[Brian Bauer]

a bipedal sport like running requires a level of aerobic fitness to achieve a level of performance.

a quadrupedal sport like roller skiing or snow skiing requires a level of aerobic fitness to achieve a level of performance.

if after extended quadrupedal training there is a return to bipedal sports,  does the aerobic fitness developed to power the upper body get applied to the lower body if the upper body is not being used? or…it just doesn’t work like that because….:

1. quadrupedal sports have unique economies and upper body aerobic capacity does not get applied to lower body when switching from skiing to running.

2.  your body only has finite aerobic capacity and that capacity is either directed. at lower body or a combo or upper/lower…

3.  is there any evidence that quadrupedal sports increase your overall aerobic capacity/economy such that: skiing can improve your running capacity?

its generally understood that skiing is a nice break from running in the winter. but the question is:  does skiing move the needle on your running aerobics or running economy?

 

[Scott Johnston]

Brian:

I don’t think skiing will move the aerobic needle for running for someone with your fitness.  XC skiing is indeed a great way to increase aerobic fitness, both central and peripheral.  The demands of delivering more blood to both the upper and lower body in XC skiing puts a bigger street on the heart. This is why XC skiers typically have among the highest VO2 max numbers ever recorded.

When it comes to peripheral adaptations, though, these are more sport-specific. However, the transfer from running to XC skiing is quite good, which is borne out by looking at how much running the best XC skiers do.  You see some XC skiers doing quite well in mountain running.

Good luck this winter,

Scott

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