Cardiovascular drift while rowing on an ergometer

Cardiovascular drift (CV_drift) refers to the gradual increase in heart rate (HR) during steady-state exercise. It has been shown to occur after ~15 min into running and cycling. Heart rate variability and CV_drift have yet to be analyzed during rowing on an ergometer. Two groups of 10 male collegiate rowers performed a 60-min session on an ergometer wearing HR monitors with HR measured at 1-min intervals. Demographic variables, post-workout dehydration, and ambient room temperature were measured. Descriptive statistics, dependent and independent samples t-tests, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and linear regression were conducted to analyze variables. Stabilization of HR following the acclimation phase of exercise differed in rowing versus the role of cycling and running on the CV_drift. These findings may alter the current approach to adapting cycling and running HR training regimens to the sport of rowing and may even necessitate that rowing coaches develop their own training regimens when using HR as a monitoring mechanism. The results suggest that target HR training zones may be unique for the sport of rowing.