Impact of the Annual Training Cycle on the Physical Capacity of Young Rowers

The aim of the study was to assess the changes in the physical capacity of a group of leading Polish young male rowers after they completed the annual training cycle. The study involved 30 subjects who either belonged to the Under-23 Polish National Rowing Team or were its reserve rowers. The subjects underwent two stress tests: a maximum intensity test simulating covering the distance of a regatta (the 2 km test) and a submaximal test with a gradual increase in intensity (the anaerobic threshold test) before and after the annual training cycle. Contrary to what was expected, a year of training did not cause a significant increase in the work capacity indicators measured in the study. The training programme that was implemented was found not to have been very effective in this respect. No statistically significant increase was observed in the values obtained for the subjects in the test simulating covering the distance of the race, although there was some improvement. Similar findings, indicating that the results of stress tests tend to remain stable, were obtained by other authors whose research involved young rowers aged approximately 20 years. However, we would still like to emphasise that the effectiveness of training which develops endurance, the basic foundation for a rower’s successful performance, should be paid more attention to in the training process.