Mathematical simulation of energy expenditure and recovery during sprint cross-country skiing

PURPOSE: A cross-country sprint competition relies on maximal effort durations of 3–4 minutes. Significant anaerobic energy contribution is expected. Anaerobic energy contribution has been estimated in different sports to date from the accumulated O(2) deficit. However, the O(2)-deficit model can be questioned. We investigate anaerobic energy contribution by applying other methods than the O(2) deficit. METHODS: Theoretical model development. RESULTS: For sprint cross-country competitions, the anaerobic energy contribution was 20%–25% independent of the employed mathematical model. Recovery times of a minimum 20 minutes were found to be required after sprint races to be sure that the performance in subsequent heats was not influenced. CONCLUSION: The O(2)-deficit model gave anaerobic energy results in agreement with other models from the literature. Recovery times of a minimum 20 minutes were found to be required after sprint races to be sure that the performance in subsequent heats was not influenced.