Performance measure, monitor and optimize

Introducing: The team behind the team of Germany verifier

Part 4: Performance Diagnostics

In our series, "Introducing: The team behind the team" we want to introduce you to the 2012 Olympic Games, the people who support the rowing team decisively on its way to London.

The rowers on the team of Germany verifier can draw on the rowing ergometer more than 500 watts and hold power over two kilometers. How do you take the body energy for these achievements? And how can one measure to monitor the performance of individuals, and to make improvements?

Volker Grabow and Gerold Heyden are responsible performance assessor for the German power-rowers: At regular intervals, they can use various tests to the individual performance level and thus provide starting points for a goal-oriented training.

Strength and endurance in balance



"Rowing is a strength-endurance sport. In the race, rowers need a lot of strength and need them to keep a longer distance," said Volker Grabow. "Our athletes are not marathon runners not sprinters also." The strength of the two components - strength and endurance - in each case are marked and the points at which one can optimize the performance, the two diagnosticians examine the base, as well as Dortmund in the various training camps.

As a former teacher and weightlifting for sports, biology and technology supported Gerold Heyden, the rowers in addition to the diagnostic performance in the weight room: from useful tips on weight training particularly benefit the young junior athletes.

To check the endurance Volker Grabow is primarily responsible. At the Technical University of Dortmund is the 55-year-olds since 1993, working as a sports scientist. Previously he was a rower himself enjoyed tremendous success: two world championship titles in four without coxswain, the bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Seoul 1988 and several top placings at the World Championships. Together with his former teammates Norbert Kesslau, Jörg Guido Puttlitz and Grabow - in the '80s as the "Ruhr-four" - is still growing like Volker Grabow and regularly to the rowboat.

Every six weeks step test

Primarily on the rowing ergometer endurance performance of athletes today is measured. A suitable method is the so-called "threshold test". "Here, the athletes take three steps on the ergometer: Groups of eight minutes at 50, 60 and 70 percent of the individual competitive performance, which are on average 250, 300 and 350 watts," says Grabow. "These are levels that stress the body is not too much. Therefore, we can perform such a test every six weeks to observe the endurance capacity development."

During the test, the performance assessor found small blood samples of athletes on the earlobe. These are then on the lactate concentration - examined - lactate is the salt of lactic acid. "So we can calculate how much is the duty and how much aerobic or anaerobic energy components must be implemented," says Grabow. The goal is to find out where the aerobic energy supply - is supplemented by anaerobic energy supply - completely covered by oxygen consumption. The anaerobic energy supply additional energy supplies, but with the disadvantage that the lactate concentration rises above a certain value and inevitably leads to the termination of muscle contractions.

The training for optimum control

In addition, subject to the step test, the athletes regular ergometer tests over a race distance of two kilometers. Also see the performance diagnostic blood tests during training in a rowing boat - for example when loading tracks down. The test results illustrate the performance of the boat and crew are the team to Germany eight-training control by the coach Ralf Holtmeyer and Werner Nowak.

"Certainly not the sum of individual performances, of course, the performance of the entire boat," says sports scientist Volker Grabow. "However, it is a necessary condition for success. Finally, each individual must be on the rowing ergometer strong. And just because you can work. Our results allow the coaches to react quickly if the specified targets are not met."

Especially for young athletes, fitness assessment for training management is important. "Only when the load is true, young rowers to train optimally and improve targeted. Therefore, the care of the offspring to the care of the team Germany-eight of our most important tasks," said the two agreed performance assessor.