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Hi and welcome to another fitness testing newsletter. You are receiving this email as you have subscribed through the Topendsports website https://www.topendsports.com/testing/. If you do not want to receive any more newsletters, you can unsubscribe through the Yahoo groups administration panel.

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In this issue

- About Abdominal Muscle Testing
- The J.A.M. Intermittent Test

About Abdominal Muscle Testing

There are numerous fitness tests for measuring the function of the abdominal muscles. This is a very important area for testing, as abdominal strength or abdominal muscle endurance is an indicator of core strength and therefore core stability and support of the lower back.

The tests fall into two main categories, abdominal muscle strength and abdominal muscle endurance. In the abdominal strength tests, assessed is the ability of the abdominal muscle to function optimally and hold a correct position under increasing difficulty. In the abdominal endurance tests, assessed is the ability to perform repeated abdominal curls in a set time (e.g. one minute) or at a set rate. What test you use will be dependent of what you are specifically trying to measure, weighed up against the costs and ease of conducting the test.

The techniques for the abdominal endurance sit-up tests used for the US defense forces (US Army, US Marines, US Navy), the home test and other endurance tests vary slightly. Make note of the instructions such as where the hands are held (across the chest, behind the head, on the side of the head, out in front), how far you have to go back (shoulders to the ground, head to touch) and how far you go up (to touch your knees, chest to thighs), the angle of the knees (usually 90 degrees) and whether the feet are held or not. Being consistent with the technique will improve the reliability of the tests. When comparing the results to normative values, you should make sure that the testing technique, test conditions and subject populations are the same.

see more of this article, including links to the 10 different abdominal tests described on topendsports, seehttps://www.topendsports.com/testing/abdominal-testing.htm

J.A.M. Intermittent Test

The latest fitness test added to the topendsports website is the J.A.M. Intermittent Test, a test developed to measure the intermittent fitness ability of team sport athletes. The test was developed originally for assessing the fitness of Rugby Football Union Referees, but would be suitable for athletes of all levels in team sports such as rugby, football, AFL, field hockey, team handball and basketball. The test is suitable .

The perform this test you need to purchase the cd distributed in the UK. Cones are placed out in a triangular circuit, the sides of different lengths. The test involves a series of walk–jog–run shuttles. The participants loop around the triangle, either running, walking or jogging in that order. Approximately every 2 minutes the run is replaced with a maximal 12 meter sprint bout. The test continues around a triangular circuit, with participants keeping in time with a series of audio signals. Like in the beep test (MSFT) the time between beeps gets progressively shorter, and the test continues until the participants cannot longer keep up with the test

for more information, see https://www.topendsports.com/testing/tests/jam-test.htm

About this Newsletter

Fitness testing news and latest information, including notification of updates to the ultimate source of all fitness testing information - "Rob's Home of Fitness Testing". Topics covered include methods for measuring body fat, shuttle run beep test issues, strength and power testing and much more.

Thank you for your ongoing support of my site.

Rob Wood

Rob's Home of Fitness Testing

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