Virtual reality did not significantly change rowing muscle fatigue in trained men during ergometer exercise

In this pilot test, a natural river simulation did not measurably slow lower-limb fatigue by electromyography.

In a small pilot study of trained male rowers, virtual reality did not significantly change lower-limb muscle fatigue during rowing ergometer exercise. Fatigue patterns looked broadly similar with and without a naturalistic virtual environment. The authors stress the result may reflect low statistical power, not proof that virtual reality has no effect.

Quick summary

What the study found: Electromyography-based fatigue indices for Rectus Femoris, Biceps Femoris, and Gastrocnemius Lateralis did not differ significantly between virtual reality and non-virtual reality rowing conditions.
Why it matters: If virtual reality changes effort or fatigue, the effect may be subtle and hard to detect without larger samples and broader measurement.
What to be careful about: The sample was small and highly specific, the power was low, and fatigue was assessed mainly through electromyography-derived indices.

What was found

The journal article Research on the influence of virtual reality on muscle fatigue during rowing ergometer exercise – pilot study tested whether a naturalistic virtual reality scene would change neuromuscular fatigue during rowing.

Eight healthy men performed rowing ergometer exercise in two conditions: with virtual reality and without virtual reality. Electromyography signals were recorded from Rectus Femoris, Biceps Femoris, and Gastrocnemius Lateralis, and knee flexion angles were monitored.

The authors quantified fatigue using surface electromyography analysis. They applied the Discrete Wavelet Transform, then modeled the Median Frequency slope over time; steeper declines typically indicate rising fatigue in the muscle signal.

Across six measurement sites (left and right for each muscle), Wilcoxon signed-rank tests found no statistically significant differences between conditions (all p-values above 0.05). Effect sizes were small or negligible, and post hoc power estimates were low.

What it means

Within this setup, adding a calm, nature-like virtual world did not produce a clear, measurable shift in how quickly lower-limb muscles fatigued during the rowing task.

Just as important, the authors caution against reading “no significant difference” as “no effect.” With low power and small effects, subtle changes could exist but remain undetected.

Where it fits

The study is part of a push to make virtual reality research more physiological, not only self-report. Pairing virtual reality with electromyography can move beyond motivation and perceived exertion to measurable signals tied to performance.

That said, fatigue is multi-dimensional. It can involve psychological strain, metabolic changes, and cardiovascular load, not only neuromuscular signal shifts, so one channel may miss meaningful changes in experience.

How to use it

If you use virtual reality to make indoor training feel better, this study suggests you should not assume it will automatically reduce physiological fatigue in trained athletes.

Use virtual reality first as an adherence and engagement tool, then verify outcomes you care about. Pair performance metrics with subjective feedback like immersion, comfort, and perceived effort, because a relaxing scene may help experience even if electromyography does not shift.

For practitioners experimenting with biofeedback, the paper’s bigger contribution is methodological: a framework to quantify fatigue from electromyography in and out of virtual reality using the same analytic pipeline.

Limits & what we still don’t know

The sample was small, homogeneous, and highly trained, limiting generalizability to broader populations. A roughly six-month gap between non-virtual reality and virtual reality phases could also introduce uncontrolled change.

Only one virtual reality scenario was tested, and subjective responses like cybersickness, presence, or discomfort were not formally measured. Technical noise in dynamic electromyography, like movement artifacts and perspiration, can also blur small effects.

Closing takeaway

For trained rowers, a naturalistic virtual reality scene did not significantly change electromyography-based fatigue during rowing ergometer exercise in this pilot journal article. Treat the finding as “no clear signal yet,” not “virtual reality cannot help.” Larger, better-controlled studies with broader measures are the next step.

Data in this article is provided by PLOS.

Tagged Anatomy, Aquatic environments, Behavior, Bioassays and physiological analysis, Bodies of water, Clinical medicine, Computer architecture, Computer engineering, Electromyography, Electronics engineering, Electrophysiological techniques, Fatigue, Freshwater environments, Gastrocnemius muscles, Man-computer interface, Marine and aquatic sciences, Mathematical and statistical techniques, Mathematical functions, Muscle analysis, Muscle electrophysiology, Muscles, Musculoskeletal system, Recreation, Rivers, Signs and symptoms, Sports, Sports science, User interfaces, Virtual reality, Wavelet transforms