INSEP / 2022-2023 Diploma thesis

(Summary)
Zoé Bonnamy

Preliminary comparative study between motor profile and pedaling position on power expression and spatio-temporal organization during maximal effort on a wattbike

Objective :

The aim of this study was to determine whether the position taken on the Wattbike (strapped, standing or sitting), depending on the athlete’s motor profile, could have an influence on the development of maximum power.

Material and method :

The study was carried out on 12 subjects, all top-level athletes and injury-free. It took place at the Institut Nationale de l’Expertise et de la Performance (INSEP). The tool used was the Wattbike ergometer, and the motor preference tests carried out with the athletes were the tests described in “La bible des préférences motrices, Action|Type”.

Results :

The experiment highlighted significant results in favour of a difference in the development of maximum power on the Wattbike depending on the different positions taken and the profile of the athlete tested.

Conclusion :

This dissertation is a study of the question of individualization, and seems to affirm that each athlete is an individual in his or her own right, with his or her own motor function. It has to be admitted, however, that there are a few biases in this assignment, not least the difficulty of extracting and analyzing Wattbike data. For this reason, future studies on the subject could provide a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying motor preferences and muscle recruitment patterns unique to the athlete.