Isokinetic Strength Profile and Anaerobic Power Characteristic in Skilled Cyclists

• Published in: Lecture Notes in Bioengineering
• Main Author: Albakri I.M.; Taib M.S.M.; Noor M.A.A.M.; Hamdan M.; Hasan H.
• Format: Conference paper
• Language: English
• Published: Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH 2024
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85213374901&doi=10.1007%2f978-981-97-4186-1_8&partnerID=40&md5=0b00216048ef047a75e49b230f4676c3

Cycling is a competitive sport and requires excellent strength and power, especially in the lower limb. The purpose of this study was to compare the isokinetic muscle strength of knee flexors and knee extensors and to compare the anaerobic power between skilled cyclists and a control group. Twenty-two (n = 22) participants were recruited for this study. The skilled cyclists’ group consisted of state cyclists (n = 12) and they were actively involved in cycling training and competitions for more than four years. Physically active individuals (n = 10) were recruited as a control group and they were involved in other sports as well. Both groups performed two tests which are the isokinetic knee muscle strength test and the anaerobic Wingate test. After performing the isokinetic muscle strength testing, participants were given a rest period of six days before proceeding to the second test which is the anaerobic Wingate test to make sure they fully recovered after the first test was conducted. An Independent T-test was used to analyze the peak torque and peak power output from the testing. Results showed that there were no significant differences (p > 0.01) in knee flexion, knee extension and H/Q ratio between the skilled cyclists and the control group. However, there were significant differences (p < 0.01) in peak power and percentage of fatigue index between the groups where skilled cyclists performed much more powerful cycling power output compared to the control group. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2024.