VALIDATION OF A ONE-MINUTE CRUNCH TEST

Abstract

Abdominal muscular endurance tests are common in fitness assessments. The purpose of this study was to validate a one-minute abdominal crunch test by comparison to the Canadian Curl-up Test (CCT). The SEMO crunch test was designed to evaluate muscular endurance via a one-minute all-out effort. The CCT is a widely used test which insures that an equal amount of work is being performed with each repetition. The advantage of the SEMO crunch test is the time efficiency when testing large groups of people. 179 Ss (82 females, 97 males) volunteered to participate. Mean age (M = 21.6 yrs., F = 21.4 yrs.), height (M = 180.6 cm, F = 165.8 cm), weight (M = 79.7 kg, F = 61.1 kg), and hours of activity per week (M = 8.1, F = 6.8) were reported for the Ss. Ss were given specific instructions for each test prior to administration. The order of testing was counterbalanced and a five minute resting period between the two tests was required. The pearson product correlation coefficient for the CCT and the SEMO crunch test demonstrated a weak but significant relationship (r = 0.185, p < 0.01). The correlation coefficient for females was significant (r = 0.312, p < 0.01), however, the correlation coefficient for males (r = 0.052, p > 0.05) was not. The results indicate that the SEMO crunch test is valid, however, the practical significance of the test is questionable since a poor relationship exists between this test of abdominal endurance and the CCT. The CCT requires the following of a rhythm set by a metronome and also has a learning component which may have affected the outcome.