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Endurance and Stamina… Advice?
Hey everyone! So I'm training for a competition (that's in 3 weeks OMG!) and I've got my routine mostly figured out aside from little details. I can currently get through the whole thing. It's a bit on the long side, almost 5 minutes. I am struggling quite a bit with stamina and endurance. It's difficult to really practice this routine because by the time I've done it two or three times, I'm worn out. I guess this is a step up from a couple weeks ago when it seemed like getting through the whole damn thing wasn't even going to happen.
I'm asking for any kind of advice on the topic. Anything. Are there specific foods or nutrients I should be focusing on? I know I need to stay very hydrated, and I've been taking protein after all of my training sessions, but should there be anything special I eat beforehand? I've been working on this routine 3 times a week. My body is definitely one that needs rest. Should I attempt to do more? Or should I just keep doing what I'm doing (because I have seen some progress) and hope that all will work out in the end? I just don't want to be huffing and puffing so badly at the end of my performance that I can barely stand back up to bow, lol. Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks!
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10 Replies
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Wow! Congrats, I would recomend carbs but I'm not incredibly knowledgable in this issue. I lift heavy weights for my size and they say lots of protien and carbs. Maybe a muscle recovery will help
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i have never been in a competition so good luck! you're incredibly brave. personally i'd be worried that if it's on a strange pole (any idea if you can get a practice on the real thing before the day?) then that combined with nerves would make it alot harder than usual. so maybe you could just alter it slightly in the middle to include a few resting moves? nobody would know the difference except you and maybe it'd make the whole thing a bit easier to prepare for.
Re: food advice, protein won't help much with stamina whilst you are actually on the pole – if you are building strength etc with weights it is obviously needed then, but your body uses carbs for energy while you are exercising. a mix of long and short carbs before getting on might help – in theory that should give you a boost of accessible energy for your muscles and also allow them to keep working for awhile. eg peanut butter and jelly on wholewheat bread!! 😀
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Thanks for the advice! As far as my routine goes… Well… I picked an epic song. I love it, but I knew it’d push my boundaries. I start the routine as calmly as I can, milking 25 seconds of slow floorwork, and then some pirouette and spin stuff. After I go aerial though and the beat picks up, there’s no turning back, lol. I’ve altered the second half on spin mode to try to make it a wee bit easier but overall it is a tough routine. If I absolutely have to alter it more, I’ll make that decision closer to the competition.
I think you’re right about carbs before I practice, I’ll give that a shot for tomorrow’s session. 🙂
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I just posted this this morning on Facebook for the competitors:
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Adrenaline will give you a boost in endurance, strength, and flexibility too 😉 I only "performed" once (it was only for the girls at the studio) but I was so nervous that the whole thing flew by much easier than I recalled it being practicing lol.
Anyway, I've noticed a huge boost in stamina since I began teaching. I only teach a few days a week, but when I do I'm at the studio for hours. So for me the key to more stamina has been very long practice sessions. I am not sure how much that can help in a few weeks though. My method for competition training has been kind of to run the whole thing a few times and once I'm too burnt out to do the whole 4 minutes, keep working on individual elements/combinations in like 30 second to one minute sections.
I also notice a HUGE difference in stamina depending on what I've eaten that day… if I don't eat enough before classes or I don't drink enough water (and keep drinking it throughout practice), I start feeling really weak. Complex carbs and protein are good and will keep you full with energy to burn. If it's a pole day I'll usually have some eggs and steel cut oatmeal with milk or something. Energy/granola/protein bars are good for a snack while practicing to refresh, but I find they aren't substantial enough on their own to keep me going. You want something slow-burning and substantial, but not don't eat like a huge pasta meal or something or you'll just feel bloated and not want to move LOL.
Good luck!
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I did a performance training with Cat Gennero and she said that you must put moves into your performance that are "rest" moves so that you can recover during the performance. So pace yourself so that you can finish. Your show is only 3 weeks out…I would be conservative in your training about a week before so that you cn make sure you are going in unbruised and strong. And dont try anything new on the day of the show…supplements, energy drinks, or anything..
Rest, hydration, limit stress, and eat clean and healthy.. Stamina and endurance take time to develop.
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It’s a big topic, but I want to at least say that your routine will wear you out less the more you practice it. Don’t overdo it, obvs, but as the weeks go by you should find yourself less gasping for breath by the end and quicker to recover. Smile, breathe, and find ways of pacing yourself.
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Update: Even though I was feeling rather sick this morning (not sure why… the heat perhaps?), I managed to do a runthrough of the routine and it wasn't that bad! It is getting better. I think it definitely helped to add a high carb snack an hour before. I'm gaining muscle memory and everything is going pretty well. My spin mode section is getting easier for me, which is good because it's the second half of the routine, where I was worried about endurance. I'm feeling much better about the whole thing. It's hard not to freak out! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_eek.gif
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I'm glad things are getting better for you, I would freak out! lolol Can't wait to for you to compete and have you share that… something I've never experienced, so excited for you!!!
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please post a vid of ur performance:)
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