A SCIENTIFIC APPROACH TO SPORT SPECIFIC TRAINING
VOLUME 4
ISSUE 1
WINTER 2018
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Flexafit Resistance Band Exercises to Improve Joint Stability
Athlete Profiling: Measure your speed, capacity and endurance
How to Sleep
Your Way to Success
JOANNIE
MACRO BOWLS GET YOUR MACRONUTRIENTS IN ONE MEAL
MAPPED OUT XXIII PeongChang Winter Olympic Games, figure skating schedule
ROCHETTE CANADA’S 2010 OLYMPIC BRONZE MEDALIST TALKS FIGURE SKATING HIGHLIGHTS, THE OLYMPICS AND WHO TO WATCH AT THE UPCOMING GAMES
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FIGURE SKATER FITNESS
EDITOR’S LETTER
WINTER 2018
Letter From the Editor
MAGAZINE
LOOKING GOOD FEELING GOOD EDEA DESIGNED WITH ANTISHOCK.
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CONTRIBUTED TO FIGURE SKATER FITNESS! PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Signe Ronka MANAGING EDITOR Adriana Ermter
NEW! Adriana is an award-winning writer and editor. The former beauty director for FASHION magazine and editor-in-chief of Salon and of Childview magazines, currently contributes to Among Men Mag, 29 Secrets, Popsugar, The Whale & The Rose and IN Magazine. Adriana has her NCCP III in synchronized swimming.
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Angela Ronka CONTRIBUTERS JF Bérubé Christian Bonin Meghan Buttle Rebekah Dixon Karlee Gendron Charlene Grant Woodman Samantha Hay Ashley Leone Mikko Pohjola Tim Silvester Antony Smith Jeff Zeilstra Joshua Zuchter DESIGN/LAYOUT Envinion
MINIMIZE IMPACT REDUCE CHATTER INCREASE POWER 2
www.edeaskates.com
As we head into the Olympic year, I am honoured to have Joannie Rochette on our cover and featured in our Spotlight section. Joannie won the Bronze Medal at the 2010 Olympics, where she demonstrated sheer mental strength, determination to succeed and a never-give-up attitude. I have personally known Joannie since I was 13 years old, as she was my roommate and my competitor at my very first Junior Grand Prix (JGP) in Milan, Italy where this year’s World Championships will be held. Just starting out in the JGP circuit, I remember thinking how cool it was that I was representing Canada alongside one of the top Canadian skaters at the time. Joannie’s journey to success is incredible and clearly shows how she was able to put mind over matter during one of the toughest times in her life. Every skater’s—past and present—journey is unique, including my own. This past year, I launched the Flexafit Resistance Bands as part of my kit in my continued and progressive injury prevention training. Check out how to incorporate these bands into your workouts by reviewing this issue’s Flexafit Fitness Insider Workout. Resistance band training is fantastic for joint stability and increasing proprioceptive awareness of deeper muscle groups in the upper body, core and lower body. I also hope you’ll further your Olympic awareness and experience with our special two-page spread highlighting the figure skating schedule at this year’s Winter Games. Now, you too can follow along with all of the great events taking place. I hope you enjoy this issue and share it with your friends, fellow skaters, coaches and other parents. Let’s help spread the awareness of off-ice training to our figure skating community.
Cheers,
Signe
Visit us at www.figureskaterfitnessmag.com Figure Skater Fitness is published four times a year by Figure Skater Bootcamp Inc., 33 Villiers St. Suite 202, Toronto, ON, M5A 1A9. Copyright 2015 by Figure Skater Bootcamp Inc. All rights reserved. Nothing appearing in Figure Skater Fitness may be reprinted, either wholly or in part, without the written consent of the publisher. Email address must accompany all submissions and no responsibility can be assumed for unsolicited submissions. All email content, photos, manuscripts, sent to Figure Skater Fitness will be considered as intended for publication and Figure Skater Fitness reserves the right to edit and/or comment. Figure Skater Bootcamp Inc. reserves the right to reject any advertising at its discretion. Advertising office phone: (416) 554 9456. The publisher accepts no responsibility for any harm or injuries incurred by practicing the activities suggested in the publication. PRINTED IN CANADA
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FIGURE SKATER FITNESS
WINTER 2018
Contributors Meghan
Rebekah
MSc.PT, BSc.KIN, FCAMPT, CGIMS, Sport Diploma (SPD)
MSc. CPC, MindBody Performance Coach
Buttle Meghan graduated from the University of Toronto with a Masters of Science degree in Physical Therapy. She has been practicing Sports Medicine for over 12 years and works part time at
Karlee
Dixon
the Canadian Sports Institute Ontario and the Sports Medicine Specialists in Toronto. Meghan is part of the Integrated Support Team with Skate Canada.
Rebekah is a MindBody Performance Coach who empowers skaters to improve their mental game and achieve peak athletic performance. She is a former junior ladies
Gendron Karlee is a natural food enthusiast, who studied Food Sciences at the University of Manitoba. The former, competitive speed
competitor, coach and choreographer and has an education in Developmental Psychology, NLP, TimeLine TherapyTM, Hypnotherapy and as a Life Coach.
skater is now a professional road cyclist and competes as an elite cross-country mountain biker.
2018 WORLD FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS MILAN, ITALY MARCH 21-25, 2018
EXCLUSIVE ONLINE OFFER Ashley
Mikko
Leone
Pohjola
RD MSc CDE
Ashley is a Registered Dietitian. She is the owner, operator and nutrition expert behind Gazelle Nutrition Lab in Toronto. Ashley provides nutrition
Tim
Silvester Tim is the owner of Get Coached, is a UKSCA Accredited Strength and Conditioning Coach and has a BSc. Honours degree in Sport and Exer-
cise Science. He has worked with athletes for over 10 years and specifically with skaters for the past seven years.
advice and plans for athletes and active people alike. Her goal is to help you fuel your inner athlete and put good sense back into eating.
Mikko is the Training Center Manager for Santasport Lapin Urheiluopisto in Rovaniemi, Finland. He utilizes the Taitoc® Skill Training System to provide guidance and tools for personalized
Jeff
Zeilstra As the manager of High Performance at the Fatigue Science in Vancouver, Jeff is immersed in high-performance environments with athletes, medical
staff and coaches. He worked at the National Institute of Sport in Paris, France with the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.
training of required skills. He believes that once athletes achieve a solid foundation of skills their sport-specific skills and capacities can be developed effectively and consistently.
Joshua
Zuchter An international high-performance coach at joshuazuchter.com, Joshua has coached over 1,000 people in more than
10 countries. He works with individuals and athletes who want to discover their own extraordinary nature and results.
