| Thirteen female college rowers (mean age 21.0 years), completing a periodized training program, were assessed regularly on the Concept II rowing ergometer, during a winter season of training, to investigate the utility of submaximal heart rate as a monitor of training state changes. Three times per week during overload microcycles, and daily during recovery microcycles, heart rate, recovery heart rate, and perceived exertion (RPE) were recorded as subjects performed submaximal rowing tests (8 minute duration at an intensity equal to 60% of their initial maximal rowing event-specific 2 km Watts). Influential or related factors were also recorded, or determined from athlete's daily logs and coaching outlines, including: resting heart rate; sleep hours; dietary and water intake; subjective ratings of daily fatigue and microcycle stress; and quantified training load (calculated using session RPE method of Foster, 1998). Additionally, maximal rowing performance testing was completed on the final training day of recovery microcycles. Collectively, the preceding variables were examined over three separate 3-week training mesocycles. Results demonstrated that submaximal heart rate differed significantly between training microcycles but exclusively when microcycle training load was substantially altered. The association between microcycle training load and submaximal heart rate was strong and inverse (r = -.81, p < .01); however, submaximal heart rate was not a reliable predictor of maximal rowing performance when related over two time intervals (r = -.2, p =.47; r = -.68, p < .01). In conclusion, submaximal demonstrated only precursory effectiveness as a monitor of training state. Future investigations would benefit from greater training load changes between, and within, all microcycles so that short-term training aims are clearly established. |
