Wingate ANaerobic cycle Test

The Wingate Anaerobic 30 cycle Test (WANT) was developed during the 1970s at the Wingate Institute in Israel and is used to determine an athlete's peak anaerobic power and anaerobic capacity (Inbar et al. 1996)^[1]

Required Resources

To conduct this test, you will require:

Bicycle ergometer, which continuously records flywheel revolutions in 5-second intervals
Weighing Scales
Stopwatch
Assistant

How to conduct the test

This test requires the athlete to cycle as fast as possible for 30 seconds.

The assistant weighs the athlete (kg)
The athlete warms up for 10 minutes
The assistant calculates and records the flywheel resistance required as follows:

Athlete's weight x 0.08

The assistant gives the command “GO” and starts the stopwatch, and the athlete pedals as fast as possible with no flywheel resistance
After 3 seconds, the assistant applies the calculated flywheel resistance, and the athlete continues to pedal as fast as possible until 30 seconds have elapsed
After 30 seconds, the athlete stops pedalling, and the assistant records the flywheel revolutions for each 5-second interval of the test

Assessment

Peak Power Output (PP)

PP calculated every 5-second is calculated as follows:

Distance = number of revolutions in the first 5 seconds x distance per revolution
PP = Force x Distance ÷ 0.0833

Percentile norms for Peak Power for active young adults (Maud and Shultz 1998)^[2] is :

	Male	Female
%Rank	Watts	Watts
90	822	560
80	777	527
70	757	505
60	721	480
50	689	449
40	671	432
30	656	399
20	618	376
10	570	353

Relative Peak Power Output (RPP)

Relative Peak power output relative to body mass for each 5-second period is calculated as follows:

RPP = PP / Body mass (kg)

Percentile norms for Relative Peak Power for active young adults (Maud and Shultz 1998)^[2] are:

	Male	Female
%Rank	Watts/Kg	Watts/Kg
90	10.89	9.02
80	10.39	8.83
70	10.20	8.53
60	9.80	8.14
50	9.22	7.65
40	8.92	6.96
30	8.53	6.86
20	8.24	6.57
10	7.06	5.98

Anaerobic Fatigue (AF)

AF provides a percentage decline in power output and is calculated as follows:

AF = ((Highest 5 sec PP - Lowest 5 sec PP) ÷ (Highest 5 sec PP)) x 100.

Anaerobic Capacity (AC)

Total work accomplished in 30 secs. AC is calculated as follows:

AC = Sum of each 5 sec PP

Analysis

Analysis of the test result compares it with the athlete's previous results for this test. It is expected that, with appropriate training between each test, the analysis would indicate an improvement in the athlete's peak anaerobic power and anaerobic capacity.

Target Group

This test is suitable for sprint cyclists and sprinters but not for individuals where the test would be contraindicated.

Reliability

Test reliability refers to how a test is consistent and stable in measuring its intended measure. Reliability will depend upon how strict the test is conducted and the individual's level of motivation to perform the test. The following link provides various factors influencing the results and therefore, the test reliability.

Validity

Assessment of anaerobic performance can provide the coach with valuable information about the athlete's fitness status and allow them to monitor progress through training. The test scores can determine peak anaerobic power, anaerobic fatigue, and total anaerobic capacity.

Advantages

Minimal equipment required
Simple to set up and conduct

Disadvantages

Specialist equipment required
Assistant required to administer the test

Free Calculator

Wingate ANaerobic 30 cycle Test - a free Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that you can download and use on your computer.

References

INBAR, O. et al. (1996) The wingate anaerobic test. Champaign, Illinois: Human Kinetics
MAUD, P.J. and SHULTZ, B.B. (1998) Norms for the Wingate anaerobic test with comparison to another similar test. Res Q Exerc Sport, 60 (2), p. 144-151.

Page Reference

If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:

MACKENZIE, B. (1998) Wingate ANaerobic cycle Test [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/want.htm [Accessed