Development of an Anaerobic Sprint Running Test Using a Nonmotorized Treadmill.

The purpose of this study was to determine the test-retest reliability of a newly developed anaerobic sprint running test (ASRT) on a nonmotorized treadmill (NMT). Twenty-six collegiate male athletes (21.2 ± 2.1 years; 181.3 ± 6.5 cm; 79.0 ± 9.3 kg) completed 3 trials of a 25-second maximal effort sprint on an NMT against a workload set to 18% of their individual body mass. Anaerobic power was determined by relative peak power output (PP) and anaerobic capacity was determined by relative mean power output (MP) during the test. Blood lactate (BLa) responses and fatigue index (FI) were also determined. Test-retest reliability was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and coefficients of variation (CV%). Results indicated no significant difference between the 3 trials for PP (T1 = 29.95 ± 6.51 W·kg(-1), T2 = 28.57 ± 5.55 W·kg(-1), T3 = 29.47 ± 5.94 W·kg(-1)), MP (T1 = 20.97 ± 3.64 W·kg(-1), T2 = 20.50 ± 3.46 W·kg(-1), T3 = 21.17 ± 3.79 W·kg(-1), and FI (T1 = 55 ± 8%, T2 = 51 ± 8%, T3 = 52 ± 9%). Reliability between the 3 trials for PP (ICC: r = 0.96, CV: 7%) and MP (ICC: r = 0.97, CV: 6%) was considered high. Reliability for FI exhibited an ICC of r = 0.83 (CV: 6%). Postsprint BLa values were not significantly different (p = 0.49) between the 3 trials. Test-retest reliability for postsprint BLa was found to be good (r = 0.68, CV = 8.8%). The results of the study indicate that the ASRT is reliable for assessing PP and MP in highly motivated subjects. In addition, anaerobic testing using the ASRT may be a more sport-specific test to assess anaerobic performance for many coaches and athletes.

Influence of contraction velocity in untrained individuals over the initial early phase of resistance training.

The purpose of this study was to determine the early phase adaptations in short-term traditional (TRT) versus superslow (SST) resistance training. Sixteen apparently healthy subjects participated in this study. Subjects were pretested and posttested for their 1 repetition maximums (1RM) in the squat and bench press, peak power in a countermovement jump (CMJ) and squat jump (SJ), and body composition using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. Subjects participated in an 8-week resistance training program in either SST (n = 9, 3 men, 6 women), using 50% of 1RM, or TRT (n = 7, 3 men, 4 women), using 80% of 1RM. Both groups trained 3 days per week. The TRT and SST groups improved in strength by 6.8 and 3.6% in the squat exercise and by 8.6 and 9.1% in the bench press, respectively. Peak power for the CMJ increased significantly in the TRT group, from 23.0 +/- 5.5 W/kg to 25.0 +/- 6.3 W/kg; no such increase was seen with respect to the SST group. Both groups' 1RM increased significantly for both the bench press and the squat. No changes in body composition were seen for either group. The results of this study suggest that TRT is more effective for improving peak power than SST.