Study On The Effect Of Pre-competition Plateau Training On The Physical Fitness And Athletic Performance Of Disabled Cross-country Skiers In China

Objective: To explore the changes in the cardiovascular system,skeletal muscle system,material-energy metabolic system,training test race,and official competition performance of the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympic Games before and after plateau training for disabled cross-country skiers in China,and then to investigate the effect of plateau training on physical function and sports performance of disabled crosscountry skiers in China.Methods: In this study,26 athletes from the national cross-country ski team for the disabled,including 14 athletes(7 male and 7 female)in the sitting group,9athletes(6 male and 3 female)in the standing group,and 3 athletes(2 male and 1female)in the visually impaired group,were used as subjects.The athletes’ heart rate,oxygen saturation,blood lactate,urine occult blood,and urine protein indexes were systematically monitored before and after four weeks of plateau training and during the plateau training;the athletes’ performance in the test matches before and after four weeks of plateau training and the changes of the athletes’ special ability before and after plateau training were systematically monitored.Results: 1.To determine the effect of plateau training on athletes’ physical function,(1)the resting heart rate of athletes in all groups,except female athletes in the standing group,was significantly lower than before plateau training(P < 0.05).Compared to the early plateau training period,the resting heart rate of athletes in all groups,except female athletes in the standing group,was significantly lower(P <0.05).The mean heart rate level of the athletes in all groups significantly decreased(P< 0.05)in the late-plateau training period compared to the early-plateau training period.(2)At the midpoint of plateau training,athletes in all groups,except female athletes in the standing phase group,had a significant decrease in immediate blood lactate levels(P < 0.05)compared to the early plateau training period.At the end of the plateau training period,there were no significant differences in blood lactate values between athletes in any of the groups,except for male athletes in the standing group.During the late-plateau training period,male athletes in the seated group,male athletes in the standing group,and athletes in the vision-impaired group demonstrated a significant increase in blood lactate recovery after an interval of twenty minutes(P<0.05).(3)As plateau training progressed,the positive urine protein level gradually decreased after training and during the early morning hours of the following day for all athlete groups.There was a high positive rate of occult urine blood in both the seated and standing groups of athletes in the initial stage of plateau training,which gradually decreased in the mid-to-late stage of plateau training as training progressed.2.The study also found that following plateau training,(1)male and female athletes in the seated group and male athletes in the standing group performed significantly better on the test race(P < 0.05),although there were no significant differences between the female athletes in the standing group and the athletes in the visually impaired group.(2)In the seated cross-country skiing group,both male and female athletes showed a significant(P < 0.05)improvement in the long-distance events prior is one of the most effective ways to improve physical function and athletic performance in disabled cross-country skiers.3.The resting heart rate of cross-country skiers with disabilities was correlated with the performance of cross-country skiers with disabilities in long-distance(r =0.41),middle-distance(r = 0.33),and cross-country skiers with disabilities in middledistance and medium distance special performance were positively correlated.Conclusions: 1.The four weeks of plateau training before the race improved the athletes’ heart contraction capacity and the ability of haemoglobin to transport oxygen;improved the athletes’ body’s ability to buffer lactic acid;and enhanced the athletes’ level of special ability over medium and long distances.During the plateau training period,the athletes’ material and energy metabolic systems were strengthened and their test race results were improved.2.This is probably due to the fact that the plateau environment at 1800 m and the moderate training load were more effective in stimulating the sitting athletes,who are mainly upper body power users.