ABSTRACT
Rowing imposes a challenge to the human body by the involvement of nearly all muscle groups during intense dynamic exercise. Furthermore, during each stroke a considerable muscle tension is built up making training for competitive rowing a combination of strength development and endurance. The physiology of rowing has been the subject of reviews (Secher, 1983; Hagerman, 1984), and an East German textbook on rowing has been published (Körner and Schwanitz, 1985). The appearance of these texts reflects the dramatic change in the attitude towards competitive rowing which has taken place in recent years. With the introduction of rowing ergometers by O.Vaage and E.Gjessing in Norway and Hagerman and Howie (1971) in New Zealand, it is now recognized that the assessment of certain physiological variables, such as work capacity and maximal oxygen uptake, play an integral part in the planning of oarsmen’s training and have become an aid for the coach in team selection (Mahler, Andrea and Andresen, 1984). It is acknowledged that although data have been published for a number of physiological variables in oarsmen, the increasing bulk of experience gained from the use of rowing ergometers by coaches has not been collected with the aim of publishing the results. This may be especially true for the East European countries, despite their large contribution to international rowing competitions. This chapter will update the literature related to rowing and add some unpublished observations. In addition some biomechanical aspects related to rowing will be included.
