Reproducibility of Force-Velocity Test Outputs Using 10-s Sprints Against Different Braking Forces

Abstract

PURPOSE: The current study was aimed to examine the reproducibility of estimated peak power (PP) and estimated pedal velocity (PV) in a multi-trial 10-s all-out cycling test among adult athletes of different sports. METHODS: The sample comprised 22 adult male athletes (23.50±4.73 years). Stature, sitting height and body mass were measured. Leg length was estimated as stature minus sitting height. Thigh volume was estimated from anthropometry. Body volume was obtained from air displacement plethysmography and was subsequently converted to fat mass. Fat-free mass was derived. The short-term power outputs were assessed from the force-velocity test (FVT), using a friction-braked ergometer on two repeated occasions. Differences between repeated measurements were examined with paired t-test and effect sizes calculated. RESULTS: Mean values for session 1 (898 Watt, 142 rpm) and session 2 (906 Watt, 142 rpm) did not differ (p>0.05). Moreover, test-retest procedure evidenced reasonable intra-individual stability for estimated PP output. Technical error of measurement (TEM) was 31.9 Watt; % coefficient of variation (CV) was 3.5% and intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was 0.986. For PV, TEM was 5.4 rpm, %CV was 3.8 and ICC was 0.924. CONCLUSIONS: Estimated PP derived from the optimal load and correspondent PV outputs seemed to be reproducible in adult athletes. Future research may examine the agreement between the estimated outputs from the Force-Velocity Test (FVT) and measured outputs using the Wingate Anaerobic Test protocol using the optimal load from the FVT. Supported by FCT Grants SFRH/BPD/100470/2014, SFRH/BD/101083/2014 and SFRH/BD/121441/2016.