Exercise capacity of male and female national team athletes in canoe slalom
IntroductionCanoe slalom is a well-established Olympic discipline. However, scientific knowledge regarding the physiological characteristics and training adaptations of its athletes, particularly among females, remains limited. To better characterize their exercise capacity, we retrospectively analy...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Physiology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2025.1635684/full |
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| author | Dariusz Sitkowski Michał Starczewski Andrzej Pokrywka Piotr Żmijewski Benedykt Opaszowski Andrzej Klusiewicz |
| author_facet | Dariusz Sitkowski Michał Starczewski Andrzej Pokrywka Piotr Żmijewski Benedykt Opaszowski Andrzej Klusiewicz |
| author_sort | Dariusz Sitkowski |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionCanoe slalom is a well-established Olympic discipline. However, scientific knowledge regarding the physiological characteristics and training adaptations of its athletes, particularly among females, remains limited. To better characterize their exercise capacity, we retrospectively analyzed exercise test results collected over the past 20 years in our laboratory from both male (n = 110) and female (n = 43) national team members.MethodsFrom a total of 1,221 upper-body Wingate-type anaerobic test (30AOT) results and 908 graded exercise test (GXT) results performed on a kayak/canoe ergometer, only each athlete’s best performance was selected to reflect their maximal physiological capacity. This approach yielded 144 and 122 results for the 30AOT and GXT, respectively.ResultsIn all canoe slalom categories (Canoe Men, Canoe Women, Kayak Men, and Kayak Women), total work and peak power (W/kg) in the 30AOT were significantly higher in seniors than in juniors (p < 0.001–0.040). In the GXT, similar differences in power at the lactate threshold (LT) were observed (p < 0.001–0.028), except in Canoe Women. No significant differences in 30AOT results were found between canoeists and kayakers within corresponding age groups, nor in lactate concentration at the LT across all slalom categories, including both juniors and seniors. However, intergroup variation in heart rate at the LT was observed (p < 0.001), with canoeists showing significantly lower values than kayakers in the corresponding groups (p < 0.001–0.023).ConclusionThese results indicate that regular training in canoe slalom contributes to the development of both anaerobic and aerobic exercise capacities in male and female athletes. Additionally, no differences in anaerobic capacity were observed between canoeists and kayakers within the same age and sex categories. The potential influence of sport-specific selection and biological development—particularly in men—cannot be ruled out. Whether the lower HR at the LT in canoeists compared to kayakers results from reduced blood flow associated with the kneeling position warrants further investigation. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c74b892d75b14bb9acc1fa64a3e39800 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1664-042X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Physiology |
| spelling | doaj-art-c74b892d75b14bb9acc1fa64a3e398002025-08-20T04:00:28ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Physiology1664-042X2025-08-011610.3389/fphys.2025.16356841635684Exercise capacity of male and female national team athletes in canoe slalomDariusz Sitkowski0Michał Starczewski1Andrzej Pokrywka2Piotr Żmijewski3Benedykt Opaszowski4Andrzej Klusiewicz5Department of Physiology, Institute of Sport-National Research Institute, Warsaw, PolandFaculty of Rehabilitation, Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Warsaw, PolandDepartment of Biochemistry and Pharmacogenomics, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, PolandDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Physical Education, University of Physical Education, Warsaw, PolandDepartment of Endocrinology, Institute of Sport-National Research Institute, Warsaw, PolandFaculty of Physical Education and Health, Biała Podlaska, Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Warsaw, PolandIntroductionCanoe slalom is a well-established Olympic discipline. However, scientific knowledge regarding the physiological characteristics and training adaptations of its athletes, particularly among females, remains limited. To better characterize their exercise capacity, we retrospectively analyzed exercise test results collected over the past 20 years in our laboratory from both male (n = 110) and female (n = 43) national team members.MethodsFrom a total of 1,221 upper-body Wingate-type anaerobic test (30AOT) results and 908 graded exercise test (GXT) results performed on a kayak/canoe ergometer, only each athlete’s best performance was selected to reflect their maximal physiological capacity. This approach yielded 144 and 122 results for the 30AOT and GXT, respectively.ResultsIn all canoe slalom categories (Canoe Men, Canoe Women, Kayak Men, and Kayak Women), total work and peak power (W/kg) in the 30AOT were significantly higher in seniors than in juniors (p < 0.001–0.040). In the GXT, similar differences in power at the lactate threshold (LT) were observed (p < 0.001–0.028), except in Canoe Women. No significant differences in 30AOT results were found between canoeists and kayakers within corresponding age groups, nor in lactate concentration at the LT across all slalom categories, including both juniors and seniors. However, intergroup variation in heart rate at the LT was observed (p < 0.001), with canoeists showing significantly lower values than kayakers in the corresponding groups (p < 0.001–0.023).ConclusionThese results indicate that regular training in canoe slalom contributes to the development of both anaerobic and aerobic exercise capacities in male and female athletes. Additionally, no differences in anaerobic capacity were observed between canoeists and kayakers within the same age and sex categories. The potential influence of sport-specific selection and biological development—particularly in men—cannot be ruled out. Whether the lower HR at the LT in canoeists compared to kayakers results from reduced blood flow associated with the kneeling position warrants further investigation.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2025.1635684/fullupper body wingate testgraded exercise testlactate thresholdcanoe/kayak ergometercanoe slalom categoriesage differences |
| spellingShingle | Dariusz Sitkowski Michał Starczewski Andrzej Pokrywka Piotr Żmijewski Benedykt Opaszowski Andrzej Klusiewicz Exercise capacity of male and female national team athletes in canoe slalom Frontiers in Physiology upper body wingate test graded exercise test lactate threshold canoe/kayak ergometer canoe slalom categories age differences |
| title | Exercise capacity of male and female national team athletes in canoe slalom |
| title_full | Exercise capacity of male and female national team athletes in canoe slalom |
| title_fullStr | Exercise capacity of male and female national team athletes in canoe slalom |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exercise capacity of male and female national team athletes in canoe slalom |
| title_short | Exercise capacity of male and female national team athletes in canoe slalom |
| title_sort | exercise capacity of male and female national team athletes in canoe slalom |
| topic | upper body wingate test graded exercise test lactate threshold canoe/kayak ergometer canoe slalom categories age differences |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2025.1635684/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT dariuszsitkowski exercisecapacityofmaleandfemalenationalteamathletesincanoeslalom AT michałstarczewski exercisecapacityofmaleandfemalenationalteamathletesincanoeslalom AT andrzejpokrywka exercisecapacityofmaleandfemalenationalteamathletesincanoeslalom AT piotrzmijewski exercisecapacityofmaleandfemalenationalteamathletesincanoeslalom AT benedyktopaszowski exercisecapacityofmaleandfemalenationalteamathletesincanoeslalom AT andrzejklusiewicz exercisecapacityofmaleandfemalenationalteamathletesincanoeslalom |