High-Intensity Interval Training for Rowing: Acute Responses in National-Level Adolescent Males
Question
How do long-interval and short-interval rowing HIIT sessions differ in acute cardiometabolic, perceptual, and performance responses in trained adolescent rowers?
Summary
In 10 national-level adolescent male rowers, a randomized crossover comparison found that 4 x 4 minute rowing HIIT produced higher oxygen uptake, time near VO2max, heart-rate response, lactate, perceived exertion, and distance than 25 x 30 second intervals, while the short-interval protocol produced higher peak power. All athletes completed the acute sessions without complications.
Methodology
- National-level adolescent male rowers with at least 3 years of national competition experience.
- 10 participants.
- Concept2 rowing ergometer.
- Work intervals: 4 minutes.
- Recovery: 3 minutes active recovery.
- Intensity: Work at power corresponding to 90% of maximal aerobic power; recovery at 30% of maximal aerobic power.
- 25 minutes of intervals, plus 15-minute warm-up and 5-minute cool-down.
- One acute session.
- Single-session acute protocol.
- Randomized crossover acute exercise study
- VO2, time near 90% VO2max, total VO2, ventilation, heart rate, Total distance and peak power output, Blood lactate 2 minutes after exercise, and Borg CR-10 RPE and tolerability were tracked.
Outcomes
Main reported result
Long-interval HIIT produced significantly higher VO2, time near 90% VO2max, total VO2, total distance, RPE, lactate, and heart-rate responses than short-interval HIIT.
Main reported result
Short-interval HIIT produced significantly higher peak power output than long-interval HIIT.
Main reported result
Reported peak VO2 responses were about 97% of VO2max for long intervals and 90% for short intervals.
Main reported result
The long-interval session produced very high lactate responses, above 14 mmol/L, compared with moderate responses above 6 mmol/L after short intervals.
Insights
- For trained rowers, 4-minute intervals may better accumulate time near VO2max than repeated 30-second intervals.
- Short 30-second rowing intervals may be useful when the desired acute target is peak power rather than total oxygen uptake.
- The physiological load of 4 x 4 minute rowing HIIT is very high and should not be generalized to untrained adolescents.
Limitations
- Very small sample.
- Acute physiology study with no training adaptation follow-up.
- Mean workload differed between protocols, limiting direct comparability.
- RPE and lactate were collected after session completion rather than during the protocols.
Safety
- The protocol was generally well tolerated; all participants completed testing without complications, dizziness, lightheadedness, or nausea.