COMPARISON OF AN UPRIGHT AND A RECUMBENT CYCLE ERGOMETER ON MAXIMAL ANAEROBIC POWER 1129

Abstract

The Wingate anaerobic power test was developed to assess the power output of the muscles called upon during a short, maximal anaerobic cycling bout usually of 30s duration. This test has traditionally been administered using an upright mechanical cycle ergometer. There is no known evidence in the available literature that the Wingate test has been reliably administered using a recumbent cycle ergometer which is experiencing increasing popularity for both conditioning and rehabilitation, particularly in aging and disabled populations. This study was designed to compare test-retest measures of peak power output (PPO), mean power output (MPO) and fatigue ratio (FR) on electrically braked upright and recumbent cycle ergometers that are pre-programed for the 30s Wingate test protocol (Cybex). Eight college age males (N=5) and females (N=3) volunteered for the study. Each subject performed two trials on the upright cycle and two trials on the recumbent cycle with at least one day of rest between trials. Trials were randomized over a two week period. Resistance was set at 0.075Kg/Kg of body weight. No significant differences were found between any of the upright trials and the recumbent trials for all three variables measured (p>0.05). Significant correlations were found between the mean of the upright trials and the mean of the recumbent trials for PPO, r = 0.97; MPO, r=0.99; and FR, r = 0.84. The results of this study support the recumbent cycle ergometer as a reliable instrument for measuring PPO, MPO, and FR when compared to an upright cycle ergometer using the Wingate test.