Correlation between Tests of Running Repeated Sprint Ability and Anaerobic Capacity by Wingate Cycling in Multi-Sprint Sports Athletes

The 30 s Wingate cycling (cWG) test is a popular test of anaerobic capacity. The test is highly correlated with short, high-intensity performance but may have limitations when assessing intermittent-type activities. A reliable field-based test, the running Repeated Sprint Ability (rRSA) test, is deemed more sport-specific than cWG in determining anaerobic performance of multi-sprint sports athletes. This study examines the relationship of the performance indices of cWG and rRSA (8×40 m with 30 s rest in-between) tests in well-trained multi-sprint sports athletes. Twenty-six National-level male field hockey and soccer players took the cWG and rRSA tests on separate occasions in random order. There were only modest correlations between the cWGs mean power (relative) and rRSAs total sprinting time (r = -.46, p < .05) and between the two tests fatigue indicators (r = .46, p < .05). The findings of the low-shared variance among the performance variables between the two tests provided limited support for the use of the cWG for assessing the anaerobic performance capability of well-trained multi-sprint sport athletes.