LOWER LIMBS MUSCULAR PERFORMANCE EVALUATION IN SKIERS

APPLIED EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY

LOWER LIMBS MUSCULAR PERFORMANCE EVALUATION IN SKIERS

Avram Claudiu, Oravitan Mihaela, Domokos Martin
Department of Physical Education and Sport, West University Timisoara, Romania

Increasing muscular performance (a combination of muscular strenght, endurance and stamina) is an important target for all professional skiers. The present study  is aiming to present the most importance indicators and their importance in evaluation of muscular performance in skiers.
Eleven alpine skiers (aged 23±4 years, height 177±8.2cm and weight 82.3±12.5kg) selected among students who chose to specialize in ski from Physical Education and Sport Faculty, West University Timisoara were randomly included in our study. They were evaluated using girth measurement, cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) and dynamic strength measurement. During CPX test the subjects were pedaling on the bicycle ergometer and we recorded the maximum work rate (WR) and VO2max. For dynamic strength evaluation the subject was required to perform 5 lower limbs triple extensions on the DYNO ergometer – maximum and average pushing force (Fmax and Favg) were displayed. At the end of the study we tried to correlate the obtained parameters in order to see which are the best to be used in skiers evaluation. The strongest correlations were obtain between WR and Fmax (r2=0.44, p=0.04) and Favg (r2=0.49, p=0.01). No correlation was observed between thigh circumference and any of the other parameters. We conclude that WR, Fmax and Favg are very useful parameters for lower limbs muscular performance evaluation in skiers. Even thigh circumference measurement is a very easy and traditional evaluation; it isn’t an accurate determinant of muscular performance.
KEY WORDS: muscular performance, skiers, work rate.