INTRODUCTION: Appropriate intake of water makes training more effective. It is also important in maintaining health. However, precise knowledge as to the optimal types of beverage and the optimal amounts required during training often is not possessed by athletes or coaches. Even when such knowledge is possessed, either the carbohydrate concentration of the beverage actually ingested is too low, or in some cases, the volume of the beverage is inadequate. Under such circumstances, the present study was undertaken to investigate the current status of water intake by cross-country skiers during training, with a goal of identifying what needs to be improved through analysis of the effects of endurance training on physiological variables. METHOD: The subjects of this study were top-level university and high school cross-country skiers in Japan. The following measurements were taken during a summer camp: (1) percentage decrease in bodily fluid (% body weight) associated with training (2) carbohydrate concentration of the beverage ingested during training (3) hemoglobin level before and after training RESULTS: The number of skiers who experienced a percentage decrease in bodily fluid within 2% was very small. Bodily fluid decreased by 3-4% in some skiers, The percentage decrease in bodily fluid became smaller as the performance level became higher. In approximately half of all skiers, hemoglobin, after training, was higher than that before training. Notably, this change was more marked in skiers with a greater percentage decrease in bodily fluid. Heart rate during training was higher in skiers with a greater percentage decrease in bodily fluid. DISCUSSION: Considering that a small number of skiers showed less than 2% decrease in bodily fluid and that the carbohydrate concentration in the beverage ingested during training was low, it seems advisable that the skiers ingest a slightly larger amount of a beverage with higher carbohydrate concentration. Particular care is needed of the skiers in whom the hemoglobin level after training was high, in view of the possibility of blood flow reduction during training. CONCLUSION: The current practice as to intake of water during training does not seem optimal. Further educational activity is indispensable so that cross-country skiers constantly take appropriate water-intake behavior during training.
© Copyright 2007 4th International Congress on Science and Skiing. Veröffentlicht von University of Salzburg. Alle Rechte vorbehalten. / Übersetzt mit https://www.DeepL.com/Translator