In: A descriptive analysis of the warm-up strategies of cross-country skiers, 2020 Conference paper, Poster (with or without abstract) (Refereed) Abstract [en] Purpose: To provide a descriptive account of the warm up strategies (WU) employed by cross country skiers prior to distance and sprint competitions at a national championship; analyze the skiers` planned WU; compare skiers` planned and actual WUs carried out prior to the respective competitions. Methods: Twenty-one national- and international-level skiers (11 females and 10 males) participated. Skiers submitted WU plans prior to the competitions and reported any deviations from the plans after the respective competitions. Participants used personal hear rate (HR) monitors to record HR and were instructed to start the recording upon starting the WU and end the data collection following their cool down after the competition. Results: Skiers` planned WU for the distance and sprint competitions were of similar content and planned time in HR derived intensity zones. Skiers spent similar durations within the lowest zone (A1, 60-74% peak HR) as planned for distance and sprint competitions. Prior to the sprint competition skiers spent significantly (p < 0.05) less time than planned in the highest intensity domain (A3+, >95% peak HR). Forty five % of female and 20% of male skiers reported their WU was not carried out as planned. Conclusions: Planned WU were not sufficiently tailored for the differing demands of distance and sprint competition. Prior to the sprint competition skiers failed to accumulate the planned volume of high intensity work (time in A3+). Practical applications: Skiers examined here would benefit from more bespoke WU, tailored to the specific demands of distance and sprint competition.
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