What is the RAST Test for Speed Endurance?

Last Updated on May 31, 2011 by Jimson Lee

If you liked the article How much Horsepower does Usain Bolt Generate?, you’ll love this article.

How much Horsepower does Usain Bolt Generate?  The short answer is 2165 Watts.  Divide that by 746 watts per horsepower and you get 2.9 HP, very close to 3 horsepower.

For a comparison, assuming 1kg to a height of 1 meter in 1 second = 10 Watts of power, then the WR Deadlift is 6.6 HP for men, 4.2 HP for women.  For the Squats WR, we have 7.6 HP for men, 5.2 HP for women.

For a nice graphic on energy systems, see:

http://www.wellhome.com/blog/2010/07/whi44-energy-in-sport/

RAST stands for Running-based Anaerobic Sprint Test and was devised at the University of Wolverhampton in the UK.  Basically, it uses the power formula to work out the rate at which the athlete is able to work.

RAST Test for Speed Endurance

This involves running 6 x 35m with 10 secs recovery (up and down a 35m portion of track)

The times for each run are measured and then the complicated part starts.

The wattage (or power produced) in each run is the calculated using the following formula

Power = Weight of Athlete (kg) x [ Distance squared (meters) / Time cubed (seconds) ]

For example: Using Usain Bolt’s 4.22 35 meter split, and weighing 94kg, the above equation results in 1530 Watts, or divide that by 746 watts per horsepower and you get two horsepower.

What we are trying to measure is the drop-off in performance as the test progresses.

The 3 things we want to measure are:

1. How much power can be generated?
2. How much does this level fall by the end of the test?
3. What is the rate at which the power reduces?

Analysis

Unless you are dogging the workout, the maximum power produced is usually the result of the first run, and maybe the second as you may be more loose.  A result of 600-700 watts is reasonable, anything in advance of 1000 watts is excellent, and over 1500 watts is simply world class beyond belief.

The minimum will usually be the very last run with fatigue and lactate setting in.   According to the research, a difference of 300 watts from best to worse is okay.

The last criteria is the average rate at which the power production is produced. This is

Rate of Change = (Max Power – Min Power) / Total cumulative time.

If this results is over 10 then the athlete should look at their training program and work harder on speed endurance. A score of under 7 is very good.

Note the biggest factor is the difference in Max Power vs Min Power, which is directly related to your time for the last run.

And you wonder why this Blog is called speedendurance?

If you do the RAST test of 6 x 35m with 10 secs recovery, post your results below.