Anyone have tips to for early morning freestyle sessions?

[AlySkates]

Hi! I'm an adult skater with a full time job, and as a result can mostly only skate on 6am freestyle session at my rink. When practicing by myself I try to go to weekend public sessions, but I'm working on my axel with my coach on the harness, so need to be on freestyle for that. I’m really motivated to improve, but am having an impossible time making my body cooperate that early in the morning.

Some context: I get to the rink 30 min early and spend a bunch of time doing warm up exercises and off-ice jumps. I bring coffee and a protein shake to wake up and get something in my stomach (usually too nauseous in the morning for real food), and I even warm up on the ice for 30 additional min before my coach arrives. I do all of these same things when I skate in the afternoon and have no issues at all, but at 6am I am always freezing cold and can’t warm my body up, I have a hard time picking my feet up in my jumps, and my legs shake (maybe from the coffee to be fair, but I am a regular coffee drinker). I pretty much always end up wasting the whole lesson because I perform so much worse than I normally would. Today we spent 10 min trying to land a single flip and failing every time, when on an afternoon session I can do that on the first try without a second thought.

I’m frustrated with this because a big reason for being on these early sessions is for me to work on my axel, but I feel like there’s no hope for my axel on these sessions where I can’t even land a flip. Does anyone else have this issue and have tips for pushing through it?? Are there specific workouts or exercises I should try? I am desperate to become a morning person and would love it if I could start my morning with a solid skate where I improve instead of feeling like I’ve wasted time.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Hi! I'm an adult skater with a full time job, and as a result can mostly only skate on 6am freestyle session at my rink. When practicing by myself I try to go to weekend public sessions, but I'm working on my axel with my coach on the harness, so need to be on freestyle for that. I’m really motivated to improve, but am having an impossible time making my body cooperate that early in the morning.

Some context: I get to the rink 30 min early and spend a bunch of time doing warm up exercises and off-ice jumps. I bring coffee and a protein shake to wake up and get something in my stomach (usually too nauseous in the morning for real food), and I even warm up on the ice for 30 additional min before my coach arrives. I do all of these same things when I skate in the afternoon and have no issues at all, but at 6am I am always freezing cold and can’t warm my body up, I have a hard time picking my feet up in my jumps, and my legs shake (maybe from the coffee to be fair, but I am a regular coffee drinker). I pretty much always end up wasting the whole lesson because I perform so much worse than I normally would. Today we spent 10 min trying to land a single flip and failing every time, when on an afternoon session I can do that on the first try without a second thought.

I’m frustrated with this because a big reason for being on these early sessions is for me to work on my axel, but I feel like there’s no hope for my axel on these sessions where I can’t even land a flip. Does anyone else have this issue and have tips for pushing through it?? Are there specific workouts or exercises I should try? I am desperate to become a morning person and would love it if I could start my morning with a solid skate where I improve instead of feeling like I’ve wasted time.

From someone that used to be rolling herself physically out of bed at 4:30 am for high freestyle or dance sessions. You need to make sure you're up in enough time to be awake before you even reach the rink. I'll also advise against coffee until after your morning session. I'm not going to tell you to be drinking a green shake or anything extreme lol, hot tea would be OK but just make sure it's not loaded with caffeine.
I'll be back later with more.

 

[AlySkates]

From someone that used to be rolling herself physically out of bed at 430 am for high freestyle or dance sessions. You need to make sure you're up in enough time to be awake before you even reach the rink. I'll also advise against coffee until after your morning session. I'm not going to tell you to be drinking a green shake or anything extreme lol, hot tea would be OK but just make sure it's not loaded with caffeine.
I'll be back later with more.

I suspected the rolling out of bed and immediately going to the rink might be a problem! As much as I hate to wake up even earlier i'm glad to hear you confirm this so that will hopefully help motivate me to do it. I'll give the tea a shot too and see if the shakes improve

 

[anomalily]

It’s a weird solution but I bike to the rink. For me, this means I have to get up super early because it is a 10 mile ride, but it gets me warmed up and gives me enough time to wake up and digest breakfast. I am a Morning person but it still takes me extra time to get the body ready for 5:30 or 6am sessions- generally most athletic records are set in the afternoon because that is when we are at peak performance.

So maybe it is an option for you? Rudy Galindo biked to the rink before he won nationals, I always use that as motivation lol.

