Lance in the lab
The ability to produce brief bursts of maximal power is one of the important physiological components in human exercise and can be a critical factor in performance for many sports. Various methods and devices have been used to determine maximum power. However, many are inadequate and are limited in the interpretability, validity and utility of the data generated (2, 6, 19, 23, 26). Cycle ergometers have been increasingly used to measure maximum leg power in many studies given their advantages over several other devices and methods (19, 23). Some of the advantages of using cycle ergometers to measure maximal power include reduced risk of injury as body weight is supported by the seat, precise measurements of power independent of body weight as the imposed load, and involvement of multi-articular movements present in many daily activities and sports. However, similarly, several cycle ergometric methods have limitations in the interpretability, validity and utility of the data generated. An inertial-load cycle ergometer developed by Martin et al., 1997 (19) , addressed several of the limitations associated with the other ergometers. In summary, the inertial-load cycle ergometry allows maximal power to be elicited in a single short bout of exercise (about 3-4 s), provides both valid and reliable measurements of both averaged and instantaneous power, allows the descriptions of the power, velocity and torque relationships, and also takes into account the acceleration of the flywheel. No other cycle ergometry has been able to achieve all of the above points. In this study, the inertial-load cycle ergometer was used to study the 3 relationships of selected anthropometric attributes to maximum cycling power, velocity and torque in powerlifters and track and field athletes. |
