perfect jumping weight

Okay, I was torn as to whether to put this in The Edge or here, as I had leading ladies singles skaters in mind when wondering about this. I looked around on the ISU site to find eligible skaters' weights (to determine the proportion to their height), but they only list the height. I'm 5'4" (like Sarah Hughes, 2 inches taller than MK & SC, and 1 inch taller than SA) and I was wondering what the "perfect weight" for jumping would be; my first thought was, keep it light, but then I read some posts about the best jumpers out there right now having "bulked up" a bit, especially in the posterior area for obvious reasons, namely spring in jumps b/c of leg strength.

Your posts would be really helpful, especially if you refer to what has worked for you in your personal experience as jumpers--is your weight a hindrance, a boon, are you looking to bulk up or lose weight because of problems with your jumps?

Thanks,

Sarah

I think they probably list only the height b/c weight is such a sensitive issue. I remember how many years ago in gymnastics it was really common practice (for television) to post the gymnast's height and weight and now they don't do that anymore. I guess it's really discouraging and perhaps promotes anorexia when you see a 16 year old gymnast who is 4'7 and 69 pounds (how crazy is that?). MK is probably 105 pounds and I wouldn't be surprised if Sasha is maybe 100 pounds. Interesting in the Kristi article that after she gave birth, she trimmed down to 99 pounds and her weight in the Olympics was 95 pounds (Kristi is 5'1 or 5'0).
Nancy Kerrigan was 5'4 and 110 pounds when she was at the Olympics in 1994. NK has actually said how her coach forced her to remain thin even though she wanted to remain at a heavier weight because it was healthier.
I think it's a combination of strength and muscle. Shizuka (I thought she was 5'5 and Miki Ando was 5'3) looks like she weighs 120 pounds but she has a lot of muscle. Also I think weight is deceptive. You can be really skinny and have a lot of fat. Kristi Yamaguchi weighed 95 pounds, however I always thought she had a high fat percentage b/c her muscles weren't defined at all and even her arms looked kind of flabby. Sasha is very muscular with a gymnast's body of low fat percentage and very defined muscles. MK is also very muscular, though she has a higher bodyfat percentage than KY or SC (judging from the boobs).
For myself, when I was really skinny, it was really easy to jump around and do cartwheels than it is now. I can still do a cartwheel, but if I were 20 pounds lighter it would be much easier. I don't skate seriously or anything like that, but I'm weight training right now to build muscle so I can raise my metabolism, firm up and perhaps get some strength so I can do some stuff on the ice. I also think that from a comfort level, thinner people look a lot better on the ice than big people. I feel really silly spinning my big body but I wouldn't feel so self conscious if I was skinny. I'd blend in with the insructors.

soogar said:

I think they probably list only the height b/c weight is such a sensitive issue. I remember how many years ago in gymnastics it was really common practice (for television) to post the gymnast's height and weight and now they don't do that anymore. I guess it's really discouraging and perhaps promotes anorexia when you see a 16 year old gymnast who is 4'7 and 69 pounds (how crazy is that?). MK is probably 105 pounds and I wouldn't be surprised if Sasha is maybe 100 pounds...

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Bingo! Well, if MK has maintained her weight over the past six years, that is... she weighed in at 106 and 5'2" in Nagano at any rate.

I think it's a combination of strength and muscle. Shizuka (I thought she was 5'5 and Miki Ando was 5'3) looks like she weighs 120 pounds but she has a lot of muscle. Also I think weight is deceptive. You can be really skinny and have a lot of fat. Kristi Yamaguchi weighed 95 pounds, however I always thought she had a high fat percentage b/c her muscles weren't defined at all and even her arms looked kind of flabby. Sasha is very muscular with a gymnast's body of low fat percentage and very defined muscles. MK is also very muscular, though she has a higher bodyfat percentage than KY or SC (judging from the boobs).
For myself, when I was really skinny, it was really easy to jump around and do cartwheels than it is now. I can still do a cartwheel, but if I were 20 pounds lighter it would be much easier. I don't skate seriously or anything like that, but I'm weight training right now to build muscle so I can raise my metabolism, firm up and perhaps get some strength so I can do some stuff on the ice. I also think that from a comfort level, thinner people look a lot better on the ice than big people. I feel really silly spinning my big body but I wouldn't feel so self conscious if I was skinny. I'd blend in with the insructors.