 

[AlySkates]

It’s a weird solution but I bike to the rink. For me, this means I have to get up super early because it is a 10 mile ride, but it gets me warmed up and gives me enough time to wake up and digest breakfast. I am a Morning person but it still takes me extra time to get the body ready for 5:30 or 6am sessions- generally most athletic records are set in the afternoon because that is when we are at peak performance.

So maybe it is an option for you? Rudy Galindo biked to the rink before he won nationals, I always use that as motivation lol.

I don't have a bike, but that is really impressive and sounds like a great solution. Seems like the consensus here is definitely that I need to do a better job fully waking up my body with another activity before I try skating

 

[mskater93]

Since eating in the morning before skating is out, you'll need to be very mindful of your nutrition the previous day, and especially for dinner as that's the last calories you would have had for skating.

FWIW, I skate at 530am because I, too, have a day job and an evening side gig. Here's some things I make sure to do: get up early enough to have a shower before I go to the rink because it loosens up the overnight tight muscles. I have my coffee before I leave for the rink so I can have time to settle it. I make sure my seat heater is on in my car all the way to the rink to keep my muscles warm on the ride. And I am VERY mindful of my protein intake as that is *my* best fuel at dinner the previous day. Make sure you've flipped your schedule enough so you get enough rest overnight. If I get less than 6 hours, I skate very poorly...

 

[Vicki7]

I'm the opposite - I'm up at 5am on a Saturday to skate and I love a morning session. For me, I eat very light (just some cereal - I eat more substantially after my session, particularly as I often have a group session later that morning) and do have one cup of coffee. By the time I'm on the ice at 7am, I'm awake enough to warm up, and then hit the ground running for my lesson.

Now, evenings? Nope, forget it. Everything seems SO much harder on a 6pm Sunday session.

I think a lot of it is experimentation - you have to find what works and that will be trial and error.

 

[treblemakerem]

Hi! I'm an adult skater with a full time job, and as a result can mostly only skate on 6am freestyle session at my rink. When practicing by myself I try to go to weekend public sessions, but I'm working on my axel with my coach on the harness, so need to be on freestyle for that. I’m really motivated to improve, but am having an impossible time making my body cooperate that early in the morning.

Some context: I get to the rink 30 min early and spend a bunch of time doing warm up exercises and off-ice jumps. I bring coffee and a protein shake to wake up and get something in my stomach (usually too nauseous in the morning for real food), and I even warm up on the ice for 30 additional min before my coach arrives. I do all of these same things when I skate in the afternoon and have no issues at all, but at 6am I am always freezing cold and can’t warm my body up, I have a hard time picking my feet up in my jumps, and my legs shake (maybe from the coffee to be fair, but I am a regular coffee drinker). I pretty much always end up wasting the whole lesson because I perform so much worse than I normally would. Today we spent 10 min trying to land a single flip and failing every time, when on an afternoon session I can do that on the first try without a second thought.

I’m frustrated with this because a big reason for being on these early sessions is for me to work on my axel, but I feel like there’s no hope for my axel on these sessions where I can’t even land a flip. Does anyone else have this issue and have tips for pushing through it?? Are there specific workouts or exercises I should try? I am desperate to become a morning person and would love it if I could start my morning with a solid skate where I improve instead of feeling like I’ve wasted time.

TBH I'm not sure this is good advice, but I am not a morning person and I sleep in as late as I can. I used to try to get up and eat do more warm-ups before my early lesson (luckily I just have to do this one day a week) but I found that if I let myself sleep longer and woke just early enough to make my coffee and through my skating clothes on, I actually have an better time skating. My body's just not ready that early in the morning and forcing it was not helping. It was better just to get the extra bit of rest. I do make sure I get to the rink about 15 minutes before so I can do a quick warm up before I put my skates on. Also this may not work for everyone, but it definitely worked for me!

 

[Arwen17]

The number one thing is to get enough sleep every. single. day.
If I don't fall asleep by 9pm at the latest, I'm going to feel like crap waking up at 5am. PUT THE COFFEE DOWN. Coffee blocks your ability to feel how much more sleep you still need. You should be getting enough sleep every day that you can wake up naturally at that time, even if you didn't have an alarm, because you're so well-rested.
I view my alarm as a safety mechanism to make sure I wake up on time. But the goal should always be to have enough sleep hours in that you wake up at that time naturally and don't feel tired from doing so.

