Int J Sports Med 2005; 26(5): 376-382
DOI: 10.1055/s-2004-821051
Training & Testing

© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Rowing Performance and Estimated Training Load

L. Messonnier1 , S. E. Aranda-Berthouze2 , M. Bourdin3 , Y. Bredel4 , J.-R. Lacour4
  • 1Laboratoire de Modélisation des Activités Sportives, Département STAPS, Université de Savoie, Le Bourget du Lac Cedex, France
  • 2Laboratoire de la Performance CRIS, UFR-STAPS, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne Cedex, France
  • 3Laboratoire de Biomécanique et de Modélisation Humaine, Faculté de Médecine Lyon-Sud, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Oullins Cedex, France
  • 4Laboratoire de Physiologie de l'Exercice, Faculté de Médecine Lyon-Sud, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Oullins Cedex, France
Further Information

Publication History

Accepted after revision: April 25, 2004

Publication Date:
10 September 2004 (online)

Abstract

We related the rowing performance and the associated physiological parameters to the training load as estimated by a questionnaire addressing the mean habitual weekly energy expenditure (MHWEE) of twenty-one international and national level oarsmen. The questionnaire also addressed the energy expenditure during training (EET) sessions classified as low- (EE1), moderate- (EE2), and high-intensity (EE3). To evaluate the physiological capability of the oarsmen, they performed incremental exercise to determine their maximal oxygen uptake (V·O2max) and the V·O2 relative to V·O2max corresponding to the 4 mmol · l-1 blood lactate concentration (V·O24 %). The mean work rate sustained during a 2000-m all-out event on a rowing ergometer was considered as the rowing performance. On average, the rowers spent 16.4 ± 1.0 h · wk-1 in training with 56 ± 3 % of the time spent on the water. EET represented 43.5 ± 1.7 % of MHWEE. Rowing performance and V·O2max were both related to MHWEE and EET. Also, rowing performance was related to EE1, EE2, and EE3. In contrast, V·O24 % was not related to the estimated energy expenditures. These results suggest that rowing performance and V·O2max are related to training load while V·O24 % was not in the present group of highly trained oarsmen.

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L. Messonnier

Laboratoire de Modélisation des Activités Sportives, Département STAPS, Université de Savoie

73376 Le Bourget du Lac Cedex

France

Phone: + 33479758147

Fax: + 33 4 79 75 81 48

Email: laurent.messonnier@univ-savoie.fr

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