Reliability of the Wingate Anaerobic Test with Ice Hockey Players on the Velotron Cycle Ergometer

Purpose: This study evaluated the test-retest reliability of the Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAnT) performed on a Velotron electromagnetically-braked cycle ergometer (EE) for powertrained athletes and assessed whether a familiarization trial was necessary to achieve high test-retest reliability. Methods: Twentyone male ice hockey players (age 23.5 ± 4.7 yrs, mass 86.3 ± 16.6 kg, height 180.9 ± 7.4 cm) from a collegiate club team (Club = 10) and a recreational league (Rec = 11) performed three, 30-sec WAnTs within 2 weeks, and with at least 24 hours between visits. Mean power, anaerobic capacity, peak power, anaerobic power, maximum RPM, and fatigue index were assessed. Resistance was 8.5% of the participant’s body weight. Results: The effect of time on power output was moderated (p < .001, ηp 2 = .24) such that a significant increase was observed after a practice trial, but not between subsequent trials for the Club players; no practice effect was observed among Rec players. Extremely high reliability was found between trials after excluding the practice trial (ICC1,1 > .89). The Club players achieved higher outputs despite no significant differences in body size or age compared to the Rec League players. Conclusion: Ice hockey players performing the 30-sec WAnT on the Velotron EE had highly reliable data, and using a familiarization trial is recommended to increase reliability and achieve higher power outputs. Lastly, because WAnT results from EE and mechanically-braked ergometers cannot be compared, normative tables for EE results need to be created.