Determination Of Critical Power In Rowing By Using 3-min All-out Test

Abstract

The traditional critical power (CP) test which requires a subject to exercise to exhaustion at several constant work loads on separate days is not convenient for practical utilization. Recently, a single test which named a 3-min all-out test was developed and was able to accurately determine the CP and maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) on a cycling ergometer. However, there are no studies to demonstrate if this new method could be used in rowing exercise. PURPOSE: To investigate the test-retest reliability and validity of 3-min all-out test on a rowing ergometer. METHODS: Eighteen male rowers (age, 17.7 ± 1.9 yrs; height, 178.0 ± 4.3 cm; weight, 70.7 ± 5.0 kg) volunteered to participate in this study. All subjects underwent the incremental exercise test (IRT), traditional CP test and 3-min all-out test (3-min RT) on the rowing ergometer, separated by at least 48 hours. The peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) and VO2max were respectively determined by the 3-min RT and IRT. During the CP test, the values of the CP and anaerobic work capacity (W') were calculated by work-time and power-1/time models. The end-test power (EP) and work done above the EP (WEP) were calculated during the 3-min RT. Each subject was required to perform the 3-min RT twice for evaluating the test-retest reliability. RESULTS: The results of intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) indicated that the EP and WEP during the 3-min RT have good test-retest reliabilities (ICC = 0.79 and 0.63, p<0.05). The EP (269.22 ± 39.20 W) was significantly correlated to the CP (r = 0.75 and 0.80, p<0.05) which were calculated by work-time (271.99 ± 29.82 W) and power-1/time (275.71 ± 31.60 W) models, and it was not significantly different from the CP calculated by these two models. However, the WEP (16.63 ± 4.03 kJ) was not significantly correlated to the W' (r = 0.30 and 0.25, p>0.05), and it was significantly higher than the W' calculated by the traditional CP models (work-time, 13.23 ± 2.99 kJ; power-1/time, 12.33 ± 3.23 kJ). There was significant correlation between the VO2peak and VO2max (r = 0.66, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: These results indicate that the 3-min RT has a good reliability, and is able to accurately estimate the aerobic capacity in male rowers, especially in CP and VO2max.