Does Distance Climbed in a 30-S Maximal Effort Test on a Simulated Climbing Machine Correlate with Wingate Variables?
Creators: name: Wright, Kayla 
Publisher: name: University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Year: 2018

description: Introduction: The Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAnT) is used to assess anaerobic capacity by measuring total work. In addition to total work, the WAnT measures peak power, mean power, relative peak power, and fatigue. There are lower-, upper-, and full-body alternatives to the WAnT that can be used to measure anaerobic capacity, but there is little data on these alternatives. It may be beneficial to have a full-body assessment of anaerobic capacity, as many sporting events have full-body anaerobic demands. Simulated climbing machines are becoming popular modes of exercise. They have been compared to treadmill running and cycling in terms of maximal aerobic capacity. The correlations between climbing and both treadmill running and cycling VO2max are .87 and .84, respectively (3). VO2 and heart rate increase linearly on the climber with increasing workloads, similar to treadmill running and cycling (3). Not only does the climber elicit similar metabolic responses to treadmill running and cycling, Brahler & Blank (6)found that the climber can elicit a higher VO2max than rowing in female rowers. To date, nostudy has examined maximal-effort climbing to assess anaerobic capacity. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to test if a distance climbed 30-s maximal-effort test on a simulated climbing machine correlates with WAnT variables, specifically total work (anaerobic capacity). Participants: 32 apparently healthy males and females (16 each) were recruited from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Two participants did not complete all the sessions due to reasons unrelated to the study and are not included in the analyses. Wingate Protocol: All participants performed the WAnT protocol on the Monark Ergomedic 894E (Sweden). Test resistance was calculated at 7.5% of the participant's body mass (kg). Participants warmed up for about 3-5 minutes, depending on the participant, with no resistance and rested for one minute before the start of the test. A 5-second countdown was used to begin the test. Participants were instructed to be pedaling as fast as they could at 1 second left of the countdown. Resistance was applied by the researcher pushing the handlebar button, and participants were given verbal encouragement to pedal as fast as they could during the thirty seconds. Climbing Protocol: Participants performed a similar protocol to that of the WAnT on a VersaClimberTM SM Sport Model (Santa Ana, California). Participants warmed up for about 3-5 minutes, depending on the participant, with the lowest resistance, then rested for one minute. Following a 5-second countdown, participants began to climb as fast as they could on the lowest resistance and the thirty seconds started by using the bluetooth module to the VersaBlue App. Results: Thirty participants fully completed the study. Total work on the WAnT and distance on the climber were found reliable (ICC of .990 and .937), and the second trial for each participant was used for analysis. The bivariate correlation between WAnT total work and climber distance climbed was 0.81, explaining a very large amount of variance (~65%). When adding body mass into the prediction, the amount of variance explained is about 83%. MPO and PPO on the WAnT were both reliable (ICC .83 and .96). When separating by sex, bivariate correlations for total work and distance climbed for males was .61 (p.05). Large, statistically-significant differences between males and females were found for PPO, MPO, total work, and distance climbed for both the climber and WAnT. Discussion: The current study's findings provide evidence that the simulated climbing machine can possibly be a device used to measure anaerobic capacity with further studies. The use of simulated climbing can be advantageous in measuring anaerobic capacity because it involves a large muscle mass and is simple to perform. However, simulated climbers may need a means to measure and control force if they are to be a validated device to measure anaerobic capacity.