Choice of Platinum or Gold package 3 nights accommodation (breakfast included) Dance Short Program March 23, 2018 Milano Navigli Skate Dinner March 23, 2018 Milano On Tour March 24, 2018 Dance Free Program March 24, 2018 Fidenza Village Shopping March 25, 2015 Exhibition Gala March 25, 2018 BONUS: Figure Skater Fitness Magazine digital subscription (1 year)
Choice of Platinum or Gold package 2 nights accommodation (breakfast included) Opening Ceremony March 21, 2018 Pairs Short Program March 21, 2018 Fidenza Village Shopping Experience March 22, 2018 Milan On Tour March 22, 2018 Pairs Free Program March 22, 2018 BONUS: Figure Skater Fitness Magazine digital subscription (1 year)
Transfers Included
Transfers Included
Packages provided by Carlsson Wagon Lit Italy
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT
flexafit.com/category/worlds worlds@flexafit.com
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FIGURE SKATER FITNESS
FITNESS INSIDER
WINTER 2018
Table of Contents ON THE COVER
PAGE 13
Joannie Rochette, photography by JF Bérubé
FITNESS INSIDER WORKOUT
PAGE 3
PAGE 19
Masthead & Editor’s Letter
PAGE 4
Contributors
PAGE 6
Table of Contents
PAGE 7
FITNESS INSIDER PAGE 8
Improving Trunk Rotation
PAGE 10
Power of the Mind
PAGE 12
Athlete Profiling
PAGE 31
TRAIN THE MIND PAGE 32
Wipe the Slate and Your Skates Clean
INJURY PREVENTION
PAGE 35
PAGE 20
PAGE 36
Monitoring Your Athletic Load
PAGE 22
Sleep Your Way to Success
PAGE 25
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Joannie Rochette, the 2010 Olympics Bronze Medalist speaks exclusively with Figure Skater Fitness about her winning experience, the impact of training and who to watch at the upcoming Games
PAGE 28
Mapped Out: PeongChang’s Figure Skating Events design by Antony Smith
NUTRITION INSIDER Macro Bowls
PAGE 38
Fuelling Your Young Skater
PAGE 41
NEW! STYLE PAGE 42
Hair Matters
PAGE 44
Red. It’s For Winners
PAGE 46
SKATERS CORNER
The Career Skater: Kurt Browning
FITNESS INSIDER Make an impact this season.
Our experts target stability exercises for trunk rotation, the power of positive thinking and athlete profiling for optimum performance and development.
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FIGURE SKATER FITNESS
FITNESS INSIDER
WINTER 2018
IMPROVING TRUNK ROTATION
FORWARD WALKING LUNGES WITH ROTATION Start by standing upright with your hands behind your head with your elbows wide Step into a deep lunge position Then, turn towards the forward knee i.e. turn right if your right knee is forward Step through and repeat the process on the other leg Repeat for set reps/distance
Build your physical base with the relevant strength, mobility and stability exercises so that you can safely progress in movement patterns and skills by Tim Silvester
BACKWARDS WALKING LUNGES Start by standing upright with your arms out wide and held at shoulder height Keeping your arms up, step back into a deep lunge position Step through and repeat the process on the other leg Repeat for set reps/distance
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igure Skating, in many ways, provides ongoing physical challenges due to its progressive nature of starting with single jumps and moving on to doubles, triples and quads. With this in mind, it is so important to get the basic movement patterns right and instilled into younger athletes. Developing a strong base for skate-specific movement helps the young athlete develop body awareness for greater coordination, balance and control. Skaters spend a lot of time moving backwards, traversing the ice from one element to another. This involves a degree of trunk flexibility and stability as well as core, hip and leg strength. Building the relevant strength, mobility and stability with a variety of exercises off the ice supports the development of the athlete’s competence on the ice. The following exercises can be used to develop trunk/core strength, control and stability. They are not high intensity exercises and as such, the emphasis is on postural integrity, movement control and technique.
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ARABESQUE AND SL ROMANIAN DEADLIFT Start in camel position with your body in a horizontal straight line Hinge at the hip to lower your upper body and raise the rear leg Keep a small bend in your standing leg at all times Return to starting position Repeat for set reps
ARABESQUE AND OPEN HIP PIVOT Start in a stretched camel position Keeping your body straight, pivot on your standing leghip to rotate on your side The stretched leg-hip should now be above the standing leg-hip as if you are lying on your side Return to starting position and repeat
ARABESQUE AND SQUAT Start by standing upright with one knee raised in front of your body Move into Camel position but with arms stretched out in front Keep the body in a horizontal straight line Do a squat on your standing leg Return to starting position Repeat for set reps
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The following are floor-based core exercises geared towards improving trunk control whilst moving the limbs. DEADBUGS (Slow) Start by lying on your back with your arms straight up and your legs up with your knees bent Keep your lower back pressed into the floor and your belly button pulled in Stretch your opposite arm and leg outwards, slowly Return to the starting position and repeat on your other arm and leg Repeat for set reps
FROM HERE THE SKATER CAN
(in order of increasing difficulty): Raise and lower your top (non-supporting) leg Bend your top knee bringing your leg forward and return for reps Bring your top leg forward and back keeping it straight Repeat the above but also moving the non-supporting arm in the opposite direction
It is essential to remember that these are slow and controlled movements, there is little point in progressing to more challenging exercises before being able to complete the previous ones well. That said, striving to progress will help push development forward and improve the skater’s on-ice ability.
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HOT HANDS/ RENEGADE ROWS (Slow) Start in a press-up position with your tummy tight and your arms straight Keeping your body still, raise one hand to bring your elbow in tight to your ribs Lower your hand back to the floor and repeat on your other arm Repeat for set reps
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Side Plank Variations: Side planks can be completed with either your elbow or your hand on the floor. Remember to keep your head back, your non-supporting arm straight up with your hips forward and up throughout the exercise.
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FIGURE SKATER FITNESS
FITNESS INSIDER
WINTER 2018
POWER OF THE MIND High-performance coach Joshua Zuchter shares the 5 steps you need to win by Adriana Ermter
I
t’s competition time. You’ve practiced, trained and set your goals. You know your draw and you’ve skated the ice. You can even envision yourself standing on the podium with a shiny medal hanging around your neck. But are you ready to succeed? The concept of pushing your performance to the next level requires a combination of hard work and positive self-messaging. It’s about how you choose to think about the competition ahead of you and how you will mentally and physically prepare yourself to achieve this athletic goal. So while your talent and experience are key and have propelled you to where you are, they are not the primary determinants of your success. Your ability to tap into the power of your mind to acknowledge and believe in yourself will empower you to control and execute the skills your body has already mastered.
“When an athlete’s body is at prime conditioning and is paired with focused and sustained thoughts that are aligned with their ultimate goal, they will see extraordinary results,” explains Joshua Zuchter, an international high-performance coach at his eponymous practice in Toronto. “This is what we call winning, whether it is a championship first-place win or a personal-best score.” 10
STEP 1: Know That Winning is Believing Since winning is a mental game, Zuchter recommends thinking of your mind as equivalent to your MacBook and the files contained within it as your personal belief system. In other words, everything you need to succeed already exists inside of you. “A success-based attitude means, thinking, feeling, knowing and projecting certainty to the point of where you are experiencing the emotions and feelings around winning so often, that it becomes normal,” adds Zuchter. “This winning state of mind can be produced by any competitor and simply requires concentrated focus, no distractions and having certainty that the win is already won.” All you have to do is click onto the “file” you want to gain access to, download the information and thoughts you’re seeking and get ready to compete.
STEP 2: Stay Calm and Win On Staying focused, calm and confident for the purpose of competition is crucial as it helps to eliminate distractions. While some distractions can be useful during the competition phase, such as dinner out with family, fixating on a loss or poor performance can negatively impact your upcoming performance. “Negative thoughts create obtrusive noise that overwhelm and cloud an athlete’s abil-
ity to focus and sustain the certainty that is necessary for achieving high levels in their sport,” says Zuchter. “Being calm, focused and confident means being present. All of an athlete’s power comes from the present moment and when they align with it, they will see results.”
