Warm up question

[DallasSkater]

It seems to take me at least 15 minutes of gentle warming up when I first start to skate. I don't seem to be able to find my edges immediately or feel comfortable in my skates. My feet feel a slight strain and if I have to do anything right away I get mild pain in my shins or sometimes on the top of my feet or even the sides or both. They just feel achey! (is that a word?) After about 15 minutes it totally goes away and I am completely comfortable.

This is important because there is no warm up prior to my group class. We have to immediately go into the lesson after just skating a minute or so for warm up. I am unable to perform anything well when this happens for the first 15 minutes. If I have skated earlier in the day then it is not nearly as bad. It is as if my feet are adjusting to the boot and blade for a while or something.

My coach said it is in my head (no..it's all in my feet!) She said that for competitions you only get 5 minutes warm up and that nobody requires as much time as I do for warming up!

I was very fortunate to not really have to go through a boot "breaking in" period. My boots were actually comfortable from the start. But I have now had them 4 months so if it is related to breaking in than I think it should be done by now! They seem to be such a good fit for my feet. They are a glove like fit and were custom for my feet. I had the same issue in my old skates and even when I first started skating and used rental ones. I do not think it is my skates....but then again...I could be in denial! lol.

I have mentioned before that I have a very good technical coach but social grace does escape her. I do not want to have my very real feelings dismissed by her but I also need a reality check.

Curious if others have to have long warm ups or if you might agree with my coach that I am psychosomatic about my feet! giggle. Also curious about what you do for your warm up on the ice. (I already stretch and get a bit warmed off the ice each time too. I try to make sure I have my boots on at least 10 minutes or more if I am going to my group class that has no warm up...that helps a bit).

Thank you in advance!

[phoenix]

No, there's nothing wrong w/ you. My body takes awhile to be fully warmed up & skating well too. I am on the ice at least 1/2 hour before my lesson so I'll be ready to go when the time comes. If there's no ice before my lesson, and for tests & competitions when you have only a very short warmup, I have a regular *off ice* warmup that I do.

That's what you need to do too. Run/jog around, do jumping jacks, jump rope, whatever gets your heart rate up. Do that for a good 5 minutes (maybe more, depends on you), then do all your stretches. Then put your skates on & you should be much more ready to go when you hit the ice.

For tests/competitions, when it is imperative that I'm truly ready to hit the ground running (so to speak), I make sure that I break a hard sweat in my off-ice warmup. It totally works!

[icedancer2]

I can tell you that I take a LONG time to warm up!! I usually do some stretches before I get on the ice, but once I am on the ice I like to warm up first my feet by doing some figures or just little edges and turns. then I might stroke 2-3 times around the rink just to get going and get my heartrate up. then I will usually stretch at the wall -- doing "spirals" on the wall, stretching my back, and then stretch my calves/hamstrings, etc., by doing basically lunges at the wall.

Then comes the edges and backwards and front cross-overs.

Then turns, then Moves -- eventually moving into some dances or parts of dances.

It can take me a good 45 minutes before I really feel "warmed up".

I think your coach doesn't really know what it is like to be an adult skater.

Just my 2cents.:)

[froggy]

give yourself a very good off-ice warm up with sneakers on, (10-15minutes). start with some aerobics to warm your muscles up (ie: 5 minutes of aerobics like jogging, jump rope) then begin stretching all your muscles and hold the stretch for 15 seconds, (Ie: hamstring/lunge stretch, quads, calves, arm circles, spirals), you may also do a few big waltz jumps off ice. the book conditioning for figure skating by Poe has some good warm up ideas in the beginning of the book.

good luck!

[Hannah]

My boots were SUPER comfy when I got them too (3-4 months ago, approximately). However, they are getting more comfortable, and I can feel them imprinting to my feet, so I guess they did break in after all. :)

My biggest warm up issue is that I have to relace my boots after about 10 minutes of skating. I can't stop in the middle of my group lesson and don't have time before hand to warm up, so I try to arrive early and just stand around in the boots, which seems to work all right.

Anyway, just because "everyone else" doesn't need to warm up, it doesn't mean YOU don't need to. Your coach might be concerned that you are creating a superstition, but it doesn't sound like you are!

