The effect of social support and gender on Wingate Anaerobic cycle Test

Abstract

Objective: To investigate how different social support conditions affect performance in a Wingate Anaerobic cycle Test and to see whether there is a difference in the way genders interpret the social support conditions. Methodology: Ten participants (5 male, 5 female) took part in a Wingate Anaerobic cycle Test in three social support conditions; no social support, known social support and unknown social support. The peak power output, mean power output and fatigue index were measured and the participants filled out a social support questionnaire designed specifically for this study to measure the perception of social support for each condition. Results: The results show that there was no difference in the way males and females respond to social support. Also, surprisingly, there was no difference in the performance of the Wingate Anaerobic cycle Test between the 'unknown' social support condition and the 'known' social support condition. However, there was a significant difference between the 'known' social support condition and the 'no' social support condition. Conclusions: It was concluded that it is essential for fitness tests to be carried out in the presence of supporters who are known to the participant in order to produce reliable results upon which fitness regimes and cardiovascular medicine may be based.