Test-Retest reliability of a commercial linear position transducer (GymAware PowerTool) to measure velocity and power in the Back Squat and Bench Press

Orange, Samuel T.; Metcalfe, James W.; Vince, Rebecca V.; Marshall, Phil; Madden, Leigh A.; Liefeith, Andreas

Abstract

This study examined the test-retest reliability of the GymAware PowerTool (GYM) to measure velocity and power in the free-weight back squat and bench press. Twenty-nine academy rugby league players (age: 17.6 ± 1.0 years; body mass: 87.3 ± 20.8 kg) completed 2 test-retest sessions for the back squat followed by 2 test-retest sessions for the bench press. GYM measured mean velocity (MV), peak velocity (PV), mean power (MP), and peak power at 20, 40, 60, 80, and 90% of 1 repetition maximum (1RM). GYM showed good reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] and standard error of measurement percentage, respectively) for the measurement of MV at loads of 40 (0.77, 3.9%), 60 (0.83, 4.8%), 80 (0.83, 5.8%), and 90% (0.79, 7.9%) of 1RM in the back squat. In the bench press, good reliability was evident for PV at 40 (0.82, 3.9%), 60 (0.81, 5.1%), and 80% (0.77, 8.4%) of 1RM, and for MV at 80 (0.78, 7.9%) and 90% (0.87, 9.9%) of 1RM. The measurement of MP showed good to excellent levels of reliability across all relative loads (ICC ≥0.75). In conclusion, GYM provides practitioners with reliable kinematic information in the back squat and bench press, at least with loads of 40–90% of 1RM. This suggests that strength and conditioning coaches can use the velocity data to regulate training load according to daily readiness and target specific components of the force-velocity curve. However, caution should be taken when measuring movement velocity at loads

Citation

Orange, S. T., Metcalfe, J. W., Vince, R. V., Marshall, P., Madden, L. A., & Liefeith, A. (2020). Test-Retest reliability of a commercial linear position transducer (GymAware PowerTool) to measure velocity and power in the Back Squat and Bench Press. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 34(3), 728-737. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000002715

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 8, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Jun 25, 2018
• Publication Date: 2020-03
• Deposit Date: Jun 29, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 26, 2019
• Journal: Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
• Print ISSN: 1064-8011
• Publisher: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 34
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 728-737
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000002715
• Keywords: Velocity-based training; Sports performance; Strength and conditioning; Rugby league
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/901017
• Publisher URL: https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/publishahead/Test_Retest_Reliability_of_a_Commercial_Linear.95266.aspx
• Contract Date: Jul 3, 2018