Assessing Reliability in Flywheel Squat Performance: The Role of Sex and Inertial Load

Objectives: We examined the effects of sex and inertia on within-session reliability of flywheel half-squat performance outcomes. Methods: A total of 21 males and 25 females (aged 24.9 and 23.6, respectively) performed two sets of six valid repetitions using four inertial loads. Mean force, mean and peak power, impulse, and work were recorded during concentric and eccentric phases. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), coefficient of variation (CV), typical error (TE), smallest worthwhile change (SWC), and minimal detectable change were calculated. A three-way repeated measures ANOVA was used to identify systematic differences and interaction effects. Results: Regardless of inertia or contraction phase, both males and females demonstrated excellent between-set reliability (ICC > 0.803 in males and superior to 0.946 in females) across all variables. Although males showed slightly higher CV values, CVs were good for all variables (≤9%). Overall, good sensitivity (SWC > TE) was observed in the four inertias, with marginal sensitivity (TE > SWC) more frequently observed for the power-related outcomes. Whereas no interactions between Sex × Set × Inertia were observed among the variables, significant interactions between Inertia × Sex were observed in both contraction phases for power-related variables (eccentric peak power, p < 0.001; concentric mean power, p = 0.032). Conclusions: reliability was excellent across all moments of inertia and contraction phases for both sexes, highlighting the importance of considering inertia configuration and sex differences when profiling performance outcomes.