ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Physiol.
Sec. Exercise Physiology
Acute Endocrine, Immune, and Muscle Damage Responses Following a 2,000-m Rowing Time Trial in Elite Male Athletes
Provisionally accepted
- 1Center for Sport Science in Busan, Busan, Republic of Korea
- 2University of Seoul, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- 3CHA University, Pocheon-si, Republic of Korea
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Rowing is a high-intensity, whole-body sport that relies on both aerobic and anaerobic energy systems. Despite extensive knowledge of endurance physiology, the acute responses to competitive rowing remain insufficiently characterized. This study investigated stress hormones, leukocyte dynamics, and muscle damage markers following a 2,000-m rowing time trial in elite male rowers. Twenty national-level athletes (age: 20.4 ± 1.2 years; height: 180.0 ± 4.3 cm; body mass: 80.6 ± 8.7 kg) completed a standardized 2,000-m ergometer test (Concept2, drag factor 130). Venous blood samples were collected at baseline (PRE), immediately post-exercise (POST), and after 30 min of recovery (REC30). Cortisol (radioimunoassay), catecholamines (high-performance liquid chromatography), leukocyte subpopulations (flow cytometry), and muscle damage indices (creatine kinase [CK], lactate dehydrogenase [LDH]) were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA with Bonferroni correction. Mean performance time was 6:49.6 ± 14.7 min, and mean power output was 328.4 ± 34.1 W. Cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine increased significantly at POST (p < 0.01) and remained elevated at REC30. Total white blood cell count, neutrophils, monocytes, eosinophils, and basophils peaked at POST and trended toward baseline by REC30. Lymphocytes increased immediately post-exercise but declined below baseline during recovery (p < 0.01). CK and LDH increased acutely at POST and partially returned to baseline by REC30. These findings indicate that maximal rowing performance elicits pronounced endocrine activation, transient immune redistribution, and acute muscle damage. Tailored recovery strategies may be necessary to counteract immune suppression and support sustained performance in elite rowers.
Keywords: Rowing, stress hormones, immune response, muscle damage, Recovery, eliteatletes
Received: 24 Sep 2025; Accepted: 27 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Ha, Ha and Lee. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Min-Seong Ha
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