Reliability of a 5 × 6-s maximal cycling repeated-sprint test in trained female team-sport athletes

Abstract

The present study examined the reliability of work and power measures during a 5 x 6-s cycle ergometer test of repeated-sprint ability. Nine, well-trained, female soccer players performed five, 5 x 6-s repeated-sprint tests on a front-access cycle ergometer on separate days. Sprints were separated by 24 s of active recovery. Absolute measures of total work done (W (tot)), total peak power (PP(tot)), work done during sprint 1 (W (1)) and peak power output during sprint 1 (PP(1)) were recorded. Decrement scores in work done (W (dec)) and peak power output (PP(dec)), and fatigue indices for work done (FI( W )) and peak power (FI( P )), were calculated. Significant improvements in all of the work and power measures were observed between trial 1 and subsequent trials (P < 0.05), but no significant differences were identified between trials 2, 3, 4 and 5. The same was true for increases in the decrement scores. The coefficient of variation (CV) was established to reflect within-subject reproducibility for each variable. The CV was significantly improved by the third trial for work done (W (tot) CV: trials 1-2 = 5.5%; trials 3-4 = 2.8%), peak power (PP(tot) CV: trials 1-2 = 5.1%; trials 3-4 = 2.7%) and performance decrement scores (P < 0.05). The standard error of measurement (SEM) and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were also calculated for each variable and expressed within 95% confidence intervals. It was concluded that two familiarisation trials are optimal for collecting reliable data from a 5 x 6-s repeated-sprint cycling test. Furthermore, due to the large variation around performance decrement it was suggested that decrement scores ought to be interpreted with caution.

Effects of Creatine and Sodium Bicarbonate Coingestion on Multiple Indices of Mechanical Power Output During Repeated Wingate Tests in Trained Men

“…When co-ingestion was compared to sodium bicarbonate alone, we found no meaningful performance improvement in peak mechanical power ( The most surprising outcome of the present study was that all conditions reported a likely detrimental effect on fatigue index. Fatigue index data in the present study should be interpreted cautiously; we observed a coefficient of variation of 19.9% in our reliability study, which appears to be a consistent finding (Hughes et al, 2006;McGawley & Bishop, 2006;Oliver et al, 2006). A limitation to the present study was the failure to measure blood measurements of pH, bicarbonate, lactate and intramuscular phosphocreatine.…”

Effect of dietary nitrate supplementation on tolerance to supramaximal intensity intermittent exercise

“…Otherwise, we considered that performance can also decline with the repetition of exhaustive exercises and subjects did not perform familiarization trials. This is a potential limitation, because the familiarization of subjects with the repeated-sprint test can also improves the reliability of work and power measures [43]. However, with regard to the lack of difference in the number of work periods completed between the 1 st and the 2 nd session, and given that the subjects took the NO 3 -supplementation and placebo in a randomized order, we are confident that the learning effect was minimal on the performance outcomes.…”

Familiarisation to maximal recumbent eccentric cycling

“…Reliability was defined as the extent to which the experimental trials yielded the same results on repeated trials. Coefficient of variation values were classed as good (< 5%), moderate (5-10%), or poor (> 10%) based upon values observed previously in maximal concentric cycling < 10 s [11,16,17]. Figure 1 shows the mean values (± SD) for peak PO and average PO across all trials.…”