title: The Kansas Squat Test: A Valid and Practical Measure of Anaerobic Power for Track and Field Power Athletes.
abstract: The Kansas squat test (KST) is a repetitive lifting test designed to measure relatively similar indices of lower-body power as the Wingate anaerobic test (WAnT). The purposes of this study were twofold: determine concurrent validity of the KST using the WAnT as the criterion measure and also demonstrate the KST as a practical test of anaerobic power for track and field athletes. Twenty-three track and field athletes participated (mean ± SD; 77.2 ± 16.8 kg, 175.6 ± 8.7 cm). Each completed the KST, and on a separate occasion, the WAnT for comparison. Correlation coefficients indicated significant relationships between the KST and the WAnT on measures of maximum test power (r = 0.920, p < 0.01) and mean test power (r = 0.929, p < 0.01), but not for relative fatigue (r = 0.030, p > 0.05). The posttest lactate response also lacked a significant relationship (r = -0.062, p > 0.05). These relationships were also present when athletes were examined in subgroups based on gender and event. Paired-samples t-tests indicated that while peak power and mean power were significantly higher for the KST (p ≤ 0.01), relative fatigue and lactate were both significantly higher for the WAnT (p ≤ 0.01). These significant differences were similar in the subsequent subgroupings of the athletes. These data support that the KST is a concurrently valid assessment of lower-body anaerobic power. This study further illustrates a practical lower-body power testing method that is lift specific, which may aid in improving training specificity for track and field power athletes.
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, Emporia State University, Emporia, Kansas; and 2Department of Health, Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas.
authors.forename: Paul E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Luebbers
authors.forename: Andrew C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Fry
mesh_terms: D015308:Anaerobic Threshold / Q000502:physiology*; D056352:Athletes; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000379:methods*; D005221:Fatigue / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D014142:Track and Field / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D019344:Lactic Acid