Rowing Performance, Body Composition, and Bone Mineral Density Outcomes in College-Level Rowers after a Season of Concurrent Training
in International Journal of Sports Physiology and PerformanceClick name to view affiliation
Purpose:
To assess changes in body composition, lumbar-spine bone mineral density (BMD), and rowing performance in collegelevel rowers over a competition season.
Methods:
Eleven Division I college rowers (mean ± SD 21.4 ± 3.7 y) completed 6 testing sessions throughout the course of their competition season. Testing included measurements of fat mass, bone-free lean mass (BFLM), body fat (%BF), lumbar-spine BMD, and 2000-m time-trial performance. After preseason testing, rowers participated in a periodized training program, with the addition of resistance training to the traditional aerobic-training program.
Results:
Significant (P < .05) improvements in %BF, total mass, and BFLM were observed at midseason and postseason compared with preseason. Neither lumbar-spine BMD nor BMC significantly changed over the competitive season (P > .05). Finally, rowing performance (as measured by 2000-m time and average watts achieved) significantly improved at midseason and postseason compared with preseason.
Conclusion:
Our results highlight the efficacy of a seasonal concurrent training program serving to improve body composition and rowing performance, as measured by 2000-m times and average watts, among college-level rowers. Our findings offer practical applications for coaches and athletes looking to design a concurrent strength and aerobic training program to improve rowing performance across a season.
Young, Patterson, Pandya, and Smith are with the Dept of Human Performance Studies, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS. Kendall is with the School of Health and Kinesiology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA. Fairman is with the Dept of Kinesiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH. Address author correspondence to Kristina Kendall at kkendall@georgiasouthern.edu.
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