Nobody is a "morning person". You become that by going to bed early enough in the evening.

Also, protein shake? You would be better off with carbs, not fat and not protein. You're an athlete. You need carbs, aka energy, to fuel your muscles and workout. I usually eat oatmeal or fruit. Not a ton because I don't want to be bursting full before I'm about to exercise, but just a little so I'm not running on empty.

You sound like someone trying to run on zero carbs, very little sleep, and copious amounts of coffee. No wonder you have no energy in the morning to work hard!

You don't need to do all of that extra off-ice warmup beforehand unless you just want to. You just need to be properly rested so you aren't relying on caffeine to wake you up, and properly carb'ed up on something light like fruit.

 

[mskater93]

Also, protein shake? You would be better off with carbs, not fat and not protein. You're an athlete. You need carbs, aka energy, to fuel your muscles and workout. I usually eat oatmeal or fruit. Not a ton because I don't want to be bursting full before I'm about to exercise, but just a little so I'm not running on empty.

You sound like someone trying to run on zero carbs, very little sleep, and copious amounts of coffee. No wonder you have no energy in the morning to work hard!

You don't need to do all of that extra off-ice warmup beforehand unless you just want to. You just need to be properly rested so you aren't relying on caffeine to wake you up, and properly carb'ed up on something light like fruit.

This is not necessarily true. Every person's body is different. For me, making sure I ingest enough protein is more important than intake of carbs or fats. My body runs best on 60%-70% protein, 15%-20% carbs, and 15%-20% fats as a split of calories. I feel more tired when I eat carbs in preparation to work out than proteins.

 

[Sunshine247]

Since you say your current routine isn’t working for you, why do you assume you do better with higher protein? Is this based on other sports you do? Skating might be different. I was a cyclist and what you’re describing sounds like my legs after a really hard ride! Shaky and stiff legs from overworking the muscles.

I’d try the more sleep, less Coffee, less warm up time. Get lots of rest, stay warm, and don’t overdo your warm up on and off the ice is what I’d recommend also. Try it for a week or so and see if it is in fact better after you get used to it.

good luck on your jumps!!

 

[MiraiFan]

Interesting. I used to not drink coffee before morning sessions and noticed a big difference for the better when I had a cup right after waking up--usually with a yogurt and banana before heading out. I also need my water bottle on the boards. I dress in layers and get warm pretty quickly. Neoprene boot covers have helped keep my feet warm during one-hour sessions. I guess everyone is different...

 

[Arwen17]

This is not necessarily true. Every person's body is different. For me, making sure I ingest enough protein is more important than intake of carbs or fats. My body runs best on 60%-70% protein, 15%-20% carbs, and 15%-20% fats as a split of calories. I feel more tired when I eat carbs in preparation to work out than proteins.

carbs for athletic performance - Google Suche

low carb diet for athletic performance - Google Suche

"While there may not be severe performance declines for athletes who exercise at low intensities, athletes who need to include moderate to high intensity exercise during their training or competition (most athletes) can compromise the quality of training sessions and performance by following a low carbohydrate diet. During moderate-high intensity exercise the body is unable to use fat as a fuel quickly enough and requires carbohydrate to produce energy."
https://www.sportsdietitians.com.au/factsheets/diets-intolerances/low-carbohydrate-diets/

Unless you're in a very low level of skating and are barely doing anything on the ice, figure skating is a high-intensity activity, which means getting enough carbs to have enough energy to practice and perform. Nobody in the high intensity sports world recommends low carb diets. The only reason carbs would be making you tired (which is like saying somehow rain water is making you drier) is you have some kind of blood sugar issue that is causing your body to really struggle to process carbs properly. At moderate to high intensity exercise, the body cannot turn protein or fat into energy fast enough to maintain energy levels during exercise.

