Abstract

The development of rowing in Lithuania has been with varying degrees of success from periods of high performance to low achievements and vice versa. The sport science has been gaining an increasing role in the training of high performance athletes. The problems faced in rowers’ training are analysed by a big number of scientists from various countries (Hagerman, 1988; Steinaker, 1993; Yoshiga, Higuchi, 2003). The challenges of high performance athlete training and difficulties encountered working with rowers have been also discussed by Lithuanian scientists (Raslanas, 1998; Staras, Arelis, Venslovait, 2001; Skernevičius and others, 2004). Not to stand behind the scientific progress, the research in the process of rowers’ training is becoming of urgent importance. The object of the research is training of Lithuanian national rowing team and its members’ fitness. The goal of the research is to investigate physical development, physical fitness, abilities, functional capacity of athletes in Lithuanian national rowing team and to highlight features in training and fitness of an athlete with particularly high sport performance achievements. The sample of the research included 10 candidates of Lithuanian national rowing team. Lately one of them has demonstrated very high performance results. The athlete’s training in the four-year Olympic cycle, the athlete’s diary and generalised reports of the coach as well as competitive performance were analysed. The process of athlete’s body adaptation to physical loads was investigated (Skernevičius et al, 2004). Though during the four-year Olympic cycle the physical loads volume in the training of high performance young athlete showed an upward tendency, the physical load in the fourth year was not intensive and may be increased. However, appropriate distribution of work intensity, which was compatible with sportsman’s adaptive potential, all owed for high achievements. During the four-year Olympic cycle, a considerable improvement in muscle mass and hand power, SMCC and AAMC was identified. Though the special capacity at 10 s maximum effort test changed less, it was of optimal level and met the average capacity of the Lithuanian national rowing team. The applied physical loads have the biggest effect an change in aerobic power within the range of anaerobic threshold and critical intensity, VO2max. The circulatory system demonstrated high adaptivity to the applied physical loads and the investigated parameters considerably exceeded the average of the Lithuanian national rowing team. The majority of parameters in fitness and functional capacity were equal to model characteristics. Verf.-Referat