The effect of two methods of interval training on the physical performance and oxygen recovery curves of rowers

The effectiveness of two training methods was examined. Two equally fast varsity 'four-oar' crews were assigned to two interval.training programs in the late stages of preparation for the competitive season. The three experimental testings measured total work performance completed in six minutes on the rowing ergometer and total oxygen consumption in 15 minutes of recovery. Improvement in the slope and the rate of the fast phase and the slow phase of the oxygen debt curve provided additional criteria in judging the superiority of one method over the other. All rowers were expected to improve their rowing performance as well as their total oxygen debt after an eight week training program. The rowers following training program A were expected to show greater improvement in all testing parameters than the rowers following training program B. A theoretical exponential function of the form A = A₁-K₁ + A₂e-K₂t was fitted to the oxygen data in recovery for all subjects in all three testings. Parameters of the oxygen debt curve, A₁, K₁, A₂, K₂, were calculated and treated statistically. Analysis of variance was used in order to study the effect of training and the effect of the two training methods on the experimental subjects. The results showed a satisfactory fit of the theoretical function to the experimental data of oxygen consumption. The oxygen debt curves after an exhaustive rowing exercise were similar in shape to curves obtained in moderate exercise by other experimenters. The results showed that there was a significant statistical improvement over trials in rowing performance, total oxygen debt, and A₁ parameter of oxygen debt curve for the rowers as a total group. The increase in A₁ was presumably due to the ability of the subjects to maintain a higher oxygen consumption in the terminal stage of work in the last testing. There was no significant difference between the two training programs in any of the test parameters. The results obtained, however, were in the direction expected by the stated hypotheses. The rowers who followed training program A reported slightly higher values for subjective feelings of tiredness immediately after interval rowing session and on the following day. This was as expected.Education, Faculty ofCurriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department ofGraduat