Long-Term Development of Training Characteristics and Physiological Determinants in World-Leading and Medal-Winning Female Cross-Country Skiers: A Three Decade Comparative Analysis

Background

This study describes the long-term development of training characteristics and physiological performance-determining variables among six world-class (Tier 5) female cross-country skiers across three decades, collectively holding 61 Olympic/World Championship medals.

Methods

The skiers were divided into two groups: three world-leading (Tier 5+) athletes with ≥ 8 medals in international championships and three Tier 5 athletes with ≤ 4 medals. Self-reported training characteristics, as well as peak oxygen uptake (\({\dot{\text{V}}}{\text{O}}_{{2{\text{peak}}}}\)) and submaximal lactate threshold tests from junior to senior age were collected and analyzed retrospectively. Training was categorized into endurance, strength and speed training, with endurance training systemized using a five-zone intensity scale.

Results

While athletes exhibited individual patterns in the development of training volume from junior to senior, the increase in training volume was primarily driven by a rise in low-intensity endurance training. There was a noticeable trend that Tier 5+ athletes had a longer, more consistent increase in training volume compared to Tier 5. Among Tier 5+ athletes, \({\dot{\text{V}}}{\text{O}}_{{2{\text{peak}}}}\) values showed a positive progression from junior to senior level, whereas only one of the Tier 5 showed the same pattern. Additionally, Tier 5+ demonstrated larger improvements in speeds at a given blood lactate and heart rate level than Tier 5 throughout the investigated period (e.g., mean increase in speed at estimated lactate threshold: ~14% for Tier 5+ vs. ~ 7% for Tier 5).

Conclusions

Keeping in mind the limitations associated with the small sample size, the development pathways to becoming a Tier 5+ skier tended to involve longer, more consistent, increases in training volume, resulting in greater improvements in both \({\dot{\text{V}}}{\text{O}}_{{2{\text{peak}}}}\) and submaximal physiological determinants than Tier 5 skiers.

The study analyzes training and performance factors in elite female cross-country skiers.