ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 1998 September;38(3):201-7

Copyright © 1998 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Correlations between peak power output, muscular strength and cycle time trial performance in triathletes

Bentley D. J., Wilson G. J., Davie A. J., Zhou S.

School of Exercise Science and Sport Management, Southern Cross University, Lismore NSW, Australia

Objective. To exam­ine the rela­tion­ship ­between the ­peak pow­er out­put (Wmax), ­peak oxy­gen ­uptake (V.O2­peak), low­er ­limb mus­cu­lar ­strength and ­cycling ­time (CT) dur­ing a ­short ­course tri­ath­lon ­race.
Experimental ­design. The ­study ­involved a ­cross-sec­tion­al anal­y­sis involv­ing ­both phys­io­log­i­cal and bio­me­chan­i­cal var­i­ables. Setting. Testing was per­formed at the exer­cise phys­iol­o­gy and bio­me­chan­ics labor­a­to­ry, School of Exercise Science and Sport Management, Southern Cross University, Lismore, Australia.
Participants. Ten ­male tri­ath­letes who had ­been endu­rance ­cycle train­ing for a min­i­mum of 12 ­months ­prior to the com­mence­ment of the ­study.
Measures. Subjects com­plet­ed a max­i­mal incre­men­tal ­cycle ­test as ­well as a ­series of mus­cu­lar func­tion ­tests includ­ing a 6-s ­cycle ­test, a con­cen­tric iso­iner­tial ­squat ­jump as ­well as an iso­ki­net­ic leg exten­sion ­test per­formed at veloc­ities of 60° (s-1, 120° (s-1 and 180°•s-1. In addi­tion, ­each sub­ject ­also par­tic­i­pat­ed in a tri­ath­lon ­race of dis­tance 1.5 km ­swim, 40 km ­cycle and 10 km run.
Results. A sig­nif­i­cant cor­re­la­tion exist­ed ­between CT and abso­lute V.O2­peak and Wmax. However, no sig­nif­i­cant cor­re­la­tions ­were ­found ­between the ­results of the mus­cu­lar func­tion ­tests and the incre­men­tal ­cycle ­test as ­well, as CT dur­ing the tri­ath­lon ­race.
Conclusions. Wmax and WDmax are use­ful var­i­ables in assess­ing ­cycle per­for­mance in tri­ath­letes. However, the impor­tance of mus­cu­lar ­strength of the low­er ­limbs may be min­i­mal in over­all ­cycle per­for­mance dur­ing a ­short ­course tri­ath­lon ­race.