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You know, I'm right where you are in terms of how much I want to slim down in order to do some fun stuff I can only dream of doing on the ice for the moment, about 20 pounds away (5'4", 142lbs--aiming for 110-120max, less than what I weighed nine years ago at 15yrs of age, though I have a very narrow frame and people think I'm skinny if they don't look too close...fools)....feel really silly spinning your big body ROFLMAO---

what sort of weight training are you doing? Do you follow a training regimen that targets your figure skating abilities as well as the logical metabolism boost any weight training will give you? Tennis is my other sporting addiction as well as my preferred form of (potentially) strenuous exercise; I have tried Advanced Tae-Bo with varying degrees of success, proportional to my willingness to batter my body for an hour at a given point in my life when I have started to use it. I guess weight training is all I'm missing, though I feel I need a trainer of some sort.

Thanks for your helpful post!

Sarah

Wow Sarahminstral:
We have almost the same dimensions: I'm 5'4 3/4 (not quite 5'5) and 145 pounds. I used to be a real fattie at 189 pounds but I lost a lot of weight when I started walking and stopped eating fast food and drinking real coke.

It's hard sticking to a workout regime in law school b/c I spend so much time studying and playing on the internet but I focus on free weights (5,8, and 10s) while getting my Simpsons fix and I walk in addition to skating 3X a week.

One thing I have been doing is a lot of balances. I bought a balance board and I stand and squat on the board while trying to keep it level. That really works your leg muscles and sense of balance. Another thing that I noticed which really helped me with my skating is working with a pilates flex-ring. I guess it's like the Suzanne Sommer Thigh-sizer only it's a ring and you squeeze it between your legs. I've been doing that for a few weeks and I noticed a real difference in my cross overs (plus my pants fit better) : I'm thinking that I benefitted from the increased inner thigh strength. I also work on yoga balances on one leg like the dancer pose and standing with my leg up a la Sasha Cohen. Those are good to fit in during commercial breaks.

I just bought a book for conditioning for dance. I have a really flexible back but I'm really tight on the hips in terms of turn out. It's a really good book , Conditioning for Dance by Eric Franklin. There are lots of exercises in there utilizing a theraband and useful exercises in developing strong turnout. I haven't had a chance to incorporate them in my program yet but I'm going to when school is over in the summer.

You can tell I'm a gadget junkie. I love my exercise toys. I do my weight exercises on my balance ball which also work the stomach. I also love pilates and I don't do as much as I like. The Mari Winsor tapes are fantastic. You also can't go wrong with Karen Voight either.

I'm not into the gym. I like walking and biking outside and skating. I'm actually feeling more motivated to get into shape so I can try jumps and cool stuff.

The only thing I need to do is cut down my calorie intake. I really love to eat though. The really thin girls at my school watch their weight so carefully... they order half and sandwich and a soup and finish the soup and take 2 bites out of the sandwich and wrap the rest up and take it home for the next day. I eat a whole sandwich and a bowl of soup which is why they're 5'0 100 lbs and I'm 145.

From my experiences, lighter has always been better. I'm 21, 5'6" and 134lbs with 16% body fat. I used to be around 150lbs a few of years ago and I lost most of my doubles because of it. After I lost about 15lbs my jumps came back like magic! They were higher and easier than I remember them being when I was 16. I couldn't believe how a bit of wieght loss improved my skating! I mostly did low impact cardio to help burn fat and did a bit of power yoga for flexibility and weight training for lower body strength. Eating smaller portions more frequently also helped a lot, as well as not eating anything after 6:30pm.

I think it's beneficial to be as light as possible while still maintaining muscle mass. It'll be easier on your joints without the extra weight and you'll be able to get better "spring" in your jumps without doing much extra strength training.

My goal weight would be somewhere around 125 but I seem to be stuck at 134. I build muscle easily and already have kinda bulky legs, so I might not be able to lose a lot more weight unless it comes from my muscles.

Anyone have suggestions for getting nice long lean muscles?

~Cassie

P.S.
soogar, I've heard about winsor pilates being good, I'll have to pick up the tapes and try it out! And that conditioning for dance book also sounds good... might have something in it to lean out my leg muscles?

cborsky:
I have the NYC Ballet Videotape and there are fantastic exercises that will get rid of saddlebags (my problem area) and "elongate" the muscles in your legs. I actually think the NYC ballet tape (the floor barre exercises) is better than Mari Winsor (really nice music as well). However Pilates is great for elongating the body. I had horrible saddlebags but after a few weeks of NYC ballet, my saddlebags aren't as noticeable. Mari Winsor is really good, especially the 20 minute workout and she explains everything very clearly.

Dance exercises are always good for elongating and strengthening the body b/c dancers have to be strong and aesthetic looking. There are lots of exercises in that book with a lot of anatomical diagrams as to what body organs (he's into that) are being used during the exercises.

134 might be your magic weight. You have low body fat already , I think you might have to sacrifice muscle in order to acheive the low body weight and that might make you weaker.

