Downhill Turn Techniques and Performance in Cross-Country Skiing: Associations with Mechanical and Physical Parameters

Svinger i nedoverbakker i langrenn blir gjennomført under varierende forhold. For å prestere godt, altså utnytte potensiell energi og akselererende krefter fra frasparkene på en effektiv måte, må løperne tilpasse inngangshastigheten, linjen gjennom svingen og bruken av teknikk. Målene med denne studien var å karakterisere hovedteknikkene som blir brukt i langrennssvinger i nedoverbakker blant kvinnelige eliteløpere og å undersøke hvordan prestasjonen blir påvirket av teknikkdistribusjon, mekaniske parameter og løpernes maksimale styrke og eksplosivitet

Training und Coaching von weiblichen vs. männlichen Athleten auf ihrem Weg zu Gold? Einschätzungen erfolgreicher Trainer von Eliteathleten

This scientific short report investigated how successful male coaches perceive gender differences in training characteristics and coaching practice among medal-winning endurance athletes. Ten male Norwegian coaches with a track record of coaching both female and male endurance world-class athletes (total of 269 Olympic, World and European Championship medals) participated in semi-structured interviews. Inductive thematic analysis revealed that all coaches mainly adjusted their key training and coaching principles to the individual athlete, rather than gender. A coach-driven and athlete-centered individualization process was essential to create trust, mutual understanding, and optimal training content. Potential gender/sex differences were perceived in four main themes: sport-specific competition demands, physiological, psychological and interpersonal factors (e.g., gender of the coach). In this context, all coaches described how training and coaching of female athletes differs from that of men, thus considering male athletes as the reference group and male physiology and psychology as the norm. Furthermore, societal factors such as a male-dominant sports culture and underlying gender stereotypes were suggested as amplifiers of gender differences. Accordingly, our report highlights the need for female perspectives in elite sports and invites further in-depth investigations of the identified gender/sex differences within the respective disciplines of training science, physiology, psychology and sociology

Training und Coaching von weiblichen vs. männlichen Athleten auf ihrem Weg zu Gold? Einschätzungen erfolgreicher Trainer von Eliteathleten

This scientific short report investigated how successful male coaches perceive gender differences in training characteristics and coaching practice among medal-winning endurance athletes. Ten male Norwegian coaches with a track record of coaching both female and male endurance world-class athletes (total of 269 Olympic, World and European Championship medals) participated in semi-structured interviews. Inductive thematic analysis revealed that all coaches mainly adjusted their key training and coaching principles to the individual athlete, rather than gender. A coach-driven and athlete-centered individualization process was essential to create trust, mutual understanding, and optimal training content. Potential gender/sex differences were perceived in four main themes: sport-specific competition demands, physiological, psychological and interpersonal factors (e.g., gender of the coach). In this context, all coaches described how training and coaching of female athletes differs from that of men, thus considering male athletes as the reference group and male physiology and psychology as the norm. Furthermore, societal factors such as a male-dominant sports culture and underlying gender stereotypes were suggested as amplifiers of gender differences. Accordingly, our report highlights the need for female perspectives in elite sports and invites further in-depth investigations of the identified gender/sex differences within the respective disciplines of training science, physiology, psychology and sociology.publishedVersio

Risk of atrial fibrillation and stroke among older men exposed to prolonged endurance sport practice: a 10-year follow-up. The Birkebeiner Ageing Study and the Tromsø Study

Aims Endurance sport practice is associated with a high prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF), which increases the risk of stroke in the general population. However, stroke risk in endurance athletes with AF is sparsely investigated. Most studies have been limited by design and are largely restricted to younger and middle-aged populations. Thus, we aimed to investigate AF and stroke risk in older athletes exposed to prolonged endurance training. Method During a 10-year period, 505 male athletes aged ≥65 years frequently participating in a long-distance ski race were compared with 1867 men of the same age from the general population. The main exposure was endurance sport practice with self-reported AF and stroke as outcomes. Stroke risk was further examined by joint modelling of AF and endurance practice. Statistical analysis was conducted with a modified Poisson model. Results Athletes (median age: 68, range: 65–90) participated in a long-distance ski race over a median of 14 years (range: 1–53). Prevalence (28.5% vs 17.8%) and adjusted risk of AF (risk ratio (RR): 1.88, 95% CI: 1.49 to 2.37) were higher in athletes compared with non-athletes, whereas the prevalence (5.4% vs 9.7%) and risk of stroke were lower (RR: 0.60, 95% CI: 0.37 to 0.95). Compared with athletes without AF, risk of stroke was twofold in athletes (RR: 2.38, 95% CI: 1.08 to 5.24) and nearly fourfold in non-athletes (RR: 3.87, 95% CI: 1.98 to 7.57) with AF. Conclusion Although older male endurance athletes experienced an increased risk of AF, the long-term risk of stroke was substantially reduced compared with non-athletes

