EFFECT OF A PRIOR FORCE–VELOCITY TEST PERFORMED WITH LEGS ON SUBSEQUENT PEAK POWER OUTPUT MEASURED WITH ARMS OR VICE VERSA

The aim of this study was to examine whether measurement of peak anaerobic power (W_peak) by force-velocity test using the arms or the legs influenced the performance obtained when the opposite muscle group was tested. Ten trained male throwers (age: 20.6±2; stature: 1.82±0.06 m; and body mass: 85.5 ± 17.2 kg) performed, on separate days, 2 Monark cycleergometer protocols comprising (a) arm cranking (A1) followed by a leg cycling (L2) force-velocity test (series A-L) and (b) a leg cycling (L1) followed by an arm cranking (A2) force-velocity test (series L-A). On each day, 8 minutes of seated rest separated the 2 force-velocity tests. Arterialized capillary blood was collected from the finger tips for blood lactate analysis at rest and at the end of each force-velocity test. W_peak-A1 and W _peak-A2 were similar (8.1 ± 1.7 and 8.6 ± 1.5 W·kg_-1, respectively). W^peak-L1 and W ^peak-L2 were 14.0 ± 3 and 13.4 ± 2.8 W·kg ^-1 (NS). Blood [La] increased significantly after each force-velocity test (p < 0.001), but peak blood [La] did not differ significantly between L1 (6.6 ± 1.2) and L2 (6.2 ± 1.4 mmol·L^-1) or between A1 (7.2 ± 1.0) and A2 (7.4 ± 1.6 mmol·L ^-1). In this population, force-velocity tests performed using the legs or the arms did not induce a significant decrease in force-velocity determinations of peak anaerobic power performed subsequently with the opposite muscle group. In strength-trained athletes, the force-velocity approach can thus be used to measure the peak power output of both the legs and the arms in a single laboratory session, without adversely affecting estimates of an athlete's performance.