Resistance training
Tyson Huia's research evaluated whether modified band resistance training might enhance sprint cycling performance.
The ability of a sprint cyclist to achieve maximum power rapidly is an important component of competitive success. To be successful at track cycling time trials, sprint cyclists must have an explosive start out of the gate, obtain maximum leg speed, and sustain a high work output to complete the race. At the SIT Southern Performance Cycling Hub, road and track cyclists participate in a performance development programme to nurture their talent. Tyson Huia, then a strength and conditioning coach with the programme and now a Sport and Exercise Science Tutor at Ara | Te Pūkenga, undertook a Master of Applied Science at Otago Polytechnic | Te Pūkenga to investigate whether resistance training might enhance track cyclists' sprint performance.
Tyson's research examined the effects of different warm up protocols, on the potentiation of sprint cycling performance, comparing accommodating resistance or modified band resistance (MBR) back squats with using a standard resistance (SR) load in back squats and with a standard warm-up. Due to COVID-19 circumstances, only eight of 15 participants were able to complete all testing: standard warm-up (SWU), standard resistance (SR) and the modified resistance (MBR), at the same time of day for each testing session. Tyson asked participants to record their differentiated perceived effort following each warm-up protocol, and collected objective time data from the sprint cycling performance, and power data from some testing sessions.
While modified band resistance did appear to provide a performance advantage in sprint times over the initial 5 and 10m, the MBR warm up did not appear to offer any advantage over SR or SWU for a 250m cycling time trial. However, there are several possible reasons for this. It is possible that the resistance used in this study for SR and MBR did not provide sufficient load to stimulate potentiation for sprint cycling performance, or that insufficient time was spent familiarising participants with the techniques prior to testing, or that the timing splits over 250m were not sensitive enough measures to detect small changes in performance. Tyson's research advances understanding of the potentiating effects of different warm-up protocols for sprint cycling performance to help inform the practice of physical preparation coaches, specialist coaches, and cyclists.