[mdvask8r]

Yup, I totally understand & share your warm-up needs. Here's what helps me--- Beginning in the car on the way to the rink I do ankle rolls, flex & point the feet, scrunch & relax the toes, tense all the leg muscles-hold-then release.
At the rink I do some jogging, gentle arm & body swings, small hops really articulating the feet, toe raises, some gentle stretching etc.
Then I try to have my skates on at least 5 or 10 minutes before the session starts so my feet can "settle in".
It's not quite the same as actually skating for 30 minutes, but I find it does help a lot. Hope it helps you too.

[SkatingOnClouds]

Yeah I take a while to warm up too. I like to do some rink stroking forwards and backwards, and then I like to do some edges - hangover from my earlier years when we had to do an hour of figures before free skating.

And my feet cramp every time after the first 5 minutes. I used to have to sit down, undo my boots and sit for a minute before relacing. I don't have to do that with my current boots, but I swear my laces have turned into elastic, I have to retighten them before I get on the ice, and at least 3 times during a session.

You are not alone in needing a few minutes to get comfortable and ready for your lesson. We always have at least 10 minutes before any lessons, I can't imagine going straight into a class.

[Rusty Blades]

Add me to the list D.S.!

I should do warmups before skating but NOBODY else here does (none of the adults) so I guess I am going to have to start something new. (I just feel "pretentious" being such a novice and doing warmups!)

For me, I need about 15 to 20 minutes on the ice to get fully warmed up. After that is when I need to do stretches at the boards before I truly feel ready to go. Everytime I hit the ice, I need a few minutes to get "my ice legs" back and feel comfortable again. I keep hoping that will go away! I see other adults hit the ice and go straight into their moves but if I tried that I'd leave nose-prints on the ice - LOL!

My coach is nasty! Once in awhile she will catch me as soon as I step on to the ice and put me straight to work - isn't that MEAN!!?? She says catching a skater cold shows up weaknesses. Ok, fine, when I am cold, EVERYTHING is weak!

I guess I need to try a more strenuous off-ice warmup and see if that helps.

[Scarlett]

It is not all in your head. Your body just needs the extra time. Try doing off ice and just sitting with your feet unlaced in your boots for a few minutes before a lesson. OTOH I warm up fairly quickly. Usually all I need is 3-4 laps of forward stroking and a couple of runs through all my 3 turns. If I do have an opportunity for an extended warm-up, I will use it though and tend to add a couple of 2 ft and 1 ft spins and a couple of sad backspin atttempts. Though, I do need the extra time in my boots on the bench.

[Skate@Delaware]

My warm up for competitions is: I get to the rink about 1.5 hours before I'm scheduled to skate. About 45 minutes beforehand, I start warming up with jumping jacks, pop-ups, running in place, lunges, etc, then stretches. Then I get my skates on and do spring-ups for a few minutes (which help settle my feet so I can re-tie again). Then I walk around shaking my limbs and doing squats and stretches until it's time to skate. My coach also gave me an on-ice warm-up skate based on my routine.

For regular skating I usually do 1-2 laps of deep swizzles to warm up the old knees and legs, then do 1-2 laps of stroking, 1-2 laps of crossovers (forward) then 1-2 laps of alternating crossovers (forward) 1-2 laps of back crossovers (if it's not too crowded-I skate on public ice). Then I do edges and swing rolls, sometimes cross rolls (only forward). Then I feel warmed up. Then I re-tie my skates and start my practice.

It's not in your head!!! As adults, we require longer to warm up.

ETA: I have seen some women do laps around the rink, while others bring a jump rope with them as their means of warming up. I tried both and they are not for me.

[Mrs Redboots]

Ask your coach to show you how to make the most of a brief on-ice warm-up, and make sure that you are warm and loose before you even step on to the ice.

[Sonic]

It's comforting to know I'm not the only one who was wondering about this.

Even when foot is okay and I'm skating the full on 4 times a week, I always feel I need at least 20 minutes to 'get used to' the feel of the ice again, or that is to attempt anything more daring than skating forwards and backwards.

S xxx

[mikawendy]

Add me to the list D.S.!

