Abstract
Background: Wrestling as an Olympic sport was inducted in the modern Olympic Games from its very first edition. India has participated in Olympic Games for a long time. Anaerobic energy level is a deciding factor for adjudicating the final result in a wrestling match. Various studies found that the energy from the anaerobic metabolism sources can be more crucial than the aerobic power and capacity for success in wrestling.

Aims and Objectives: The aim of this study was to develop reference values for the Wingate anaerobic test (WAnT) for peak power (PP), mean power (MP), and fatigue index (FI) in elite Indian wrestlers which can be used by coaches, trainers, or athletes as a reference of talent identification, conditioning, and enable more effective decisions to be made regarding training focus or rehabilitation status.

Materials and Methods: A total of 76 highly trained elite Indian male wrestlers (age 23.3 ± 3.21 years, weight 73.19 ± 8.21 kg, height 170.12 ± 4.92 cm, and mean body fat % 12.59 ± 2.34) were volunteered for this study. All of them performed a 30s all out WAnT on cycle ergometer resisted at 0.075 kp/kg body mass (BM).

Results: Mean values for PP and MP were 756.98 ± 107.19 and 555.17 ± 55.96, respectively. Mean relative PP and average power were 10.40 ± 1.48 and 7.61 ± 0.82. Mean FI was 49.84% ± 9.54%. Relative PP output >10.76, 9.69–10.76, and <9.69 W/kg was classified as high, medium, and low, respectively. Relative MP output >7.995, 7.33–7.995, and <7.33 W/kg was classified as high, medium, and low, respectively.

Conclusion: Findings of this study emphasize the critical importance of developing Indian wrestlers’ anaerobic power and capacity. The reference values were established in this study which can be used in different training and research programs to more accurately assess an athlete’s level of anaerobic fitness and to monitor different changes resulting from anaerobic training.

Key words: Wrestling; Peak Power; Mean Power; Fatigue Index; Cycle Ergometer