The validity of recent curl-up tests in young adults

The validity of 2 field tests of abdominal endurance was examined in a sample of 22 male and 22 female college students. Scores on the modified trunk-curl (7) and the 90-second bench trunk-curl (22) were correlated with isometric trunk flexor strength and endurance measured on a Cybex TEF machine. There were no significant correlations (-0.21 < r < 0.36) between the field tests and abdominal strength. Only the bench trunk-curl was significantly correlated (rmale = 0.50 and rfemale = 0.46, p < 0.05) with abdominal muscular endurance. The nonsignificant association with the modified curl-up was likely due to a ceiling effect created by the ease of the test. The weak correlations between field tests of abdominal endurance and isometric abdominal endurance (about 25% common variance) and a recent longitudinal study (17) suggest that the curl-ups scores and their hypothesized health-related fitness standards should be interpreted with caution.