STEP 3: Exercise Your Mind Anticipating the end result, whether it’s winning a medal or achieving a personal best and then, practicing and experiencing the feeling of winning multiple times a day every day is the first step in aligning your intention to win with your belief that you can and will do so. “When an athlete achieves any gain, they feel a rush of success,” says Zuchter. “The key is to practice feeling that rush of success by mentally engaging in it with all of your senses and then, repeatedly practicing it.” To engage in this mindset, ask yourself questions like, how would it feel to skate with confidence, win a gold medal, surpass a personal best? Answer each question out loud and expand on each answer with descriptions of your feelings and why you feel the way you do. As you answer each question you will experience a sense of certainty, confidence and joy rising within you. “Sometimes you can become so good at feeling and projecting the sensation of winning and producing extraordinary results that on the day of competition, little physicality is required,” adds Zuchter. “The mind can have a profound influence over results if focused properly.”
STEP 4: Release the Past According to Zuchter, what often separates the elite from the non-elite athlete is the ability to let go of past results. You can’t move forward if you’re stuck looking backwards. “Practice letting go by breathing out your losses,” he advises. To accomplish this, Zuchter recommends identifying the loss and recognizing that it is no longer a part of you. Next, he says to sit up straight and with your shoulders back. Take a deep breath from your diaphragm and hold the air in your lungs for approximately five seconds before expelling it quickly and loudly with a haw-like sound. Repeat this breathing technique three or four times until you begin to feel lighter, as though a weight has been lifted from you. “When you are free from your past performance or results, you are free to achieve higher levels,” explains Zuchter. “This technique can help you make room for present and future-based possibilities.”
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STEP 5: Create a Daily 15-minute Routine Success requires just as much mental preparation as it does physical exercise. To create your daily routine, Zuchter suggests picking a time when you can sit quietly and write down how you will feel when you win and/ or experience your next personal best. Commit to the same time each day to fulfil your routine, as the process requires repetition. Make a list of these feelings, says Zuchter, so that you have more than one feeling to focus on. They could range from feeling unlimited and hopeful to elation, validation and more. Next, practice feeling the emotions you have identified on your list. “Feel each feeling for a good 15-20 seconds and them move on to the next one,” says Zuchter. “You want to become so good at feeling the feelings of winning, exhilaration, freedom, focus, etc that it seems as though you’ve already competed and won, because your feelings of success are already so real.”
This action should be repeated several times each day and preferably not during your workouts or competition time; in between practices and in your spare time are ideal. Spend the remaining three minutes of your daily routine with your eyes closed and counting out loud. Start at number one and aim to count as high as 10,000. Be prepared to start over if your mind wanders and you lose count. “The counting helps with focus,” explains Zuchter. “Do this three times per day and you’ll notice a difference in how you’re able to engage your mind on and off the ice. After all, elite competitive athletes should treat their practices as competitions for Olympic Gold. And ultimately, the goal of every practice should be about being in the moment, not about winning. When an athlete is in the moment the wins will take care of themselves.”
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FIGURE SKATER FITNESS
FITNESS INSIDER WORKOUTS
WINTER 2018
ATHLETE PROFILING Test your athletes for comprehensive development by Mikko Pohjola
L
eading up to a competition, athlete testing can be a solid way to focus on measuring your athlete’s performance through standardized tasks that represent different characteristics of their sport. While many of these tests, along with the athlete’s competition results are useful for tracking development, they don’t necessarily guide training planning on an individual level. Particularly, if the tests are simplified and distinct from sport specific requirements and aim at measuring general physiological capacity, such as strength, speed or endurance. In order to make your athlete-testing serve the needs of everyday training and coaching, you need to take a more holistic and sport-specific approach. One approach is the Taitoc® Skill Training System developed at the Olympic Training Center in Rovaniemi, Finland. It is the basis of performance testing and physical training and is used with several Finland national team athletes in snow sports, as well as in figure skating. This type of profiling provides a comprehensive view of the athlete’s status development, as well as aspects that you and your athlete can focus on in their future training. The profiling is made up of five tiers that will allow you to highlight your athlete’s ability to utilize physical capacity in sport specific contexts and showcase how they can retain optimum performance throughout the season.
report and le fi ro p ir e th p u all tiers make g point of view to your m o fr s lt su re st te The r coachin a le c a e fy the areas id ti v n ro e p id u u o o y y lp lp e e h h o can is profile will als their future training. This th g n si U s. te le ath s to focus on in ngths and shortcomings is d e e n te le th a r u yo of individual stre . n io it n g o c re y rl ea preventing injury in t n a rt o p im o als
TIER 1
TIER 2
TIER 3
TIER 4
TIER 5
Maps the athlete’s movement chains and mobility and is evaluated by using qualitative criteria and subjectively perceived functionality.
Assesses stability and movement control. This is first achieved in a horizontal posture with four and two pivot points. Then, the athlete attempts vertical one-legged postures along all of the movement chains, allowing you to evaluate their stability and movement control.
Focuses on body movement control, while increasing the challenge of the movement-based tasks, such as directional jumps and rotations. Here, the focus is on evaluating the athlete’s core stability and alignment while they move in all directions.
Tests the athlete’s ability to complete movement combinations and produce force while changing postures. As a coach, your evaluation here will focus on the athlete’s movement library, ability to flow through a combination of movements and how well they can effectively execute their sport-specific techniques. You can also add perception tasks along the test course to gather information about the athlete’s ability to make movement-based decisions.
Consists of sport-specific physical performance tests. This resembles traditional performance testing but it also includes stability and movement tasks to evaluate the athlete’s ability to retain a high skill-level while under fatigue.
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FLEXAFIT RESISTANCE BAND WORKOUT
Photography by Christian Bonin
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HALF BRIDGE LEG PRESS
Joint strength and stability are important for every athlete in order to improve longevity in the sport. Flexafit’s latest set of eight exercises will have you strengthening and stabilizing your shoulders, hips, knees and ankles. 1
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Start by placing the Flexafit band just above the knees. Lie on your back with one heel pressing into the side of the box. Lift the hips up to be in line with the shoulders, while maintaining resistance on the side of the legs. Do 15 reps per side for 2-3 sets.
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FIGURE SKATER FITNESS
FITNESS INSIDER WORKOUTS
WINTER 2018
2 AXEL REACH BACK
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Start by placing the Flexafit band just above the knees. Standing on one leg, start the movement by extending the free leg behind you like an axel take off. Feel the resistance pressing back. Repeat 15 reps for 2-3 sets on both feet.
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CLAM SHELLS 1
Start by placing the Flexafit band just above the knees. Lie on your side with the knees bent at a 45 degree angle. Keeping resistance the whole time, open the top knee up to the ceiling, while maintaining the hips square to the front. Repeat 15 reps for 2-3 sets.
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WALK WITH 3 SUMO BURPEE
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Place the Flexafit band around the ankles. Start in a squat position. Step one foot out to the side, while keeping the resistance on the band as you step back. Take two steps, then perform a burpee, while maintaining resistance around the ankles. Repeat 10 to one side and 10 back for 2-3 sets.
FLEXAFIT BAND MOUNTAIN CLIMBER Place the Flexafit band around standing foot and the free leg. In a plank on the hands, pull the freeleg towards the chest. Repeat 15 reps for 2-3 sets.
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FIGURE SKATER FITNESS
FITNESS INSIDER WORKOUTS
WINTER 2018
BAND 6 FLEXAFIT SCISSORS
Place the Flexafit band around the ankles. Lying on the back, scissor the legs up and down while maintaining resistance. The lower the legs, the harder the exercise. Repeat 20 reps both sides for 3 sets.
