An Evaluation of Tests of Anaerobic Power and Capacity

Abstract

0799 A variety of testing procedures have been employed to quantify anaerobic power and capacity including maximal oxygen deficit and dept, wingate test, vertical jump tests, staircase test, and exhaustive constant load tests. Although the validity of these tests is questionable most of them have the ability to evaluate anaerobic capacity and distinguish between power athletes and endurance trained subjects. Critical velocity (CV) field test has been recently introduced as a measure of aerobic and anaerobic capacity. Comparison studies between anaerobic capacity derived from CV (CVac) and other traditional anaerobic exercise estimates are scarce. PURPOSE: To evaluate CVac against Wingate anaerobic parameters and another anaerobic field test (6 × 35m interspersed with 10sec recovery), running anaerobic sprint test (RAST). METHODS: Eleven active men and women mean (± SD) age, height, weight and %body fat were 22.27 ± 1.49yr, 172.5 ± 4.8cm, 67.27 ± 6.61kg and 14.3 ± 5.6 performed on separate days: a 30sec maximal cycle ergometer test (wingate test), the RAST and the CV test. Anaerobic capacity estimate of CV test was assessed from the regression of the distance run (distance limit; DL) versus the time limit (TL) at 3 exhaustive running velocities on the treadmill and the resulting equation DL = a+b(TL), where a is considered to be CVac. RESULTS: The results indicated that CVac was not significantly (p>0.05) correlated with wingate peak power (r = 0.27), mean power (r = 0.24) and the fatigue index (r = 0.15). The absent of significant correlation was also noticed between CVac and RAST peak power (r = 0.27) and average power (r = 0.19). Significant correlations (p<0.01) although presented between Wingate and RAST peak power (r = 0.82) and mean power (r = 0,75). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the present study: a) do not support the use of CVac as an indirect indicator of anaerobic capabilities and b) RAST field test can successfully replace the laboratory based Wingate test as an estimate of anaerobic power and capacity.