Biological and technological variability of three anaerobic ergometer tests

To assess the relative biological and technological variability of anaerobic testing, 27 male subjects performed either 30- or 60-s sprint bouts on a hydraulically braked Fitron ergometer or timed rides to exhaustion at 125% VO2max on an electrically braked Collins ergometer. Each subject performed four trials within a 4-week period, with blood drawn 10 min post-exercise for lactate determination. Total variability was estimated from the mean coefficient of variation (CV = SD/means X 100%) for each variable. There were no significant differences across the four trials of each test for any of the variables measured (mean power or ride time, peak torque, fatiguability, or blood lactate). There were also no significant differences in test variabilities. The mean CV of performance were 5.4%, 5.4%, and 5.3% for the 30-s Fitron, 60-s Fitron, and exhaustive tests, respectively. The magnitude of this variability is nearly identical to that reported for tests of aerobic fitness. Only 10%-30% of the variability was of technological origin. This variability must be considered in the interpretation of experiments utilizing anaerobic performance tests.