Rowing Training in Breast Cancer Survivors: A Longitudinal Study of Physical Fitness

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine whether a rowing training program leads to improvements in physical fitness and body composition in women who have survived breast cancer (53.70 ± 7.88 years). The participants (n = 30) completed a twelve-week training program consisting of three sessions per week, with each session lasting from sixty to ninety minutes. An anthropometric and general physical fitness assessment was performed before and after the program. The results showed statistically significant improvements in all the physical fitness tests performed: sit and reach (2.82 cm); back scratch, dominant (3.29 cm); back scratch, non-dominant (4.59 cm); counter movement jump (1.91 cm); hand grip, dominant (2.54 kgf); hand grip, non-dominant (2.53 kgf); chair stand (2.56 rep); and six-minute walk (51.56 m). In addition, a significant improvement was observed in the efficiency of the cardiovascular system measured by heart rate, in beats per minute (bpm), both before (−12.63 bpm) and after the six-minute walk test (−11.46 bpm). The evaluated body composition parameters also improved, specifically total lean mass (2.18 kg) and the percentage of total body fat (−2.63%). We can therefore conclude that rowing training programs can be a strategy to be considered for improving physical fitness in this population given the improvement obtained in both anthropometric and physical fitness variables, thus leading to better health and quality of life.