Circadian Rhythm in Anaerobic Power and Capacity

Anaerobic power and capacity were measured in nine college-age men at four different times of day: 03.00 h, 09.00 h, 15.00 h, and 21.00 h. Modified Wingate tests were performed against a common resistance of 5.5 kg (0.074 +/- 0.004 kg per kg body mass). Peak power was defined as the highest power output during a 5-s period in the test, and anaerobic capacity was defined as the total external work during the 30-s test. Peak power tended to differ across testing times (F = 2.50, p = .10), with the mean at 21.00 h about 8% higher (p less than .05) than at 03.00 h. Anaerobic capacity differed across the times of day (F = 9.58, p less than .01), with the means at 15.00 h and 21.00 h about 5% higher (p less than .05) than at 03.00 h and 09.00 h. These results suggest that there are circadian rhythms in anaerobic power and capacity.