Research: Amuse Bouche

Rowing related research is sent to me automatically by email. Below are a few of the more amusing items:

Item #1: The Influence of Supplementation With Artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) Extract on Selected Redox Parameters in Rowers. A serious double-blind placebo study of Polish national rowing team members to find some substance that will help produce an "enhanced antioxidant defense system" for people who exercise hard, this study measured total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in blood plasma. The artichoke extract didn't work as hoped, but apparently it reduced serum cholesterol. To be more precise, the extract "resulted in higher plasma TAC than placebo but did not limit oxidative damage to erythrocytes in competitive rowers subjected to strenuous training." You can laugh, but you must give them credit for publishing a result that wasn't positive.

There is some interesting research on anti-oxidants and athletic performance (another post for another time).

Item #2. Effect of elk velvet antler supplementation on the hormonal response to acute and chronic exercise in male and female rowers.  I looked to make sure the date on this wasn't April 1. Apparently, elk velvet antler (EVA) is thought to provide all kinds of health benefits, so why not test it to see if it helps athletic performance, particularly in rowers. Turns out it doesn't do much of anything for the rowers. "It appears that 10 wk of EVA supplementation does not significantly improve rowing performance nor alter hormonal responses at rest or after acute exercise than training alone." The list of failed ergogenic aids is a long one.

Item #3: Strapping rowers to their sliding seat improves performance during the start of ergometer rowing. Fasten your seat belts, put your tray tables in the upright position and prepare for take-off. I'm not sure what motivated this research, but the two researchers found that in 5-stroke starts, power output was 12% higher for the rowers who were strapped down. "We conclude that strapping a rower's pelvis to the sliding seat allows more vigorous execution of the stroke phases, resulting in a substantial improvement in performance during the start of ergometer rowing." Look to see if seat belts will be allowed in the next World Indoor Rowing Championships. Or velcro.

This reminds me of some really short ergometer races I participated in as part of the 2007 New Zealand Masters Games. I happened to be in Wellington for a few days in 2007 with my family, not too far from the Masters Games site in Wanganui. I was able to participate in one day of the indoor rowing portion of the competition. The events included 1000m, 500m and 300m distances. I watched heats of some of these shorter races and a large percentage of folks came off their seats in the first few strokes. I barely kept my butt down in the 300m race. If only we had brought our seat belts!