Comparison of the Effects of Long-Term Rowing Training in Professional Rowers

NCT07752927 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 2026/8-10
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 54
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study aims to compare the effects of long-term rowing training on aerobic capacity, physical fitness, heart rate variability, and psychological performance in novice rowers, professional rowers, and healthy controls. Approximately 60 adults aged 18-65 years will be enrolled and allocated into three groups: novice rowers, professional rowers, and a non-exercising control group. Participants in the rowing groups will complete an 8-week supervised rowing ergometer training program (twice weekly), while the control group will maintain their usual daily activities without structured exercise. Assessments will be performed before and after the intervention and will include aerobic capacity (shuttle walk test, 500-m and 2000-m rowing ergometer tests), muscle strength, muscle power, muscular endurance, core stability, flexibility, agility, posture, heart rate variability, flow state, and mental toughness. The study is designed to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the physiological and psychological adaptations associated with rowing training at different levels of experience and to identify factors that distinguish novice and elite rowers.

Conditions

Rowing

Keywords

Rowing; Aerobic Capacity; Physical Fitness; Heart Rate Variability; Mental Toughness

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (7)

• 2000-Meter Rowing Ergometer Performance

  Time required to complete the 2000-meter rowing ergometer test as the primary indicator of rowing performance and aerobic fitness.

  Baseline and Week 8

• Flow State

  Change in flow state assessed using the Alpak Flow Scale. The Alpak Flow Scale ranges from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating a greater flow experience. Lower scores indicate a lower level of flow (worse outcome), whereas higher scores indicate a higher level of flow (better outcome).

  Baseline and Week 8

• Mental Toughness

  Change in mental toughness assessed using the Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire. The Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire consists of 14 items, with total scores ranging from 14 to 56. Higher scores indicate greater mental toughness (better outcome), whereas lower scores indicate lower mental toughness (worse outcome).

  Baseline and Week 8

• Root Mean Square of Successive Differences (RMSSD)

  Change in resting heart rate variability assessed using the Root Mean Square of Successive Differences (RMSSD). RMSSD is expressed in milliseconds (ms). Higher values indicate greater parasympathetic (vagal) activity and better cardiac autonomic function.

  Baseline and Week 8

• Standard Deviation of Normal-to-Normal Intervals (SDNN)

  Change in resting heart rate variability assessed using the Standard Deviation of Normal-to-Normal Intervals (SDNN). SDNN is expressed in milliseconds (ms). Higher values indicate greater overall heart rate variability and better cardiac autonomic function.

  Baseline and Week 8

• Low-Frequency Power (LF)

  Change in resting heart rate variability assessed using Low-Frequency Power (LF). LF is expressed according to the analysis method (e.g., milliseconds squared \[ms²\] or normalized units \[nu\]).

  Baseline and Week 8

• High-Frequency Power (HF)

  Change in resting heart rate variability assessed using High-Frequency Power (HF). HF is expressed according to the analysis method (e.g., milliseconds squared \[ms²\] or normalized units \[nu\]). Higher values generally indicate greater parasympathetic modulation.

  Baseline and Week 8

Secondary Outcomes (10)

• Shuttle Walk Test Distance

  Baseline and Week 8

• 500-Meter Rowing Ergometer Performance

  Baseline and Week 8

• Back and Leg Muscle Strength

  Baseline and Week 8

• Lower Limb Muscle Power

  Baseline and Week 8

• Core Stability

  Baseline and Week 8

Study Arms (3)

Novice Rowers

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this group will complete an 8-week supervised rowing ergometer training program twice weekly. Each session will include a warm-up, moderate-intensity rowing exercise emphasizing technical skill development, progressive interval training, and a cool-down period. Exercise intensity will be progressively increased according to participants' tolerance (RPE 11-13).

Other: Rowing Ergometer Training for Novice Rowers

Professional Rowers

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this group will perform an 8-week supervised high-performance rowing ergometer training program twice weekly. Training will include warm-up, high-intensity interval rowing, race-pace training, sprint intervals, endurance sets, and cool-down. Exercise intensity will be individualized according to maximal capacity (RPE 14-18) with progressive increases throughout the intervention.

Other: High-Performance Rowing Ergometer Training

Healthy Control

NO INTERVENTION

Participants assigned to the control group will not receive any structured rowing training or exercise intervention during the 8-week study period. They will be instructed to maintain their usual daily activities and avoid participation in organized exercise programs. Outcome assessments will be performed at baseline and after 8 weeks.

Interventions

Rowing Ergometer Training for Novice Rowers OTHER

Participants will complete an 8-week supervised rowing ergometer training program performed twice weekly. Each session will consist of a 10-minute warm-up, 30-40 minutes of moderate-intensity rowing emphasizing technical skill development and progressive interval training (RPE 11-13), followed by a 5-10-minute cool-down. Exercise intensity and duration will be progressively adjusted according to each participant's tolerance and training adaptation.

Novice Rowers

High-Performance Rowing Ergometer Training OTHER

Participants will complete an 8-week supervised high-performance rowing ergometer training program performed twice weekly. Each session will include a 10-15-minute warm-up, 40-60 minutes of high-intensity interval rowing, race-pace training, sprint intervals, and endurance sets (RPE 14-18), followed by a 10-minute cool-down. Training intensity and volume will be progressively individualized according to each participant's maximal exercise capacity.

Professional Rowers

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Adults aged 18 to 65 years. Able and willing to provide written informed consent. Medically able to participate in an 8-week rowing training program. For the novice rowing group: no previous structured rowing training experience. For the professional rowing group: actively competing or regularly training as a rower.
• For the control group: healthy individuals not participating in structured rowing training during the study period.

You may not qualify if:

• History of cardiovascular, neurological, orthopedic, psychiatric, or other systemic diseases that may interfere with study participation.
• Cognitive or psychological conditions that prevent completion of the study assessments.
• History of recent surgery or any medical condition limiting exercise participation.
• Pregnancy. Inability or unwillingness to complete the intervention or outcome assessments. Participation in another structured exercise intervention during the study period.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Hacettepe University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Munzur University Faculty of Health Sciences

Tunceli, Turkey (Türkiye)

RECRUITING

Related Publications (1)

• Borges I, Veiga S, Gonzalez-Frutos P. The Evaluation of Physical Performance in Rowing Ergometer: A Systematic Review. J Funct Morphol Kinesiol. 2025 Nov 9;10(4):437. doi: 10.3390/jfmk10040437.

  PMID: 41283544 BACKGROUND

Central Study Contacts

Ceyhun TOPCUOGLU, Dr.

CONTACT

+90 535 653 51 37; ceyhuntopcuoglu1@gmail.com

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Dr.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 2, 2026
• First Posted: August 7, 2026
• Study Start: June 24, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): October 16, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): November 1, 2026
• Last Updated: August 7, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-08

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)