Individualized Training to Improve Aerobic Capacity and 2,000 m Rowing Performance in Youth Rowers

NCT07602244 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 292630042026
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 44
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this randomized clinical trial is to learn whether an individualized rowing training program based on ventilatory thresholds can improve aerobic capacity and 2,000 m rowing performance in youth rowers from Valdivia, Chile. The study will include male and female rowers aged 14 to 18 years who train regularly at Club de Remeros Arturo Prat. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does ventilatory threshold-based individualized training improve maximal oxygen uptake compared with the usual club training program? Does ventilatory threshold-based individualized training improve 2,000 m rowing ergometer performance compared with the usual club training program? Researchers will compare an individualized training group with a usual training group to see if prescribing exercise intensity based on each rower's ventilatory thresholds produces greater improvements in aerobic capacity, rowing performance, and related physiological measures. Participants will: Complete baseline and post-intervention assessments, including a cardiopulmonary exercise test on a rowing ergometer, blood lactate measurements during an incremental rowing test, a 2,000 m rowing ergometer test, body composition assessment, and respiratory muscle strength testing. Be randomly assigned to either an individualized training group or a usual training group. Complete a 12-week rowing training program. Use heart rate monitors during study training sessions so that training intensity, adherence, and safety can be monitored. Report any discomfort, injuries, or adverse events during the study. The individualized training group will train according to heart rate zones derived from each participant's ventilatory thresholds measured at baseline. The usual training group will continue the club's regular training program. The study will also explore individual variability in training response and the proportion of participants who respond or do not respond to each training approach.

Conditions

Athletic Performance; Aerobic Capacity; Rowing Performance

Keywords

Rowing; Youth Rowers; Youth Athletes; Ventilatory Threshold; Individualized Training; Aerobic Training; VO2max; 2,000 m Rowing Ergometer; Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing; Blood Lactate; Exercise Performance; Training Response; Interindividual Variability; Responders and Non-Responders; Respiratory Muscle Strength

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Change in Maximal Oxygen Uptake

  Change in maximal oxygen uptake measured during a maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test on a rowing ergometer. VO2max will be defined as the highest oxygen uptake value obtained during the incremental test according to predefined maximality criteria. Unit of Measure: mL/kg/min

  Baseline and 12 weeks

• Change in 2,000 m Rowing Ergometer Performance Time

  Change in the total time required to complete a standardized 2,000 m rowing ergometer test performed at maximal self-selected intensity. Unit of Measure: seconds

  Baseline and 12 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (29)

• Change in Peak Power Output

  Baseline and 12 weeks

• Change in Power Output at the First Ventilatory Threshold

  Baseline and 12 weeks

• Change in Power Output at the Second Ventilatory Threshold

  Baseline and 12 weeks

• Change in Oxygen Uptake at the First Ventilatory Threshold

  Baseline and 12 weeks

• Change in Oxygen Uptake at the Second Ventilatory Threshold

  Baseline and 12 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Individualized Training

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this arm will complete a 12-week individualized rowing training program. Training intensity will be prescribed using heart rate zones derived from each participant's first and second ventilatory thresholds measured during baseline cardiopulmonary exercise testing on a rowing ergometer. Training sessions will include rowing on a rowing ergometer and/or on water, according to the club schedule. Coaches will adjust stroke rate, power output, effort duration, or recovery periods to maintain the target intensity zone. Heart rate monitors will be used during study training sessions to monitor intensity and adherence.

Behavioral: Individualized Rowing Training

Usual Training

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants in this arm will continue the usual 12-week rowing training program used by the club. Training will be prescribed and supervised by the coaching staff according to standard practice, including coach experience, stroke rate, perceived exertion, heart rate responses, training volume, and field-based performance references. The overall rowing training volume will be comparable to the individualized training group. Heart rate monitors will be used during study training sessions to document training load, intensity, and adherence.

Behavioral: Usual Rowing Training

Interventions

Individualized Rowing Training BEHAVIORAL

A 12-week rowing training program in which exercise intensity is individualized using heart rate zones derived from the first and second ventilatory thresholds measured at baseline during cardiopulmonary exercise testing on a rowing ergometer. Three training zones will be defined for each participant: below the first ventilatory threshold, between the first and second ventilatory thresholds, and above the second ventilatory threshold. Coaches will adjust stroke rate, power output, effort duration, or recovery periods to maintain the target intensity zone during study training sessions.

