Dinn competes in three to four games a month at the local and national level. Team members have skater names. Ms. Dinn is the Prosecutor.

The Workout

Ms. Dinn’s team holds three to four structured practices a week that last two to three hours. After stretching, the team works up a sweat with sprints on skates and skill drills, like making scissor movements with their feet.

Practice includes 60 to 90 minutes of scrimmaging and ends with core work, like push-ups and plank pose, and static stretching.

In addition, Ms. Dinn tries to fit in two to three independent workouts. Instead of a gym membership, Ms. Dinn will pop in a workout video at home that focuses on core and back strength. “I’m 5’10” but I’m 6’2” when I’m wearing my skates so my center of gravity is really high, and that makes it hard to get down low,” says Ms. Dinn. “I do a lot of balance work, squats and agility drills to help with this.”

The Diet

“This is not a sport for dainty girls,” says Ms. Dinn. “Most of the girls are extremely muscular and have some heft to prevent them from being knocked down. It’s really to your advantage to eat well.” Ms. Dinn has a banana and a slice of banana bread for breakfast. For lunch, she’ll have pasta, spring rolls or a spinach salad topped with grilled chicken and other vegetables. Dinner is grilled chicken with a side of grilled or sautéed vegetables. She’ll often grab a protein bar to eat before practices. Her monthly splurge is a hamburger.

Cost & Gear

Ms. Dinn says her knee, wrist and elbow pads cost around $120 and she replaces them yearly. A helmet can cost $40 to $60. “A basic pair [of skates] can cost a little less than $300 but when you get a fancy, tricked out pair that can get up to $500,” Ms. Dinn says. The team rents a rink for practices and each member pays around $50 a month.

Inevitable Injuries

Ms. Dinn says injuries are part of the game. “It’s a contact sport, you’re going to get banged up.” In 2008 she tore her ACL and had to have it reconstructed. Last year she had to have back surgery for a herniated disc. Back surgery kept her off skates for two months.

“The first time you get hurt the cat’s out of the bag at work,” says Ms. Dinn. “I come in bruised or walking funny and co-workers ask questions.” Some co-workers expressed surprise that she participated in roller derby, but “now they come to watch my games.”

Work and Workout Balance

Ms. Dinn says being part of a team also helped her strike a better work-life balance. “I found myself working more efficiently so I could get out the door and get to practice.”

A Guide to Derby-Speak

Roller derby got its start in Chicago in the 1930s as a co-ed skating marathon. Today about 60 all-women teams make up the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association. Here, key terms:
Bout A game of roller derby that lasts 60 minutes.
Jam A two-minute period during which both teams attempt to score points.
Jammer The scoring player.
Blockers Four players who help the jammer score while preventing the other team’s jammer from scoring.
Whip A move usually performed going around a corner. One teammate skates up behind the other, grabs her arm and is whipped forward as momentum is transferred from one player to the other.
J-Block A hard hit in which a blocker gets in front of her target, swoops her body low and then stands up in a J-motion and throws her shoulder into the target’s chest.

Write to Jen Murphy at workout@wsj.com

Contact Never Give Up Fitness