150 Years of Rowing Faster - Professor Stephen Seiler


Published on Jun 15, 2015

150 Years of Rowing Faster: What Are the Sources of More and More Speed?

Professor Stephen Seiler discusses how rowing has a 150 yr. + competitive history and that examining results from historic races like Oxford-Cambridge (est. 1829) and the world championships (est. 1893) reveals a linear increase in boat speed by 2-3% per decade. Boat velocity increases if propulsive power is increased and/or power losses are reduced. Over time, the propulsive power capacity of elite rowers has increased. Part of this increase is a result of recruiting athletes from a population that has become taller (1-3 cm per decade) and heavier. 


Speaker Biography
Professor Stephen Seiler (PhD FACSM earned his doctoral degree from the University of Texas, Austin, but has lived and worked in Norway for nearly 20 years as a university teacher and researcher. He is currently Professor in Sport Science and Dean of the Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences at the University of Agder in Kristiansand, Norway. 

Professor Seiler also serves as senior research consultant to the Norwegian Olympic Federation. In 2013, he was elected to the Executive Board of the European College of Sport Science.

His work has influenced and catalysed international research around training intensity distribution and the “polarized training model”. He has published over 70 peer reviewed publications, and written over 100 popular science articles related to exercise physiology and the training process. Professor Seiler has given over 100 scientific lectures around the world and is also a founding editorial board member of the International Journal of Sport Physiology and Performance.

Improving Performance Naturally: Sports Science & Medicine Conference for the World’s Leading Sports Scientists and Medical Practitioners in Rowing

The Sports Science & Medicine Conference was held for the first time at the SAS UK & Ireland company headquarters in Marlow. The conference had delegates attend from a variety of Sports Science and Medical disciplines, who travelled from within the UK and around the world – all attracted by an exciting programme which boasts an impressive list of speakers from the leading edge of research and practice. The event was supported by UK Sport and FISA and proved to be a great success.