Wingate Test

What's The Point?

Once an athlete has built a strong aerobic base, they must develop their anaerobic capacity.

The Wingate Anaerobic 30 cycle Test (also known as WANT), developed in Israel in the 1970s at the institute that bears its name, is an excellent way to measure peak anaerobic power and anaerobic capacity.

While it can be used for any sport, it works best for cyclists, as it is ergometer based.

What Do You Need?

• A mechanically braked bicycle ergometer
   
• A stopwatch
   
• An assistant

How Do You Do The Test?

• Perform a 10 minute warm up
   
• Then, begin pedaling as fast as possible without any resistance
   
• After 3 seconds, a fixed resistance is applied to the flywheel
   
• Continue to pedal "all out" for 30 seconds
   
• An electrical or mechanical counter continuously records flywheel revolutions in 5 second intervals

Resistance Settings

Flywheel resistance is typically set at 0.075 kg per kg body mass. Thus for a 70 kg person, the flywheel resistance would equal 5.25 kg (70 kg x 0.075).

For testing power and sprint athletes, resistance can be set to 1.0 kg x body mass or higher (up to 1.3 kg).

What Results You'll See

This is a good tool for measuring the development of peak anaerobic power and anaerobic capacity over the course of a season. Various measures can be taken including:

• Peak Power output
• Relative Peak Power output
• Anaerobic Fatigue
• Anaerobic Capacity

Each is explained below.

Peak Power Output (PP)

The highest power output, observed during the first 5 seconds of exercise, indicates the energy generating capacity of the immediate energy system (intramuscular high energy phosphates ATP and PC). PP is calculated as follows:

PP = Force x Distance (number of revolutions x distance per revolution) / Time in minutes (5 secs = 0.0833 min).

Percentile norms for Peak Power for active young adults is:

Relative Peak Power Output (RPP)

Peak power output relative to body mass is calculated as follows:

RPP = PP / Body mass (kg)

Percentile norms for Relative Peak Power for active young adults is:

Anaerobic Fatigue (AF)

AF represents the systems total capacity to produce ATP via the immediate and short-term energy systems. AF provides percentage decline in power output and is calculated as follows:

AF = ((Highest 5 sec PP - Lowest 5 sec PP) (Highest 5 sec PP)) x 100.

Anaerobic Capacity (AC)

Total work accomplished in 30 secs. AC is calculated as follows:

AC = Sum of each 5 sec PP or
AC = Force x Total distance in 30 secs

What's Being Measured Again?

This test is an excellent way to measure peak anaerobic power and anaerobic capacity.