Standing and seated Wingate protocols in human cycling. A comparison of standard parameters

While the Wingate test is traditionally administered with the restriction that the subject stay seated, competition cyclists generally rise out of the saddle when sprinting. The purpose of this investigation, therefore, was to determine whether the results of Wingate tests are different if they are obtained when the subject is in a seated compared to a standing position. A group of 12 male cyclists, competing at the college level, performed four 30 s Wingate tests over the course of 2 weeks. Two practice tests were first administered, one with the subjects standing on the pedals and one with them seated, followed by two similar tests for the record in a randomized order. Each test was performed on a friction-loaded ergometer (resistance: 8.5% body mass, starting cadence 60 rpm). For the standing tests, the participants rose out of the saddle when the load was applied and remained standing throughout. Power was computed using a commercially available software/ hardware package that accounted for both the load on the flywheel, and the flywheel and crank system acceleration. Power values in the standing and seated trials for the [mean (SD)] 1 s peak [19.4 (1.4) W x kg(-1), 17.9 (1.7) W x kg(-1)], 5 s peak [16.8 (0.9) W x kg(-1), 15.7 (1.1) W x kg(-1)], 30 s average [11.0 (0.4) W x kg(-1), 10.4 (0.6) W x kg(-1)], and 5 s minimal power [8.3 (0.5) W x kg(-1), 7.5 (0.6) W x kg(-1)] were all significantly greater in the standing compared to the seated trials (P < 0.01). However, the fatigue index was not significantly different [51 (5)% standing. 52 (5)% seated; P = 0.25]. Since greater power output was achieved when the subjects were standing on the pedals, it may be more appropriate to test cyclists when they are in the standing position to gain a better representation of their capability to exert maximal power.