Development of a Cadence Curl-Up Test for College Students

• Published in: Research quarterly for exercise and sport 1997-12, Vol.68 (4), p.309-316
• Main Authors: Sparling, Phillip B., Millard-Stafford, Mindy, Snow, Teresa K.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abdomen - physiology; abdominal endurance; Adult; College students; curl-up; Electromyography; Exercise; Exercise Test - methods; Female; fitness testing; Humans; Male; Muscular Strength; Performance evaluation; Physical Education; Physical Endurance - physiology; Physical Fitness; sit-up
• ISSN: 0270-1367; 2168-3824
• DOI: 10.1080/02701367.1997.10608012

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a cadence curl-up test in a college population as compared to the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) 1-min sit-up test (Association for Research and Professional Councils and Societies, 1985) and the Robertson 1-min curl-up test (Robertson & Magnusdottir, 1987). A cadence curl-up test, referred to as the GT curl-up test, was set at 25 repetitions per minute. A total of 205 college students completed three trials consisting of one AAHPERD sit-up trial and two GT curl-up trials. A subsample (h = 85) completed the Robertson curl-up test as a fourth trial. Trials were counterbalanced with 7 days rest between each test. To evaluate content validity, electromyography signals from selected muscle sites were measured on 6 participants for each of the three tests. Mean scores and standard deviations for the GT curl-up test, AAHPERD sit-up test, and Robertson curl-up test were M = 46.2, SD = 17.8; M = 46.4, SD = 10.2; and M = 69.7, SD = 14.1), respectively. Pearson product moment correlations among the three tests were low to moderate (r ≥ .50). The intraclass correlation reliability estimate for the GT curl-up test was 0.92. In 1-min speed tests, repeated rapid trunk flexion can adversely affect technique and has raised safety concerns (Jette, Sidney & Cicutti, 1984; Faulkner, Sprigings, McQuarrie, & Bell, 1989; Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research, 1994). The Robertson test also requires the use of a curl-up frame. In the GT cadence test these drawbacks are minimized due to a slower, more controlled movement with an objective endpoint that is not dependent on special equipment. Moreover, our EMG findings supported previous reports that curl-up exercise with feet unanchored minimizes rectus femoris involvement. Based on the results of this study, the GT curl-up test was found to be a reliable field test with logical validity supporting its relevance as an index of abdominal muscular endurance among college students.