Evaluation of a new upper body ergometer for cross-country skiers

Abstract

Evaluation of a new upper body ergometer for cross-country skiers. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 30, No 8, pp. 1314-1320, 1998. A new specific ski ergometer has been developed to study aerobic endurance and force development in the upper body of cross-country skiers. The major purpose of the present study was to examine the validity and the reliability of this ergometer. Eleven male cross-country skiers participated in the study. Work on the ski ergometer, at an inclination of 4°, incorporated the double-poling technique. All subjects participated in three tests in addition to a pretest where peak oxygen uptake in the upper body (V˙O_2peak) and maximal oxygen uptake during treadmill running (V˙O_2max) were measured. In a field-test, subjects performed double poling uphill, and V˙O_2peak was reached after 4-6 min. There was no statistically significant differences in power output (Watt) or oxygen uptake (V˙O₂) at the same exercise stages between tests and the coefficient of variation was 2.0% and 2.5%, respectively. There were no significant differences between V˙O_2peak as measured in the field and on the ski ergometer. The average upper body/leg ratio was 90% (range 78.1-97.1%). There was no significant correlation between V˙O_2max and V˙O_2peak. The present study showed the ski ergometer to be both reliable and valid for evaluating V˙O₂ and force development in the upper body at submaximal and maximal workloads for cross-country skiers.