br>
Five-time Olympic champion Johannes Klebo surprised cross-country skiing fans with the uncharacteristic muscle mass he gained during summer training. The Sport columnist, together with experts, analyzed the changes that had taken place and tried to answer the question of whether all this would be detrimental for the Norwegian.
The first thought that came to mind after looking at Klebo’s new photographs: is it necessary to break something? what worked?
br>
The Norwegian was never distinguished by the athleticism characteristic of the same Alexander Bolshunov, but, as the results showed, he did not need it. What consequences could a sudden increase in muscle mass have and why would an accomplished 26-year-old skier take such risks? There are several options.
Gaining muscle mass for an athlete is the simplest a way to increase the strength component. And in cyclic sports this is an excellent way to increase motor potential. The result is an increase in speed. But there are also huge risks, since as muscles grow, so do the demands on the body. Or rather, to its ability to provide such “reliefs”.
Will the body survive?
For example, is the body able to provide new muscles with oxygen and energy. Will the central nervous system cope? If yes, great. And for some reason, many people think that by gaining muscle mass, Klebo is trying to improve his results in distance races. But this is not entirely true.
«
“Excess muscle mass in distances can cause more harm than in sprints,” notes Maxim Volkov, leading specialist in the department of scientific and methodological support of the Sports Training Center (TSSP). “I assume that no fools are working with Klebo, and such changes are a planned effect. Although The opposite can never be ruled out. Accordingly, his team assumes that he has sufficient reserves to effectively utilize the muscle mass he has gained.»
But, indeed, the possibility of an ordinary “puncture” cannot be ruled out. Coaching shortcomings, excessive enthusiasm for protein supplements, etc. That is, a banal mistake, a human factor. And then Klebo may face sad consequences. He simply will not have enough body resources to maintain high speed over the entire distance. And the skier just gets up. As already happened to him at the Beijing Olympics.
“This will be especially noticeable in long races,” Volkov emphasizes. “Or the equipment will ‘break’. In this case, it will have to return to its original state. There is always the risk of breaking what worked effectively and building something new with virtually no effort.” zero.»
«Klebo became more like a man»
Interestingly, the only two-time holder of the title of “King of Skis” in the world, Petter Northug, does not express such concerns. According to the Olympic champion, Klebo has finally become more like a man than a child. He even compares his colleague to a young bull. And he emphasizes that gaining muscle mass is a planned step towards the 2025 World Ski Championships, which will be held in Trondheim, Norway.
“Some have the same shape throughout their entire career,” he noted. interview with Tv2 Northug — Some people experience greater muscle growth in the summer. From the 2011 World Championships in Oslo to Falun 2015, I gained three or four kilograms. On the descent, I lost speed, but at the same time I became stronger in finish».
< br>
World champion, bronze medalist of the Vancouver Games Alexey Petukhov, in a conversation with, was also optimistic in his assumptions, emphasizing that Klebo just lacked the power in the strength component.
«
“Gaining muscle mass is not a bad thing,” said Petukhov. “When a large amount of strength work is done, the muscle grows. If he is able to pump up this muscle mass in a race, if the work was done wisely, and I think that they institutes work well, anthropometric readings are taken, then this will work in his favor. Klebo just lacked power in the strength component. He could accelerate, keep the pace somewhere, but lacked the strength component. Of the minuses — if he gained muscle the mass is not made up of fibers capable of contracting, but due to improper load or a fatty component.»
Moreover, Petukhov emphasized that by winter Klebo’s muscle relief, which impressed everyone, will partially go away.
“By winter, it will dry out, lose weight, and won’t look so powerful. Muscle mass will drop. At one time, when we did volumes in the summer, everyone’s muscle mass grew. Zhenya Dementyev, if memory serves correctly, gained up to five kilograms over the summer live muscle mass, and for that season there was a very good result,” summed up the Olympic medalist.
Justified risk
Indeed, why shouldn’t Klebo experiment? The 2023/24 season will be, as they say, “passing”, without the World Cup. There are still two and a half years before the Olympic Games, and among the nine gold medals won at the world and five Olympic victories, there is still not a single personal award won over long distances. Maybe this is the main goal of the already accomplished skier from Norway? In this case, the risk becomes completely justified.
Klebo himself indirectly confirms our conclusions, commenting on the latest disagreements in negotiations with the Norwegian Ski Federation. Even if these words were spoken on a different occasion, the fact remains a fact. “Honestly, I just suspended this process. There is no need to rush on my part. My goal is the World Championship in 2025, I said this clearly. Honestly, I can’t spend any more time on this,” NRK quotes Klebo.
If he is ready to miss the international season due to disagreements with the federation, then what can we say about his readiness to experiment? Klebo knows how to surprise.
The author’s opinion may not coincide with the editorial position.