title: How Do World-Class Nordic Combined Athletes Differ From Specialized Cross-Country Skiers and Ski Jumpers in Sport-Specific Capacity and Training Characteristics?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare sport-specific laboratory capacities and the annual training of world-class Nordic combined (NC) athletes with specialized ski jumpers (SJ) and cross-country (XC) skiers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five world-class athletes from each sports discipline were compared. Ski jump imitations were performed on a 3-dimensional force plate in NC athletes and SJ, whereas XC skiing characteristics were obtained from submaximal and maximal roller ski skating on a treadmill in NC athletes and XC skiers. In addition, anthropometrics and annual training characteristics were determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  NC athletes demonstrated 9% higher body mass and showed 17% lower vertical speed in the ski jump imitation than SJ (all P < .05). NC athletes had 12% lower body mass and showed 10% lower peak treadmill speed and 12% lower body-mass-normalized peak oxygen uptake than XC skiers (all P < .05). NC athletes performed half the number of ski-jumping-specific sessions and outdoor ski jumps compared with SJ. NC athletes performed 31% less endurance training, mainly caused by lower amounts of low- and moderate-intensity training in the classical technique, whereas high-intensity strength and speed training and endurance training in the skating technique did not differ substantially from XC skiers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To simultaneously optimize endurance, explosive, and technical capacities in 2 different disciplines, world-class NC athletes train approximately two-thirds of the XC skier's endurance training volume and perform one-half of the ski-jump-specific training compared with SJ. Still, the various laboratory capacities differed only 10-17% compared with SJ and XC skiers.
authors.forename: Øyvind
authors.initials: Ø
authors.lastname: Sandbakk
authors.forename: Vegard
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rasdal
authors.forename: Steinar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bråten
authors.forename: Frode
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Moen
authors.forename: Gertjan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ettema
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D015992:Body Mass Index; D000072599:Cardiorespiratory Fitness; D006801:Humans; D064797:Physical Conditioning, Human / Q000379:methods*; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000502:physiology*; D059385:Plyometric Exercise; D012865:Skiing / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: elite athletes; endurance training; skating technique