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PLANK ARM IN AND OUTS
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Place the Flexafit band around the forearms. In a plank position, shift one arm slightly wider than the shoulder and repeat with the other arm. Then bring one arm back in to the starting position and repeat with the other arm. Repeat 15 reps for 2-3 sets.
SIDEWAYS LAYING LEG RAISE Place the Flexafit band around the ankles. Lie on one side and lift the top leg up and down, while maintaining resistance. Repeat 20 reps for 3-4 sets each side.
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INJURY PREVENTION
INJURY
PREVENTION WHY BALANCE IN YOUR TRAINING SESSIONS AND A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP ARE IMPERATIVE TO YOUR BODY’S HEALTH, FUNCTIONALITY AND ADVANCEMENT ON THE ICE.
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FIGURE SKATER FITNESS
INJURY PREVENTION
WINTER 2018
Here are some of the most common training errors you should avoid:
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Multiple, intense training days in a row.
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Monitoring Your
Athletic Load How to improve your performance and maintain a training balance by Meghan Buttle
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M
ost figure skaters train almost every day of the week. This consists of your on-ice training, off-ice conditioning programs and your jump classes. It can also include flexibility work and other complementary activities such as dance or Pilates. The cumulative effect of all of these workouts is called your load and is the amount of stress being applied to your body. As an athlete, you subject yourself to both an internal load and an external load. The internal load refers to the biological or psychological stressors that affect your body, such as school exams, family conflict, upcoming competition or a lack of sleep. The external load is the quantitative aspect of your training. To be a high-performing figure skater you need to subject your body to a certain amount of training in order to see improvement. Your muscles and bones respond to progressive loading by increasing their tolerance to stress. By gradually increasing the amount of load you put your body through,
your muscles and bones will become stronger and better able to withstand the forces of the sport. If you continually train at the same level day in and day out you will not show improvement. Your jumps will not get higher and your spins will not get faster. Yet, if you continually stress your body beyond a certain threshold without allowing your muscles’ tissues to recover, then at some point your body will break down and even, become injured. Based on this principle, overuse injuries are now referred to as overloading injuries, like stress fractures, which happen when there is an insufficient balance between your loading and recovery time. This is caused by a micro-breakdown from continually burdening the bone and not allowing it to recover. For figure skaters, this type of stress fracture typically occurs in your feet. Provided that the stress fracture is not due to extra mechanical stress from muscle imbalances or skate fit, decreasing your load by modifying your training
to allow the bone to heal, followed by a therapist-guided progressive return to your skate program will ensure the bone adapts properly while it heals and strengthens. Finding the balance between your minimum and maximum loads will allow you to train within the right zone to enhance your performance, while decreasing your risk of injury. With more and more skaters attempting elements with a higher degree of difficulty at an early age, it’s challenging to predict the number of jumps, spins and combinations you’re attempting each session. And while there is data for baseball pitchers supporting the appropriate number of pitches they should throw to maintain a balance between loading for improvement while staying under the threshold for overloading injuries, there is currently no data for figure skaters. The Canadian Sport Institute Ontario, in partnership with Skate Ontario, is starting to collect this information, however and use it to help you and your coach find that balance.
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You should aim to maintain a variety of training intensities over the course of a month within your ideal training zone. Allow for some sessions to be overreaching and others to be below your ideal zone to allow for adaptation.
Not taking a rest day. Your body needs at least one day per week to recover, physically and mentally. You will not see the benefit of your training if you do not allow your body to recover and re-build.
Progressively training at more than 10 per cent per week. Your body needs to gradually build its tolerance for stress. If you increase your training intensities or volumes too quickly, your body will reach its breakdown threshold before it has had a chance to adapt.
le in u d e h c s g n i f o r train u e o y m g o n i s n d n i Pla u avo o y p l e h l l i advance w mon mistakes. ter. t e m b s o y c a e w l s a e th is not e r o m , r to e r b e d m r e o m n e i r y d r An ecove r d n a t s e r . o You need t fits from hard training e reap the ben 21
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INJURY PREVENTION
WINTER 2018
S
leep. Ironically, we never get tired of talking about it. How many hours we slept the night before, how to deal with jetlag and sleeping on planes, tips and tricks for getting a solid eight hours before a competition…the list goes on. Yet at the end of the day, when it comes to counting sheep, how much (or how many sheep) is enough? While the hours of sleep we need per night varies between individuals and changes as we age, on average young people need nine and a half hours, while adults and athletes need seven to nine hours.
Know Your Zzzs
Sleep Your Way To Success Why each sheep counts towards a good night’s sleep, optimal performance and your overall health by Jeff Zeilstra as told to Adriana Ermter 22
Sleep provides us with a number of physical and psychological functions. One of the activities that keep our brains busy during sleep is referred to as housekeeping. Brain housekeeping is when the brain checks and repairs itself, ensuring neural pathways are functioning well and toxins that have built up during the day are removed. It’s also a time when the brain cleans up its stored memories, a process increasingly compared to organizing files on a computer. Like a computer, scientists believe that an organized brain is better able to process higher-level cognitive tasks such as learning, decision-making and reasoning.
Understand Fatigue Fatigue translates into reduced alertness, reaction time and effectiveness—all of which manifest in the form of a sub-optimal athletic performance. This happens when sleep and activities fall outside of our very specific biological needs to consistently sleep at night and be active in the day—it’s not the same as fatigue resulting from physical exertion. Those who routinely obtain less than seven to nine hours of interrupted sleep per 24-hour period will have a high homeostatic drive for sleep as the body struggles to restore balance. In addition, scheduling inconsistencies can lead to a high circadian drive for sleep at exactly the wrong times of day, as well as to sleep-initiation problems at night. So when athletes lose sleep, such as when they’re unable to stick to a consistent bedtime due to travel and when they have to train or compete at the “wrong” times in a new time zone, they’ll be faced with both a high homeostatic and a high circadian drive faor sleep. The result will be impaired judgment, reaction time and situational awareness—the hallmarks of poor mental effectiveness.
Enforce Your Pillow Time Athletes with insufficient sleep can still run, lift weights and perform with basic capacity and resilience. But their time to physical exhaustion will be shorter, their perception of exertion and endurance distorted, their risk of injury increased and their motivation, judgment, alertness, decision-making and situational awareness impaired. Research shows that athletes who slept less than eight hours per night were one point seven times more likely to have an injury compared with athletes who slept more than eight hours. Lack of sleep can also affect an athlete’s recovery by altering their post-exercise endocrine (hormone) response. This is because a reduction in sleep duration is associated with an increase in blood cortisol levels and decreased growth hormone release, both of which contribute to creating a catabolic state. Simply put, lack of sleep in athletes contributes to a negative protein balance by reducing muscle repair mechanisms and stimulating those resulting in muscle degradation (catabolic). Finally, lack of sleep also affects the proprioceptive capacity and thus significantly increases the risk of injuries, such as sprains.
Don’t Discount Bedtime Lack of sleep also causes irritability, mental fatigue and loss of motivation. Athletes who don’t get enough sleep generally report a greater level of fatigue and an increased feeling of confusion, which coincides with a drop in performance and pain tolerance. Lack of sleep can also negatively affect several cognitive functions and interfere with learning, as this generally requires frequent repetition of tasks involving precise movements combined with a high attention level to stabilize them. As well, studies have shown sleep-deprived subjects to have a lower capacity to solve complex tasks.