Individualized Training

Usual Rowing Training BEHAVIORAL

A 12-week usual rowing training program prescribed and supervised by the club coaching staff according to standard practice. Training intensity will be guided by usual coaching criteria, including stroke rate, perceived exertion, heart rate responses, training volume, and field-based performance references. Heart rate monitors will be used during study training sessions to document training load, intensity, and adherence.

Usual Training

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 14 Years - 18 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Active membership in Club de Remeros Arturo Prat of Valdivia.
• Age between 14 and 18 years.
• Systematic rowing training of at least 3 sessions per week under technical supervision.
• Participation in federated competitions or internal selection processes.
• Medical clearance for intense physical exercise issued by a treating physician or competent institution, such as a pre-participation medical evaluation.

You may not qualify if:

• History of uncontrolled cardiovascular, respiratory, or metabolic disease that contraindicates intense exercise, such as structural heart disease, clinically significant arrhythmias, or uncontrolled asthma.
• Acute or chronic musculoskeletal injury that prevents completion of the training program or study assessments.
• Use of medications that may substantially modify the physiological response to exercise, such as beta-blockers, or declared history of doping.
• Acute illness at the time of assessment, including fever, infection, or respiratory symptoms.
• Cognitive, language, or behavioral difficulties that prevent understanding instructions or complying with the study protocol.
• Simultaneous participation in another exercise intervention study.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Universidad San Sebastián: lead

Study Sites (1)

Universidad San Sebastián, Valdivia Campus

Valdivia, Los Ríos Region, Valdivia, Chile

Location

Related Publications (7)

• Huerta Ojeda A, Riquelme Guerra M. Six-minute rowing test: a practical tool for training prescription, from ventilatory thresholds and power outputs, in amateur male rowers. PeerJ. 2023 Sep 29;11:e16160. doi: 10.7717/peerj.16160. eCollection 2023.

  PMID: 37790629 BACKGROUND

• Diry A, Ratel S, Nevill A, Maciejewski H. What is the physiological impact of reducing the 2,000 m Olympic distance in rowing to 1,500 m and 1,000 m for French young competitive rowers? Insights from the energy system contribution. Front Physiol. 2022 Jul 18;13:896975. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2022.896975. eCollection 2022.

  PMID: 35923235 BACKGROUND

• Hopkins WG. Individual responses made easy. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2015 Jun 15;118(12):1444-6. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00098.2015. Epub 2015 Feb 12. No abstract available.

  PMID: 25678695 BACKGROUND

• Hopkins WG, Marshall SW, Batterham AM, Hanin J. Progressive statistics for studies in sports medicine and exercise science. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009 Jan;41(1):3-13. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e31818cb278.

  PMID: 19092709 BACKGROUND

• Faude O, Kindermann W, Meyer T. Lactate threshold concepts: how valid are they? Sports Med. 2009;39(6):469-90. doi: 10.2165/00007256-200939060-00003.

  PMID: 19453206 BACKGROUND

• Mann TN, Lamberts RP, Lambert MI. High responders and low responders: factors associated with individual variation in response to standardized training. Sports Med. 2014 Aug;44(8):1113-24. doi: 10.1007/s40279-014-0197-3.

  PMID: 24807838 BACKGROUND

• Seiler S. What is best practice for training intensity and duration distribution in endurance athletes? Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2010 Sep;5(3):276-91. doi: 10.1123/ijspp.5.3.276.

  PMID: 20861519 BACKGROUND

Central Study Contacts

Johnattan Cano Montoya, MSc.

CONTACT

+56962382339; johnattan.cano@uss.cl

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: Outcome assessors responsible for baseline and post-intervention evaluations will be masked to group allocation. Participants and coaches cannot be masked because of the nature of the training intervention.
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 15, 2026
• First Posted: May 22, 2026
• Study Start: June 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): October 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): October 1, 2026
• Last Updated: May 22, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CL (1)