Physiological Responses to Short-Duration High-Intensity Intermittent Rowing

Six highly trained male elite rowers performed five sets of intermittent exercise on a rowing ergometer at competition intensity. Each set consisted of eight cycles of 15 s work and 15 s rest (15/15). Each set was repeated at 30-s intervals. Oxygen uptake and heart rate were continuously measured during each set. During the period between sets, microsamples of arterialized blood were obtained and later analyzed for lactate concentration. On two separate days, each subject also performed a 6-min bout of "all-out " exercise and a continuous incremental exercise test to fatigue on the rowing ergometer. During the intermittent rowing, no significant differences were detected in any of the measured variables between sets. Heart rate, oxygen uptake, and blood lactate averaged 89, 78, and 32%, respectively, of peak values measured during the continuous incremental exercise test. It is concluded that with rowing, the investigated 15/15 intermittent exercise model demands relatively high aerobic loading and low glycolytic activity. This exercise protocol may be considered an alternative model for training which allows rowers to work for prolonged periods of time at or slightly above competition intensity. Key words: Intermittent exercise, blood lactate, heart rate, oxygen uptake