'Muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle or group of muscles to sustain repeated contractions against a resistance for an extended period of time.'
Muscular endurance is very different from cardiovascular endurance as it involves the muscles fatiguing instead of them having a limitation in the amount of oxygen being supplied and being utilized by the muscles. Muscular endurance is one of six different components of fitness. It is important for success in many sports such as football, rowing and swimming. A good muscular endurance is an important part of a athletes overall fitness.
References
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/glossary/g/MuscleEndur_def.htm
http://www.topendsports.com/fitness/muscle-endurance.htm
1 minute sit up test
![Picture](/uploads/3/0/6/9/30698295/6078549.jpg)
Purpose
It is also used to help you to work out how whether you have a good core (abdominal) strength or if you have a poor core (abdominal) strength.
Resources required to carry out this test is as followed:
1. A flat surface (eg a gym floor) (free or £3 to use a gym)
2. Exercise or yoga mat (£5)
3. A stop watch (£1)
4. A partner/assistant (free)
Total cost to carryout test: £9
Test procedure:
A common method of performing a sit up fitness test is to record the maximum number of sit ups in a certain time period for example this test is for 1 minute.
How to carry out the test:
This test requires the athlete to perform as many sit ups as they can in one minute.
1. The athlete lies on the mat with their knees bent, feet flat on the floor and their hands on their ears where they must stay throughout the test.
2. The assistant holds the athlete’s feet on the ground this can be done by the assistant placing his/hers feet onto the athletes toes/feet. Or the assistant can hold the athletes feet with his/hers hands.
3. The assistant gives the command “GO” and starts the stopwatch at which point the athlete should start doing sit ups.
4. The athlete sit ups touching their knees with their elbows/head, then returns back to the floor and continues to perform as many sit-ups as possible in 1 minute
5. The assistant keeps the athlete informed of the time remaining and how many sit ups the have done.
The assistant counts and records the number of correct sit-ups completed in the 1 minute and uses this recorded value to assess the athlete’s performance. This is done using the table below:
Facility requirements: The facility needs to have a flat surface and can be anywhere like a gym, sports hall etc. You do not need any special facilities requirements.
Reliability
This tests reliability refers to how good and accurate this test is and that it is measuring what it is intended to measure. 'Reliability will depend on how strict the test is conducted and the individual's level of motivation to perform the test. '
Validity
This tests validity refers to how good and accurate this test is and that it is measuring what it is intended to measure and the extent to which inferences, conclusions, and decisions made on the basis of test scores are appropriate and meaningful. This test can be used to monitor the effect of training on an athlete's physical development.
Scoring/measurements: The completion of one complete sit up is coming up to your knees and back down so that your back is flat on the mat, this then counts as one. The sit up must be performed correctly for it to be counted.
Advantages
1. one advantage to the 1 minute sit up test is that it is simple to perform requiring minimal equipment. This is an advantage as you can do it anyone with a flat surfaces and don't need to go to one certain area to use experience equipment.
2. Another advantage to the 1 minute sit up test is that you can do in large groups where everyone can be tested at once. This is useful for team sports and the army as the coach can test everyone's ability all at once.
3. Another advantage to using the 1 minute sit up test is that it is very cost effective as to carry out test it would only cost you about £9 or less. in addition to this it dose not take along time to carryout the test as depending on how many people took part you can do it in under 5 minutes.
Disadvantages
1. One disadvantage to using the 1 minute sit up test is that when you do a sit up with your feet being held to the ground it increases the involvement of the hip flexor muscles, making the test less valid as a measure of abdominal strength.
2. Another disadvantage to the 1 minute sit up test is that It is sometimes difficult to determine if a correct sit up has been performed using the correct technique.
3. Another disadvantage to using the 1 minute sit up test is that there may be dispute about the total number of sit ups completed in the amount of time. in addition to this the person who is in charge of counting how many sit ups have been completed correctly may count incorrectly or be biased.
References:
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=KByLrE95sP8C&pg=PA238&lpg=PA238&dq=one+minute+sit+up+test&source=bl&ots=cxmn_eeBQX&sig=6Wr1QmTkzPsa1EOdQlk7AFsZtSo&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ld6aU6nTGoX50gXWmIHQBA&ved=0CHUQ6AEwCTgK#v=onepage&q=one%20minute%20sit%20up%20test&f=false
http://www.topendsports.com/testing/tests/abendur.htm
http://www.brianmac.co.uk/situptst.htm