Abstract
Lung elasticity and lung volumes at rest were measured in 22 female rowers, in 14
women who just started with rowing, in 21 female cyclists, and in 9 male rowers.
The female rowers had a higher specific static and dynamic lung compliance (P < 0.01) and a lower recoil pressure at functional residual capacity (P < 0.05) as compared to the other three groups. According to their age, height, and
fat-free mass, the female rowers had a normal vital capacity. The residual volume,
the functional residual capacity, and the fast expiratory volume in 1 s were also
normal.
During an increased load test till exhaustion on a bicycle ergometer, the transpulmonary
pressure and the expiratory flow were measured. While the expiratory transpulmonary
pressure at exhaustion in the female rowers was not markedly lower than in the other
groups, expiratory flow did not increase linearly with decreasing expiratory transpulmonary
pressure in most of the female rowers. In the other three groups, there was a linear
relation between expiratory flow and pressure.
The higher lung compliance and lower elastic recoil in the female rowers caused the
flow-limiting pressure to be reached at a lower level.
The difference in lung elasticity between the male and female rowers showed that the
physical stress on the lungs during rowing is not alike in women and men. We assume
that the typical female physique requires extra fixation of the trunk during the pull
phase of the rowing stroke, which could lead to loss of lung elasticity in female
rowers.
Key words
lung compliance - lung function - expiratory flow
