Comparison of oxygen uptake during maximal work on the treadmill and the rowing ergometer

Harvard Medical Unit Thorndike Memorial Laboratory Boston City Hospital Boston, Massachusetts 02118. Maximal oxygen uptake has been reported to be greater if work is performed with both arms and legs rather than with the legs alone, Since rowing is exercise which requires the use of both arms and legs, it would seem to follow that a more meaningful assessment of aerobic working capacity in a crew could be obtained during rowing than while running on a treadmill. Five varsity crew niembers were studied during work to determine if a higher oxygen uptake could he generated during rowing than during maximal treadmill exercise. Maximal intensity on the treadmill was documented as a plateau of oxygen uptake to work load and averaged 5.34 liters per min. During an exhaustive 5 min load on a rowing ergometer, the mean oxygen uptake was 5.32 liters per min. This similarity of exhaustive rowing and treadmill exercise indicates that either test could be used to assess aerobic working capacity in these athletes.