1. New Research in Cross- Country Skiing Physiology & Common Training Mistakes Julie Downing, PhD, FACSM Central Oregon Community College Health & Human Performance Professor, Exercise Physiology Lab Director, & National Chair of ACSM Personal Training Committee

2. COCC Exercise Physiology Lab

3. Cool New Physiology Stuff 1)Upper Body Power 2)Lactate Threshold 3)VO2max 4)Jumping (OSU & MSU) 5)Pre-Stretch?

4. 1) Upper Body Power > 50 % propulsive force in skate-skiing comes from upper body> 50 % propulsive force in skate-skiing comes from upper body Highly correlated to xc ski performanceHighly correlated to xc ski performance Shorter, Rundell, Gaskill, Heil, Bacharach, Street (SCSU & MSU)Shorter, Rundell, Gaskill, Heil, Bacharach, Street (SCSU & MSU)

5. 2) Lactate Threshold Lactate – Sports bad boy gone good!!Lactate – Sports bad boy gone good!! Can be recycled &Can be recycled & used as fuel. used as fuel. Heart prefers lactateHeart prefers lactate Leading researcher –Leading researcher – George Brooks @ UC George Brooks @ UCBerkeley

6. 3) VO 2 max Fit Fat Studies done by Epidemiologist Dr. Steven Blair @ Cooper Institute in Dallas, TXFit Fat Studies done by Epidemiologist Dr. Steven Blair @ Cooper Institute in Dallas, TX Thin Fit = least risk of CVD deathThin Fit = least risk of CVD death Fat Fit = 2 ndFat Fit = 2 nd Thin Unfit = 3 rdThin Unfit = 3 rd Fat Unfit = greatest risk of CVD deathFat Unfit = greatest risk of CVD death

7. 3) VO 2 max & age Main reason seniors are slower is the decrease in VO2max. How? VO2max = SV x HR x avO2diffVO2max = SV x HR x avO2diff Inactive Max HR goes down 10 beats/10 yrsInactive Max HR goes down 10 beats/10 yrs Active Max HR goes down 5-7 beats/10 yrsActive Max HR goes down 5-7 beats/10 yrs Inactive VO2max decrease = 10%/decade after age 25Inactive VO2max decrease = 10%/decade after age 25 Active VO2max decrease = 5%/decade after age 25Active VO2max decrease = 5%/decade after age 25 Also, seniors don’t recover as fast after exerciseAlso, seniors don’t recover as fast after exercise

8. 4) Jump Training Forces calcium into the bones increasing bone mineral density (OSU falling studies-Snow & Winters)Forces calcium into the bones increasing bone mineral density (OSU falling studies-Snow & Winters) Vertical Jump Correlation to xc ski performance (MSU Heil grad student 2009)Vertical Jump Correlation to xc ski performance (MSU Heil grad student 2009)

9. 5) To stretch or not to stretch? Warm-upWarm-up Pre-stretch?Pre-stretch? –Depends on dynamic or static activity? ActivityActivity Cool-downCool-down Post-stretch – YES!Post-stretch – YES!

10. Common Training Mistakes Common Training Mistakes 1)Not following “hard-easy” principle 2)Not cooling down effectively 3)Not eating right after exercise (high-glycemic index foods) & eating too much protein 4) Not periodizing training 5) Not scheduling complete rest days, active recovery days, & cross-training days 6) Increasing volume >10%/wk after 20 min goal 7) Focusing too much on cardio & not enough on jumping & upper body power 8) Training in “No Man’s Land”

11. THANK YOU