Development of a cadence curl-up test for college students

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 (n = 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 < or = .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 CT 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.