Assessment of peak power and short-term work capacity

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate conditions for conducting a 30 s Wingate test such as load selection, and the method of starting the test (stationary or flying start). Nine male and four female athletes volunteered to be tested on four laboratory visits. Tests were performed on a modified Monark cycle ergometer (Varberg, Sweden) equipped with force transducers on the friction belt and an optical encoder for velocity measurement. Power was calculated with the moment of inertia (I) of the flywheel taken into consideration. One laboratory visit was used to determine individualized optimal resistance conditions. The other three visits were for performance of one of three Wingate tests: a flying start with 0.834 N x kg(-1) [85 g x kg(-1) body weight (BW)] resistance (FLY-0.8); a stationary start with 0.834 N x kg(-1) BW resistance (ST-0.8), or a stationary start with optimal resistance (ST-OPT). FLY-0.8 gave a lower (P<0.05) value for short-term work capacity [19,986 (827) J] than either ST-OPT [23,014 (1,167) J] or ST-0.8 [22,321 (1075) J]. Peak power output per pedal revolution was lower ( P<0.005) for FLY-0.8 [833 (40) W] than for either ST-0.8 [974 (57) W] or ST-OPT [989 (61) W]. The results of this study demonstrate that higher values for peak power and short-term work capacity are obtained with a test from a stationary start. It is apparently not necessary to use an individualized optimal resistance when I is considered in a Wingate test initiated from a standstill.

Fatigue and optimal conditions for short-term work capacity

“…Subjects were instructed to accelerate to maximum velocity as quickly as possible. NF OC was calculated by linear regression of the torque and angular velocity data obtained from this all-out effort (MacIntosh et al 2003). Optimal angular velocity was converted to revolutions of the crank per minute (rpm) to represent optimal cadence.…”

“…In cycle ergometry it has been shown that the resistive forces the athlete is working against influence these variables (MacIntosh et al 2003;Vandewalle et al 1987). Scores obtained in tests of PPO are influenced by less than optimal conditions (load and cadence), making direct comparisons between athletes inappropriate.…”

The physiological effects of low-intensity neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) on short-term recovery from supra-maximal exercise bouts in male triathletes

“…2). Participants' torque factor (force acting at the flywheel perimeter) was fixed at a resistance of 0.085 kg BM min -1 , as recommended when using trained populations (MacIntosh et al 2003). First, participants performed a 5-min warm-up, which consisted of cycling at 80 W at 80 rev min -1 cadence.…”

Anaerobic Work Capacity Derived from Isokinetic and Isoinertial Cycling

“…In its basic form, the WAnT consists of cycling at maximal cadence for 30 s against a resistance that is most often related to body mass ranging between 0.74 -0.98 N kg − 1 [16] . An alternative method consists in choosing the resistance that allows reaching peak power (P peak ) during a force-velocity test [19,20,32] . Power output is calculated every 5 s. It allows the determination of P peak , which is assumed to correspond to maximal anaerobic power, and mean power (P mean ), which is supposed to be an index of AWC [33] .…”