Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
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 (Formula: see text) 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, Formula: see text 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 Formula: see text and submaximal physiological determinants than Tier 5 skiers.
Staff et al. (Fri,) studied this question.