The 1,500-m Rowing Performance is Highly Dependent on Modified Wingate Anaerobic Test Performance in National-Level Adolescent Rowers.

Abstract

The aim of the current study was to determine whether the anaerobic performance assessed by a modified Wingate test could account for the 1,500-m rowing ergometer performance in young competitive rowers. Fourteen national-level adolescent rowers performed on a rowing ergometer i) a 30-s allout exercise (i.e., modified Wingate test) and ii) a 1,500-m all-out exercise (i.e., rowing performance). For each of these two exercises, the mean power output was considered as the main performance criterion (PWIN and P1500, respectively). PWIN was correlated to P1500 (r2 = .83, p < .0001, β = 100%). Furthermore, the estimated total muscle mass was correlated to PWIN and P1500 (r2 = .72 and r2 = .83, p < .0001, β = 100%, respectively). The allometric scaling also indicated that total muscle mass accounts 62% for the relationship between PWIN and P1500. Our results highlight the importance of considering the contribution of total muscle mass and anaerobic energy pathways to 1,500-m rowing performance in competitive adolescent rowers. Therefore, the modified Wingate test could be used by rowing coaches to potentially identify talented young rowers.