Biorhythms and their effect on physical performance

Abstract

This investigation was made to determine whether the knowledge of an athlete's present biorhythmic state, particularly the relationship of the ?high" point and "low" point in the 23-day physical cycle, can be used to predict a certain performance level. The University of Wisconsin - La Crosse basketball team was used in this study. The results collected and the statistics used are based on thirteen subjects. The subjects were tested using these three tests; the Balke Treadmill test, the Cooper Twelve Minute Run, and the Margaria-Kalamen Power test. Each test was run during a ?hih? and a ?low? point of the 23pday physical cycle. The results were statistically analyzed by using the small group t-test, at a significant level, at or greater than the 0.05 level. Based upon the data obtained from the thirteen subjects, the Balke Treadmill and Cooper Twelve Minute Run tests rejected the null hypothesis at the 0.05 level, while the Margaria-Kalamen Power test accepted the null hypothesis. The results support the theory that during a ?high? the body has more energy and endurance, while during a ?low? the body is in a resting state having less energy and endurance.