Test-Retest Reliability of Physiological Variables During Submaximal Seated Upper-Body Poling in Able-Bodied...

Purpose: To investigate the test-retest reliability of physiological variables across four different test days and four different submaximal exercise intensities during seated upper-body poling (UBP). Methods: Thirteen abled-bodied, upper-body trained men (age 29±3years; body mass 84±12kg; height 183±5cm) performed four submaximal 4-min stages of seated UBP on four separate test days. The four submaximal stages were set at individual power outputs corresponding to a rating of perceived exertion of 9, 11, 13, and 15. The absolute reliability for pairwise test-day comparisons of the physiological variables was investigated with the smallest detectable change percentage (%SDC) and the relative reliability with the interclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Results: Absolute and relative reliability across test-day comparisons and submaximal stages were moderate to excellent for all variables investigated (V̇O₂ - %SDC range: 5-13%, ICC range: 0.93-0.99; HR - %SDC range: 6-9%, ICC range: 0.91-0.97) other than blood lactate, for which absolute reliability was poor and relative reliability highly variable (%SDC range: 26-69%, ICC range: 0.44-0.92). Furthermore, absolute and relative reliability were consistent across the low-to-moderate exercise intensity spectrum and across test days. Conclusion: Absolute and relative test-retest reliability were acceptable for all investigated physiological variables but blood lactate. The consistent test-retest reliability across the exercise intensity spectrum and across test days indicates that a familiarization period to the specific exercise modality may not be necessary. For generalizability, these findings need to be confirmed in athletes with a disability by future large-scale studies.