I should do warmups before skating but NOBODY else here does (none of the adults) so I guess I am going to have to start something new. (I just feel "pretentious" being such a novice and doing warmups!)

Don't feel pretentious at all! You know best what your body needs in order for you to skate well, to feel good on the ice, and to protect your body from injury.

I have to warm up before I skate (and I have to stretch well after I skate so that I don't get stiff on the 1/2 hr drive home). I've gotten some odd looks when I've been stretching after skating (just when I'm doing calf stretches or quad stretches, not even anything remotely pretzel-y) but it's something I've gotta do or I'll be really stiff the next day.

[TimDavidSkate]

It seems to take me at least 15 minutes of gentle warming up when I first start to skate. I don't seem to be able to find my edges immediately or feel comfortable in my skates. My feet feel a slight strain and if I have to do anything right away I get mild pain in my shins or sometimes on the top of my feet or even the sides or both. They just feel achey! (is that a word?) After about 15 minutes it totally goes away and I am completely comfortable.

My coach said it is in my head (no..it's all in my feet!) She said that for competitions you only get 5 minutes warm up and that nobody requires as much time as I do for warming up!

I was very fortunate to not really have to go through a boot "breaking in" period. My boots were actually comfortable from the start. But I have now had them 4 months so if it is related to breaking in than I think it should be done by now! They seem to be such a good fit for my feet. They are a glove like fit and were custom for my feet. I had the same issue in my old skates and even when I first started skating and used rental ones. I do not think it is my skates....but then again...I could be in denial! lol.

After skating for 12 yrs now I still get those. It never goes away. Especially when I try to be quick and effecient on the ice for practice warmup/competitions. My friend often see me in pain, CRAMPS!!! Yes either on my foot or my shins. I have learned my lessons for competitions, I try to skate a practice session hours before my warmup. So when I step on to the ice I wont get cramps.

[skatingdoris]

As you can see its not just you :lol: i'm pretty much the same aswell.

For a long time when I first got on the ice it would take me anything upto 30 minutes to really feel comfortable in my boots, my feet would hurt and cramp and I would shake, be unsteady on my feet and generally stumble around bambi stylee!!

The longer I have been skating the less this seems to effect me (abit obvious I supose) except breaking in new boots has put me back to square one on the sore feet issue :cry: . sometimes I will have an off day, but now i'm pretty much ready to go as soon as i get on the ice.

To warm up I practice my stroking then do 2 and 1 foot slaloms, crossrolls, crossovers repeat all bacwards, then if I'm still feeling a bit wobbely some field moves, then i will start working through my jumps.
I don't usually warm up of ice unless I get to the rink early and have nothing else to do.

[Skate@Delaware]

Sometimes just skating at a strange rink can throw you off...if the ice is harder or softer it makes a difference! I've noticed that. I have a friend skater that skates at 3 different rinks from September through April and she has to compensate for this all the time.

[DallasSkater]

Good to read that others have this issue! Good suggestions on warm ups!

I will hope to get a time slot for my new semester with a little patch of ice clear for a quick warm up. All other semesters this has been the case and my classmates and I have been able to sneak on before our time. Hard to waste the first 15 minutes feeling frustrated!

Thanks!

[SkatingOnClouds]

I should do warmups before skating but NOBODY else here does (none of the adults) so I guess I am going to have to start something new. (I just feel "pretentious" being such a novice and doing warmups!)

Some people seem to do ages of stretching and loosening before even putting their boots on before a session. I tried doing stretching and loosening, but I just don't seem to need it. Once I've done some laps, edges and spins, I might do a few knee bends to wake up my quads more before doing a sit spin, or jumping. And before spirals I'll do some stretches. But otherwise I'm just doing it because I think I ought to. And it was like that for me in my early 20's too, doing it to make the coach happy.

Mind you, if I were going in a comp with limited ice warm up time, I think I would probably try to do more off ice stuff.

I guess everyone is different, and that you need to work out what your body needs.

[Mrs Redboots]

I don't usually warm up of ice unless I get to the rink early and have nothing else to do.I don't, either, although if I'm a bit stiff (these old bones....) I do shake everything out. But at a competition it's a very different matter - you only have (in the UK) one minute more than the length of your programme to warm up in, and there's a limit to how much you can do in 2.5 minutes! So it's important to be able to warm up off-ice and be ready to skate your programme or dance in 2.5 minutes, even if you don't have to do it very often!

