- Joined
- Feb 27, 2012
And Virtue/Moir briefly discuss their Cirque training in their book too, if I remember correctly.
If anyone has not seen this very interesting interview with V/M's trainer (in London) Maria Mountain, I highly recommend it. The video is 5:54 in length, and PJ Kwong recorded it over the summer.
For one thing, Mountain is an immense pleasure to watch
. She's full of energy and personality -- not to mention scientific knowledge and experience. (BTW, hockey players are the majority of her clients, from what I can tell.)I haven't gone back to view the video again, but among the points Mountain made is that Moir does bulk up during the off-season. Once the season starts, he maintains his strength but trims down a bit in order to enhance V/M's superb lines.
As for Virtue, their goal is for her to have 100% of the muscle that she needs, but not an ounce more -- again partly for the sake of lines, and partly for Moir's sake during lifts.
Virtue/Moir always show Mountain the specific lifts in their programs, and she customizes their workouts to target the appropriate muscles.
ETA: V/M train with her twice a week in London. They return to Canton with her marching orders for their workouts there without her.
The videos below have good footage of Virtue/Moir working out with Mountain.
Many thanks, Northern. :thumbsup: I do remember that article and had intended to look for the link myself.
I agree that the entire article is very worthwhile reading -- and definitely relevant to the discussion in this thread.
I think the excerpts below (emphasis added) represent the gist:
Linichuk took one look at the 5-foot-6, 105-pound Belbin and said, “You need to gain 10 pounds.” She said more muscle would help Belbin skate faster and more fluidly. ...
Belbin began reading books about nutrition and eating lunch at the rink. She learned to eat foods that would best sustain an athlete’s body.
She also began training harder off the ice, lifting weights, doing push-ups and participating in Karponosov’s boot camps, which involve hard-core skating drills to strengthen the legs.
Karponosov’s skaters would often complain that his drills made their legs so muscular that they could no longer fit into their jeans.
“I was always like, there will never be a day when I can’t fit into my jeans,” Belbin said. “But this past summer, I came to him and said my jeans are so tight. I never thought I’d see that change in my body. It really, really made a difference. It feels good, though.”
Belbin began marveling at her new body. She had gained 10 pounds. Her waist size increased two inches because her core was so much stronger.
Agosto could see a huge difference in Belbin’s skating. During lifts, she was no longer a sack of potatoes, holding on for dear life. She could hold her positions much better, and that made it easier for Agosto because she did not move around as much.
Belbin began reading books about nutrition and eating lunch at the rink. She learned to eat foods that would best sustain an athlete’s body.
She also began training harder off the ice, lifting weights, doing push-ups and participating in Karponosov’s boot camps, which involve hard-core skating drills to strengthen the legs.
Karponosov’s skaters would often complain that his drills made their legs so muscular that they could no longer fit into their jeans.
“I was always like, there will never be a day when I can’t fit into my jeans,” Belbin said. “But this past summer, I came to him and said my jeans are so tight. I never thought I’d see that change in my body. It really, really made a difference. It feels good, though.”
Belbin began marveling at her new body. She had gained 10 pounds. Her waist size increased two inches because her core was so much stronger.
Agosto could see a huge difference in Belbin’s skating. During lifts, she was no longer a sack of potatoes, holding on for dear life. She could hold her positions much better, and that made it easier for Agosto because she did not move around as much.
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