Acute cardiovascular and muscular response to rowing ergometer exercise in artificial gravity – a pilot trial

• Published in: NPJ microgravity Vol. 10; no. 1; p. 57
• Main Authors: Frett, Timo, Lecheler, Leo, Arz, Michael, Pustowalow, Willi, Petrat, Guido, Mommsen, Florian, Breuer, Jan, Schmitz, Marie-Therese, Green, David Andrew, Jordan, Jens
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 23.05.2024; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 692/308; 692/499; Applied Microbiology; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biotechnology; Blood levels; Blood pressure; Centrifugation; Centrifuges; Classical and Continuum Physics; Gravity; Heart rate; Immobilization; Immunology; Lactic acid; Life Sciences; Long-term effects; Muscle contraction; Rowing; Space Exploration and Astronautics; Space flight; Space Sciences (including Extraterrestrial Physics
• ISSN: 2373-8065; 2373-8065
• DOI: 10.1038/s41526-024-00402-7

Prolonged immobilization and spaceflight cause cardiovascular and musculoskeletal deconditioning. Combining artificial gravity through short-arm centrifugation with rowing exercise may serve as a countermeasure. We aimed to compare the tolerability, muscle force production, cardiovascular response, and power output of rowing on a short-arm centrifuge and under terrestrial gravity. Twelve rowing athletes (4 women, aged 27.2 ± 7.4 years, height 179 ± 0.1 cm, mass 73.7 ± 9.4 kg) participated in two rowing sessions, spaced at least six weeks apart. One session used a short-arm centrifuge with +0.5 Gz, while the other inclined the rowing ergometer by 26.6° to mimic centrifugal loading. Participants started self-paced rowing at 30 W, increasing by 15 W every three minutes until exhaustion. We measured rowing performance, heart rate, blood pressure, ground reaction forces, leg muscle activation, and blood lactate concentration. Rowing on the centrifuge was well-tolerated without adverse events. No significant differences in heart rate, blood pressure, or blood lactate concentration were observed between conditions. Inclined rowing under artificial gravity resulted in lower power output (−33%, p  < 0.001) compared to natural gravity, but produced higher mean and peak ground reaction forces ( p  < 0.0001) and increased leg muscle activation. Muscle activation and ground reaction forces varied with rotational direction. Rowing in artificial gravity shows promise as a strategy against cardiovascular and muscular deconditioning during long-term spaceflight, but further investigation is required to understand its long-term effects.