Pre-Exercise Mood and Physiological Responses to Maximal Effort in Elite Rowers (6000MFPOMS2024)

Acute Psychoneuroendocrine Responses to Maximal Exertion Following High-Load Training in Elite Rowers: A Sex-Based Comparative Study

This study examined how the body and mood respond to intense physical effort in elite male and female rowers. Athletes completed a maximal rowing test after one week of hard training. Researchers collected blood samples before and after exercise to measure stress hormones and brain-related chemicals. They also used a short questionnaire to assess how the athletes felt emotionally before the test. The goal of the study is to better understand how physical and mental fatigue develop in well-trained athletes, and whether men and women respond differently.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Health Adult Subjects
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Maximal Rowing Test

Detailed Description

This observational cohort study was designed to characterize acute physiological and psychological responses to maximal exertion following a high-load training period in elite male and female rowers. The main aim was to investigate how accumulated training fatigue affects hormonal and neurochemical responses to intense effort, and whether these responses differ by sex.

Participants were national-level athletes undergoing a standardized 7-day training camp, during which they completed identical high-intensity training sessions. On day 8, all participants performed a 2000-m maximal rowing ergometer test under controlled conditions. Blood samples were collected at three time points: before exercise (PRE), immediately post-exercise (POST), and 1 hour post-exercise (1H).

Biomarkers analyzed in serum included cortisol, total testosterone, serotonin (5-HT), dopamine (DA), gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and tryptophan. The testosterone-to-cortisol (T/C) ratio was used as an index of anabolic-catabolic balance, while the 5-HT/DA ratio was examined as a neurochemical indicator of central fatigue.

In parallel, mood state was assessed once prior to the exertion test using the standardized Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire. This provided insight into psychological readiness and emotional state entering maximal effort.

A total of 28 athletes (12 females, 16 males) completed the full protocol. There were no missing data. The study did not involve any interventions, randomization, or masking. Statistical analyses included repeated-measures ANOVA for time and group effects, and calculation of within-group effect sizes (Cohen's d).

Although no biospecimens were retained beyond initial analysis, serum samples were processed and stored short-term according to laboratory standards. The study followed ethical approval procedures and informed consent was obtained from all participants. No external monitoring, third-party auditing, or source data verification was implemented, as this was a single-site, non-interventional academic study.

The data collected provide a multidimensional profile of physiological and mood-related responses to intense physical effort under conditions of cumulative fatigue. These findings may inform future monitoring strategies in high-performance sport and support individualized recovery planning.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 28

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Poland
  • Greater Poland Voivodeship
    • Poznan, Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poland, 61-871
      • Poznan University of Physical Education

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

All participants were recruited and tested at the Central Sports Centre - Olympic Preparation Center (COS OPO) in Wałcz, Poland, during a national team training camp under standardized conditions.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Aged 19-25 years National-level competitive rower Minimum 5 years of structured rowing training Currently in full training and competition season Completed 7-day standardized high-load training program Provided written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

Use of medications or supplements affecting hormonal or neurochemical markers Known endocrine, neurological, or psychiatric disorders Injury or illness interfering with training or testing Incomplete participation in the training camp or testing protocol

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Elite male rowers	Other: Maximal Rowing Test; Participants completed a 2000-meter maximal rowing ergometer test on day 8 following a standardized 7-day high-load training period. The test served as the physiological and psychological stressor used to assess acute fatigue responses.
Elite female rowers	Other: Maximal Rowing Test; Participants completed a 2000-meter maximal rowing ergometer test on day 8 following a standardized 7-day high-load training period. The test served as the physiological and psychological stressor used to assess acute fatigue responses.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Serum Testosterone concentration	Testosterone concentration will be measured in serum using immunoassay. Units: ng/mL.	Before exercise, immediately after, and 1 hour after recovery
Serum Cortisol concentration	Cortisol concentration will be measured in serum using an immunoassay. Units: ng/mL	Before exercise, immediately after, and 1 hour after recovery
Serum Serotonin concentration	Serotonin concentration will be measured in serum using an immunoassay. Units: ng/mL	Before exercise, immediately after, and 1 hour after recovery
Serum Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) concentration	GABA concentration will be measured in serum using an immunoassay. Units: µg/dL	Before exercise, immediately after, and 1 hour after recovery
Serum Tryptophan concentration	Tryptophan concentration will be measured in serum using an immunoassay. Units: µg/dL	Before exercise, immediately after, and 1 hour after recovery
Profile of Mood States	Self-reported mood assessed using the Profile of Mood States (POMS); total and subscale scores.	Before exercise

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
T:C ratio	Ratio of serum testosterone to cortisol as an index of anabolic-catabolic balance	Before exercise, immediately after, and 1 hour after recovery
S:D ratio	Ratio of serum serotonin to dopamine to assess neurochemical fatigue profile.	Before exercise, immediately after, and 1 hour after recovery

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Poznan University of Physical Education
• Investigators: Study Director: Anna Skarpańska-Stejborn, Professor, Poznań University of Physical Education, Faculty of Sport Sciences in Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 15, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 30, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): June 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 14, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 19, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): November 24, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 24, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 19, 2025
• Last Verified: March 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Mood State; Exercise-induced Fatigue; Elithe Athletes; Neurtransmitters
• Other Study ID Numbers: RowersPOMS20236000

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Individual participant data (IPD) will not be shared. Data will be used only for internal analysis and dissemination in scientific publications in aggregate form, in accordance with ethical approval.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No