Abstract des Autors

Canoe and kayak flat water paddling are upper-body sports that make varying demands for upper body aerobic and anaerobic capacity. In order to evaluate the effect of age and gender on upper body aerobic and anaerobic capacity in flat water paddling, altogether 306 elite flat water paddlers (99 female kayak paddlers, 135 kayak and 72 canoe male paddlers) were tested by a 30-s Wingate anaerobic arm test at a resistance load 4 W.kg–1 (= 0.069 kg.kg–1) in males and 3.3 W.kg1
(= 0.057 kg.kg–1) in females, and an incremental maximum aerobic arm-cranking test. The results were compared canoe paddlers and in male and female kayak paddlers in four age categories 13 to 14.9, 15 to 16.9, 17 to 18.9 years of age and in seniors (19 years and older), respectively. Whereas maximum aerobic performance in male canoe and kayak paddlers increased from 13–14.9 to 15–16.9 age category and was not different in junior (17–18.9 years) and senior paddlers, in the anaerobic arm test, both peak power and mean power output increased wit age from the youngest to the oldest age categories. These anaerobic capacity indices were strongly related to the amount of fat-free mass (PP: r = 0.69 and r = 0.62; MP: r = 0.72 and r = 0.71 for the canoe and kayak paddlers, respectively). In female kayak paddlers, the indices of upper body aerobic and anaerobic capacity also increased with age, however the differences among the age groups were smaller than in male paddlers. In contrast to male paddlers, in female kayak paddlers the upper body aerobic and anaerobic capacity indices (relative to body mass) were unrelated to the amount of fat free mass. The results had demonstrated the differences in evolution of upper body aerobic and anaerobic capacity in male and female flat water paddlers and could be used as guidance standards for the indices of aerobic and anaerobic capacity in flat-water paddlers of various age categories. Verf.-Referat