Cardiorespiratory Coordination in Collegiate Rowing: A Network Approach to Cardiorespiratory Exercise Testing

Collegiate rowing performance is often assessed by a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET). Rowers' on-water performance involves non-linear dynamic interactions and synergetic reconfigurations of the cardiorespiratory system. Cardiorespiratory coordination (CRC) method measures the co-variation among cardiorespiratory variables. Novice (n = 9) vs. Intermediate (n = 9) rowers' CRC (H-0: Novice CRC = Intermediate CRC; H-A: Novice CRC < Intermediate CRC) was evaluated through principal components analysis (PCA). A female NCAA Division II team (N = 18) grouped based on their off-water performance on 6000 m time trial. Rowers completed a customized CPET to exhaustion and a variety of cardiorespiratory values were recorded. The number of principal components (PCs) and respective PC eigenvalues per group were computed on SPSS vs28. Intermediate (77%) and Novice (33%) groups showed one PC1. Novice group formed an added PC2 due to the shift of expired fraction of oxygen or, alternatively, heart rate/ventilation, from the PC1 cluster of examined variables. Intermediate rowers presented a higher degree of CRC, possible due to their increased ability to utilize the bicarbonate buffering system during the CPET. CRC may be an alternative measure to assess aerobic fitness providing insights to the complex cardiorespiratory interactions involved in rowing during a CPET.