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Looking Under the Hood of Elite Rowers: Skeletal Muscle Determinants of Rowing Performance
Phillip Bellinger1, Taylor Dick2, Llion Roberts3
1Griffith Sports Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports
|June 9, 2026
Summary
Elite rowers
Area of Science:
- Sports Physiology
- Exercise Science
- Biomechanics
Background:
- Understanding physiological and muscle characteristics is crucial for optimizing rowing performance.
- Elite rowers exhibit diverse physiological profiles impacting power output.
- Previous research has not fully elucidated the specific muscle characteristics associated with peak rowing performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify key physiological and muscle characteristics linked to mean power output in the final stage of a rowing incremental test.
- To investigate the independent contributions of various factors, including cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle fiber type, to rowing power.
- To explore potential sex-specific differences in these associations.
Main Methods:
- Seventeen national-level rowers (9 female) underwent a 7-stage incremental rowing test to assess peak oxygen consumption (V̇O2peak) and final stage mean power output.
- Muscle characteristics were evaluated using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) for lean body mass (LBM), MR imaging for muscle volumes, diffusion tensor imaging for muscle architecture, and proton MR spectroscopy for muscle typology.
- Hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis was employed to determine associations with mean power output, controlling for sex and LBM.
Main Results:
- Sex accounted for a significant portion of the variance in mean power output (R²=0.74), with lean body mass further improving the model fit (R²=0.87).
- After controlling for sex and LBM, peak oxygen consumption (V̇O2peak) showed the strongest independent association with mean power output (ΔR²=0.047), followed by the estimated proportion of type II muscle fibers (ΔR²=0.035).
- Other muscle characteristics explained minimal additional variance, and no significant sex-specific differences were detected in this cohort.
Conclusions:
- Sex and lean body mass are primary determinants of mean power output in elite rowers during incremental testing.
- Cardiorespiratory fitness (V̇O2peak) and a higher proportion of type II muscle fibers are key physiological and muscle characteristics independently associated with higher rowing power.
- Findings suggest that personalized training interventions targeting these specific characteristics may enhance rowing performance.
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