Main Causes of Fatigue in Rowing
Fatigue, or reduced ability to generate force, is a natural consequence of exercise.
Energy needs in rowing
Rowing depends on the production of a great deal of power to drive the major muscle groups throughout the 6-minute race. Rowers therefore have high-energy needs with the legs producing most of the work. The legs are therefore potentially the ‘weak link.’
The ability to produce force is dependent upon the energy systems required during rowing. Central to the body’s energy system is a complex molecule called ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate), which stores the energy that is needed for muscle activity. It is produced by 3 energy systems - ATP-PC, anaerobic glycolysis and the aerobic system. All 3 energy systems supply energy for muscle contraction and are simultaneously activated during rowing.
Rowing depends on the production of a great deal of power to drive the major muscle groups throughout the 6-minute race. Rowers therefore have high-energy needs with the legs producing most of the work. The legs are therefore potentially the ‘weak link.’
The ability to produce force is dependent upon the energy systems required during rowing. Central to the body’s energy system is a complex molecule called ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate), which stores the energy that is needed for muscle activity. It is produced by 3 energy systems - ATP-PC, anaerobic glycolysis and the aerobic system. All 3 energy systems supply energy for muscle contraction and are simultaneously activated during rowing.
Aerobic energy system
Good rowing performance and the ability to delay the onset of fatigue relies heavily on aerobic endurance with the aerobic energy system supplying 70-80% of required energy - a trained cardiorespiratory system for the uptake, delivery and utilisation of oxygen and fuels to maintain a very high level of intensity throughout their race. Oxygen consumption rises as you exercise to a point where it plateaus, even when exercise intensity increases. This plateau is VO2 max (maximal oxygen uptake). After this point, muscle fatigue soon sets in.
This highlights the importance of rowers developing their VO2 max through endurance training. Simply, the more oxygen you can produce, the more ATP (energy) you can produce, and the higher your VO2 max the greater your potential to achieve better aerobic endurance. VO2 max is an excellent predictor of rowing performance. Elite rowers need to have a high VO2 max.
Good rowing performance and the ability to delay the onset of fatigue relies heavily on aerobic endurance with the aerobic energy system supplying 70-80% of required energy - a trained cardiorespiratory system for the uptake, delivery and utilisation of oxygen and fuels to maintain a very high level of intensity throughout their race. Oxygen consumption rises as you exercise to a point where it plateaus, even when exercise intensity increases. This plateau is VO2 max (maximal oxygen uptake). After this point, muscle fatigue soon sets in.
This highlights the importance of rowers developing their VO2 max through endurance training. Simply, the more oxygen you can produce, the more ATP (energy) you can produce, and the higher your VO2 max the greater your potential to achieve better aerobic endurance. VO2 max is an excellent predictor of rowing performance. Elite rowers need to have a high VO2 max.
Anaerobic energy system
Whilst the majority of rowing training is endurance training, aimed at developing VO2 max, there is also an important contribution from the anaerobic (without oxygen) energy system, which contributes 20% to 30% of the energy needs during a race.
As muscles work harder, they must also utilise anaerobic respiration to produce energy, which results in a build-up of lactic acid in the muscles which ultimately affects the ability of the muscles to continue to work at the same intensity. There reaches a point (lactate threshold) where the lactic acid in the blood rises significantly, after which pain and muscle fatigue sets in. Fatigue is caused by the hydrogen ion that is generated by the lactic acid by adversely impacting on the cellular processes that produce energy and muscle contraction.
Rowers therefore also need to train to develop their anaerobic capacity through strength training. Strength training can alter the intensity at which lactic acid accumulates, so lactic acid (anaerobic threshold training) is a vital component in a rowing training programme.
Whilst the majority of rowing training is endurance training, aimed at developing VO2 max, there is also an important contribution from the anaerobic (without oxygen) energy system, which contributes 20% to 30% of the energy needs during a race.
As muscles work harder, they must also utilise anaerobic respiration to produce energy, which results in a build-up of lactic acid in the muscles which ultimately affects the ability of the muscles to continue to work at the same intensity. There reaches a point (lactate threshold) where the lactic acid in the blood rises significantly, after which pain and muscle fatigue sets in. Fatigue is caused by the hydrogen ion that is generated by the lactic acid by adversely impacting on the cellular processes that produce energy and muscle contraction.
Rowers therefore also need to train to develop their anaerobic capacity through strength training. Strength training can alter the intensity at which lactic acid accumulates, so lactic acid (anaerobic threshold training) is a vital component in a rowing training programme.