Evidence for restricted muscle blood flow during speed skating

Area of Science:

• Exercise Physiology
• Sports Science
• Biomechanics

Background:

• Previous hypothesis suggested restricted muscle blood flow in speed skaters.
• This restriction is attributed to high intramuscular forces and the skating stroke's prolonged duty cycle.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test the hypothesis of restricted muscle blood flow during speed skating.
• To investigate the physiological responses during cycling and in-line skating in varying knee positions.

Main Methods:

• Studied 10 speed skaters during submaximal and maximal cycling and in-line skating.
• Evaluated muscle oxygen desaturation and lactate accumulation during on-ice skating and static exercise.
• Compared low (107°) and high (112°) knee angles during skating simulations.

Main Results:

• Reduced peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak), VO2 at 4 mmol/L blood lactate, and maximal cardiac output during skating.
• Maximal stroke volume reduction, not heart rate, contributed to decreased cardiac output.
• Increased systemic vascular resistance and greater vastus lateralis oxygen desaturation observed during maximal skating.
• Static exercise showed greater desaturation with smaller knee angles; on-ice skating showed greater desaturation and lactate accumulation in lower positions.

Conclusions:

• Physiological responses in speed skating are dominated by blood flow restriction.
• This restriction is linked to high intramuscular forces and/or the long duty cycle of the skating stroke.
• Findings support the hypothesis that blood flow limitation significantly impacts speed skating performance.