Create a Sleep Schedule Start is by locking-down a consistent sleep schedule that allows you to have seven to nine hours of sleep each night. Being consistent is key, so write down your schedule and set up bedtime reminders on your phone. Limit caffeine in general and avoid it after 4p.m. Avoid naps and sleeping in on days off. Having a hot shower before bedtime stimulates melatonin (sleep hormone)
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production, but avoid using technology 30 minutes to an hour before bed. The light from your TV, Smart phone and laptop screens delay or reduce sleep hormone production. Set your bedroom temperature between 67F - 69F (19.5C - 20.5C) and reduce noise with earplugs or a fan/ white-noise machine.
Manage Your Travel Travel across time zones causes a disruption to the body clock, which is tuned in to a 24-hour rhythm regulated by sunlight exposure. This jet lag, causes sleep disruptions, altered mood, loss of appetite, upset stomach, disorientation and generalized discomfort. The general rule for readjustment is to rest for at least one day per time zone crossed. Athletes and coaches should monitor sleep schedules and sleep quality at least a month prior to travel.
Packing your favourite nighttime products can help you to unwind and sleep easy in even the most remote locations. Massage a few calming, relaxing drops onto your pillowcase before bedtime to help lull you to sleep. Aveda Singular Note Lavender Fleurs Oil, $29, available at Aveda stores.
Rule 1: Pre-flight Adaptation
Reduce training volume and intensity, adjust training to the destination time zone and choose an evening flight for travel eastward, as reduced light will make it easier for athletes to synchronize their rhythms with a phase advance.
Rule 2:
Eliminate neck pain with this pillow’s water-based technology that allows you to sleep easy. Mediflow Floating Comfort Pillow, $35.99, available online at www.mediflow.ca.
In-flight Activities
Change your watch to the destination time as soon as you board the plane. During the flight, eating and sleeping can be timed with the destination time to help the adjustment process.
Rule 3:
Post-flight Activities
For two to four days after travel, activities like rest, sleep, meals, training and recovery should all be taken into account to ensure a quick adjustment to the new time zone.
Get some shuteye with a silky smooth mask that covers your eyes without irritating your skin. Cilque Eye Mask, $45, available online at cilque.com.
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BEST GIFT FOR FIGURE SKATERS
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
IN THE SPOTLIGHT:
JOANNIE
ROCHETTE Born in Île Dupas, Quebec, Joannie Rochette is one of Canada’s favourite and most brilliant figure skaters. After lacing up her first pair of skates at the age of two, Joannie went on to become the Bronze Medalist at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games, the World ViceChampion in 2009 and was crowned the Canadian Champion six times—the first-ever Canadian female figure skater to win the national title across all categories by Adriana Ermter
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FIGURE SKATER FITNESS
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
WINTER 2018
What has been the highlight of your figure skating career? Joannie: It was in 2005
when I won my first Nationals. There were 25 people from my hometown and I didn’t know they were there, my mom didn’t tell me, and after the Long Program I was bowing at the end of the performance and I saw them in the stand holding a big sign. It was the perfect moment to share with the people I love and it was such an amazing surprise that they all made the trip. The Olympics was also pretty great.
Who are you looking forward to watching compete at the PeongChang Olympics? Joannie: The women.
Gabrielle Daleman and Kaetlyn Osmond both won medals at their last World Championship. Kaitlyn also just won a medal at the Grand Prix Final, so they are definitely in the mix to hopefully be on the podium. This is very exciting, because I feel like on the ladies side, especially when I was skating, the media would always say that it was the weakest discipline. Last year at Worlds I felt like it was one of the strongest and it was really cool to watch that and I hope that they both have great performances. The ladies in general will be very fun to watch; it’s going be a great mix between the really young Russian girls that have very technical programs and some older skaters, like Carolina Kostner who is so artistic.
What were some of those key words?
What would you say to skaters who hope to make the Olympics their dream?
Joannie: To be in the now, so that I would stay in the present moment to not overthink and just be very present to each second of my program as I was going through it. Reminding myself to do this helped me be more mindful and aware so that I was present when I was skating. It also helped me not look like I was thinking about my jumps and that I was really living my program and that allowed the people in the audience to live it with me.
Joannie: I always dreamt
of the Olympics, but it was not a goal until I became very close and it became realistic. My mom always told me to train as hard as I could and if I didn’t make it, it was okay. But I was skating at the right time, at the right place and in at the right moment. Talent is something that’s hard to explain, because of course you need to work hard, but I think that success is a mix of talent and hard work. To other skaters, I would say: have short-term goals so that you can stay motivated and to keep the Olympics as a long-term dream. Even if you don’t make it to the Olympics you can still reach a high level of skating.
Another was: to stand
tall. After my mom passed away, I felt like I just wanted a good keyword to be able to be strong enough and to hold back my tears. During my training, I would think about a string or think I was skating over clouds so that I would look and feel more light. I would use positive messaging when things didn’t go exactly as I’d planned, to stay motivated and not be so hard on myself. It’s a good practice to understand that even the Olympics is just a competition and that I’m not perfect. Of course you want to be perfect at the Olympics, but at the same time you just want to be as consistent as possible when you train so that when you get to competition it’s pretty much a draw from all your practices.
As a former Olympian, what was the most important aspect of your training? Joannie: The Olympics
are definitely the biggest competition that you’ll ever compete in and it’s bigger than anything that you will ever experienced. Having the Olympics in Canada was a lot bigger than I imagined. The media and also the interest of the general public was quite high, which was hard because as an Olympic athlete you’re only in that kind of spotlight once every four years. I had a great sports psychologist who helped me prepare for this pressure. The sports psychologist really helped change my way of seeing the competition and also gave me some key words to use to pull me through every stage of the competition.
What were some of the most important components of your physical training? Joannie: It’s very
important to include the mental preparation with the physical. Leading up to the Olympics I wanted to
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stay at the rink longer every day and sometimes I would get very angry at myself because a jump wasn’t working like I wanted and I would get injured and the most important thing is to try to prevent injuries. So this is when I had to apply my mental training and not be so hard on myself and to be forgiving at times, because the Olympic season is a long, long marathon and you want to make sure you’re healthy at the right time and you’re peaking at the right moment.
team communicates, that your coach is aware of what’s going on because sometimes your coach will push you and maybe at times it’s better to push a little bit less. At one point in my training I was taking 20-minute naps so that I could rest and reinforce the new technical skills I’d just learned. Your brain’s cerebellum receives information from other parts of the brain which goes to your muscles, so there’s a theory that having a quick nap can help with this.
Has injuryprevention training changed for elite athletes?
How did you maintain healthy eating habits while training and competing?
Joannie: We’re a lot more
Joannie: I ate a very
aware of the importance of warming up properly and also cooling down after each training. Sometimes the warmup and the cool down can take just as long as a whole on-ice session. When I was younger, I thought that was a little bit over the top, but once I understood that I need to treat my body well by going to bed early, eating well, drinking lots of water. It actually worked to help me stay focused and decrease the potential for injury.
What advancements need to be made in training sessions to further to prevent injuries? Joannie: We still don’t
completely understand exactly how the body works regarding recuperating. Some people take very cold baths and apply other different techniques to keep the body healthy. But I think it’s also important that everyone on the
balanced diet and when I say balanced, I mean I would allow myself to have cookies or milk or different foods that sometimes people will think are unhealthy. But if I didn’t allow myself to have this once in a while I would go crazy and then I would just have way too much all at once. Having a nutritionist give you different tips on how you can snack throughout the day so that your energy level is always up is also good.