Downhill Turn Techniques and Performance in Cross-Country Skiing: Associations with Mechanical and Physical Parameters

Svinger i nedoverbakker i langrenn blir gjennomført under varierende forhold. For å prestere godt, altså utnytte potensiell energi og akselererende krefter fra frasparkene på en effektiv måte, må løperne tilpasse inngangshastigheten, linjen gjennom svingen og bruken av teknikk. Målene med denne studien var å karakterisere hovedteknikkene som blir brukt i langrennssvinger i nedoverbakker blant kvinnelige eliteløpere og å undersøke hvordan prestasjonen blir påvirket av teknikkdistribusjon, mekaniske parameter og løpernes maksimale styrke og eksplosivitet

Sex-based differences in sub-technique selection during an international classical cross-country skiing competition

The purpose of this study was to compare speed, sub-technique selection and temporal patterns between world-class male and female cross-country (XC) skiers and to examine the combined associations of sex and speed on sub-technique selection. Thirty-three XC skiers performed an international 10-km (women; n = 8) and 15-km (men; n = 25) time-trial competition in the classical style (with the first 10 km of the race being used for analyses). An integrated GNSS/IMU system was used to continuously track position speed and automatically classify sub-techniques and temporal patterns (i.e. cycle length and–rate). When comparing the eight highest ranked men and women, men spent less time than women (29±2 vs. 45±5% of total time) using diagonal stride (DIA), more time (44±4 vs. 31±4%) using double poling (DP) and more time (23±2 vs. 19±3%) using tucking and turning (all P < .01). Here, men and women used these sub-techniques at similar temporal patterns within the same speed-intervals; although men employed all sub-techniques at steeper uphill gradients (all P < .05). In subsequent analyses including all 33 skiers, adjustment for average racing speed did not fully attenuate the observed sex differences in the proportion of time using DIA (CI95% [-10.7, -1.6]) and DP (CI95% [0.8, 9.3]). Male world-class XC skiers utilized less DIA and more DP compared to women of equal performance levels. Although these differences coincided with men’s higher speed and their ability to use the various sub-techniques at steeper uphill gradients, sexual dimorphism in the proportional use of DIA and DP also occurred independently of these speed-differences.Sex-based differences in sub-technique selection during an international classical cross-country skiing competitionpublishedVersio

Combined Association of Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Body Fatness With Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Older Norwegian Adults: The Generation 100 Study

Objective To investigate the independent and combined associations of fitness and fatness with cardiometabolic risk factors in older Norwegian women and men. Patients and Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study of 505 women and 417 men aged 70 to 77 years enrolled in the Generation 100 study in Norway. Fitness was assessed as peak oxygen uptake and fatness as high body mass index (BMI; ≥25 kg/m2), waist circumference (WC) of 88 cm or greater for women and 102 cm or greater for men, and percent body fat (%BF) of 35% or greater and 25% or greater for women and men, respectively. High cardiometabolic risk was defined as the presence of 2 or more of the following risk factors: elevated triglyceride level, reduced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration, elevated blood pressure, and elevated fasting glucose level or pharmacological treatment of these conditions. Results Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses identified fitness levels of less than 25.7 and less than 30.7 mL/kg per minute in women and men, respectively, as critical thresholds for having high cardiometabolic risk. Individuals with levels below these thresholds had an adjusted odds ratio of 2.77 (95% CI, 2.09-3.66) for having high cardiometabolic risk, while high BMI, WC, and %BF had odds ratios (95% CIs) of 3.58 (2.69-4.77), 3.06 (2.29-4.10), and 3.26 (2.47-4.30), respectively. In our combined analyses, being lean did not attenuate the cardiometabolic risk associated with low fitness, and combinations of low fitness and/or high BMI, WC, or %BF cumulatively increased cardiometabolic risk. Conclusion Low fitness and indication of fatness were independently and cumulatively associated with poor cardiometabolic health. Our results emphasize the importance of including both physical fitness and body fatness in the assessment of cardiometabolic risk and health promotion efforts in older adults