An interventional study of Rowing Ergometer Training for Novice Rowers and High-Performance Rowing Ergometer Training in Rowing, sponsored by Hacettepe University. Recruiting at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-07.
Sponsored by Hacettepe University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
This study aims to compare the effects of long-term rowing training on aerobic capacity, physical fitness, heart rate variability, and psychological performance in novice rowers, professional rowers, and healthy controls. Approximately 60 adults aged 18-65 years will be enrolled and allocated into three groups: novice rowers, professional rowers, and a non-exercising control group. Participants in the rowing groups will complete an 8-week supervised rowing ergometer training program (twice weekly), while the control group will maintain their usual daily activities without structured exercise. Assessments will be performed before and after the intervention and will include aerobic capacity (shuttle walk test, 500-m and 2000-m rowing ergometer tests), muscle strength, muscle power, muscular endurance, core stability, flexibility, agility, posture, heart rate variability, flow state, and mental toughness. The study is designed to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the physiological and psychological adaptations associated with rowing training at different levels of experience and to identify factors that distinguish novice and elite rowers.
This randomized controlled study is designed to investigate the effects of long-term rowing training on aerobic capacity, physical fitness, cardiovascular autonomic function, and psychological performance in individuals with different levels of rowing experience. Approximately 60 healthy adults aged 18-65 years will be recruited and allocated into three groups: novice rowers, professional rowers, and a healthy control group. Participants in the novice and professional rowing groups will complete an 8-week supervised rowing ergometer training program performed twice weekly, while the control group will continue their usual daily activities without participating in a structured exercise program.
Outcome assessments will be conducted before and after the intervention period. Aerobic capacity will be evaluated using the Shuttle Walk Test together with 500-m and 2000-m rowing ergometer performance tests. Physical fitness assessments will include muscle strength (back-leg dynamometer), muscle power (Countermovement Jump), muscular endurance (30-second push-up and sit-up tests), core stability (plank test), flexibility (Sit-and-Reach Test), agility (T-Test), and postural alignment (PostureScreen®). Cardiovascular autonomic function will be assessed through resting heart rate variability using a validated chest-strap heart rate monitor. Psychological performance will be evaluated using the Alpak Flow Scale and the Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire (SMTQ). Demographic and clinical characteristics will also be recorded.
The primary objective of the study is to compare multidimensional physiological and psychological adaptations between novice and professional rowers following an 8-week rowing training program and to determine how these adaptations differ from those observed in healthy controls. The findings are expected to improve understanding of training-induced adaptations in rowing and provide evidence to support the development of more effective, evidence-based training strategies aimed at optimizing athletic performance and promoting athlete health.
Adults aged 18 to 65 years. Able and willing to provide written informed consent. Medically able to participate in an 8-week rowing training program. For the novice rowing group: no previous structured rowing training experience. For the professional rowing group: actively competing or regularly training as a rower.
For the control group: healthy individuals not participating in structured rowing training during the study period.
Exclusion Criteria:
History of cardiovascular, neurological, orthopedic, psychiatric, or other systemic diseases that may interfere with study participation.
Cognitive or psychological conditions that prevent completion of the study assessments.
History of recent surgery or any medical condition limiting exercise participation.
Pregnancy. Inability or unwillingness to complete the intervention or outcome assessments. Participation in another structured exercise intervention during the study period.
Participants in this group will complete an 8-week supervised rowing ergometer training program twice weekly. Each session will include a warm-up, moderate-intensity rowing exercise emphasizing technical skill development, progressive interval training, and a cool-down period. Exercise intensity will be progressively increased according to participants' tolerance (RPE 11-13).
Other: Rowing Ergometer Training for Novice Rowers
Participants in this group will perform an 8-week supervised high-performance rowing ergometer training program twice weekly. Training will include warm-up, high-intensity interval rowing, race-pace training, sprint intervals, endurance sets, and cool-down. Exercise intensity will be individualized according to maximal capacity (RPE 14-18) with progressive increases throughout the intervention.
Other: High-Performance Rowing Ergometer Training
Participants assigned to the control group will not receive any structured rowing training or exercise intervention during the 8-week study period. They will be instructed to maintain their usual daily activities and avoid participation in organized exercise programs. Outcome assessments will be performed at baseline and after 8 weeks.
Participants will complete an 8-week supervised rowing ergometer training program performed twice weekly. Each session will consist of a 10-minute warm-up, 30-40 minutes of moderate-intensity rowing emphasizing technical skill development and progressive interval training (RPE 11-13), followed by a 5-10-minute cool-down. Exercise intensity and duration will be progressively adjusted according to each participant's tolerance and training adaptation.
Participants will complete an 8-week supervised high-performance rowing ergometer training program performed twice weekly. Each session will include a 10-15-minute warm-up, 40-60 minutes of high-intensity interval rowing, race-pace training, sprint intervals, and endurance sets (RPE 14-18), followed by a 10-minute cool-down. Training intensity and volume will be progressively individualized according to each participant's maximal exercise capacity.