Now that you’re no longer competing, what does the future hold for you? Joannie: I will always love skating, but I’m studying medicine at the moment and hopefully I will do sports medicine one day. I think it’s important to have more than one goal in life to keep a healthy balance.
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FIGURE SKATER FITNESS
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
WINTER 2018
IN THE SPOTLIGHT:
MAPPED OUT
NORTH KOREA
Sea of Japan
The XXIII Winter Olympics Some key dates
GANGNEUNG ICE ARENA
February 8, 2018: Competition begins February 9, 2018: Opening ceremonies February 25, 2018: Closing ceremonies
Seoul Pyeongchang
Incheon
S CHED U L E O F F I G U RE S KAT I N G EVEN T S HEL D AT T HE GAN G N EU N G I CE ARENA
N.b., Korea Time Zone (KST) is 14 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time (EST). So 10 a.m. KST, Tuesday morning converts to 8 p.m. EST, Monday evening.
February 9, 10 A.M.: Team Event, Pairs Short Program; Team Event, Men’s Single Short Program February 11, 10 a.m.: Team event, Ice Dance Short Program; Team Event, Women’s Single Short Program; Team Event, Pairs Free Program
Daejon
February 12, 10 a.m.: Team Event, Men’s Single Free Program; Team Event, Ice Dance Free Program; Team Event, Women’s Free Program 10:00 am (Medal Award Ceremonies)
SOUTH KOREA
South Korea (The Republic of Korea)
February 14, 10 a.m.: Pair Short Program February 15, 10 a.m.: Pair Free Program (Medal Award Ceremonies)
Daegu
February 16, 10 a.m.: Men’s Singles Short Program
▶ The climate is temperate with cold winters.
February 17, 10 a.m.: Men’s Singles Free Program (Medal Award Ceremonies)
▶ It is the 27th most populous country with 51.2 million inhabitants.
February 19, 10 a.m.: Ice Dance Short Program
▶ As 70% of the country is mountainous, the population is concentrated in the lowlands; Gyeonggi Province in the northwest, which surrounds the
Busan
capital of Seoul, is the most densely populated province; Gangwon in the northeast — home to the XXIII Winter Olympics — is the least populous.
February 20, 10.30 a.m.: Ice Dance Free Program (Medal Award Ceremonies) February 21, 10 a.m.: Women’s Singles Short Program February 23, 10 a.m.: Women’s Singles Free Program (Medal Award Ceremonies)
SOU RCE : CI A WO R LD FAC T B O OO O K 2017
February 25, 9.20 a.m.: Gala Exhibition
Former Olympic figure skater Yuna Kim is an honorary ambassador for the Games 28
Yellow Sea
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JAPAN 29
TRAIN THE MIND
IN THIS ISSUE, EXPLORE WHY MENTAL TRAINING REQUIRES YEAR-ROUND EFFORT TO BETTER HELP YOU ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS
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TRAIN THE MIND
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FIGURE SKATER FITNESS
CLEAN WIPE THE SLATE AND YOUR SKATES
For many skaters, the end of year marks the end of the competitive season. Rebekah Dixon shares how to make yours a positive one.
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TRAIN THE MIND
WINTER 2018
S
ometimes it boggles my mind that for many skaters their competitive season is finished in December! To a non-skater this must seem really peculiar with skating being a winter sport and all. Needless to say, if your season finished in December you may be in need of a break and questioning what’s next? The New Year presents a great opportunity to wipe the slate clean and start over in preparation for the 2018 season. Whether you experienced an “epic” season, easily achieving all your goals and beyond or your season fell short, either way there are many lessons that can help you become a better skater.
As a mental trainer, I see a pattern emerge when skaters sign up and work with me regularly during the late summer and early fall months. Then, and as soon as their competition season kicks in, these same skaters wrap up and back off on their emotional work. Consistency however, is key to results in training, so while taking a short break in your down time can be a great way to unwind, make sure to get right back into your routine soon afterwards. Mental training after all, is a marathon not a sprint and just as our bodies struggle to get back into shape when we take a break from the gym, so do our minds when we’re not stimulating them.
HERE ARE FOUR WAYS that you can continue to flex your mental muscle during your postcompetition season:
VISUALIZATION:
This is especially important if your practices are less frequent due to choice or injury. Incorporate daily visualization of your jumps as part of your office training.
EXPAND YOUR COMFORT ZONE:
Push the boundaries of your comfort zone by trying a completely different style of music for next season’s programs, such as trying a new spin position or a variation on a jump, etc.
ASSESS, SET GOALS AND CREATE A POA:
Mind-map your performances from last season, determining the factors that contributed to your success and the ones that did not. Do more of the things that worked and less of the things that didn’t. This helps to create a clear plan of action (POA) for how you will train in 2018.
ADD TO YOUR TEAM:
There’s a popular saying: it takes a village and it’s true. While assessing your goals and creating a POA, ask yourself what support and training do you need to turn your 2018 goals into a reality. Then make a list, including everything from off-ice training to mental training and allocate the timeframe to start each one. It’s never too soon to get started now.
Until n keep y ext time, our bra the gam in in e.
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NUTRITION INSIDER
NUTRITION INSIDER
FROM BUILDING YOUR OWN CUSTOM-MADE MACRO BOWL TO FUELLING YOUR CHILD ATHLETE WE’VE GOT YOUR NUTRITION NEEDS COVERED figureskaterfitnessmag.com
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FIGURE SKATER FITNESS
NUTRITION INSIDER
WINTER 2018
Bowls Macro
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This latest meal trend is not only delicious, it can also be altered to accommodate your workload and dietary needs by Karlee Gendron
T
he in-season is an ideal time to revamp your nutrition habits and focus on any dietary goals you may have. So a focus on the quality and the quantity of the nutrition you’re eating is very important, as are the individual ingredients and their macronutrients. Take the time to learn something new! A nourishing meal trend that is becoming quite popular amongst athletes is the macro bowl or as it’s also referred to, Buddha bowls. Regardless of what you call them, these tasty bowls will hit all your macronutrients: carbs, protein and fat. Similar to a rice bowl, macro bowls are a simplified form of balanced eating as they’re typically comprised of a grain base, raw or cooked vegetables and a healthy fat like avocado, a whole egg or a scoop of hummus. Meat and fish eaters can also add a protein of their choice. They consist of a combination of wholesome, nutrient-dense ingredients combined in one bowl. Macro bowls can be easily altered for any workload, food sensitivity or intolerance and allergies. These bowls are excellent ways to consume natural probiotics, such as kimchi, sauerkraut and kefir, which help to keep us healthy and proactive on any needed recovery. And, they are great for leftovers, can be prepared in advance and are easily transportable for busy lives and travelling. Simply start with a bowl of your favourite greens (arugula, kale, spinach, micro-greens), layer with your preferred grains or carbohydrate (brown rice, quinoa, squash and sweet potatoes are all good options), followed by an abundance of vegetables, lean proteins (eggs, chicken, pork, fish etc), healthy nuts, seeds or cheese and top it off with a simple vinaigrette (olive oil, honey, balsamic or salt and pepper), hummus or fermented foods. Voila! Now you’ve got the recipe for a bowl that packs a punch and is full of hearty nutrients.
