To evaluate the relationship between oxygen uptake and work load in ergometer rowing eight female, open class (FH) and ten male lightweight (ML) elite rowers performed an incremental test to volitional exhaustion on a Concept II ergometer. The work rate started at 130/200 watt, and increased incrementally by 30/40 watt (FH/ML) every 5-min. Stroke rate started at 20 strokes/min, and increased by 2 strokes/min every 5-min. The subjects (FH/ ML) had a mean± SD age, height, weight, fat free weight, and VO2max of 24.5± 3.2/ 24.9± 2.8 yrs, 182.3± 4.8/ 186.4± 5.2 cm, 79.2± 4.6/ 78.3± 2.2 kg, 59.1± 3.5/ 68.6± 2.5 kg, 4.2± 0.2/ 5.2± 0.5 l/min. Linear regressions, using values below 85% of VO2max were used to calculate the relationship between oxygen uptake and power output. FH: VO2 (l/min) = 0.01360 x power(watt) + 0.43841; r = 0.94; p<0.05 ML: VO2 (l/min) = 0.01472 x power(watt) + 0.25039; r = 0.95; p<0.05 FH: Std Err of Coef. = 0.00068 Std Err of Y Est = 0.14 l/min ML: Std Err of Coef. = 0.00060 Std Err of Y Est = 0.14 l/min At a work load of 200 watt there were no differences in energy cost between males and females, despite female rowers had a stroke rate of 5 strokes/min higher than the males. This lack of gender difference in VO2 may be due to a higher efficiency in the female rowers, since working at a higher relative work load (75%), compared to the male rowers working at a lower relative work load (61%). In conclusion, VO2 can be predicted from work load in elite male and female rowers in the Concept II ergometer.
© Copyright 1999 5th IOC World Congress on Sport Sciences with the Annual Conference of Science and Medicine in Sport 1999. All rights reserved.