During on-water 2000m rowing a common parabolic race profile has been reported (Muehlbauer et al 2011). Previous studies have reported total boat speed when analysing pacing strategies during rowing, and no published study has reported individual rower or overall boat power profiles. The aim of this case study was therefore to describe overall and individual rower power profiles of a coxless four boat during 2 km and 5 km trials. Methods: A crew of four male rowers with at least three years competitive experience at varsity level participated in this study. Following familiarisation trials, the crew performed maximal trials over 2 km and 5 km in a Janousek 4- boat (Janousek Racing. Surrey, UK). The oarlocks were replaced with power-line gates (Peach Power-Line systems, Peach Innovations Ltd. Cambridge UK). The Power-line system was interfaced to a PC equipped with Power-Line V3-3 software which calculated power output (Watts) generated during each stroke. For both trials, mean overall boat and individual rower stroke power was calculated for each 25% epoch (25% of total strokes taken), and power for each individual epoch was calculated as a percentage of mean power maintained over the entire distance. The coefficient of variation was used to determine stroke to stroke and epoch to epoch variability for individual rowers and the overall boat. Results: Power profiles indicate that in both trials the overall pacing strategy consisted of a high power output in the initial 25% that decreased in the middle 50% and increased again in the final 25%. Individual rower data indicates that each has a different power profile, and not all mimic the overall boat profile. In both trials, the stroke and bow seats produced their highest power during the final epoch whereas rowers in the middle positions produced their highest power outputs in the opening epoch. Additionally, each individual also demonstrated a high degree of oscillation in stroke-to-stroke power output throughout the trials. Discussion: This study demonstrates that overall boat power profiles during 2 km and 5 km rowing trials are similar to velocity profiles previously reported for individual ergometry and on-water racing events. However, this overall profile is achieved despite considerable variation within individual rower profiles. Further research is warranted in order to determine the mechanisms through which individual contributions to overall pacing strategy are regulated, and the effectiveness or otherwise of seemingly disparate individual strategies on overall performance.
© Copyright 2012 17th Annual Congress of the European College of Sport Science (ECSS), Bruges, 4. -7. July 2012. Veröffentlicht von Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.