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How to Build Your Own Macro Bowl: STEP 1
Select your favourite grain: Quinoa Brown Rice Bulgur Wheat
STEP 2
Add any of the following vegetables: Carrots Radishes Daikon Snap Peas Green Beans Broccoli Vegan Kimchi
STEP 3
Choose one or two items from this assortment of greens: Kale Radish greens Spinach Arugula Mizuna Basil Parsley
STEP 4
Pick a bean: Chickpeas Adzuki beans Edamame
STEP 5
Opt in a seaweed: Nori Kombu Wakame
STEP 6
Pick a lean protein: Grilled chicken Grilled pork Baked or grilled fish
Tip:
At the st favour art of the we e ite gra in, gril k, cook you and so r l a me veg gies an lean protein thing i d n fridge. airtight con store everytainers Macro bled q uickly bowls can b in the ea an chang e depe d they can c ssemonsta ndin ingred ients y g on the vari ntly ou hav e e on h ty of and. 37
FIGURE SKATER FITNESS
NUTRITION INSIDER
WINTER 2018
F
eeding young athletes requires knowledge and preparation. They need optimum fueling for training and competition to meet their energy demands and to accommodate their growth and development. Let’s learn about the right fuel for your young figure skater to help stoke that fire.
The Role of Nutrition
FUELING YOUR YOUNG SKATER
A little know-how combined with a few guiding steps will help you meet the dietary growth and development needs of your young athlete by Ashley Leone 38
Teach Your Skater Healthy Behaviour and Skills Include them in grocery store trips and meal preparation. Eat with your child. Make the same meal for the entire family. Encourage your skater to pack his or her lunch and snacks on their own. Model positive food-behaviour to help your child develop a healthy relationship with food and to help limit future, body-image issues.
Include Wholesome Foods and Strategies Encourage your skater to eat five to six times per day. For mealtime training, split meals and eat half before and after each workout. Joseé’s tip: cut your sandwich into four pieces and eat a quarter during each training break.
Foremost, young skaters need to eat to meet the demands of growth and development. A good diet will also help shield against illness and injury. I spoke with former Olympic skater and current skating coach at the Richmond Training Centre and mother of two, Joseé Chouinard, about feeding child athletes.
Choose fresh foods like vegetables, fruit, whole grains, lean meats, legumes and dairy. Joseé’s tip: chop veggies for snacks and meals every Sunday so that they are handy during the week.
Prepare With a Healthy Diet
Include ample fluids, especially before, during and after exercise. Water is best, but flavouring encourages consumption. You can use sports drinks and diluted juice. Joseé’s tip: flavour your water with a dissolvable, chewable, citrus vitamin C tablet.
According to Joseé, who grew up in a household surrounded by healthy food choices, your athlete’s home environment is vital and an easy way to impact their future performance and health. She recommends establishing healthy nutrition habits early on in their developmental years and in a few fundamental ways.
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Limit sweets and fried food. Joseé’s tip: cook fruit in your entreés to help satisfy sweet cravings to eliminate dessert.
Use food and not sports supplements. Be mindful of calcium, vitamin D and iron. These nutrients support bone health, muscle and nerve function and energy, respectively.
Training and Competition Nutrition Nutrition for competition requires planning to ensure appropriate food choices and timing.
Pre-Competition Choose a high-carbohydrate, low-fat meal three to four hours before competition. Practice nutrition during training phases to learn what works best for the competition cycle. Joseé says she preferred a lean protein meal with vegetables a few hours before she skated. Consider a bigger meal six to seven hours before skating with a smaller meal three to four hours before ice time.
Recovery Protein and carbohydrate snacks are important within 15-60 minutes of training. This combination replenishes muscle energy stores in the form of glycogen and helps with muscle building.
Transition by Maintaining Support the healthy habits formed during training in transition times, like competition and in between seasons. In Joseé’s words, “the body is like an engine, your children have to put the right fuel in to get the results they want.”
Your role is to feed your young figure skater wellbalanced meals, to model good food behaviour and to teach them how to manage their own nutrition healthfully. 39
FIGURE SKATER FITNESS
STYLE
WINTER 2018
#figureskaterfitness contest
For every issue of Figure Skater Fitness we want YOU, our readers to post a photo of your fave fitness moments on instagram using the hashtag
STYLE
#figureskaterfitness Each post will be reviewed for a chance to be featured in the following issue of FSF! *In order to be considered, be sure to tag your photo with @figureskaterfitness as well as use the hashtag #figureskaterfitness Show us your favourite figure skating moment or fitness routine and your photo could be featured in our next issue!
Check out these awesome instagram photos of skaters having fun during their skating practice and photo shoots! 40
STAY-PUT COMPETITION BUNS AND EVERY SHADE OF RED FOR LIPS ARE THIS ISSUE’S MUST-HAVE WINNING LOOKS. Photography by Char G Photography Model; Samantha Hay
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FIGURE SKATER FITNESS
STYLE
WINTER 2018
HERE ARE NAUMOVSKI’S TIPS FOR CREATING THE PERFECT BUN 1 Get your sleek on
Before you begin styling your hair into a tight topknot, massage a dime’s worth of a non-greasy hair serum or cream into dry or wet hair starting at the tips and working your way up to your roots. This will ensure that any fine baby hairs, along with the rest of your hair lays flat and smooth along your scalp. It will also help to hydrate and condition any damage, such as split or dry ends. “When your hair is dry or damaged, it can impact the look of your bun,” explains Naumovski. “Adding a styling serum or cream to your hair will give it a bit of shine andsmoothness, as well as make the hair easier to style.”
HAIR
Try: Moroccanoil Mending Infusion, $37, available at Sephora stores.
MATTERS
Photography by Char G Photography Model, Samantha Hay
CREATING THE PERFECT STAY-PUT COMPETITION BUN BY ADRIANA ERMTER
F
rom the practice rink to the competitive ice, figure skaters literally live with their hair up. And there’s no better winning look than the polished bun. Just ask Canadian World bronze medalist Gabrielle Daleman, American World Junior silver medalist Gracie Gold and French pairs European bronze medalist Vanessa James—all three sported the updo on the ice and on the podium. “The trend in figure skating right now is definitely the classic bun,” confirms Daniel Naumovksi, a Canadian L’Oréal Professionnel Ambassador and the co-owner of TAZ Hair in Toronto.
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“When an athlete is spinning that fast, they can’t be worried about what their hair is doing. But skaters are also artists, so they want to look chic as well. The bun meets both of those requirements.” Favoured for its functionality, the ballerina-esque style with its sleek aesthetic keeps hair out of your face, ensuring the judges and audience can see your every expression. It’s tight and pulled back nature helps your hairstyle stay intact for every toe jump, triple axel and lutz and its clean and polished look adds a touch of professionalism to your competition routine.
2 Pull your hair into a ponytail and twist
Naumovski recommends using a brush and then, starting at the nape of your neck, brush your hair upwards and off your neck. “Work your way around your head, brushing your hair up and off your face.” Once you have all of the hair gathered in your hand, secure it into a high ponytail with an elastic band at the crown of your head. Then, use a comb to smooth out any bumps so that your hair lays flat and smooth against your scalp. “If you see any lumps or bumps along the scalp, comb them through and up towards the elastic,” adds Naumovski. “You shouldn’t need to take the elastic out, just tighten it and as you do you’ll pull the bumps smooth.” Next, hold your ponytail in one hand and twist the length of the hair around the base of the ponytail, pinning it into place with Bobby pins as you go. Make sure to secure the Bobby pins in the bun at the top, bottom, left, right and between each axis, says Naumovski. “This will help guarantee your bun stays neat, tight and in place.”
