title: Rowing ergometry for assessment of aerobic fitness in children.
abstract: Rowing ergometry has not been utilized as a modality for investigating aerobic fitness in children. This study evaluated the feasibility and reproducibility of measuring peak VO2 during progressive rowing on a Concept II ergometer in 16 healthy boys aged 9-12 years. All subjects were able to row effectively after minimal modeling and verbal instruction. Mean peak VO2 values on two trials were 42.9 (+/-7.9) and 41.6 (+/-8.7) ml x kg(-1) x min(-1) (p>0.05). No significant differences were observed in mean peak heart rate (190+/-11 vs. 191+/-12 bpm), peak ventilation (58.6+/-11.0 vs. 59.1+/-13.9 L x min(-1)), and RER (1.02+/-.07 vs. 1.02+/-.05) on the two trials. The coefficient of variation of peak VO2 was 5.4%. These data suggest that rowing ergometry is an effective method of measuring aerobic fitness in preadolescent boys.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA 01199, USA.
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Gibson
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Szimonisz
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Rowland
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D016552:Ergometry / Q000379:methods*; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D010809:Physical Fitness; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013177:Sports