athletes who participate in them, long-track
skating will be discussed in greater detail
throughout this chapter as it occurs more widely
in the literature.
Propulsion in the speed-skating stroke is
obtained from a sideward push-off caused by
extension of the hip and knee joint muscles. Gen-
erally, 60–80 skating strokes are performed per
minute (de Boer & Nilsen 1989). The propulsion
or push-off phase of the stroke lasts 0.15–0.20 s
and is in the middle of the glide (0.50–0.75 s) and
recovery (0.05–0.20 s) phases (de Boer & Nilsen
1989). The muscle contraction time/total stroke
time (duty cycle) of the hip and leg muscles is
approximately 55% of the activity (de Boer 1986).
Characteristics of speed skaters
The average body composition (men, 10% body
fat; women, 21% body fat), height (men, 177 cm)
and weight (men, 74 kg; women, 63 kg) of speed
skaters for the most part are similar to that of the
average man and woman (Snyder & Foster 1994).
Muscular strength and endurance (i.e. anaerobic
ability) are up to 20–35% greater in speed skaters
relative to body weight than the sedentary indi-
vidual (Foster & Thompson 1990). Maximal
aerobic power in speed skaters is approximately
65ml·kg–1· min–1for men and 58 ml · kg–1· min–1
for women. Skaters reach only 85–90% of their
running or cycling aerobic power during a
skating event, more than likely due to the
reduced blood flow caused by the isometric
muscle contractions of the hip and knee exten-
sors (Foster & Thompson 1990).
Training practices
Due to a lack of year-round venue availability,
speed skaters, like most winter sports athletes,
face unique training problems. Even though
there are now eight indoor 400-m ice ovals in the
world, very few venues have ice the whole year
round, with most venues open only from Sep-
tember to March. Thus, many dry land training
techniques are needed. The general training year
for speed skaters can be broken down into prepa-
ration, competition and transition phases (Crowe
1990; van Ingen Schenau et al. 1992). Overall con-
ditioning is the primary goal of the preparation
phase, with general activities progressing to spe-
cific skating activities (June to October). Skating
technique is emphasized and conditioning main-
tained during the competition phase (November
to March). Finally, recovery is emphasized dur-
ing the transition period (April to June) with
activities other than skating performed.
Generally, elite skaters spend about 30–35 h in
14 different exercise sessions per week during
the preparation phase (Pollock et al. 1982; van
Ingen Schenau et al. 1992). As the energy source
of the different speed-skating races varies
depending on the distance (Fig. 50.1), training
activities include: (i) aerobic (distance running
and cycling) activities (40%), (ii) high-intensity
interval/anaerobic activities (20%), (iii) strength
and endurance resistance training (15%), and
(iv) skating-related training (25%) (Pollock et al.
1982). During the preparation phase, 3 weeks of
intensive training are followed by 1 week of
easier training (Knapp et al. 1986; van Ingen
Schenauet al. 1992). The aerobic activities of
skaters are quite similar to those of distance
athletes and are intended to build an aerobic
base. The muscular strength and endurance
activities involve primarily high-intensity (or
high weight), low repetition and tempo work of
the hip and knee extensor muscles (Figs 50.2,
50.3).
Due to the general lack of ice availability, spe-
cific dry land skating activities have been devel-
oped and used with varying degrees of success.
Dry skating (Fig. 50.4) and low walking are twoskating 647
Table 50.1Current fastest recorded times for long-
track speed-skating events.
Event (m) Women Men500 0 : 37.55 0 : 34.76
1 000 1 : 14.61 1 : 08.55
1 500 1 : 56.95 1 : 46.43
3 000 4 : 01.67 3 : 53.06
5 000 6 : 58.63 6 : 21.49
10 000 13 : 08.71