title: Upper body power as a determinant of classical cross-country ski performance.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between short (< or =60 s) and long duration (4-12 min) measures of upper body power (UBP) and mass start classical cross-country ski performance. Several experienced skiers (eight men, five women) completed three separate tests of UBP on a double poling ergometer: two tests of highest average power output for 10 s (UBP(10)) and 60 s (UBP(60)), and an incremental test to exhaustion to measure peak oxygen uptake (VO(2PEAK)) and peak power output (UBP(PEAK)). Lastly, subjects competed in a 10-km classical cross-country ski race from which race speed (RS) was computed. RS correlated highly with UBP(10) (r = 0.93; P < 0.05), UBP(60) (r = 0.92; P < 0.05), and UBP(PEAK) (r = 0.94; P < 0.05); the correlation was lower but still significant for VO(2PEAK) (r = 0.88; P < 0.05). These findings suggest that both short and long duration measures of UBP are important determinants of mass start classical ski race performance.
authors.affiliation: Athletic Department, Bowdoin College, 9000 College Station, Brunswick, ME 04011, USA. nalsobro@bowdoin.edu
authors.forename: Nathan G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Alsobrook
authors.forename: Daniel P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Heil
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016552:Ergometry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology; D012865:Skiing / Q000502:physiology*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D034941:Upper Extremity / Q000502:physiology*