Strength and Aerobic Determinants of 2000-m Rowing Ergometer Performance: Comparative Analysis of Expert versus Novice Rowers

This study aimed to establish a strength assessment framework for weight room training and identify key strength and aerobic determinants of rowing-specific performance, with particular focus on power, lower-body strength, upper-body pulling strength, and maximal oxygen uptake. Forty-three male open-weight rowers were stratified into expert and novice groups. Participants completed a 2000-m time trial on Concept2 rowing ergometers, VO₂max testing, and 1RM assessments for four compound lifts. Split power output and total completion time were recorded. The power clean and the back squat strongly correlated with average power (r = 0.50–0.69) and negatively with 2000-m time (r = −0.47 to −0.62) (p < 0.05). The bench pull showed moderate correlation with first 500-m power (r = 0.43–0.47), but not overall performance. Notably, the power clean correlated more strongly with ergometer performance in experts, whereas the back squat showed higher associations in novices. For aerobic capacity, absolute VO₂max correlated better with performance in experts, while relative VO₂max had stronger associations in novices. The power clean and the back squat 1RM emerged as cornerstone metrics for rowing strength assessment, requiring experience-specific interpretation. VO₂max remained a critical performance predictor. We recommend integrating periodized strength testing with sport-specific training while investigating the synergistic development of power and aerobic capacity. These

Findings: provide practical guidance for implementing free-weight training to evaluate and enhance rowing-specific strength. Given the repeated power demands of 2000-m racing, future research should incorporate multi-load strength testing or develop specialized strength assessments to improve ecological validity.