Lower Extremity Kinetic and Kinematic Responses During Maximal Anaerobic Power Testing in a Cross-Sectional Experimental Study

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the changes in time-dependent power outputs of the kinetic and kinematic analysis of the lower extremities during the maximal anaerobic power test and to determine possible differences in these changes according to gender.The study population consisted of a total of 34 individuals, including 16 women and 18 men aged 18-25 who lived in Istanbul and had been exercising regularly for the past 3 months. Material and Method: In the study, 30s anaerobic power test was applied as anaerobic exercise protocol and angular motion kinematics of lower extremities (hip, knee, ankle) were taken by a 3D motion analyzer (Qualisys Motion Analyzer) at 120 hz. Statistical analysis of the study was conducted using IBM SPSS Version 27. Data were assessed for normality using the Shapiro-Wilk test. The skewness-kurtosis coefficients were assessed using the t-test (independent samples t-test) for two-group comparisons of parametric data; and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for two-group comparisons of non-parametric data. Two-factor analysis of variance (Two-Way ANOVA for Mixed Measures) tests were used for repeated measurements for 5-second assessments within 30 seconds. The Bonferroni test was also used as a post-hoc test for pairwise comparisons to determine which variables accounted for the differences. Friedman analysis was used for repeated measurements of non-parametric data. Statistical analyses used in the study were conducted at 0.05 error levels with a 95% confidence. Results: Men participants demonstrated significantly higher average values than women in mean power (W), max power (W), power average (W), speed average (km/h), and distance (m) (p = 0.012, 0.009, 0.015, 0.022, and 0.018, respectively; all p < 0.05). Specifically, men produced more power during the 5–20 second intervals and achieved greater speed and distance. However, no statistically significant gender differences were observed in kinematic parameters at any time point (p > 0.05; e.g., p = 0.643, 0.521, 0.487). Significant time-dependent changes occurred within both groups (p < 0.001), confirmed by Bonferroni post-hoc tests. While men generated higher anaerobic performance outputs, movement mechanics remained similar across genders. Conclusion: Men participants produced significantly higher power output compared to women across all time intervals. In terms of joint angles, the concentric and eccentric angle values of both the right and left lower extremities decreased significantly over time. However, gender differences were not a determining factor for most of the kinematic parameters.