Characteristics of figure skaters
Figure skaters tend to be shorter (men, 170 cm;
women, 160 cm), lighter (men, 63 kg; women,
50 kg) and leaner (men, 7% body fat; women, 11%
body fat) than speed skaters and ice hockey
players (Brock & Striowski 1986; Niinimaa 1982).
Compared to the sedentary individual, the elite
figure skater is also generally leaner and lighter.
Maximal aerobic ability of figure skaters tends to
be comparable (men, 66 ml · kg–1· min–1, women,
57ml·kg–1· min–1) to that of speed skaters and
slightly higher than that of ice hockey players
(Kjaer & Larsson 1992).
Training practices
At elite level, figure skaters typically spend most
of their training time skating, with total training
time being approximately 5 h · day–1(Niinimaa
1982; Brock & Striowski 1986; Smith & Ludington
1989). Of this time, approximately: (i) 0.1 h · day–1
are spent in preskating warm-up, (ii) 0.9 h · day–1
are spent performing strength and aerobic activi-
ties, and (iii) 4 h · day–1are spent with on-ice
activities (Brock & Striowski 1986). Others (Smith
& Micheli 1982) have also reported that less than
5 min off-ice and on-ice warm-up activities were
performed by elite figure skaters before each
training session.
Heart rate during figure skating is dependent
upon the skill being performed, but averages
approximately 92% of the maximal value (Woch
et al. 1979; Kjaer & Larsson 1992). Similarly,
oxygen uptake averages approximately 80% of
maximal for men, and 75% of maximal for
women during a figure-skating programme
(Niinimaa 1982).
A major component of a figure-skating perfor-
mance is the jumps, with a high jump usually
producing a greater score for technical merit
(Podolskyet al. 1990). Muscular strength would
therefore seem to be important to the figure
skater. Historically, however, figure skaters have
performed very little resistance training off the
ice, with almost all of their muscular develop-
ment occurring through repetitions of jumps on
the ice (Podolsky et al. 1990).Nutrition practices
The nutrition practices of 17 men and 23 women
figure skaters using the Eating Attitude Test
(EAT) and a 3-day diet record were examined
by Rucinski (1989). Daily energy intake was
4.9±1.9 MJ (1170±450 kcal) for the women and
12.1±4.5 MJ (2890±1075 kcal) for the men.
Because of their low energy intake, the women
consumed less than 60% of the US recommended
daily allowance for vitamin B 6 , vitamin B 12 ,
vitamin D, folacin, pantothenic acid, iron, and
calcium, whereas the men consumed less than
60% of the RDA for only folacin. Additionally,
48% of the women were within the anorexic
range.
Figure skaters, similar to the speed skaters and
ice hockey players, perform demanding exercise
sessions throughout a very long season. The
figure skaters, however, unlike the other skaters,
have had to be conscious of their body weight
and physique, and disordered eating is thus
more than likely very prevalent, especially
among the women. However, the demands of the
sport still require adequate nutrient intake, with
high amounts of complex carbohydrates (ª60%)
and appropriate levels of protein (ª1.6 g · kg–1
body weight). Athletes consuming less than
these recommendations will not only be impair-
ing their exercise performance, but could also be
impairing their health both currently and/or in
the future.Conclusion
The sport of skating involves many different
types of activities, most of which are anaerobic in
nature. Although preparing to perform their
events on ice, skaters quite often must perform a
portion of their training with dry land activities.
The dry land activities need to be as skill-specific
as possible and also must stress the anaerobic
and aerobic energy systems. Due to the long