Cross-country skiing In the following paragraphs I am going to explain what energy systems and fitness components are in use
David MacIntyre
Fitness Conditioning In Sport
Outcome 1
Cross-country skiing
In the following paragraphs I am going to explain what energy systems and fitness components are in use for the movements that I have briefly written about in the introduction paragraphs, I am also going to go into more detail about the energy systems and the fitness components used within the sport of cross-country skiing.
Cross-country skiing is basically a walking movement, which as the performer improves, progressively gets faster before turning into more of a run, so this means that as mentioned before the muscles used for the activity are both the upper and lower body.
Having endurance is having an ability to maintain physical activity for extended periods of time, endurance is also sometimes referred to as stamina. Endurance or stamina sports require the athlete to have a good level of aerobic fitness. As mentioned before, the aerobic energy system is the one mainly used for the activity of cross-country skiing so this makes it primarily an endurance event.
Aerobic Energy System
Aerobic means 'with oxygen'. During aerobic work the body is working at a level that the demands for oxygen and fuel can be met by the body's intake. The only waste products formed are carbon dioxide and water. These are removed as sweat and by breathing out. This is a long term energy system which provides energy beyond 5 minutes up to several hours. When the aerobic energy system is in use, and if the intensity of the exercise is fairly high, then carbohydrate (in the form of glucose and glycogen) will make the greatest contribution to the energy production. If the intensity of exercise is relatively low, then fat will be relied upon more and more as the duration increases. The cross over of these different fuels does not happen immediately and takes place in a gradual shift. The body breaks down the fats and carbohydrates and protein in order to produce Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP), it is ATP which provides the muscles with the energy they need, however the body only stores a small quantity of this energy, and this amount is only enough to power just a few seconds of explosive exercise, so in order for the body to meet energy demands it must replace ATP on an ongoing basis. The body uses more ATP’s when working anaerobically than it does when working aerobically, this is because when using your anaerobic system, say for example sprinting to catch a bus, the body uses ATP which relies on glucose as a source of energy. When the body runs out of ATP it then switches over to the aerobic system, which relies on fatty acids, glucose and glycogen as its energy source. Fat produces 9 calories of energy per gram, while glucose only produces 4 calories per gram, so this is why you get more energy and burn more fat while using the aerobic system as opposed to the anaerobic. It is during the time of using the aerobic system that the body re-produces ATP.