 

[bigsisjiejie]

When I took up skating as a mid-30's adult I had a full time job and had to do a lot of (freestyle) skating practice on early morning sessions--sometimes lessons as well. I did double session 5:15-6:00 plus 6:00-6:45. I tried hard to eat a light dinner (with protein and carbs, little fat) around 6 pm, to bed at 9 pm (well, most of the time), up at 4:00 to wake up and something very light to eat. No coffee/caffeine. At the rink at 5:00 to warm up off ice, then my sessions, starting out with 15 minutes of warm-up and Moves, then spins, then jumps. I was lucky that my office had a gym/shower area so I could just drive straight to work, shower and change there, and be at my desk at 7:30. Also did a second small breakfast then. Did this Mon, Wed, Fri for a few years. Once the body gets used to it and in a rhythm, it gets easier. But some people are unlucky enough to just not be able to function fully in the early morning...you may be one of them.

You mentioned being freezing cold and not being able to be warm. I agree cold legs/body don't jump too well. Sometimes rinks are a little colder at that time of morning, so maybe adjusting your training clothing is worth a try? I never did early sessions in anything other than some sort of long stretch pants or close-fitting sweats, with thin silk undies below if still cold, long-sleeve T/light sweater and socks and gloves. I could never fathom how some of the kids trained at that time in tights and lightweight skating skirts/dresses--I would have been a popsicle except maybe summer time. I didn't need quite so much layering for afternoon or evening sessions.

 

[mskater93]

Since you say your current routine isn’t working for you, why do you assume you do better with higher protein? Is this based on other sports you do? Skating might be different. I was a cyclist and what you’re describing sounds like my legs after a really hard ride! Shaky and stiff legs from overworking the muscles.

I’d try the more sleep, less Coffee, less warm up time. Get lots of rest, stay warm, and don’t overdo your warm up on and off the ice is what I’d recommend also. Try it for a week or so and see if it is in fact better after you get used to it.

good luck on your jumps!!

I'm not the one that said my current isn't working for me. I am not the OP

 

[mskater93]

carbs for athletic performance - Google Suche

low carb diet for athletic performance - Google Suche

"While there may not be severe performance declines for athletes who exercise at low intensities, athletes who need to include moderate to high intensity exercise during their training or competition (most athletes) can compromise the quality of training sessions and performance by following a low carbohydrate diet. During moderate-high intensity exercise the body is unable to use fat as a fuel quickly enough and requires carbohydrate to produce energy."
https://www.sportsdietitians.com.au/factsheets/diets-intolerances/low-carbohydrate-diets/

Unless you're in a very low level of skating and are barely doing anything on the ice, figure skating is a high-intensity activity, which means getting enough carbs to have enough energy to practice and perform. Nobody in the high intensity sports world recommends low carb diets. The only reason carbs would be making you tired (which is like saying somehow rain water is making you drier) is you have some kind of blood sugar issue that is causing your body to really struggle to process carbs properly. At moderate to high intensity exercise, the body cannot turn protein or fat into energy fast enough to maintain energy levels during exercise.

Definitely not at a "low level" of skating, but I have worked with someone who is familiar with proper nutrition and we've worked to determine what works for MY BODY through a variety of means. I was literally more tired when I was ingesting a lot more carbs. I don't cut them out entirely, but they are a lower percentage of my daily intake and the when is probably 90% of the game for me. Just because Google says it is so doesn't mean it works for everyone. If a persons' nutrition isn't working for them, they need to work with someone familiar with developing the right plan FOR THEM in order to get the most out of their body.

 

[Arwen17]

OP, I don't recommend what mskater93 is doing. While I have no problem with her fat level, that protein level is incredibly high (and likely very very hard on her kidneys to process so much protein) and there's no reason for carbs to be so low.
Carbs give energy. Claiming carbs make you tired is like claiming water never makes you wet. If it is happening, something is very seriously wrong with the body in that it is not processing carbs properly. (And I'm assuming she's not trying to power up on cheap, processed carbs that often cause a "sugar crash" because they don't contain any fiber to slow things down long enough for your body to benefit from the release of carbs.)
Unprocessed carbs contain plenty of fiber, which means a long, steady release of great energy and fuel.

Here's a video that goes over the lifespans of each "fad diet" book writer/promoter and how clear the trends are on lifespan and disease when you look at high carb vs low carb diets: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMghM6TxiBk

I posted those google links so you could do your own research and see that every national sports institution recommends high carb for high performance in athletes, not high protein. mskater tried to brush that off by saying "just because google says it". No, google is what lets you pull up all of the national sports institutes websites etc.

Unfortunately, there are plenty of dieticians, doctors, book writers, and trainers who believe in whatever fad nonsense or because they enjoy the diet. You can look great on the outside due to calorie restriction and exercise and still drop dead very young from a heart attack etc.

