Rowing research run-down: sprints, para, heat

As the 2023 international racing season hits its stride, World Rowing hopes that you can relax with a quick run-down of three rowing-related research articles that you might have missed this past year. From making a possible shift from 2000 metres to 1500 metres for LA 2028, to filling the gaps in para-rowing research to understanding the impact of heat on training performance, these studies showcase just a few examples of the fascinating rowing research that took place all around the world in the last year.

From 2000 metres to 1500 metres: How the possible change for LA 2028 might impact training

In this article by a team of sport scientists from Australia, PhD Student Daniel J. Astridge and colleagues ask an important question on the minds of elite rowers and coaches around the world: what will the change from 2000 m to 1500 m for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games mean for training and racing?

Starting with a look at racing’s effect on the body’s energy system, the researchers compare the new 1500 m rowing distance to other elite sport disciplines such as 400 m swim, 1500 m run, 1000 m K1 kayak and cycling team and individual pursuit. In traditional 2000 m rowing, the body’s aerobic system dominates, providing between 84-87% of the energy expended in a race. The shorter distance will mean faster races, but it will also put greater emphasis on the anaerobic system—a painful prospect in the minds of many rowers (more on pain and lactic acid in rowing here https://worldrowing.com/2015/06/12/why-rowing-hurts-facing-fatigue-and-lactic-acid/ ).

Notably, while it is always tempting in rowing to reduce performance and potential to an ergometer score, the authors stress the importance of also using on-water measures, cautioning that “the true physiological limit identified on a rowing ergometer may not correlate to that identified in an on-water setting.” Among their recommendations are greater focus on sprint interval training and a consistent power output racing strategy and finding as many opportunities to gain elite racing experience over 1500 m as possible. As for the potential for rowers to train for success in the 2028 Olympic distance of 1500 m while simultaneously preparing for 2000 m, which will remain the standard racing distance in all other World Rowing events before, during and after the Olympic year, Astridge and colleagues point out that athletes in other sports with multiple elite distance can and do succeed in more than one event.

Para-Rowing – a small but growing body of research

An international team of medical experts and researchers from Tunisia, Italy and Canada published a major contribution to rowing sport science with a “scoping review” of research on para-rowing. A scoping review is essentially an analysis of all existing research on a particular subject. The team found a mere 17 peer-reviewed academic articles since 2008 (the year of rowing’s Paralympic debut at the Beijing Games) that met their strict criteria for a clear focus on para-rowing. While this is orders of magnitude lower than the amount of research on able bodied rowing in the same time span, lead author, Luca Puce of the University of Genoa, and colleagues remain optimistic that researchers are “showing an increasing interest in this para-sports discipline.”

Beyond assessing these seventeen studies, the authors point out a range of important “gaps” where future researchers could focus their attention. Among these they list: “sports nutrition, doping, and psychological aspects in para-rowers other than those with visual impairment.” Even something as significant as looking at the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic is underexplored or unexplored for para-rowing. Learning more about these and deepening our understanding of all facets of para-rowing will make the sport more accessible and enjoyable for people with a range of abilities.

Turning up the heat

With temperatures rising due to the global climate crisis, many are rightly worried about the negative health impacts of extreme heat. But it turns out that “heat stress” also changes how rowers’ bodies respond to rigorous training over longer distances regularly experienced in training. Setting out to examining the effects, a team of Brazilian biomedical researchers measured a group of elite rowers doing 12 kilometre assessments at 22 degrees Celsius (°C) and 30 °C.

They found that, although cardiac output (the amount of blood the heart pumps in a minute) stayed the same at each temperature, rowing at 30 °C pushed down stroke volume (how much blood each heart beat pumps out) and raised heart rate to make up the difference. This change, called “cardiovascular drift”, is well known to sport scientists; the team had initially guessed that it would be the main cause of lower performance in hot conditions. What they found, however, was a cluster of effects from rate of perceived exertion (how hard rowers felt they were pushing) to higher levels of lactic acid production, to higher facial temperatures. This last finding in particular, they suggest, could point to the usefulness of facial imaging for assessing physiological responses to heat stress.

Significantly, the authors conclude that a range of assessment tools should be used for training in high heat rather than simply relying on feel. “The current study,” state the authors, “suggests that prolonged rowing exercise sessions under heat stress might be monitored by the combination of psychophysiological and external load parameters since workload and RPE may not match cardiovascular, respiratory, and metabolic responses to exercise.” Additionally, they propose that ambient temperature be factored into assessments of training intensity.

References:

Astridge, Daniel J., et al. Rowing in Los Angeles: Performance Considerations for the Change to 1500 m at the 2028 Olympic Games.” International journal of sports physiology and performance 18.1 (2022): 104-107. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2022-0231

Puce, Luca, et al. “A Scoping Review with Bibliometric Analysis of Para-Rowing: State of the Art and Future Directions.” Healthcare. Vol. 11. No. 6. MDPI, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11060849

Barreto, Igor VP dos S., et al. “Heated environment offsets the cardiovascular responses to prolonged rowing exercise in competitive athletes.” Journal of Thermal Biology (2023): 103603. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtherbio.2023.103603