Liu, Y., Lormes, W., Opitz-Gress, A., Reibnecker, S., Gastmann, U., Bauer, S., Grunert-Fuchs, M., Lehmann, M., & Steinacker, J. M. (1996). Are the arm muscles prior to the leg muscles to be fatigued in rowing? Medicine and Science in Exercise and Sports, 28(5), Supplement abstract 306.

Well-trained male rowers (M = 13) performed 2.5 minutes of rowing ergometry rating 20 strokes/min with maximum effort. Maximal power output was measured. It was found that the arms fatigued earlier than the legs and that they were responsible for the notable drop in power output.

Implication. In rowing, the fatigue state of the arms should be guarded so that they do not contribute to diminished power output during the event ("save the arms").

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