A reliability assessment of a football-specific repeated sprint test on a non-motorized treadmill

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the test-retest reliability of a football-specific repeated sprint test on a non-motorized treadmill as a way to assess anaerobic performance. Twenty-one NCAA Dill football players that played a non-line position completed the repeated sprint protocol (10 x 6-s maximal sprints, 25-seconds recovery) against a load equal to 15% of each subject's body weight on two separate occasions. Performance decrement, total mean power (MP) and mechanical load were analyzed for reliability for each test. No significant differences were found between the two trials for performance decrement and mechanical load (p > 0.05). Reliability between the two trials was considered acceptable for performance decrement (r = 0.77; CV = 14.26%), total IvlP (r~ 0.90; CV ~ 2.98%), and mechanical load (r~ 0.85; CV ~ 5.12%). Subjects achieved at least 90% of their age-predicted maximum heart rate at sprint 6 and maintained- it for the remainder of the test. The results indicate that with adequate familiarization the football-specific repeated sprint test has acceptable reliability and can be used to assess anaerobic performance in American football players.