Tapering Practices of Strongman Athletes: Test-Retest Reliability Study
Paul W Winwood1,2, Hayden J Pritchard2,3, Justin Wl Keogh2,4,5
1Department of Sport and Recreation, Faculty of Community Wellbeing and Development, Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, Tauranga, New Zealand.
JMIR Research Protocols
|November 2, 2017
Summary
This study found that a new online questionnaire is a reliable tool for assessing strongman athletes' training and tapering practices. The questionnaire provides stable and dependable data for most aspects of strongman training and competition preparation.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Strength and Conditioning
- Athletic Performance
Background:
- Tapering practices in strongman athletes are not well understood.
- An internet-based questionnaire was developed to gather data on strongman training and tapering.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the test-retest reliability of an online questionnaire assessing strongman athletes' tapering practices.
- To evaluate the reliability and utility of this questionnaire for strongman athletes.
Main Methods:
- An online survey was distributed to strongman athletes via Facebook Messenger.
- Participants completed the survey twice, with a minimum 7-day interval, for test-retest reliability analysis.
- Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and kappa statistics were used to measure agreement.
Main Results:
- The questionnaire demonstrated excellent to fair reliability for most demographic, training, and tapering practice questions.
- Reliability was moderate to excellent for most tapering measures, with exceptions for specific details like training frequency and type during the taper.
- Agreement was good to excellent for strongman events and exercises performed during the taper.
Conclusions:
- A low-cost, self-reported online questionnaire provides stable and reliable data on strongman athletes' training and tapering practices.
- The questionnaire is a useful tool for research on strongman athletes' preparation.
