Oxygen consumption and metabolic strain in rowing ergometer exercise.

Oxygen consumption (VO2) when rowing was determined on a mechanically braked rowing ergometer (RE) with an electronic measuring device. VO2 was measured by an open spirometric system. The pneumotachograph valve was fixed to the sliding seat, thus reducing movement artefacts. A multi-stage test was performed, beginning with a work load of 150 W and increasing by 50 W every 2 minutes up to exhaustion. Serum lactate concentrations were determined in a 30 s break between the work stages. 61 examinations of oarsmen performing at maximum power of 5 W X kg-1 or more were analysed VO2 and heart rate (HR) for each working stage were measured and the regression line of VO2 on the work load (P) and an estimation error (Sxy) were calculated: VO2 = 12.5 X P + 415.2 (ml X min-1) (Sxy = +/- 337 ml, r = 0.98) Good reproducibility was found in repeated examinations. Similar spiroergometry was carried out on a bicycle ergometer (BE) with 10 well trained rowers and 6 trained cyclists. VO2 of rowing was about 600 ml X min-1 higher than for bicycling in the submaximal stages for both groups. The VO2max of RE exercise was 2.6% higher than for oarsmen on BE, and the cyclists reached a greater VO2 on BE than the oarsmen. No differences were found between RE and BE exercise heart rate. The net work efficiency when rowing was 19% for both groups, experienced and inexperienced: when cycling it was 25% for cyclists and 23% for oarsmen.