Affiliations: [a] Children's Health and Exercise Research Centre,
University of Exeter, Exetee, UK | [b] Chelsea School, University of Brighton, Brighton,
UK | [c] Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University
of Wales, Aberystwyth, UK
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Dr. C.A. Williams, Children's Health
and Exercise Research Centre, School of Sport and Health Sciences, University
of Exeter, Heavitree Road, Exeter EX1 2LU, UK. Tel.: +44 392 264890; Fax: +44
1392 264726; E-mail: c.a.williams@exeter.ac.uk
Abstract: Previous studies of short term power output in young people and
adults have used cycle ergometers that cannot control cadence or inertial
resistance. An innovative isokinetic ergometer has now been designed and the
purpose of this study was to investigate the isokinetic short term power output
of twelve 15-year-old adolescent girls and nine 21-year-old female adults.
Short term power was measured by a power-cadence test and included the
calculation of the optimised peak power (PP_{opt}) and
optimal cadence (C_{opt}) at PP_{opt}. Each subject completed seven maximal sprints, starting at an
initial pedal cadence of 90
rev·min^{-1} which after each
subsequent five minute rest period, was increased by 10
rev·min^{-1}. Significant differences
in absolute PP_{opt} were found between adolescent (624
± 985 W) and adult females (740 ±
157 W) respectively (P < 0.05). Significant differences were
found in short term power standardised according to leg volume (45.4
± 10.8 and 25.8 ± 2.1
W·L^{-1}) between female adolescents
and adults but not according to body mass (P > 0.05). The
C_{opt}at PP_{opt} for adolescent
females (116 ± 6
rev·min^{-1}) was not significantly
different to adult females (118 ± 13
rev·min^{-1}). These results add to
the scarce amount of isokinetic data on females and provide evidence that age
differences in power are not due to cadence dependent factors.
