Rowing, the ultimate challenge to the human body - implications for physiological variables
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Updated: Jun 24, 2026

A Chronic High-Intensity Interval Training and Diet-Induced Obesity Model to Maximize Exercise Effort and Induce Physiologic Changes in Rats
Published on: April 28, 2023
Stefanos Volianitis1, Niels H Secher
1Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark. svolian@hst.aau.dk
Abstract:
Clinical diagnoses depend on a variety of physiological variables but the full range of these variables is seldom known. With the load placed on the human body during competitive rowing, the physiological range for several variables is illustrated. The extreme work produced during rowing is explained by the seated position and the associated ability to increase venous return and, thus, cardiac output. This review highlights experimental work on Olympic rowing that presents a unique challenge to the human capacities, including cerebral metabolism, to unprecedented limits, and provides a unique opportunity to reveal the extreme range of many physiological variables.
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