3 Secure loose ends and spray everything into place
If the hair at the nape of your neck is loose or wispy, gather it in one hand, then twist as though you’re creating a mini French twist. Secure in place with a flat bobby pin or two. “No skater wants their hair to unravel or have pieces escape mid performance,” says Naumovski. Spraying a layer of a firm hold hair spray will also help to hold your hairstyle. “It’s a good idea to reapply a few minutes before you compete,” adds Naumovski. “This way if there are any loose hairs you can smooth them back down with a layer of hair spray and then skate onto the ice looking great and feeling confident.” Try: Sebastian Shaper Fierce Hair Spray, $19, available at drugstores and online at amazon.ca
Try: Goody Bobby Pins, $5.50, available at Walmart stores.
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Red IT’S FOR WINNERS FIGURE SKATER FITNESS
STYLE
WINTER 2018
CoverGirl makeup pro Grace Chu explains why red lipstick is the colour choice for champions by Adriana Ermter
S
ince 40 B.C. when Cleopatra crushed ants and carmine into beeswax to colour her lips red, women have been following suit and painting on the favoured shade. In the mid 1500s, Queen Elizabeth I wore hers bold and bright, while anyone who was anyone in the late 1800s shopped the Sears Roebuck catalogue for its lip and cheek rouge. By the 1900s, cosmetics bigwigs like Chanel, Guerlain, Elizabeth Arden and Estée Lauder had all mix-mastered and poured their best red hue into metal tubes, empowering women to embrace crimson in declaration of their beauty, independence and confidence. “Red is a classic colour that has been around forever and worn by some of the most powerful women,” affirms Veronica Chu, the
Shades of Red With so many options to choose from, there is a complementary shade of red for everyone and every skin tone. “Red goes with all different types of skating outfits, hair styles, music compositions and themes,” says Chu, who recommends red lipsticks with a blue undertone for those
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with fair hair and lighter skin. Warmer rouge hues work best for women with darker hair and olive to darker skin tones. Most importantly, “choose the red shade of lipstick that you feel the most confident in,” says Chu. “Swipe it on and head on out onto the ice.”
makeup pro for CoverGirl in Canada. “Rumour has it that Dior Rouge Dior Lipstick in colour number 999 was the lip colour worn at the first-ever Christian Dior runway show in 1947, and ever since then, red lips have remained a timeless and much-loved beauty look, gracing the lips of everyone everywhere.” Figure skaters are no exception. In 1988, Germany’s Katarina Witt and in 1992, the United States’ Kristi Yamaguchi both sported the ruby hue during their Olympic gold-medal winning performances. In 2009, Canada’s Joannie Rochette earned the World Silver medal whilst wearing crimson while Japan’s Marin Honda took home the gold at the 2016 World Junior Championships—her lip hue matched her sparkly flame-coloured dress.
For a bluered hue that’s moisturizing and lasts 12 hours try: Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipstick in “Red Door Red,” $32, available at the Hudson’s Bay.
“So many figure skaters choose red lipstick, because red is such a powerful, confident, stunning colour that really stands out, especially in contrast to the cool, white surface of the ice,” explains Chu. “The colour has helped their overall look by displaying the confidence these skaters have and to display their strength of character, but still be complementary enough to blend in with their performances and not take away from the beauty of the sport.” According to experts, the colour choice is also symbolic of femininity, courage and strength and clearly plays into a winning psyche for both its wearer and the observer. In a 2015 study conducted by Harvard University and Proctor & Gamble, women who wore darker lip makeup in the office were perceived to be more competent,
For high-impact lipstick gloss try: CoverGirl Outlast All-Day Custom Reds in “Your Classic Red,” $11.99, available at drugstores.
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while a New York Post survey on Twitter asked 460 women what they thought when women wore red lipstick and 78.8 per cent concluded that it made the woman look more self-assured. “Red is truly a bold colour that takes a self-assured person to pull it off,” confirms Chu. “It has been a sign of strength, society and power for years. The colour gives women a strong sense of expression on how they want the world to view them.
For a creamy texture with a warm matte finish try: M.A.C in “Lustre Ladybug,” $22, available at the Hudson’s Bay available at the Hudson’s Bay.
For an intense liquid fusion of orange-tinted red try: Maybelline Superstay Matte Ink Liquid Lipstick in “Heroine,” $11.99, available at drugstores.
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FIGURE SKATER FITNESS
WINTER 2018
SKATERS CORNER:
The Career Skater, Kurt Browning
SPORT SPECIFIC TRAINING FOR
FIGURE SKATERS International Seminar for Figure Skating Coaches
A four-time World and Canadian Champion, three-time Olympic Team member and World Professional Champion, figure skater Kurt Browning knows what it takes to succeed as told to Adriana Ermter
January 31, 2018 Olympic Training Center Rovaniemi, Finland (Online access)
On and Off-ice Workshops
How old were you when you first started skating?
March 27 - 28, 2018 Kisakallio Sports Institute, Lohja, Finland
I was eight years old when I started skating through hockey, but I got figure skates when I was 10.
Easter Training Camp
What did fitness training look like when you were first skating?
When I was a teenager, I did not do any fitness training but all of my hobbies included physical activity, such as biking, running, track and field and hockey. Even when I was a World Champion I did not have a fitness program. Sometimes, I would warm up for my practice sessions by shooting three pointers at the basketball net and I was always playing squash and tennis.
How has your fitness training changed?
For the first time, at 48, I got a trainer. Now, I can still jump and feel good on the ice but the lower back troubles that plagued me throughout my adult career and cost me my best shot at Olympic Gold are gone. I will continue training to stay in shape for the rest of my life so that I can have a good quality of life.
With women performing triple triples and men performing quads, why are advancements in fitness training necessary? Skaters are in better shape now. There are the technical demands, but the spins and footwork also demand more from the body. Being able to repeat a hard training session day after day is necessary, so being in top shape is paramount.
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March 30 - April 2, 2018 Olympic Training Center Rovaniemi, Finland How can athletes prevent injuries?
Being the most talented isn’t enough anymore. Stronger, smarter skaters [who participate in injury-prevention training] will get hurt less. If you do not need seven attempts to land three quads, you are risking less because you’re making less errors.
What do you think about mental training for skaters?
While I am not a coach, I can use common logic and say that being able to see the positive in your self and in the upcoming element simply makes it more possible. If you see the negative about an upcoming jump, then those thoughts become the most powerful thing in your mind. I always allow myself to see success before the attempt. I see the jump as an opportunity and as a reward, not as a punishment. This thinking should be the same for all levels of skaters.
What are your thoughts on nutrition for high-performance athletes?
I try to eat healthy, although not all the time. Moderation! I also try to get more greens and colour into my meals. Nutrition should
be an extension of logical eating choices and should be fun.
What advice do you have for skaters wanting to be career skaters?
Besides staying healthy, I try to stay curious about skating and about my own skating. If I’m not interested in my programs, then the audience will not be. Over the years I have tried to be versatile in my choices for solos and projects and this helps keep fans interested and challenges me, as well. Often, I make props for my solos or to try to bring humour into my skating, which is so much harder than it looks. If you want longevity, make yourself relevant.
What has been your career highlight?
Standing on top of the podium at Worlds in Halifax with 10,000 Canadians, including friends and family singing “Oh Canada,” was a good moment.
Coach Education
March 30 - April 2, 2018 Olympic Training Center Rovaniemi, Finland
More information and registration: santasport.fi/flexafit