Quantifying sprint kayak training on a flowing river: Exploring the utility of novel power measures and its relationship to measures of relative boat speed

Quantification of external training load for sprint kayak athletes can be challenging due to the influence of the water flow on boat velocity in a flowing river environment. Therefore, this study examined the utility of novel measures of power output (PO) and its relationship to measures of relative boat speed when training on a flowing river. Twelve (8 males, 4 female) well-trained sprint kayak athletes completed 4 separate on-water sessions comprising one time-trial session (2 × 1000-m maximal efforts) and three repeated sprint kayak training sessions (5 x split 1000-m [2 × 500-m up and down the river] submaximal efforts) in their individual (K1) kayak. For each session, a Kayak Power Meter recorded athletes' PO, and a SpeedCoach device recorded relative land-speed via a Global Positioning System (GPS) (S_GPS), and relative water-speed via an impeller mounted under the boat hull (S_IMP). Non-linear least squares regression were used to evaluate the curvilinear relationship between PO and speed (S_GPS and S_IMP) data. The exponents of velocity in the PO-S_IMP relationship (2.87 females, 2.94 males) were closer to theoretical values (3.00) and showed greater model accuracy (root mean squared error (RMSE) = 20-26 W) than the PO-S_GPS relationships (speed exponents = 1.58-2.02, RMSE = 31-40 W). Overall, PO measures could better account for the influence of water flow compared to traditional S_GPS measures, and therefore, may be more suitable for quantifying athletes' external load in their training environment.Highlights Since traditional S_GPS and time-to-completion measures do not adjust for the water flow, these measures appear limited for prescribing and monitoring sprint kayak training within flowing river environments.The prescription of paddling PO across a wide spectrum of relative PO values elicited similar internal and external athlete responses, regardless of the direction travelled on a flowing river (i.e. upstream or downstream).The relationship between PO and S_IMP during on-water sprint kayaking appears similar to those observed in rowing, where every percent change in boat speed measured relative to water (S_IMP) requires a 2.87 and 2.94-fold percent change in paddling PO in female and male sprint kayak athletes, respectively.Continued evaluation of the PO-speed relationship for individual athletes may provide further insight into modelling performance and training targets for sprint kayak athletes.