Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 23, 2026
An Instrumented Pull Test to Characterize Postural Responses
Published on: April 6, 2019
Validation of a Supine Upper-Body Power Test in Physically Active Male and Female Adults Using a Medicine Ball With
Mathieu Tremblay1,2, Clément Prunault1,2, Carl Vesco2,3
1Department of Anatomy, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Canada.
Abstract:
Tremblay, M, Prunault, C, Vesco, C, Abboud, J, and Descarreaux, M. Validation of a supine upper-body power test in physically active male and female adults using a medicine ball with accelerometer. J Strength Cond Res 40(4): e346-e351, 2026-The purpose of this study was to validate a supine version of a medicine ball throw test for assessing upper-body power (UBP) in physically active male and female adults. Between session test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and agreement with the seated medicine ball throw protocol (SMBT) and criterion validity of the supine protocol were examined. In addition, the sensitivity of the supine protocol to upper-body neuromuscular fatigue was compared with grip strength measures. Thirty subjects (21 males, 9 females; mean age 26.93 ± 4.26 years) completed 2 experimental sessions 24-72 hours apart. In session 1, UBP was assessed using both the SMBT protocol and supine throw protocols, with peak velocity score (m·s -1 ) measured by an accelerometer-equipped 4-kilogram medicine ball. Grip strength was measured before, between, and after each medicine ball throw protocol. In session 2, grip strength and the supine throw protocol were assessed pre- and postfatigue, induced by repeated rounds of a push-up protocol. Results showed excellent test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation [2,1] = 0.94, 95% CI [0.88, 0.97]) of the supine throw protocol between sessions, and high correlation and agreement with the SMBT protocol ( r = 0.92, p < 0.001). Results of session 2 showed a significant fatigue-induced reduction in UBP supine throw performance ( p < 0.01), but grip strength changes were inconsistent. These findings suggest that the supine medicine ball throw protocol is a reliable and valid measure of UBP. This assessment seems to offer greater standardization and sensitivity to fatigue during specific targeted upper-body exercise compared with grip strength assessments.
