Reliability and validity of a 20-s alternative to the upper body Wingate anaerobic test in healthy subjects

The 30-s Wingate test is perhaps the most commonly used tool measuring anaerobic performance for both legs and arms (Lovel et al. 2013). However, several studies have suggested that the test duration is too long, with a significant contribution of aerobic metabolism. In addition, the test could be accompanied by negative symptoms, such as nausea, and syncope. An analogous test of 20 s may offer a reliable and valid alternative for leg assessments and likely should replace the classic 30-s arm test. Thus, the aims were (i) to compare the relative and absolute reliability of upper body 20 s and 30 s tests, and (ii) to examine how far the Wingate indices of upper body W30 can be predicted from W20 data.