2000-Meter Rowing Ergometer Performance
Time required to complete the 2000-meter rowing ergometer test as the primary indicator of rowing performance and aerobic fitness.
Time frame: Baseline and Week 8
Flow State
Change in flow state assessed using the Alpak Flow Scale. The Alpak Flow Scale ranges from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating a greater flow experience. Lower scores indicate a lower level of flow (worse outcome), whereas higher scores indicate a higher level of flow (better outcome).
Time frame: Baseline and Week 8
Mental Toughness
Change in mental toughness assessed using the Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire. The Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire consists of 14 items, with total scores ranging from 14 to 56. Higher scores indicate greater mental toughness (better outcome), whereas lower scores indicate lower mental toughness (worse outcome).
Time frame: Baseline and Week 8
Root Mean Square of Successive Differences (RMSSD)
Change in resting heart rate variability assessed using the Root Mean Square of Successive Differences (RMSSD). RMSSD is expressed in milliseconds (ms). Higher values indicate greater parasympathetic (vagal) activity and better cardiac autonomic function.
Time frame: Baseline and Week 8
Standard Deviation of Normal-to-Normal Intervals (SDNN)
Change in resting heart rate variability assessed using the Standard Deviation of Normal-to-Normal Intervals (SDNN). SDNN is expressed in milliseconds (ms). Higher values indicate greater overall heart rate variability and better cardiac autonomic function.
Time frame: Baseline and Week 8
Low-Frequency Power (LF)
Change in resting heart rate variability assessed using Low-Frequency Power (LF). LF is expressed according to the analysis method (e.g., milliseconds squared \[ms²\] or normalized units \[nu\]).
Time frame: Baseline and Week 8
High-Frequency Power (HF)
Change in resting heart rate variability assessed using High-Frequency Power (HF). HF is expressed according to the analysis method (e.g., milliseconds squared \[ms²\] or normalized units \[nu\]). Higher values generally indicate greater parasympathetic modulation.
Time frame: Baseline and Week 8
Shuttle Walk Test Distance
Change in functional aerobic capacity assessed using the Incremental Shuttle Walk Test. The outcome is the total distance walked during the Incremental Shuttle Walk Test, measured in meters (m). Minimum value: 0 meters. There is no fixed maximum value. Higher walking distances indicate better functional aerobic capacity (better outcome).
Time frame: Baseline and Week 8
500-Meter Rowing Ergometer Performance
Change in performance assessed using the 500-Meter Rowing Ergometer Test. The outcome is the time required to complete a 500-meter rowing ergometer test, measured in seconds (s). Minimum value: 0 seconds. There is no fixed maximum value. Lower completion times indicate better rowing performance (better outcome), whereas higher completion times indicate poorer rowing performance (worse outcome).
Time frame: Baseline and Week 8
Back and Leg Muscle Strength
Change in maximal isometric back and leg muscle strength measured using a back-leg dynamometer.
Time frame: Baseline and Week 8
Lower Limb Muscle Power
Change in lower limb muscle power assessed using the Countermovement Jump Test. The outcome is the maximum jump height measured in centimeters (cm). Minimum value: 0 cm. There is no fixed maximum value. Higher values indicate greater lower limb muscle power (better outcome).
Time frame: Baseline and Week 8
Core Stability
Change in core stability assessed using the Plank Test. The outcome is the maximum time the plank position is maintained, measured in seconds (s). Minimum value: 0 seconds. There is no fixed maximum value. Higher values indicate better core stability and trunk muscular endurance (better outcome), whereas lower values indicate poorer core stability (worse outcome).
Time frame: Baseline and Week 8
Flexibility
Change in flexibility assessed using the Sit-and-Reach Test. The outcome is the maximum reach distance measured in centimeters (cm). Minimum value: 0 cm. There is no fixed maximum value. Higher values indicate greater flexibility (better outcome), whereas lower values indicate reduced flexibility (worse outcome).
Time frame: Baseline and Week 8
Agility
Change in agility assessed using the T-Test. The outcome is the time required to complete the T-Test, measured in seconds (s). Minimum value: 0 seconds. There is no fixed maximum value. Lower completion times indicate better agility (better outcome), whereas higher completion times indicate poorer agility (worse outcome).
Time frame: Baseline and Week 8
Postural Alignment
Change in postural alignment assessed using the PostureScreen® application.
Time frame: Baseline and Week 8
30-Second Push-Up Test
Change in upper body muscular endurance assessed using the 30-Second Push-Up Test. The outcome is the total number of correctly completed push-up repetitions performed in 30 seconds. Minimum value: 0 repetitions. There is no fixed maximum value. Higher values indicate better upper body muscular endurance (better outcome).
Time frame: Baseline and Week 8
30-Second Sit-Up Test
Change in abdominal muscular endurance assessed using the 30-Second Sit-Up Test. The outcome is the total number of correctly completed sit-up repetitions performed in 30 seconds. Minimum value: 0 repetitions. There is no fixed maximum value. Higher values indicate better abdominal muscular endurance (better outcome).
Time frame: Baseline and Week 8
Plan to share: No
Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.
Contact study teamGet an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.
Hacettepe University