Individualized Training to Improve Aerobic Capacity and 2,000 m Rowing Performance in Youth Rowers

Effects of Ventilatory Threshold-Based Individualized Training on Aerobic Capacity and 2,000 m Rowing Performance in Youth Rowers From Valdivia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The goal of this randomized clinical trial is to learn whether an individualized rowing training program based on ventilatory thresholds can improve aerobic capacity and 2,000 m rowing performance in youth rowers from Valdivia, Chile. The study will include male and female rowers aged 14 to 18 years who train regularly at Club de Remeros Arturo Prat.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does ventilatory threshold-based individualized training improve maximal oxygen uptake compared with the usual club training program? Does ventilatory threshold-based individualized training improve 2,000 m rowing ergometer performance compared with the usual club training program?

Researchers will compare an individualized training group with a usual training group to see if prescribing exercise intensity based on each rower's ventilatory thresholds produces greater improvements in aerobic capacity, rowing performance, and related physiological measures.

Participants will:

Complete baseline and post-intervention assessments, including a cardiopulmonary exercise test on a rowing ergometer, blood lactate measurements during an incremental rowing test, a 2,000 m rowing ergometer test, body composition assessment, and respiratory muscle strength testing.

Be randomly assigned to either an individualized training group or a usual training group.

Complete a 12-week rowing training program. Use heart rate monitors during study training sessions so that training intensity, adherence, and safety can be monitored.

Report any discomfort, injuries, or adverse events during the study.

The individualized training group will train according to heart rate zones derived from each participant's ventilatory thresholds measured at baseline. The usual training group will continue the club's regular training program. The study will also explore individual variability in training response and the proportion of participants who respond or do not respond to each training approach.

This study will be conducted in youth rowers from Club de Remeros Arturo Prat in Valdivia, Chile. Rowing performance over 2,000 m depends on aerobic capacity, submaximal physiological markers, and the ability to sustain high power output during a race-specific effort. In many youth rowing settings, training intensity is commonly prescribed using coach experience, stroke rate, perceived exertion, heart rate responses, and field-based performance tests. However, individualized physiological markers, such as the first and second ventilatory thresholds, may provide a more precise approach to exercise intensity prescription.

This randomized controlled trial will compare a 12-week individualized rowing training program based on ventilatory thresholds with the usual training program used by the club. Participants will be male and female rowers aged 14 to 18 years who train regularly under technical supervision. After baseline assessments, participants will be randomly assigned to either an individualized training group or a usual training group.

Both groups will maintain a comparable overall rowing training volume. The main difference between groups will be how training intensity is prescribed and monitored. In the individualized training group, heart rate training zones will be derived from each participant's baseline ventilatory thresholds obtained during cardiopulmonary exercise testing on a rowing ergometer. In the usual training group, participants will continue the regular club training program, guided by the coaching staff according to usual practice.

Participants will be assessed before and after the intervention. The primary outcomes will be maximal oxygen uptake and 2,000 m rowing ergometer performance. Secondary outcomes will include power output associated with ventilatory thresholds, blood lactate response during incremental exercise, body composition, maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressures, training adherence, training load, and adverse events. The study will also explore the magnitude of training effects, interindividual variability in response, and the proportion of responders and non-responders in each group.

The purpose of this trial is to determine whether ventilatory threshold-based individualized training produces greater physiological and performance adaptations than usual training in youth rowers under real-world club training conditions.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Active membership in Club de Remeros Arturo Prat of Valdivia.
• Age between 14 and 18 years.
• Systematic rowing training of at least 3 sessions per week under technical supervision.
• Participation in federated competitions or internal selection processes.
• Medical clearance for intense physical exercise issued by a treating physician or competent institution, such as a pre-participation medical evaluation.

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of uncontrolled cardiovascular, respiratory, or metabolic disease that contraindicates intense exercise, such as structural heart disease, clinically significant arrhythmias, or uncontrolled asthma.
• Acute or chronic musculoskeletal injury that prevents completion of the training program or study assessments.
• Use of medications that may substantially modify the physiological response to exercise, such as beta-blockers, or declared history of doping.
• Acute illness at the time of assessment, including fever, infection, or respiratory symptoms.
• Cognitive, language, or behavioral difficulties that prevent understanding instructions or complying with the study protocol.
• Simultaneous participation in another exercise intervention study.