Cycle ergometry studies originated in the early 1900s but it was not until the early 1970s that the first studies of children and anaerobic performance were established. Since that time, research into the anaerobic performance of children and adolescents has proliferated, mainly due to attempts by investigators to overcome methodological problems. Besides the increase in studies using the most popular anaerobic test, the friction-braked Wingate, other tests such as the forcevelocity and isokinetic cycle ergometers are becoming more common. No matter how the data are standardised, there is unequivocal agreement that children's and adolescents' anaerobic power scores are lower than those of adults. Qualitative muscular differences are often cited for this disparity rather than differences in the quantity of muscle, but conclusive research is lacking in this area. Despite the ethical considerations involved in studies with children, cycle ergometry has aided researchers to assess external short term power output, mean power and fatigue.