[skatingdoris]

But at a competition it's a very different matter - you only have (in the UK) one minute more than the length of your programme to warm up in, and there's a limit to how much you can do in 2.5 minutes! So it's important to be able to warm up off-ice and be ready to skate your programme or dance in 2.5 minutes, even if you don't have to do it very often!


I have to say that this is the one think above all others that scares me about competitions, when I do finally get round to competing i'm sure a whole host of other things will start scaring me though!!

With my spins as long as i'm not tired then I don't realy seem to need to warm them up but with jumps and footwork I really need to start with the eaisiest stuff and work up to the harder spending time on each thing.

I have no clue as to how I will fare with only 2.5 mins to warm up and then go out and skate my best, did anyone find that this severly affected their performance before they got used to competing?

[Skate@Delaware]

I have no clue as to how I will fare with only 2.5 mins to warm up and then go out and skate my best, did anyone find that this severly affected their performance before they got used to competing?
I skate in ice shows and I had one instance where we didn't get ANY warmup AT ALL!!! we were first on (after waiting on the ice backstage for 10 minutes freezing) and as a group of adult skaters, we skated VERY COLD and were terrible!

A good off-ice warmup will really help you, but you have to be careful not to warmup too far ahead of your slot, otherwise you will have a dickens of a time keeping your muscles warm.

When I finally started competing, I found a nice warmup helped to keep my mind off of the crowds, the judges, etc. I put my mp3 player on, listened to my music, zoned out like i really was a skating diva. I focused on my elements and made sure all my muscles were warm and stretched (even my upper back and arms). Only, at my first competition I left my water bottle too far away and my mouth was parched....by my 2nd competition I had remembered that and my chapstick.

[slusher]

gawd I'm lazy. I like to get my skates on early and then I usually sit in the lobby and chat with the kids coming in.

[doubletoe]

My coach said it is in my head (no..it's all in my feet!) She said that for competitions you only get 5 minutes warm up and that nobody requires as much time as I do for warming up!

I have mentioned before that I have a very good technical coach but social grace does escape her. I do not want to have my very real feelings dismissed by her but I also need a reality check.

Let's see. . .how to put this nicely. . . Oh, forget putting it nicely. Your coach is full of it! I have never known a skater of any age who didn't have to warm up for at least 10-15 minutes before being able to skate decently, and for adults, it can take longer. I know it takes me at least 30 minutes of very focused warmup before I can skate my program, unless I have already skated that day (preferably within the past few hours). I used to try to make myself get on the ice cold and just warm up for 5 minutes before skating my program (since that's all you get at a competition) and the result was that my feet would cramp up. Then my coach told me that was not a realistic scenario because you always do a 30-45 minute practice at some other rink on the day of your competition so the 5-minute warmup isn't really "all you get." He is absolutely right, and I have since stopped doing that.

[itfigures]

Ha Ha, I've realized that I have the same problem!
What I do is I get to the rink at least 20 min. before my lesson starts.
(Usually I am doing the five min. rush to get on the ice in time!)
I put on my skates and do some warm ups off the ice, WITH THEM ON!
try bending, small hops and leaning from left to right, by the time you get on the ice your feet should have already warmed up to your skates again.

[Mrs Redboots]

Then my coach told me that was not a realistic scenario because you always do a 30-45 minute practice at some other rink on the day of your competition so the 5-minute warmup isn't really "all you get." He is absolutely right, and I have since stopped doing that.Assuming, of course, that your competition is in an area where you can get to another rink easily! That doesn't always happen in countries where rinks are scarce.

Although most rinks still have early-morning teaching ice even on competition days, and you can usually arrange to skate then.

[doubletoe]

Assuming, of course, that your competition is in an area where you can get to another rink easily! That doesn't always happen in countries where rinks are scarce.

Although most rinks still have early-morning teaching ice even on competition days, and you can usually arrange to skate then.

True. Fortunately, there is a requirement for any qualifying competition in the U.S. that the rink either have a second ice surface or that there is another rink within a few miles. That helps a lot. :)