Muscular endurance
Muscular endurance - the ability of a specific muscle to sustain contractions over a long period of time
1 minute push-up test
This test measures the endurance of the pectoral and tricep brachii muscles by testing how many push-ups can be completed in 1 minute.
- Being by getting into the press-up position with hands shoulder-width apart, back straight and feet slightly apart.
- Start the timer and perform a press-up by bending to arms until the elbows are at a 90-degree angle and then return to the starting position
- Repeat this for as many times as possible within 60 seconds whilst keeping track of how many push-ups have been performed.
- Carry out the test 3 times and average the results. Make sure to leave a suitable rest period between attempts to let the muscles recover
Results
Here is the normative data for the 1 minute push-up test from topendsport.com.
Advantages
The advantages of the push-up test are:
- Only a stopwatch required
- Fast and easy to carry out
- Good indicator of overall muscular endurance
An ALTERNATIVE TEST - sIT UP TEST
A disadavatage of the test is that it only measures endurance in the pectorals and triceps. Another test to measure muscular endurance is the 1 minute sit-up test, this test measures the endurance of the rectus abdominus muscles.
This test is carried out by counting how many sit-ups can be performed in 1 minute, the test should be carried out 3 times with suitable rest periods in between and then averaging the results.
This test is carried out by counting how many sit-ups can be performed in 1 minute, the test should be carried out 3 times with suitable rest periods in between and then averaging the results.