ABSTRACT
Performance in the Wingate Anaerobic Test(WAnT) is often described in relation to a body size descriptor (e.g. body mass, fat-free mass). In exercise which involves moving and carrying the entire body mass such as during treadmill running, it is logical to express the performance in relation to body mass for ease of comparison between groups. However, in seated sprint cycling exercise where the body mass is supported, it may be more appropriate to relate the performance to some indicator of leg or thigh size. Some researchers have described young people’s exercise performance in relation to leg muscle volume[1, 2] but their results are equivocal, perhaps because the estimations of leg muscle volume are derived from anthropometric methods that may not be suitable for use with children. However, estimations of thigh muscle volume (TMV), employing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), may be a more valuable approach in the study of young subjects. Researchers commonly use ratio standards to address differences in body size but there is a growing conviction that the ratio method may not appropriately normalise exercise data for differences in body size[3, 4], Allometric (log-linear) methods are recommended as more appropriate in accounting for body size effects, but these methods have not been widely used to describe young people’s exercise performance in relation to TMV. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the WAnT performance of young people in relation to TMV using both ratio and allometric models.
