In this study, the effects of torso impact on 20 university judo athletes during the recovery period of power output during intermittent exercise using a bicycle ergometer were investigated. Three conditions were set: an impact corresponding to the subject’s weight class was applied to the torso; a muscle exertion simulating an impact on the torso; and a control condition in which the subject rested in a seated position on the bicycle ergometer. The effects of the presence or absence of an impact on the trunk on intermittent power output were examined. The relationship between the power exerted and physical fitness characteristics was also examined, with the following results being obtained.
1. Intermittent power production under each condition showed a maximum value in the first set and a minimum value in the tenth set, and values from the second set onwards were significantly lower than the power exerted in the first set.
2. Power output values under the condition in which an impact was applied to the torso and under which muscle exertion was performed were significantly lower than those in the control, but no significant differences were observed between the two conditions.
3. When examining the relationship between power output and physical fitness characteristics when an impact was applied to the torso and when muscular exertion was performed, the correlation between maximum anaerobic power and anaerobic endurance was stronger under both conditions compared to the control.
These findings suggest that the cause of the decline in performance associated with intermittent power exertion is not due the impact to the torso, but the effects of the accompanying explosive muscular exertion. It also suggests that not only aerobic task performance but also maximum anaerobic power and anaerobic endurance contributed to the power exerted.
