Wingate test

The Wingate test (also known as the Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAnT)) is an anaerobic test, most often performed on a cycle ergometer, that measures peak anaerobic power and anaerobic capacity. The test, which can also be performed on an arm crank ergometer, consists of a set time pedalling at maximum speed against a constant force. The prototype test based on the Cumming’s test was introduced in 1974, at the Wingate Institute and has undergone modifications as time has progressed. The Wingate test has also been used as a basis to design newer tests in the same vein, and others that use running as the exercise instead of cycling.Sprint interval testing such as is similar to the construction of the Wingate test has been shown to increase both aerobic and anaerobic performance.

The Wingate Test was developed at the Wingate Institute in Israel during the 1970s.

To determine testing procedure validity, one must test the protocol against a "gold standard" trusted to elicit "true" values. In instances where there is such a standard, such as hydrostatic weighing to determine body composition, this is easy. There is however no such standard protocol for the determination of either anaerobic capacity or power Due to this problem, the Wingate test has instead been compared with sport performance, sport specialty, and laboratory findings. These comparisons have determined that the Wingate test is measuring what it claims to measure, and is a good indicator of these measurements.

The Wingate test is believed to show two things: all-out peak anaerobic power and anaerobic capacity. These two values have been reported as important factors in sports with quick, all-out efforts. Short sprinting events rely heavily upon the anaerobic energy pathways during execution, which leads to speculation that greater performance in a Wingate test can predict success in these events. This has not been proven, and the more applicable theory would be that improvements in Wingate scores could predict improvements in sprinting times.

The Wingate test has undergone many variations since its inception in the 1970s. Many researchers have used a 30-sec Wingate, while others have lengthened the duration to 60-sec or even 120-sec. The main purpose of this alteration is to more fully stress both the alactic and lactic anaerobic energy systems, which are the main source of energy for the first two minutes of exercise.

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