An important part of the Biomechanics assessment procedure is the testing protocol, which must provide standard conditions and make results comparable between rowers and over the course of time. There are two major factors affecting rowing technique: the stroke frequency and fatigue. Therefore, historically, it was used a test protocol consisting of two parts: · Step test with increasing stroke rate: e.g. 5-6 pieces by 250m or 1 minute at 20, 24, 28, 32, 36 str/min with a free recovery about 3-5 minutes and 30 second maximal effort and race piece 2000 m with full effort or specified percentage of it (say, at 95%). This test protocol takes quite a long time to complete (1-2 hours depending on recovery time between two parts) and puts a significant load on rowers. Therefore, last year the authors designed a combined test protocol, which allows determination of both effects at once. The test is described in the article.
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