Determination of anaerobic threshold powerduring the ski ergometer step test with increasing load using heart rate data

Aim. The paper aims to determine the anaerobic threshold (AnT) power level using heart rate (HR) data from different age groups of skilled skiers (from 1st adult sports category to International-level Master of Sports). Materials and methods. The group consisted of 19 cross-country skiers: females (n = 4) and males (n = 6) of the senior age group; juniors aged 19-20 years (n = 4); males (n = 3) and females (n = 2). To determine the anaerobic threshold level (AnT), the participants were asked to perform step-increasing load (double poling) on the Concept 2 SkiErg ski ergometer. Physical activity was adjusted by the PerfPRO computer program, designed for ergometers using the ANT+ system. Instrumental methods and methods of mathematical statistics were used for the purpose of the study. Results. It was found that regardless of the age group and sports skills, heart rate at the AnT level was in the range of 174.98 ± 1.67 bpm. At the same time, power at the AnT level increased by 55.15 ± 11.12 watts (W) for males and 30.09 ± 7.42 W for females on average with increase in sports skills and transition between age groups. Con-clusion. Our study shows that the non-invasive method of determining the AnT level by heart rate is an informative tool for evaluating physical performance, which can be used to identify significant metabolic changes and control the training process. The increase in physical performance is based on the increase in contractile power at the AnT level.