A book that I really like is Nancy Kerrigan's Artistry On Ice book. While I hate Nancy's skating with a passion, she has a lot of really practical advice for skaters (for jumps) and she has some (just a chapter) interesting off ice exercises as well. I don't consider Nancy to be naturally talented for the sport so perhaps she is the best one to give technical advice b/c she remembers what goes into doing each jump.

I haven't found my weight to be a hinderance in my skating, and I'm in no way skinny. I'm rather plump, and have large bo*bs. So long as I'm fit, I skate well. When I slack off, even though my weight stays the same, my skating suffers. So I think it has a lot to do with fitness, rather than weight.

Of course, this might be different if I was an elite level skater, which I am not.

Thanks Cassie for your helpful info--what kind of low impact cardio did you do? I always thought cardio had to be high impact for you to actually burn fat doing it...hopefully I'm wrong Also, what is the name of the power yoga you do? I know there are different names for different types of yoga, i.e. kundalini...(can't remember any more )

Thanks!

Sarah

Sarah,

Low impact cardio for me is working out on those eliptical trainers and recumbant or upright stationary bikes. I like the eliptical trainers the best because they are more weight bearing and a full body workout. I feel a better quad and glut workout on the bicycle, but I don't think its as good for cardio as the elipical because it involves fewer muscle groups. Rowing machines are also good. It feels good to focus on my arms during a cardio workout and I enjoy the variety being able to do some rowing once in a while.

As for the power yoga, its just a dvd.
Power Yoga the Complete Workout - Stamina, Strength, Flexibility with Rodney Yee
I don't know much about yoga besides it really helps my hamstring flexibility and is good for breathing - I do a little on the ice when I practice or before I take my starting pose at a competition and it really helps me relax. I don't know if I'd recommend this particular dvd, it's OK and good for the occational 6am yoga session before school. But its probably not great for the advanced yogi.

Sarah,

There is no magic weight to correspond to each inch of height. Every single body distributes the weight differently. If you are serious in finding your body's set point weight, you may wish to consult with a doctor who can tell you what range is most healthy for you to be in. Once you are in that range, your body will work out for itself what weight is best for skating.

Comparing your goal to the weight of an elite level skater of the same height is not likely to be healthy, unless you are skating at an elite level and following nutritional guidelines specific to your body and the amount of exercise you are getting. I am guessing that if you are 5'4", your range should fall around 120 (5 lbs up and 5 down). Your bady may be able to handle less, but I wouldn't recommend it right away. See if you can reach your range (any of it) first, and try to stay in it a year or two. Chances are, if you are skating and exercising consistently , it will naturally begin to fall a bit on its own. The elites you mention all started young enough that their bodies have grown up into the lesser weights. As you have already gone above your range, you may not need (nor be able to) go to such a low weight to be able to do your jumps.

I eat somewhat healthy, but do not calorie count, and am fairly consistent in staying in a range that my body functions well at without being on a continual "diet". As I skate, I find that when I am jumping more, my weight actually may go up a pound or two, while when I am concentrating more on MIF and stroking a lot, it will decrease by the same. As long as you are in a healthy range, your body will fingure it out for itself, and a physician (one that is NOT affiliated with a weight loss program!!!) will be able to help you determine the ten-pound range for your bady and activity level.

As far as off-ice training goes, I am fairly limited right now due to knee injury, but I still try to incorporate cardio (generally through blading 15-30 miles once or twice a week) with weights (alternate arms and legs and core maybe twice a week) and finally stretching (either in a class at the gym or while studying at home). To improve your jumps, you especially want to strengthen ALL of your legs and your core. Pilates is very good for the core, as is yoga, although you MUST make sure that the yoga instructor takes time with each move, helps her students find the correct form and positions, and really helps you become more aware of your body movement, instead of just talkin' chakras and then twisting bodies up with no regard to positioning.

One other thing I used to do, is jump rope and skip. I still actually sometimes skip down the street, to and from classes. (Obviously I have become less concerned about how crazy people observing my behavior may think I am in order to maximize whatever time I have to improve my skating). While skipping, I concentrate on really pulling the knee through straight, and getting as much height off of the jumping foot as possible (simulating an axel on each foot, only minus rotation, and I only bring my arms through, but don't pull in).

Hope this is a little helpful. Good luck with it all, and just remember it is better to take the time to find your weight correctly and in good health than to try to crash into it suddenly!

Thanks!

you've all been super helpful; I'll keep you all posted (no pun intended, honestly) on my progress, and anyone else who has some advice to contribute, please, by all means, keep the responses coming; you will be thanked and appreciated

Cheers,

Sarah

Whoa!

Whoa! Maybe I should lose a little bit of weight! I'm around 5'2" and I weigh 110-115, and Michelle is the same height as me and weighs 105!? And I'm younger than she is! lol!