The stroke rate influences performance, technique and core stability during rowing ergometer

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of stroke rate on performance, technique and core stability during rowing ergometer. Twenty-four high-level rowers performed maximal intensity one-minute bouts at 20, 28 and 34 spm on a RowPerfect3 ergometer. Power at the handle, legs, trunk and arms levels were determined, and core kinematics and neuromuscular activations were measured. The power at the handle was enhanced with a higher stroke rate in the first half of the drive phase due to higher segment’s powers. This resulted in technical changes, as for instance greater mean to peak power ratio at each segment level. The higher trunk power preceded a delayed trunk extension but without significant increase in the erector spinae activation. This underlines the role of the core stability to transfer forces at a higher stroke rate. However, no co-activation parameters between trunk flexors and extensors helped further to understand this force transfer. Rowing at low stroke rate can be a training strategy to work on earlier trunk extension, while maintaining erectors spinae levels of activation. Training at higher stroke rate will induce a rowing technique closer to competition with greater neuromuscular activations, and maximise power production.

KEYWORDS:

• Power production
• trunk kinematics
• pelvis kinematics
• neuromuscular control
• muscles co-activations

Acknowledgments

We thank the participants and the Pole France et Espoir d’Aviron de Nancy for their involvement and time. The authors are also grateful to Arnaud Cosson, CEO of HRV Simulation, for supporting F. Simon during his PhD thesis.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the INSEP under Grant [project 19r22] and FEDER FSE-IEJ Lorraine et Massif des Vosges 2014-2020 under Grant [LO0027294].