Abstract:
Current training for collegiate rowers focuses exclusively on physical training with no thought of supporting optimal mental health. The aim of this study was to determine if stress reduction techniques improved rowing performance over time. The stress reduction technique used was progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), a procedure by which athletes tense and relax sequential muscle groups in a quiet environment guided by a script. PMR was integrated into an existing cardiovascular and strength conditioning regimen and assessed on the University of Oregon club men’s varsity rowing team for 3 months of the rowing season in the winter and spring of 2018. The hypothesis tested in this thesis was that stress reduction techniques would improve individual and team performance. The varsity men of the University of Oregon club rowing team were randomly assigned to either perform PMR twice weekly to supplement the existing training plan (experimental group; n=6) or not (control group; n=4). Both groups continued to use the training plan assigned by coaching staff. To determine the effectiveness of PMR, all subjects performed four 2,000-meter ergometer tests over the course of the 3-month study period. The ergometer tests determined changes in relative mean power output, or fitness score. Subjects also took two questionnaires, the Sport Anxiety Scale and Recovery-Stress Questionnaire for Athletes, to quantify perceived anxiety and stress three times over the course of the study. Statistical analyses of the fitness scores of the experimental group compared to those of the control group revealed no group-specific significant improvement in fitness over the 3-month study period. The experimental group also showed no significant reduction in stress and anxiety. The results of this study suggest that short-term use of PMR has no demonstrable effect on rowing performance or stress and anxiety levels in collegiate rowers. PMR might have a more positive effect on rowing performance if implemented for a longer period, such as the entire rowing season, and this hypothesis should be explored in future studies.