A man with a baton urging on. Young girls engage in running and other physical exercises. The corridors of the skating rink do not offer sufficient space, but Christian Maccario, a state-certified physical trainer from the skating club, has managed to adapt. Time is pressing. The public session is about to start and he will have to vacate his makeshift training room. He braves the elements. He makes do with whatever the somewhat worn-out Nice rink has to offer. An hour later, Christian will be at the edge of the ice, squeezed between the balustrade and the stands, to work on endurance and power with another training group. Conditions with amateur skaters distracting or mocking the athletes of the Nice Côte d’Azur Skating (NCAP) are not ideal.
“It’s all about mental strength. It’s the same with your programs. You can always do more. Don’t listen to yourself. Come on, my dear. You will make it!” Christian’s words resonate with Charlotte’s determination. Exhausted, the skaters suffer but surpass themselves. They must start slowly then accelerate progressively. They follow up with flexibility tests. They grimace but endure the pain. All this will benefit them on the ice. At least that is the hope of President Daniel Sfecci and Technical Director Sandra Garde. Since September, in addition to skating, dance, and choreography classes, the apprentice skaters also have two hours per week of physical training from a total of fifteen hours weekly dedicated to this artistic and physical discipline.
“It’s necessary for endurance and muscle tone. We feel a difference compared to last year. All this helps us to sustain the program until the end,” explains Lucile, 16 years old. “The preparation since September has changed a lot. It is more effective. We worked on endurance and tone. It has a lot of influence on our jumps,” continues Sandra, 14 years old.
Upon arriving, Christian observed, took notes, and filmed. He was unfamiliar with the specifics of the sport. He barely knew how to stand on skates. He was more accustomed to working with football players. He is an assistant to Nicolas Dyon, trainer of the OGC Nice professional team, and last year he was involved in pre-training at OGC Nice. The physical trainer got acquainted and came up with exercises useful to both female and male skaters. “For this sport, you need to work on endurance and explosiveness. Football is more about repeated explosiveness. You need to build a big power block to withstand intense efforts of five to seven seconds,” explains Christian Maccario. Aesthetic considerations also come into play for skating: “At first, the girls were afraid of becoming too muscular. They are very careful about their bodies especially at this age… with their boyfriends looking on. I had to take that into consideration. The exercises shouldn’t turn into a burden.” It is at these times that he finds his courses in psychology, which were part of his Bachelor of STAPS and Master’s in Science and Movement Technologies, useful.
In addition to the NCAP skaters and those from the PACA league, and his learning with Nicolas Dyon (“his mentor”, just like Michel Masséglia his former teacher), Christian provides training sessions to individuals. This is what is known as coaching, either individually or in groups as in a large hotel in Cannes. He trains a student to run 1500 meters in six minutes. He allows a medical student to decompress, or helps older adults maintain their fitness. Like with skating, he tailors his sessions to the needs of his “client”, ranging from 13 to 72 years. There is a new enthusiasm for at-home coaching. Christian offers an explanation: “Women are tired of going to gyms and being ogled by bodybuilt guys. They often don’t get the right advice and don’t know how to use the equipment. I have a majority of women clients who come to me especially for well-being. If they want to lose weight, I advise them to combine my exercises with a nutritionist. Men seek more performance. I assist them with natural methods. I deliver no additional products and write no prescriptions. I’m not a pharmacist! I prefer to lose clients.” The days of this young man, 24 years old, are very busy. But he is satisfied. Effort and overstrain never scare an athlete!
[Website of Christian Maccario](https://www.physicpower.com/pages/physic_power_coach_particulier_nice____index__pag.html)
