Rowing
Sports > Rowing > Fitness Testing
Rowing Fitness Testing
There are several main physical attributes that are important for success in rowing. Rowers need to have a very good endurance capacity. Body size and composition also play an important role in the success of a rower - a low body fat level and being tall with a good reach. Listed below are some suggested tests, there are many other tests that you could use (see the complete List of Fitness Tests). See also an example of tests that are used for the recruiting rowers for the AIS eTID program.
Rowing Tests
- Body Size — Height, Sitting Height, arm span, Body mass and Skinfolds
- Endurance — VO2max on a rowing ergometer
- Flexibility — Sit and Reach
- Rowing Specific — 500m and 2km rowing ergo test
Example results for a Rower
| Fitness Test | Result |
|---|---|
| body mass (kg) | 85.7 |
| height (cm) | 195.6 |
| Skinfolds, sum of 7 sites (mm) | 33.3 |
| Grip Strength (kg) | 52 |
| 1RM Bench Press (kg) | 100 |
| Vertical Jump (cm) | 53 |
| Sit and Reach (cm) | +18 |
| VO2max (ml/kg/min) | 67 |
Here is an example of a series of tests performed on Australian Olympic rower, Drew Ginn, conducted in 2009 (as detailed in the Herald Sun Newspaper). A summary of his results are in the adjacent table.
He has a very good aerobic score on the VO2max test, as expected for a rower. More important though is his absolute VO2max score (l/min not per kg body weight), as rowers ave their body weight supported by the boat.