 

[mskater93]

OP, I don't recommend what mskater93 is doing. While I have no problem with her fat level, that protein level is incredibly high (and likely very very hard on her kidneys to process so much protein) and there's no reason for carbs to be so low.
Carbs give energy. Claiming carbs make you tired is like claiming water never makes you wet. If it is happening, something is very seriously wrong with the body in that it is not processing carbs properly. (And I'm assuming she's not trying to power up on cheap, processed carbs that often cause a "sugar crash" because they don't contain any fiber to slow things down long enough for your body to benefit from the release of carbs.)
Unprocessed carbs contain plenty of fiber, which means a long, steady release of great energy and fuel.

Here's a video that goes over the lifespans of each "fad diet" book writer/promoter and how clear the trends are on lifespan and disease when you look at high carb vs low carb diets: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMghM6TxiBk

I posted those google links so you could do your own research and see that every national sports institution recommends high carb for high performance in athletes, not high protein. mskater tried to brush that off by saying "just because google says it". No, google is what lets you pull up all of the national sports institutes websites etc.

Unfortunately, there are plenty of dieticians, doctors, book writers, and trainers who believe in whatever fad nonsense or because they enjoy the diet. You can look great on the outside due to calorie restriction and exercise and still drop dead very young from a heart attack etc.

Again, I recommend you work with a trainer and nutrition expert, as I did. You don't know how it works for a given person without actually working with them, etc. as there are certain metabolisms that work better with certain mixes. As I said, this is what works *FOR ME* based on working with people who are professionals and respected in their areas of expertise to adjust what I need to keep my energy where it needs to be. I'm not likely to die early from a heart attack as it would no longer be considered "early". In general, it's more about WHEN I intake specific breakdowns.

 

[AlySkates]

You sound like someone trying to run on zero carbs, very little sleep, and copious amounts of coffee.

Returning to this post and I see things got a little out of hand, but I really appreciate everyone's recommendations!

Quoting the above reply to clarify that I'm not running on no carbs, no sleep, and copious amounts of coffee to get up (it's one 4oz cup, I get a full 8-9 hours of sleep, and I responded early in this thread that I would try ditching the coffee). Re: the conversation on protein shakes, I mentioned in the post that I wake up with nausea and this is just the best solution I could think of to get some calories in the morning. I too love fruit and oatmeal and if I could stomach them in the morning than I absolutely would, but the fact is I will throw up, so this is the best I can do right now and I eat tons of carbs the rest of the day. I have seen a doctor about this and it's just what I have to work with, which is why I bothered to explain in the original post.

Hopefully this doesn't start another argument, I just wanted to set the record straight here because I don't think it's helpful to make sweeping assumptions about people and then answer a question based on those assumptions. But truly thank you everyone for your tips, I really appreciate it!

 

[julietvalcouer]

TBH I'm not sure this is good advice, but I am not a morning person and I sleep in as late as I can. I used to try to get up and eat do more warm-ups before my early lesson (luckily I just have to do this one day a week) but I found that if I let myself sleep longer and woke just early enough to make my coffee and through my skating clothes on, I actually have an better time skating. My body's just not ready that early in the morning and forcing it was not helping. It was better just to get the extra bit of rest. I do make sure I get to the rink about 15 minutes before so I can do a quick warm up before I put my skates on. Also this may not work for everyone, but it definitely worked for me!

This one. When I had to get up for early sessions, I slept as late as I could. I'm not a morning person, and it's not only impossible to make a night owl a morning person, it's bad for their health. It's not even possible for me to fall asleep early and makes it worse if I try.
Also, counterintuitive as it sounds? Don't do so much off-ice warm up if it's not helping. Stretching cold (before exercising) is more harmful than helpful no matter what activity you're doing, and it sounds like you're not actually making it easier to skate. I usually get to the rink, get my skates on, and I'll skate around a few times before maybe stretching on the boards, then working (not as much now, I'm just getting back to what I could do pre-Covid, but when I was taking lessons, that's how I did practice session, too.) And stretch after you get off the ice--it's actually better to stretch after working out. Let skating warm your muscles up, and if you're genuinely cold, look at cold-weather running and fitness gear, not necessarily stuff make for skating. I love cold-weather running leggings.