The intra-day and inter-day reliability of a 6-second Wingate to determine maximal peak power in endurance-trained athletes

TL;DR

A 6-second Wingate test reliably measures maximal peak power in endurance-trained athletes across multiple days.

Contribution

The study validates the 6-second Wingate test for MPP assessment specifically in endurance-trained athletes.

Findings

The 6-second Wingate test showed excellent intra- and inter-day reliability for MPP in endurance athletes.

Using the best or average MPP values improved absolute reliability with lower SEM%.

Two trials on the first day and one trial on subsequent days are sufficient for accurate MPP assessment.

Abstract

Determining an athlete’s maximal peak power (MPP) is crucial in profiling endurance sports participants. While short (3 to 6 seconds) all-out efforts have been validated for MPP assessment, prior studies mainly involved non-endurance trained athletes. This study aimed to assess the intra- and inter-day reliability of a 6-second Wingate test for MPP determination in endurance athletes. Endurance-trained participants (22 males, 5 females) completed nine 6-second Wingate tests over four days (3 trials at baseline, 2 trials on each subsequent day). Analysis revealed no systematic differences in MPP (F(4.09, 106.3) = 1.88, p = 0.117) or time to peak power (χ2 (8) = 5.23, p = 0.732) across the trials. Reliability, assessed through the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and standard error of measurement (SEM), was excellent across all trials (ICC = 0.95, SEM = 40.0W, SEM% = 3.7%). Absolute reliability improved when selecting the average or the best MPP values from each day (SEM% = 2.7% and 2.9%, respectively). Within-day reliability was consistently rated as excellent, with the best values on the 4th day of tests. No significant differences in MPP values occurred between the first and second 6-second Wingate tests on days 1 to 3, with both trials demonstrating similar reliability values (SEM%: 3.2% vs 2.8%, for the first and second trials, respectively). The test also demonstrated a good sensitivity to detect a meaningful change in MPP values. In conclusion, the 6-second Wingate test proves reliable for determining MPP in endurance-trained athletes. Two trials are recommended on the first day of testing, with a single MPP likely sufficient to determine the athlete’s MPP on subsequent days.

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