Wingate Test: How to Assess Anaerobic Power on a Bike

If you need to know how much "explosiveness" an athlete has during 30 all-out seconds, the Wingate test is the historical reference. It originated in the 1970s at the Wingate Institute in Israel and, decades later, remains the gold standard for measuring anaerobic power on a cycle ergometer.

It's a demanding test — both for the athlete and for whoever runs it — but the data it provides is very comprehensive: not just how much power someone can generate, but also how that power degrades with fatigue.

What Does This Test Measure?

The Wingate test measures anaerobic capacity through a maximal 30-second sprint on a cycle ergometer against a fixed resistance. From it, three key metrics are obtained:

• Peak power: the maximum power reached, usually within the first 5 seconds. Reflects the phosphocreatine system's power.
• Mean power: the average power over the 30 seconds. Reflects anaerobic glycolytic capacity.
• Fatigue index: the percentage drop between peak power and minimum power. Indicates how well performance "holds up" without crashing.

Equipment Needed

• Cycle ergometer with friction or electromagnetic brake that allows a constant load to be set (typically Monark-type ergometers, or cycle ergometers with dedicated Wingate software)
• Software or stopwatch to record power second by second
• Scale (resistance is calculated based on body weight, typically 0.075-0.090 kgp per kg of body weight)

How to Perform the Test

1. Warm up the athlete for 5-10 minutes with light pedaling, including 2-3 short activation sprints
2. Adjust the saddle and handlebars for a comfortable, reproducible position
3. Calculate and set the braking resistance based on the athlete's body weight
4. Have the athlete pedal at maximum speed with no resistance for 2-3 seconds
5. At that moment, apply the braking load and start the stopwatch: the athlete must pedal at maximum effort for exactly 30 seconds
6. Provide verbal encouragement throughout the test (motivation significantly affects the result)
7. Record power every second (or every 5 seconds if the equipment doesn't allow higher resolution)
8. Finish with an easy-pedaling cool-down

Common Mistakes

• Not warming up enough, which artificially reduces peak power
• Setting the resistance incorrectly (too low or too high for the athlete's weight, skewing results)
• Not providing verbal encouragement during the test (the "psychological component" matters a lot in a maximal 30-second effort)
• Comparing results between sessions without standardizing time of day and prior fatigue state

How to Interpret the Results

Parameter	Trained men	Trained women	General population
Peak power	10-13 W/kg	9-11 W/kg	7-9 W/kg
Mean power	7-9 W/kg	6-8 W/kg	5-6 W/kg
Fatigue index	40-55%	35-50%	30-45%

A very high fatigue index (>60%) can indicate good initial power but limited ability to sustain it, typical in pure sprint sports. A lower index is common in team sports where short efforts are repeated.

Related Tests

The Wingate test pairs well with lower-body power tests based on jumping, since both share the anaerobic energy substrate even though the movement differs:

• Repeated jump test (rebound jumps) — to assess the ability to repeat explosive jumping efforts
• Reactive strength index (RSI) — another way to assess neuromuscular quality in short efforts

Track and Monitor

The Wingate test generates plenty of data (peak power, mean power, fatigue index) that's worth comparing across mesocycles to see whether your anaerobic training plan is working. With Movalytics you can record these three values for each assessment and visualize your athlete's progression throughout the season, without relying on scattered spreadsheets.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Wingate test suitable for any athlete? It's a very demanding maximal effort, so make sure the athlete has an adequate training base and no relevant cardiovascular contraindications. How often can it be repeated? Because it's so demanding, it's usually repeated every 4-6 weeks, coinciding with mesocycle changes, to avoid unnecessary accumulated fatigue. Can it be done on an ergometer other than a bike? The original protocol uses a cycle ergometer, although adaptations exist for rowing or arm-crank ergometers for specific sports, keeping the same 30-second maximal-intensity logic.